Customer Reviews

Toshiba PDR-M60 2.3MP Digital Camera w/ 2x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

First and formost, I am a real stickler for good printed manuals which the Toshiba PDR-M60 did not come with. It was extremely basic and only the most mentally challenged users should need to deal with it. On the other hand, the Acrobat PDF manual which was included on the CD is alot more helpful and you should defineatly check that out before trying out any one of the many features this digital camera offers. Also, the digital camera comes shipped with the bare minmums (couple cables) and nothing else. Not even a case. The 4 MB SmartMedia card they provide is far too small for any extensive use so plan on purchasing an upgrade soon. Additionally, the included Toshiba software cannot compare to what Canon provides with their Digital Elph series.

Aside from those quirks, for the most part, this 2.1 megapixel camera delivers. It doesn't look or feel "cheap" (Olympus D460) and fits *very* nicely in your hands. Not too big (Kodak), not too small (Elph), not too rugged or too delicate looking (Sony) - the shape is just right. Holding the M60 will soon become 2nd nature. The picture quality, when you properly configure and manipulate its simple AF feature, is fantastic and no one has any right to complain here. The simple point and shoot concept will appeal to casual users such as myself.

One major drawback to the M60 is its relatively short battery life. Unlike Sony's or Olympus' offerings, your limited to just using 4 AA batteries. The LCD, multi-shot, and playback mode sucks these suckers dry before you even fill up the 4 MB SmartMedia card. Be sure to have alot of spare batteries available.

All in all, M60, for its price, is a good deal but you *may* want to consider looking at other cameras if you plan on using this extensively.

I recently purchased a Toshiba PDR - M60 digital camera. The first thing I noticed right out of the box was the bottom left area of the viewfinder had an obstruction as if a finger partially covered it. This never went away. The camera only comes with a partial owner's manual and to obtain the full length version you have to download it from the CD and it is 103 pages long. Another problem is the batteries discharged in a couple of days although the camera was in the off mode. If you buy a PDR-M60 be sure to immediately buy some rechargeable batteries and a charger and an AC adapter as battery life is very short when you connect the camera to your computer. I have to believe my camera was an anomoly as Toshiba is recognized for quality, nevertheless, I returned it and ordered a Canon s-10.

I am a loyal Toshiba buyer, the TV's are super, the best, but they goofed big time with this M60 camera. I could never get it to focus correctly and most pictures were blurred and not useable. Naturally, I returned the camera for a refund, it was auto focus defective. I used up 2 sets of batteries, on approx. 20 unuseable pictures in various resolutions and options (always using the LCD) trying to learn how to take good pictures (in focus) with this sucker. Yes I know you have to pause half way down to allow the camera to focus. You also need a gold mine for all the batteries it can use up very, very quickly. The batteries refused to work the camera even at 1.4 vdc under normal current demands by the M60, that really sucks. It did run longer with the 1500 mah NI-MH rechargeable batteries (worked even at 1.2 vdc but it takes 13 hours to charge a set of batteries) but overall this digital camera isn't worth the MSRP price ...... and sorry to say, in my opinion, at any price. Great name ......... poor design ..... don't buy.

This camera is a decent general use camera, but buyers should be VERY aware of some inherent flaws with the camera and Toshiba's lack of support for their own engineering flaws. The camera has 2 reoccuring problems. First, the tabs in the battery compartment are weak. Extreme care must be taken opening and closing the compartment to prevent wear and breakage. Second, the mode dials on these cameras fall off in normal use. The plastic pins which hold it in place break off no matter how gently used. Toshiba has stopped supporting the camera with replacement parts. If the dial falls off outside the warranty window, your only option will be to trade the camera in for a refurbished camera. The price of the trade is not justifiable considering the problems, and you will be better off buying a new camera from someone besides Toshiba. I currently have a worthless PDR-M60, and will not buy from Toshiba again.

I bought this camera refurbished and let me tell you it works GREAT!!! You have to get NiMh batteries. They lasted me over 4 days of taking pictures on vacation. The camera has been sitting for over a week and the batteries are still good. The only other thing you need to get is a higher capacity memory card 32Mb or 64Mb. You can take plenty of pictures at the BEST resolution.(about 1meg/pic.)
I printed my pictures at home on a Epson Stylus Photo 870 and you can't tell them appart from 35mm pictures. Plus you only print the good ones, you crop out unwanted items and you can do digital editing!
The only problem I could find was the lower left corner of the view finder was blocked by the lens frame. It is a tiny portion of the window and it dosn't effect the pictures.
The camera fits great in your hand and the quality is excellent.
Buy it, you will love it.

I bought my camera and used up my batteries in minutes. I then went out and bought two sets of NiMh and a charger. Also, a 32mb Smart media card. I was disappointed that my USB controller won't recognize the camera so I had to buy a flashpath adapter. The additional items I needed ran the cost up by approx. $.... I still don't have an AC adapter. There is a battery pack that last 5 hours with the LCD display being on for the whole time. Buy it from......

After all of the additional expenses, I used the camera and was really delighted with the results. It is very easy to use and I don't mind having the manual on disk. I also can get up to 450 shots on the 32mb memory. I think I will only use the full, fine setting if I want enlargments. I currently load the pictures I take into the computer then use my CD writer and FlipAlbum software to create an album on CD. It works great. Try it.

I received this camera as an out-of-left-field Christmas gift; it was totally unexpected and I was thrilled. The thrill abated a bit when the supplied alkaline batteries went dead after about twelve snaps and two uploads. Fresh AA's didn't restore operation. A call to Toshiba's tech line (only moderately annoying as far as typical menu-driven help lines go, and I was on hold less than a minute) revealed that I needed either an AC adapter (... accessory! No thanks) or a set of nickel-metal-hydride rechargeables. I chose the latter; a trip to the local Generic Big Discount Store and ... for the batteries and charger (and an overnight initial charge) put me back in business.

Picture quality is good but the LCD image visibility varies widely -- from "good" to "barely useable" -- with ambient conditions. The USB upload is a snap and the software installation was easy. The optical viewfinder is a joke, though: It only approximates the picture field (conservatively; you can crop the extraneous stuff that ends up in the image) and then there's the lens housing which blocks about 20% of the finder's lower left corner. Another dislike is the CD-ROM "manual," however I enjoy a laser-printer subsidy at my place of work so making a hardcopy materially reduced my annoyance factor here.

In all, as a gift it's great but if you have a chance to shop for yourself there are much better cameras for not much more money.

I was impressed with the features in the store, but when I got it home the Toshiba was less impressive. It ran out of battery power very quickly. The viewfinder was obstructed by the camera body. The 4mb smartmedia card is far too small. And I kept looking for the manual -- but all it comes with is a useless reference guide that barely tells how to refill the batteries (a skill you will need to develop quickly!) Hold out for a better value.

I bought a Toshiba PDR-M60 three days ago. At first I was disappointed because I used 12 batteries in half a day, including the alkaline batteries that are supplied but are pretty much useless. The instruction manual is so brief that it provides only the most basic information, but the 322 page manual that comes with the installation of the software is much more helpful. You just need time to read it. On the second day I went back to the store where I purchased the camera and picked up a larger capacity Smart Card, a recharger and some rechargable batteries. Although the store carried the camera, it did not carry an adapter for it so I am still looking. I would advise purchasing all of these products at the same time as you get the camera. It will save a lot of headaches and a lot money in spent batteries.

The first m60 I bought was defective right out of the box. Would not save pictures on the 4mb card and flash never worked once. Also AF was not working. Took it back and got another one (same store different location) and got the 2 year extended warr. Was a little scared about getting a second one but I like the feel and design on the m60. Second one works great. You have to buy NI-MH AA batteries for it. I am having very good luck with the rechargables. Lasting pretty long time. Picture quality is great. I use 800X600 res. (can do double that if you want but only 3 pictures will fit on 4mb card :() and print on a HP 882c printer. Looks VERY good! Camera has built in lens cap, bonus. Has a lot of pretty advanced features for the price. (manual setting mode, macro, slow shot...) From reading other reviews, I think 50% of these m60's made are crap and the other 50% are ok. If your lucky to get a "working" model, deff. worth the money. Great camera for someone who wants a great picture and easy to use.