Pentax Optio M40 with 8Mp and slim body launched

Press release:
PENTAX U.K. announces the Optio M40, its latest mid-range compact digital camera. At just 18mm deep, this extremely slim and lightweight camera is designed to look as good as the photos it can take. The Optio M40 boasts straightforward operation and now comes with 8.0 megapixels delivering exceptionally high picture resolution.

Available in either silver, purple or bronze, the Optio M40 combines a compact lightweight body and wonderful usability with its versatile 3X optical zoom lens, large 2.5 inch functional LCD monitor and thanks to 8.0 megapixels, higher resolution than ever before. Coupled with 'Face Recognition' and 'Shake Reduction' features, the Optio M40 makes for a superb all-round compact camera that everyone, from budding photographers to seasoned amateurs can slip into their pocket and go.

Major Features:

1. Great design with ultra-slim body and a high quality finish

   Thanks to a super-slim battery and extra small circuit board, PENTAX has been able to keep this camera's body to just 18mm. The body of the camera is cased in high-quality aluminum alloy which makes for a very sophisticated finish.

2.      High Image Quality

With a high resolution of 8.0 effective megapixels, the Optio M40 delivers really sharp picture quality capturing images down to the finest detail.

3.      Digital SR (Shake Reduction)

A setting which reduces the impact of camera shaking when capturing still subjects. Light sensitivity is adjusted automatically, (as high as ISO1000) matching that of the subject, thus enabling fast shutter speed photography, but with a substantial reduction in blurring. 

4.      "Face Recognition AF&AE" for even better people shots and portraits.

The Optio E40 comes with a 'Face Recognition AF & AE' function, which delivers effortlessly high quality people shots, thanks to the camera's ability to detect and recognise faces, immediately determining the correct focus and exposure. In addition, the camera can automatically select exposure to ensure that faces are not underexposed even if there is backlighting.

5.      Flash Versatility

The Optio M40 is equipped with powerful flash photography capabilities which allows for the capture of subjects in dark conditions at a distance of up to approximately 15.5m. This is thanks to a flash that uses a large amount of light and "Digital SR". It also comes with the "Soft Flash" function which prevents the overexposure of skin during close-ups of people.

6.      Auto Picture mode automatically determines the best settings for shooting conditions

The Auto Picture mode lets the camera automatically determine the shooting conditions for Landscape, Portrait, Night Scene, and Program modes choosing the optimum settings for each subject. This PENTAX original function makes photography a lot easier for users since it eliminates the necessity of making a number of individual settings.

7.      16 different photography modes

The unique Mode Palette function can set optimum exposure, white balance, etc according to the photographer's subject. The Optio M40 now has Mode Palette settings for 16 different subject types.

8.      3X optical zoom lens

The Optio M30 features a 3X optical zoom lens with a focal range covering angles of view equivalent to those of a 36-108mm lens in 35mm format, which is ideal for a broad spectrum of subjects from landscapes, through sightseeing photographs, to portraits.

9.      Large, easy-to-view 2.5-inch LCD monitor

The Optio M40 comes with a large 2.5-inch monitor with approximately 150,000 pixels. This allows for easy photography and playback, and the large display lends itself to overall ease of operation. Energy saving is made easy thanks to the "Economy mode" which kicks in automatically after a certain period of time if the camera is not in use.

10.     Other features

(1) Movie SR (Shake Reduction) function for movies with image quality rivaling camcorders.
(2) Auto-Macro mode allows for close-up photography down to 10cm in normal focusing mode.
(3) Auto-tracking AF continuously focusing on a moving subject.
(4) New Date Imprint function for easier image categorization.
(5) World time function for 75 cities (28 times zones) worldwide.
(6) Calendar Display function allows image retrieval based on the capture date.
(7) Approximately 21.9MB of built-in memory.
(8) FotoNation's red-eye correction function for flash shots.
(9) Includes the ACDSee for PENTAX image viewer/image management software.
(10) Support PictBridge, DPOF functions, Exif Print, and PRINT Image Matching III.