Toshiba PDR-M71

It seems strange that such a big name in the electronics world has been unable to really establish itself as a big name in the digital camera market. Some previous models from Toshiba have had good styling - and some not so good - and from experience there's often been something about the performance that disappointed or could have been better. Things look immediately brighter with the PDR-M71, a 3.2 megapixel stills camera that's also capable of recording up to three minutes of video on the supplied 8Mb SmartMedia card.

The PDR-M71 uses a Canon lens with a focal length 7.25-20.3mm, covering the popular mid-range, wide angle to telephoto fields. This equates to 35-98mm on a 35mm film camera, and amply caters for general imaging and is best suited for social, travel and many typical business needs.

The lens speed isn't as fast as some, but the aperture range is reasonable, ranging from f/2.9-4.8. The shutter speed range is also good, as it covers anything from half a second to 1/1,000th second, with the option of extended exposures down to a maximum of 15 seconds in bulb mode. More impressive, though, is the full exposure mode specification, which includes manual, aperture priority AE and shutter priority AE, plus Program AE for full point-and-shoot mode. All of these can have their provisional exposure modified by a +/- 2 EV compensation or an auto exposure bracketing sequence. But for those new to photography, the PDR-M71 includes specialist programs for portraits, landscapes, sports and night photography, with the camera making the required adjustments to suit each type of image. This makes the Toshiba PDR-M71 pretty comprehensive.

But that's not all, as the sensitivity can be set for an equivalent of 100, 200 or 400 ISO. This means the moderate aperture range is unlikely to be an issue in most situations. There's an integrated flash too, for low light use or fill-in needs. As for light measurement, there's a choice between multipattern, which is the now the standard point-and-shoot method as it generally provides a high degree of success, or a spot mode, which measures from a small central viewing area and is better suited to the more experienced user. What I also found useful - although initial thoughts were that it was too small - was a histogram showing pre-exposure distribution of the measured lighting, enabling changes to be made to the exposure before taking the shot.

A CCD of three megapixels or higher has, for sometime, been a definitive marker, capable of good-quality, moderate enlargement prints. We tested with our usual inkjet tests onto photographic paper and the results were good, and a definite improvement over two-megapixel devices. Colours, contrast and sharpness can be adjusted away from standard settings, adding to the picture potential. Colour adjustments include Vivid and there's also a black and white and sepia tone mode.

For detail shots, the PDR-M71 has a macro focus with a useful minimum distance of 10cm at the widest, or 25cm for the longest telephoto position, enabling a good enlargement of small details with enough room between lens and subject for adequate lighting. If you can live with the moderate wide angle, there's little to disappoint in the optical department.

Still images are saved only in JPEG format, which was a little surprising given the size of the CCD and wide range of exposure controls. While this will meet the majority of users' needs best, an uncompressed TIFF file option seems an obvious omission. Shots are taken at resolutions of 2,048 x 1,536, 1,024 x 768 or 640 x 480 pixels and images can be downloaded to the PC via USB. Likewise, a movie mode is available at 320 x 240 pixels (full size) and 160 x 120 pixels (half size). An AV lead is also supplied for instant playback using a TV.