Toshiba PDR-M4 2.14MP Digital Camera

Rating:
Summary: Great Entry level Digital
Review: First and foremost, I am a fan of SLR's and think that the digital cameras have a long way to go. With all of the technology around it is a great thing to be able to set your own pictures as a wallpaper on your PC. The PDR-M4 is a great camera if it is used on the 1600x1200 resolution and then scaled down to 80x600. The larger resolution is crystal clear and looks even better when scaled down. I had issues with the link cable and ended up buying the smart card reader in order to download. That said, the camera does do exactly what Toshiba says it will. I am an avid hiker and take the PDR-M4 with me all of the time and it seems to be quite rugged as well. Overall, for an entry level camera ( as all digitals are at this point), I would say that this is a great value and it is easy to use.

Rating:
Summary: Button Breaker
Review: Good camera in terms of features, but as others have noted the shutter button is fatally flawed. My wife bought this camera and the button broke after just a couple of months. Fortunately it was still under warranty and one of the *two* Toshiba warranty repair centers in the entire US just happened to be located 25 miles from our house so we didn't have to pay shipping to get it fixed. Now, after another year of use since we got the button fixed the camera has stopped focusing and the shutter button is broken again.

Rating:
Summary: Shutter button - won't stay in place
Review: Have had 2 Toshiba PDR-M4 digital cameras. This camera has been primarily handled by someone who is quite knowlegable about cameras, electronic equipment in general. The camera is used several times a week. Within the last 6 months, the shutter button has ceased to work and promptly springs right out of its socket. Yes, it takes lovely pictures and is easy to use....now, if the shutter button would only stay in place!

Rating:
Summary: Defective Design. Will Not buy a Toshiba again
Review: I bought this because it was cheap & had many features. However, it was only after the camera's warranty expired that I found out that it was a waste of money & that Toshiba is the most customer unfriendly electronics company out there. I only used the camera maybe a dozen times in a year, however like many have complained, the mode selection knob just came off in my hand while turning it on (while trying to take pictures while on vacation). Toshiba's website is unhelpful & Toshiba is unresponsive. I tried local camera shops, but no one repairs them.

Rating:
Summary: Best Camera Value
Review: I did alot of shopping around before purchasing the Toshiba PDR-M4. The two selling points were the 2.1 Mega Pixels, which is about as high as they come, and the incredibly fast upload time (almost instant on USB). Other good features include a good software program, an AC adaptor, and a TV input jack (which is real cool). With other cameras with slow upload (like the popular Olympus D-340R), you have to shell out about $ for a floppy adaptor or $ for an external port which reads Smart Memory cards unless you want to wait minute after minute. Finally, the Toshiba camera is perfectly user friendly. You would have to be an idiot to not be able to work it. The instruction manual is helpful and clear. It takes good pictures as far as I can tell (I have no B.S. in photography). The guy at Wolf Camera said it was his favorite camera, too, and he seemed to know about them all. Note: I got mine for $. You should try to match that price.

Rating:
Summary: Many Talents
Review: I found my camera very enjoyable. It does not have a zoom lens, but for those times that I wanted to get a little closer the electronic image zoom was quite nice. One big plus: I recycled the smartmedia from my MP3 player.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Balance between Quality and Ease of Use
Review: I have a B.S. in Photography and have turned my nose up at most cameras in the less than 2 million pixel range. As the 2 megapixel camera prices have dropped, I started taking note. This one has an excellent price to performance ratio. I looked for a camera with High Quality, low cost, very simple to use, and flexible storage and transfer features. This camera has it all. I especially like to take pictures in natural light with the flash turned off, as it has an excellent meter and great color range. Sometimes it favors the flesh tones in the same way that Kodachrome did in the good old days. The USB transfer is EXCEPTIONAL, plug in the camera and with one touch it transfers and erases at the same time. Very fast transfer with 16 high quality (one mb) images transferring in about thirty seconds. I was used to a much slower transfer rate and this camera really makes it easy/fast to download from. The pictures speak for themselves if you have a decent printer, like an Epson with 1440 dpi quality, it makes excellent 8 x 10 inch prints. Hard to tell from film. A 16 mb smart card holds about 18 high quality pictures. Great overall!

Rating:
Summary: Works Great, Until it Breaks
Review: I have had this camera 3 months, and I loved it, I really did. Then, just like others have noted, the top dial fell off where you take the pictures from. I have tried EVERYTHING to fix it- the Toshiba websites are not helpful and every store I enter tells me they are not Toshiba dealers. I think I may have to just give in and purchase another one. I am very disappointed in this brand.

Rating:
Summary: Great little camera with lots of features
Review: I have had this camera for about a week now, and my impressions are very favorable. It is ready to shoot in an instant. The controls are easy to learn and I like the fact you can change resolutions. I use mine to shoot family pictures which I transfer to my PC for use on e-mail and on our little web site. The transfer process is fast and painless. The photo software that comes with the camera loaded without any hassle. My only complaint so far, is the pictures sometimes come out a little dark, and I must touch them up with the photo software. I will soon learn how to take pictures in the "manual" mode and that should solve that problem. I upgraded to a 16 MB smart media card, which gives me more than enough shots. I reccomend the camera for people who want a compact way to shoot pool parties, holiday fun, or family trips.

Rating:
Summary: Great All-Around Camera
Review: I have owned this camera for about a year and WOW! I have taken spectacular shots from airplane windows, incredible close-ups, and under a real range of lighting conditions. The camera recycles very quickly from shot to shot, and is small enough to fit easily into your pocket. Resolution is excellent and the camera uses the SmartMedia and its batteries sparingly. I would recommend this camera to anyone, especially when you consider the price for a 2.1 Megapixel camera!