Toshiba PDR-M61 2MP Digital Camera

by Toshiba

Product Details

Product Manual [2.01mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 4.8 x 3 inches ; 10.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00005B5DT
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,343 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Average deal for the price, October 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Toshiba PDR-M61 2MP Digital Camera (Electronics)

After doing some research and with the recommendation of PCWorld.com (Best Buy Rating), I proceeded to purchase this camera along with a 64 Meg SmartMedia card and rechargeable batteries. PCworld.com's recommendation was based on excellent battery life and above average picture quality. While the article mentioned a fews "cons" with the camera, it did neglect to mention that the zoom operation was sluggish and jumpy (not smooth), and actually locked up after 3 weeks of usage. I had to turn the camera off and back on to enable the zoom operation again. The picture quality was very good (for a novice photographer like me), except when I wasn't absolutely still while pressing the shutter button (pictures turned out blurry). I'm not sure if this is normal with all digital cameras. However, this is the main reason why I wanted a digital camera in the first place--so that I can easily discard unwanted pictures without the hassle of developing them. It is however still irritating to find that the pictures you have just taken are completely unusable.

A few other cons that PCWorld.com mentioned were that the zoom lens partially obstructed the viewfinder and difficulty in opening and closing battery compartment. Although minor annoyances, they were hardly reasons for disliking the camera.

As to battery life, the set of rechargeable NiMh lasts for about 200-300 shots. That is far better than most digital cameras on the market.

In summary, I feel that the camera is probably just an average deal for the price. I don't think that PCWorld.com did as thorough a review on the Toshiba PDRM61 as they did on the other ones in the article. It seemed that the reviews on the other cameras provided more information that I could have used. Anyhow, I will be exchanging the camera to the store for either a CANON A20 or Nikon E775. I believe that either one is a better product than the Toshiba.

65 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Toshiba digital is excellent, October 2, 2001

By 

Robert Riggs (Atlanta, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toshiba PDR-M61 2MP Digital Camera (Electronics)

I purchased this TOshiba digital camera because Consumer Reports rated it number one for photo quality in its class of 2.0 - 2.9 megapixels. While I am not a professional photographer, my film needs would never exceed photo quality of a higher caliber, and I am immensely pleased with this product. The design of the camera is not wholly ideal to me, but the photo quality is superb, and that is what matters most to me.

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good features, with a few drawbacks, November 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Toshiba PDR-M61 2MP Digital Camera (Electronics)

I've been using this camera for about 3 weeks, but have been using digital cameras for 4 years. This camera has all the right features for a point-and-shoot: several flash modes, good zoom, several ISO settings, even a black-and-white option. The menus are easy to navigate and intuitive. The LCD screen is easy to see under most lighting conditions. I love the size of the Smart Media cards! Who wants to go back to 35mm film?

Drawbacks: the focus is slow. The proper way to take a picture is to compose it in the viewfinder, press the trigger half way down and wait for the auto-focus to do its thing. This takes 1-2 seconds. Then a small light in the viewfinder lets you know you can go ahead and shoot your picture. In normal 35mm cameras, this takes a fraction of a second. I don't understand why it has to be so slow on this camera. You do get used to this, but it's still an annoyance to have to explain it to someone who is going to take your picture in front of the Eiffel Tower, and who only speaks French. Better bring a tripod!

The zoom is jerky, not continuous. This was a little irritating at first, but I got used to it in no time. The camera only comes with an 8 MB memory card, which is way too small to be useful. The battery door is somewhat difficult to open and close. The included software is below average.

These inconveniences are relatively small, compared with the resulting images: the clarity is beautiful, the colors saturated, and objects are in sharp focus, at all levels of resolution. There are some manual modes to play with, which yield good results, like the Bulb setting and the Multi Shot.

Recommendation: buy rechargeable NiMH or Lithium Ion batteries, or you'll go through a couple of sets of alkalines before you fill up your memory card.

Overall, this is a fun camera, which offers a lot of features and quality for the money.