The PDR-5300 employs a high-quality F2.8-F4.7, 7 elements in 5 groups, f=7.2 to 21.6mm (equivalent to 35-105mm on a 35mm camera), all glass lens Zoom 3X Optical, 4X Digital zoom.

The auto-focus range is: Normal mode from 0.8 m to infinity, Macro mode: 9 cm (wide) to infinity, 30cm to infinity (tele). There is also fixed focus at 1 m, 3 m and infinity.

Real-image optical viewfinder with dioptric adjustment. The LED indicates focus and flash status by changing color (red and green) and blinking or staying on steady. It also turns yellow during any SD card activity and green while battery is charging.

The built in flash has a working range of 0.5 m to 2.9 m (Wide, ISO 200) and Auto, Red-Eye reduction Forced (Fill), Forced, and disabled modes of operation.

On the back is a 1.5-inch color monitor, it's coated with a non-glare finish and is quite useable in brightly lit environments. The controls include: the zoom lens switch on the top right, the SEARCH DIAL on the side is used to adjust shutter speeds and aperture values, the MENU button calls up the onscreen menu system in record or playback modes. The "trash can" button is used to delete image(s), the 4-way buttons with the OK button in the center to navigate menus and accept selections. Use the "Up" button to enable macro focus or manually select 1m, 3m or infinity distances. The "Right" button selects the Flash modes. Press "Down" to enable the self-timer or interval recording modes. Press "Left" to enable exposure compensation. The DISP button controls the color LCD and the amount of information displayed on it.

On top is the shutter release, power button and the Mode Dial with positions for Setup, Connect to PC, Playback, Auto Record, Program AE, Shutter speed AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Portrait, Sports, Nigt Portrait and Movie Record. The microphone is also located on the top.

SecureDigital (SD) flash cards are used for image storage, a 16MB card is included and any size up to 512MB can be used. The cards are located in the battery compartment and can easily removed by a "push in and pop out" type of ejector.

Image Storage Capacity

On the side behind a rubber flap is the 5V DC IN jack for connecting the AC power supply / battery charger. The PC / Video-Audio port connects either the USB cable for downloading to the computer or the video-audio output cable. The video signal is switchable for NTSC or PAL standards.

The camera is powered by a PDR-BT3 3.7v 1035mAh Li-ion rechargeable type battery. Also included is a small AC charger / power supply. Toshiba claims 130 shots with the flash used 100% of the time. Continuous playback is 90 minutes.