Toshiba PDR-T20 Review

Click for our main menu

Toshiba PDR-T20

Review posted 08/02/2002

Introduction & Physical Views


Click to take a QuickTime VR tour of the Toshiba PDR-T20
Click on the Toshiba PDR-T20 to take a QuickTime VR tour


The Toshiba PDR-T20 is a sleek, metal body, 2-megapixel 2x zoom camera with a touch screen LCD that enables the user to navigate camera controls with a stylus or finger tip.

Building on the success of the Toshiba PDR-T10, Toshiba's first digital camera with a touch screen LCD, the new PDR-T20 gives consumers the best of all worlds with its point-and-shoot convenience, its wealth of advanced photographic features and controls, as well as its high tech-looking, silver metallic casing that combines pocketable dimensions with a distinctive sliding lens cover.

The PDR-T20 has a 2.01 million-pixel CCD sensor which captures 1600 x 1200 images. It comes equipped with a 2x optical zoom lens (equivalent to a 38-76 mm lens on a 35 mm camera), plus a 2x digital telephoto mode resulting in 4x total zooming capabilities. These features, merged with the camera's imaging options and the award-winning ACDSee editing software, help the Toshiba PDR-T20 capture eye-catching close-ups and freeze-frames to stunning portraits and landscapes.

The PDR-T20 offer extensive features, such as: auto and manual white balance, exposure control that is automatic with seven creative modes, a self-timer, TTL metering, shutter speeds from 4 seconds to 1/1000 second, and a pop-up flash with auto, forced, suppressed and red-eye reduction modes that has an operating range up to 10-feet.

The most recognizable feature of the PDR-T20 is its touch screen LCD. It allows users to navigate effortlessly through the camera's various shooting and playback modes by tapping icons on the LCD with the stylus that is included as part of the carry strap.


PDR-T20 Features:

  • 2.1 megapixel imager for up to 1600 x 1200 still images
  • 2x optical zoom (38 - 76mm in 35mm equivalent)
  • 1.5-inch 118,000-pixel polysilicon TFT color LCD monitor
  • Macro focus less than 4" (in wide angle)
  • Program AE w/automatic shutter (1/2 - 1/1000 sec.) plus 4-1/1000 sec. in Landscape.
  • Scene modes: Portrait, Portrait + Landscape, Landscape, Macro, Sports, Portrait + Night and Multi(burst) mode.
  • Metering modes: center evaluation
  • Selectable ISO sensitivity; ISO 100, 200 or 400
  • Automatic flash with 5 modes (Auto, Auto Red-eye reduction, Fill-in or Flash Off)
  • Color modes (Color, Sepia or Black & White)
  • White Balance (Auto, Daylight, Incandescent, Cloudy, Fluorescent 1 or 2)
  • Rechargeable lithium battery and charger included
  • Built-in USB(1.1) for downloading to the host computer
The $399 Toshiba PDR-T20 ships with an 8MB SD card, USB cable, hand strap with stylus pen, camera bag, an environmentally-friendly rechargeable lithium ion battery, and a CD-ROM loaded with ACDSee imaging software for Windows® OS (98, 2000, ME, XP) and Macintosh®, USB cable and instruction manual. An AC Adapter is included to recharge the long-life battery while it is in the camera.





Physical Views



Toshiba PDR-T20

Toshiba PDR-T20

Toshiba PDR-T20

Toshiba PDR-T20 Toshiba PDR-T20

Toshiba PDR-T20





Toshiba PDR-T20

The PDR-T20 compared to a standard CD disc.







Continue on to
Page Two





PDR-T20 Specifications

Type:
 Digital still camera with record, playback, and erase modes.
Imaging Device:
 1/2.7" CCD with 2.01 million effective pixels.
Recording media: SD Memory Card
Recording Capacity (Guideline) and Image Dimensions in Pixels (when using 8MB SD Memory Card).
High Quality:  About 6 (1600 x 1200, low compression)
Standard: About 10 (1600 x 1200, standard compression)
Economy: About 25 (1024 x 768, standard compression)
VGA: About 51 (640 x 480, standard compression)
Image Format: Complies with JPEG standard (Exif ver. 2.2) 
DCF (ver. 1.0) Standard (Design Rule for camera File systems), supports DPOF.
Lens:
 2x optical zoom f=5.8 - 11.6mm lens, F3.1/F8 (38 - 76mm in 35mm equivalent)
5 elements in 4 groups, all glass
Focusing Range:
 About 50 cm - infinity.
In Macro Mode:
 About 10 cm - infinity in wide angle
27cm - infinity in telephoto.
Exposure Control/
Metering Method:
 TTL Metering by Pickup system.
Control Method:
 Programmed AE (no exposure compensation possible)
Aperture Control:
 Automatic
White Balance:
 Auto, daylight, tungsten, cloudy, fluorescent 1 or fluorescent 2. 
Shutter Speed:
 1/2 - 1/1000 sec. (plus 4-1/1000 sec. in Landscape)
Auto Focusing control:
 TTL Contrast Detection
Optical Viewfinder:
 None
Flash:
 Built-in, Auto Control, recycling time about 8 seconds (on full battery charge, at room temperature).
Flash range: about 0.5m - 2.8meters (in wide angle - ISO 200).
Flash modes: auto flash, Auto red-eye reduction, forced flash, no flash
Recording Modes:
 Exposure Modes: Auto, landscape, sports, night portrait, sports and Burst recording mode
Color modes: color, B/W, sepia;
White balance: Auto, daylight, tungsten, cloudy, fluorescent 1, fluorescent 2.
Playback modes:
 Overlaid display: Date / time recorded, Folder / file name, Quality setting, Battery Condition, Zoom option, Index option, previous/next image arrows.

Menu display: Slide show(2 or 10 sec / image), Paint, DPOF print, Firmware version, LCD brightness, Protect, Setup, and Erase.

Setup modes:
 Auto power off(1, 2 or 3 min's), Touch pad sound(on/off), touch sensor(on/off), Time & Date set, Language, Information set(firmware version, card info, reset frame number, reset to default, adjust touch panel).
LCD monitor:
 Built-in, 1.5inch 118,000-pixel polysilicon TFT color LCD monitor with touch-screen.
Input/Output:
 USB 1.1 data I/O, DC 5v power input for a/c operation and battery charging.
Battery Power:
 Toshiba proprietary Lithium Ion battery pack #PDR-BT3, 3.7V, 1035mAh(included), or AC adapter/Battery charger# CEX-0107A (included).
Number of images recordable (with supplied PDR-BT3 bat.):
LCD monitor ON - about 120 (shooting 1 flash frame every 30 sec's).
Dimensions:
 2.1 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches (HxWxD)
Weight:
 6.3 oz. / 170 g (not including accessories, SD card or battery)
Specifications are as represented by the manufacturer.







Continue on to
Page Two





Return To Our
Reviews Menu












Visitors of Steves can visit the stores below for real-time pricing and availability. You can also find hot, soon to expire online offers on a variety of cameras and accessories at our very own Camera Deals page.

Toshiba PDR-T20 Battery
SellerPriceIn StockSeller Rating
Apex Battery$15.26
Yes
1 reviews