Pentax has launched the new Optio E40, an entry-level compact digital camera, aimed at delivering high-resolution photography for beginners.

People shots are taken care of with Pentax's Face recognition auto focus and auto exposure while blur reduction comes in the form of a new Shake Reduction mode.

This model also offers a decent 8.1-megapixels and 3x optical and 4x digital zoom.

Further upping that ease of use quotient, this camera features a "Green" mode which automates settings and offers users a quick and intuitive way to start shooting.

It comes with 10MB of built-in memory and supports both SD and SDHC memory.

The E40 has been designed to specifically to use less power and runs on AA batteries.

Other features worthy of a round-up mention are movie recording up to 640 x 480, 2.4-inch LCD monitor, calendar display for photo date searches, full retracting lens and continuous shooting mode of 16 low-res images in a 2-second burst.

The Optio E40 will be on sale from August 2007, price to be confirmed.