Canon PowerShot A40
- 2 MP 1/2.7" CCD sensor
- 3x optical zoom, 35-105mm equivalent
- f/2.8-4.8 aperture
- Optical viewfinder
- 1.5" LCD screen
- ISO 50-400
- Shutter speed 15s to 1/1500s
- CompactFlash memory
- Powered by 4x AA batteries
- Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program modes
- 320x240 movie recording with sound
The A40 sits right at the turn of the millennium in this collection, and its 2-megapixel CCD gives it a texture and grain that instantly reads as early-2000s digital — the kind of look people now associate with disposable party photography from that exact era. Colour is warm and a little soft by later standards, with the CCD struggling in low light but holding up well outdoors. What makes the A40 unusual for an entry-level compact is its manual controls: Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and full Manual modes were rare at this price point, giving it more creative range than most cameras aimed at casual users. It runs on CompactFlash rather than the SD cards that would soon dominate, and four AA batteries rather than a proprietary pack — both markers of exactly how early this camera sits in the digicam timeline. For anyone chasing the rawest, earliest edge of the 2000s digicam aesthetic, with genuine manual control unusual for its class, the A40 is a strong pick.
Sample photos
