Toshiba PDR-T30 Review

By: Steve's Digicams

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Toshiba PDR-T30

Review Posted 11/29/02


Introduction & Physical Views



Click on the Toshiba PDR-T30 to take a QuickTime VR tour


The Toshiba PDR-T30 is a sleek 3.2-megapixel 2x zoom camera with a touch screen LCD that enables the user to navigate camera controls with a stylus or finger tip and a silver metallic casing that combines pocketable dimensions with a distinctive sliding lens cover.

Building on the success of Toshiba's PDR-T20, the PDR-T30 brings together the convenience of PDA-style touchscreen technology with the satisfying performance of high-resolution photography to form a new class of camera.

By taking full advantage of the widest spectrum of imaging innovations available today - such as an advanced 3.2 million pixel CCD, an all-glass lens system with 2x optical and 3x digital zoom, a powerful, long-range flash, and SecureDigital media storage. The PDR-T30 delivers brilliant, eye-catching pictures up to 2048 x 1536 pixels. Plus it's incredibly easy to use thanks to its automatic point -and- shoot design, scene select modes, and ACDSee image editing and management software.

The PDR-T30 offers 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-T30 is its touch screen LCD. It allows users to navigate effortlessly through the camera's shooting and playback modes by tapping icons on the LCD with the stylus that is included as part of the carry strap.


PDR-T30 Features:

  • 3.2 megapixel imager for up to 2048 x 1536 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: Sports, Macro, Portrait, Night, Movie, Landscape, Multi (burst) mode
  • Metering modes: center evaluation TTL
  • 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 (about 120 shots per charge)
  • Built-in USB(1.1) for downloading to the host computer
The $449 Toshiba PDR-T30 ships with an 16MB 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 OS (9.0 or later), 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-T30



Toshiba PDR-T30

Toshiba PDR-T30

Toshiba PDR-T30

Toshiba PDR-T30Toshiba PDR-T30

Toshiba PDR-T30





Toshiba PDR-T30

The PDR-T30 compared to a standard CD disc.




Continue on to
Features & Controls





PDR-T30 Specifications

Type:
 Digital still camera with record, playback, and erase modes.
Imaging Device:
 1/2.7" CCD with 3.24 million effective pixels.
LCD monitor:
 Built-in, 1.5inch 118,000-pixel polysilicon TFT color LCD monitor with touch-screen.
Lens:
 2x optical zoom f=5.8 - 11.6mm lens, F2.8(WA)/F4(Tele), 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 Method:
TTL Metering by Pickup system.
Control Method:
 Programmed AE (no exposure compensation possible)
Aperture Control:
 Automatic
White Balance:
 Auto, daylight, incandescent, 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 Pop-Up, Auto Control, recycling time about 5 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, Sports, Macro, Portrait, Night, Movie, Landscape, Multi (burst) mode 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, Firmware version, DPOF print, Protect, LCD brightness, and Setup.

Setup modes:
 Auto power off(1, 2 or 3 min's), Sound, Date / Time setting, Language, and System (Software version,Card Info set(Size, remaining space in MB and Used space in %), reset frame number, reset to default, adjust touch panel)
Recording media: SecureDigital(SD) Memory Card
Recording Capacity (Guideline) and Image Dimensions in Pixels (when using 16MB SD Memory Card) and file size.
High Quality: About 12 (2048 x 1536, less compression), 1200KB
Standard: About 22 (2048 x 1536, standard compression), 640KB
Economy: About 56 (1024 x 768, standard compression), 256KB
VGA: About 112 (640 x 480, standard compression), 128KB
Still Image Format: Complies with JPEG standard (Exif ver. 2.2)
DCF (ver. 1.0) Standard (Design Rule for camera File systems), supports DPOF.
Movie: About 1 Minute (320 x 240), 16MB
Movie Image Format: Motion JPEG compliant in AVI format
Input/Output:
 USB 1.1 data I/O (mass storage compliant), 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.(3.7V, 1035mAh):
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.






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Features & Controls





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