Pentax Optio A40 (2007)

The Pentax Optio A40 was the company's top-end compact when it arrived in 2007. It had a 12-megapixel sensor behind a 3x optical zoom lens (37-111mm equivalent) and a 2.5-inch LCD. Pentax aimed it at the enthusiast who wanted more control than the average point-and-shoot gave. The Guardian (January 2008) noted that you could make your own aperture and shutter decisions, but finding the mode you wanted meant "wading through a lot of submenus."

The headline feature was "Triple Shake Reduction", three separate stabilization approaches covering mechanical (CCD-shift), digital, and movie modes. The camera also had enhanced face recognition, dynamic range adjustment, and an Auto Picture mode that picked from four shooting scenes automatically. Video was MPEG-4 DivX, which kept file sizes manageable. The aluminum body kept the weight down. Pentax claimed the A40 could produce images rivaling those from a DSLR, which was a bold pitch for a compact of this era.

The launch was troubled. A factory fire at Matsushita Battery Industrial delayed the A40's release, because the camera depended on a lithium-ion cell from that plant. Amateur Photographer covered the setback. Pricing records conflict slightly: CNET listed it at £185, while The Guardian cited a £169 SRP. A January 23, 2008 announcement confirmed the A40 would ship in Golden, Colorado alongside the Optio V10 and other models. Exact production dates beyond the 2007 introduction aren't firmly documented.

Documentation on this model is otherwise thin. No sensor size, aperture range, ISO range, or storage media type is confirmed in the surviving record. What little exists conflicts on the LCD - one headline implies 3 inches, but B&H, Woot, and eBay listings all agree on 2.5". No genuine user reviews survive either. PCMag UK explicitly noted the product was "not yet tested by editor" and ran manufacturer copy. Today the A40 shows up mainly as used gear with charger and cable, occasionally as a parts unit.

Known specs: