Toshiba PDR-M700 Review

The Auto mode is the "simple" recording mode using Program AE exposure and offers minimal popup and menu options. Press the OK button in the center of the 4-way jog switch and it displays the Scene and Focus mode menu along the bottom (see the next frame).

Press the OK button a second time to access the popup menu and select from Scene or Focus using the 4-way selector. Press it "Up" show the options for each item. Scene mode has Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Portrait+Landscape, Night Scene or Multi 16-shot mode. You can also select a focus mode from Auto Focus, Macro, infinity, 1m or 3m.

Pressing the MENU button displays a page of settings for:

ISO - Auto 200, Auto 400, 70, 100, 200, 400

DIGITAL ZOOM - Enable or disable digital zoom feature

QUALITY - One Star, Two Stars, Three Stars (more is better quality)

CREATE FOLDER - Create new folder on SD card for images

PICTURE - Settings for color, saturation and sharpness

DISPLAY SETTINGS - Enable post-capture preview and info overlays

LCD BRIGHTNESS - Adjust LCD back light intensity

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.

Manual Record popup menu options:

EXP - Exposure mode: Program AE, Aperture priority, Shutter speed priority, Manual

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

AE - Metering mode: Center-weighted or Spot

S/C - Drive mode: 1-Shot, High Speed Continuous, Continuous, AE Bracketing 3-frame or 5-frame

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

Pressing the MENU button in Manual Record shows the same options as the Auto menu shown above, the only difference is there are no Auto ISO options, you select 70, 100, 200 or 400.

The PDR-M700 captures motion video with audio at 15 frames per second. The image size is fixed at Quarter-VGA (320 x 240), you can select one, two or three "stars" quality. The length of these movies is limited only by available memory on the SD card.

The Setup menu has options for:

SOUND - Camera button beeps and the shutter sound effect

AUTO POWER OFF - 1, 3 or 5 minutes

CUSTOMIZE - Set the LED color/function, change the startup image

LANGUAGE - Set the menu language

VIDEO OUT - Video out format: NTSC or PAL

TIME&DATE - Set the internal clock

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