Customer Reviews

Toshiba PDR-4300 4MP Digital Camera w/ 2.8x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well I dont work for any camera company so dont expect any biases here:

PROS:
* Excellent , stunning, photos (4 mp are the standard for professional photography)
* remote control - for doing extra chores like remote photo taking.
* Excellent in low lighting situations - pics come out crisp and white balanced.
* Hooks up to tv for monitoring pics or videos
* Videos can be as long as the memory card (no sound Note:professionals use separate mics and recording equipment - so if u want to do it right, buy a good mic and i.e. Sony digital recording machine)
* The software works excellent - was up in running in 5 minutes , easy to use software.
* Batteries seem to last long.
* Canon LENS - wow , if you want to get a good camera , make sure the lens are at least a good name brand - this fits the bill.

CONS (relatively minor):
* Many features - thats not a con, but it will take u awhile to take advantage of this sucker.
* no case - go buy one
* doesn't come with rechargeable batteries ($... extra) like the Sony.
* doesnt come with much memory to start - ie 32 megs would have been nice , CMON, not 16megs, whippee doo.
* does not come with extra power adapter - (so that u dont have to use batteries )

This Toshiba has a retro Leica look and with 4 megapixels it's also a powerful digital camera. 2.8x optical zoom gives you about 28-80mm in 35mm equivalent. Pretty easy to use and good build quality. Definitely use NiMH batteries -- but in any case I prefer these to LiIon because the latter are [spendier] and lose capacity after ~300 cycles. NiMH can be charged 1000 times before they degrade! Do carry extra sets of batteries.

The PDR-4300 is the second Toshiba digital still camera I've purchased, the PDR-3330 (3.2 million pixel) being my first. I am very pleased with the crisp clear pics I'm able to take with this camera and just love the ease of use. I feel the only drawback is how fast you can go thru batteries, so I highly recomment using rechargeable (NiMH) batteries and keeping a few sets charged and ready to go. This camera is just plain fun to use and that makes it outstanding!

For persons unfamiliar with digital photography who do not wish to be limited to a "point-and-shoot" camera as they learn the digital process, the Toshiba PDR-4300 is an excellent choice. The camera combines Toshiba's superior digital imaging expertise with a high imaging sensor into a camera that is easy to use. After the beginner has mastered "point-and-shoot" techniques, the PDR-4300 with a 4-megapixel resolution and a full set of professional-level manual options, they can readily progress to more advanced digital photography. The camera has a built-in flash and an all-glass quality Canon lens with a 2.8x optical zoom and with digital zoom provides 6x total zoom. The camera has several other features all of which makes for brilliant resolution and excellent photos. Finally, the installation software is "user-friendly" and excellent.

The camera battery life is poor. Battery life can be improved by adhering to the camera manual's instructions to turn off the LCD screen and use the viewfinder when taking pictures. However, the buyer should purchase a battery charger and buy rechargeable batteries that have a much longer life. Also, the 16 MB SD memory card limits the camera's picture file capacity and should be replaced by a 32 or 64 MB memory card. Nevertheless, the 16 MB card is adequate during the beginner stage in digital photography.

My major criticism concerns the camera manual. The manual is readable, comprehensive and well organized. Unfortunately, the manual, in four languages, is very poorly bound. I had not finished reading the introductory sections before the pages in the English section became unbound. Either the binding should be improved or each language section should be separately bound.

The camera is a "best buy", and is lots of fun to use.

The TOSHIBA camera I have bought is really great. It has most of the features you would need, including movie making. The battery runs out quickly if you use flash [even a little]. I suggest for users to buy it ONLY if they aren't advanced.

I had always used a manual 35mm camera, and wanted to get into digital but did not want my first digital camera to be a really expensive one (since I am learning the digital side and have not yet built enough knowledge to know exactly what I will need in my final, expensive camera yet). I chose this camera based on its price, megapixel count, and ability to switch to a full manual mode. After getting three sets of NiMH batteries and a charger, I have been well satisfied. With an ISO equiv of 100, 200, or 400 and a shutter speed of 1/1000 down to 1/2 and then extended as far as 30 secs with an internal processing stage, I was able to take a still life shot in almost total darkness by setting the camera on a tripod and using f2.9, 30sec exposure. It does love daylight. The digital zoom comes out a bit grainy in low light situations, but with daylight you can zoom all the way out optical and digital and still get good crisp images. I found the flash to be a bit underpowered, which means that closeups are too harshly lit and distant shots dont get enough light. But there are tricks I have learned to use to get super quality flash pics: Back up from the subject and then zoom in a bit rather than zooming out and being physically close to the subject (at too close range, you get harsh flash with uneven flashlense lines on the subject). Also, holding a small piece of tissue over the flash will make really nice pictures because it softens and diffuses the light -- no more shiny spots on foreheads. I really like the ability to choose standard or vibrant color, and the choice of color, b&w, or sepia. The timer works well for eliminating shaky hands even on handheld shots because you are not pushing the shutter manually and can concentrate on a still handhold. The only manual feature it doesn't really do completely is focus. There are settings for 1m and 3m and infinity. The closeup macro and the AF are both autofocus and will need a bit of good lighting in order to lock on. I sometimes shine a bright light at the subject while going to the half-pressed shutter and then turn off the light to actually snap the picture (only works if setting exposure manually - otherwise the extra light will cause the autoexposure to choose the wrong settings). So if you want to experiment and have fun with digital photography and dont want to pay a lot, this is an excellent choice. If you are not that interested in the photography of it, and only want the "soccer mom's point-and-shoot weekender for occasional birthday parties etc" then there are other cameras that are faster to start up, have bigger flash units, and use less battery power. But then they dont have all the settings that this one has for really creative photography on a budget.

While the picture quality is good (too red actually, but can be fixed with software), there are too many drawbacks to rate it above 3 stars. The battery drain is very high when in photo mode, so using high-drain regular or rechargeable batteries is essential, as regular ones die after only a couple of shots. The built-in flash isn't bright enough, so I'd only recommend it for outdoor use. Manual locking of the battery compartment where SD card is located is a hassle, as is the manual lens cover. Basically, it takes about a minute to get it ready to shoot, OK for prepared shots, but too slow if you need to catch something quickly. Does not come with a charger and rechargeable set of batteries. Also too bulky, especially since you need to carry 4 extra AA batteries, just in case. No webcam, movie mode is OK, but no sound, unlike other 4Mpixel cameras.

In this case, definitely, you get what you pay for, maybe even a bit less.

I desperately needed a new digital camera and for the price I jumped on this one. WIth a canon glass lens and decent firmware this camera does take great shots when the lighting and settings are synched. PROS: nice image quality, SSD cards are great, video is a nice bonus, menus are easy to use, has manual settings for experimenting, great power conservation. CONS: no sound on video (I didn't think I'd miss this as much as I do), flimsy lens cover, autofocus can be finnicky especially when using zoom (just optical I turn off digital zoom). All in all it is a solid buy and I have had good luck with toshiba products in general, but I still can't get the autofocus to work on closeup shots and really miss not having sound on my videos.

i just bought the camera, and for the price you won't find a better deal. the resolution is awesome, the flash is bright enough to make low-lit rooms look like there's daylight, and it's easy to use. the manual appears dense, but that's only because it's written in four different languages. the only downside (if you consider it one) is the size. but it appears sturdy, and so far it works very well. i looked at dozens of comparable digital cameras and found this one to be the better deal (cheaper with more features).

I actually purchased the PDR-3330 (3.1 MP) back in January 2004. It lasted through college and I continue to use it to this day! I don't know how many times I've dropped it, yet it's continued to work just fine - even after quite a few hits to the lens housing! Just got some crystal clear pictures of the aftereffects of the ice storm yesterday. I continue to be amazed at the quality of some of the pictures I get. The only drawback I notice besides battery life is lots of noise and shadow in low lighting - but this camera makes up for that by how well it performs in ample sunlight. Also, if you're an avid movie-taker this camera may disappoint - frames didn't come out too clearly and it does not have audio capabilities. But I've used the video feature perhaps twice in nearly four years, so it didn't bother me. I would definitely purchase from this Toshiba line again - with a Canon lens, knowledge that I can depend on this camera to hold up for years and the fact that this was my first "real" digital camera, I'm too taken to want anything else for a loooong time :)