Toshiba PDR-M81
 Click to take a QuickTime tour of the PDR-M81
The PDR-M81's automatic settings take the guesswork out of digital photography and allow new users to experience the fun and satisfaction of being a digital photographer just minutes after taking the camera out of the box. In addition to the convenience of automatic operation, the PDR-M81 comes equipped with manual features too. Selectable white balance setting, full manual exposure control of shutter speed and aperture. There is also aperture priority and shutter speed priority AE modes, burst shot mode and selectable ISO settings. The built-in flash system has five modes to choose from including slow-sync for artistic photography involving moving or low light subjects. The PDR-M81 has an AVI movie mode that lets users film up to three minutes of video at 160 x 120 resolution (15 fps), or 60 seconds at 320 x 240 (15 fps). Sound can be recorded during the video filming by using the camera's built-in microphone. When the video is finished it can be viewed on a computer monitor, a television (NTSC/PAL), or on the camera's 1.5-inch polysilicon color LCD. The PDR-M81 features automatic playback of images on its LCD so users can view and select which pictures they want to keep or erase, a process that is made easier by a digital 2X zoom that lets users zero in on areas within a specific picture. Other playback options include a multi-frame playback for viewing up to 9 images at once, an automatic slideshow, exposure data and a histogram display. The PDR-M81 was recently lowered (1/11/02) to an incredible $499 !
Physical Views
 
 Toshiba PDR-M81 and the Epson PhotoPC 3100Z for size comparison. |
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Toshiba PDR-M81 Specifications
CCD Sensor
1/1.8 inch 4.2 million pixels
Image Resolutions
2400 x 1600, 1200 x 800, 720 x 480
Lens
Canon® F2.9-F4.8, 7 elements in 5 groups, f=7.25 to 20.3mm
(equivalent to 35-100mm on a 35mm camera), all glass lens
Zoom 2.8X Optical, 2.2X Digital
Auto-Focus Range
Normal mode: 8ft to infinity, Macro mode: 0.33ft (wide), 0.83ft (tele) to infinity.
File Format
JPEG (EXIF 2.1), DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) and DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) compliant
Image Quality
Fine, Normal or Basic
Burst Shot
1.25 Frame Per Second
Exposure Control
Program AE, Full Manual (shutter & aperture),
Shutter-Priority AE,
Aperture-Priority AE, Exposure Comp ( +/-2.0 at 0.5 EV)
White Balance
Auto, Outdoor, Cloudy, Incandescent, Flourescent I and 2
Sensitivity
Equivalent to ISO 100/200/400
Shutter
Mechanical shutter 1/2 to 1/1000 sec
Recording Modes
Single, MULTI (16 continuous), Bulb Mode
Movie Mode
AVI Video Recording with Audio, Max 3 minutes @ 15fps
Built-in Flash
Adjusting range 2.67 ft to 10 ft (Auto, Red-Eye, Forced, Slow Sync, OFF)
Video Interface
Provides NTSC and PAL video output signal
Microphone
Built in
LCD Monitor
1.5" color LCD monitor. Polysilicon TFT (490 x 240 pixels)
Storage Media
Supports SmartMedia 3v 2MB to 128MB, ships with 8MB
Storage (per 32MB)
20 images @ 2400 x 1600, 31 images @ 1200 x 800, 62 images @ 720 x 480
Optical Viewfinder
Real-image optical viewfinder
Status Display
User selectable controls and LCD status display
Self Timer
10 or 2 seconds
Tripod Mount
Built-In
Data Communication Interface
USB
Power
Includes four AA Alkaline batteries. Accepts four AA sized batteries (alkaline, lithium, Ni-Cd and NiMH). Optional AC adapter, rechargeable batteries and charger.
Software on CD-ROM
Sierra Imaging Image Expert, USB Storage Driver
Camera Dimensions and Weight
Dimensions (W x H x D): 107mm x 71mm x 47mm, Weight without batteries: 8.5 oz.
System Requirements
Windows: 98/Me/2000. Macintosh: System 9 or higher
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