Toshiba PDR-4300 Review

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By: Steve's Digicams

Record Screens & Menus

When shooting the Auto Record mode you can quickly select one of the Program AE Scene modes if the color LCD is enabled. In the upper left is the SCENE icon, you press the center of the 4-way jog switch and it displays the Scene mode options. See the next frame for an animated look at the menus.

Move up or down to select Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Scene or 16-shot mode. You can also select a focus mode from Macro, 1m, 3m or infinity.

In Manual Record mode you have access to the full range of exposure control and capture modes. There's an onscreen histogram as well as display of the shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation.

Here's an animated look at the Manual Record options:

EXP

WB - White balance (Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Fluorescent 1 or 2, Incandescent

AE - Metering mode, Matrix or Spot

S/C - Single, Continuous or AE Bracketing

FOCUS - Auto Focus, Macro, 1m, 3m, infinity

Un-documented manual white balance option

Turn the Mode Dial to MANUAL MODE (Red camera icon with an "M")
Use the Arrow Down on the ENTER Button to select W/B (White Balance)
Press the center on the ENTER Button to select and adjust W/B (White Balance)
Use the Arrow Right (once), then Press and Hold the Arrow Down. Note: Continue to Press and Hold the Arrow Down. There will be a pause as you reach the bottom of the common preset conditions. Then a new "hidden" option will appear.
Once PRE SET appears, Press the center of the ENTER Button to select it.
A Special screen will appear. Point the camera direct at something WHITE, like a piece of paper, a white wall or a white shirt. Regardless of the lighting conditions, the camera will accept this "white object" as the new starting point "base of reference" or "True White".
Press the Shutter Button to program the new "True White" setting.
Press the center of the ENTER Button to accept and continue photography. Note: These new settings will be saved as PRE SET True White conditions in Manual Photography Mode until you change the settings with another selection. This will not "go away" when the camera is turned off. These settings do not impact Auto Photography Mode.

Pressing the MENU button in Auto or Manual Record brings up this screen of options:

PREVIEW

COLOR - Color mode: Standard, Vivid, Monochrome or Sepia

ISO - Normal (100), 2X (200), or 4X (400)

SHARPNESS - Normal, Soft or Hard

CONTRAST - Normal, Strong or Soft

DIGITAL ZOOM - On or Off

LCD* - Adjust brightness of LCD display

QUALITY - Set default image size and quality for both still and movies

The PDR-4300 is capable of capturing motion video without audio at 15 frames per second. The image size is selectable between Full (320 x 240) and Half (160 x 120) and in either resolution you can select one, two or three "stars" quality.

Maximum video clip lengths for 320x240 are: 30, 45 and 60 seconds
Maximum video clip lengths for 160x120 are: 90, 120 and 180 seconds

Turning the Mode Dial to the Setup position gives you access to:

AUTO POWER OFF

SOUND - Turn beep sounds On or Off

TIME&DATE - Set the internal clock

OSD LANGUAGE - Set the menu language

VIDEO OUT - Video out format: NTSC or PAL

QUALITY - Set the image size/quality

FRAME NUMBER - Enable or reset image file numbering

SYSTEM INFO - Submenu with Firmware version number, Card Info, Reset all camera parameters to default.

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