Reviews for Toshiba PDR-4300 3.8 Megapixel Compact Camera

Toshiba PDR-4300

Strengths: None, particularly.

Weakness: Bulky, cheap plasticky feel, poor white balance, poor battery life (no rechargeables included), smeary LCD, poor low-light sensitivity, slow response, weak flash, the list goes on.

There's really nothing good to say about this camera - it apires to be the dictionary definition of "average" but doesn't quite make it.

Thoroughly unpleasant to use, it's too big and bulky to carry easily in a pocket, but offers none of the advantages of larger cameras - with a weak flash, decidedly so-so optics, and poor battery life. The manual lens cover is clunky and annoying, and just not something you expect to have to deal with on a digital. Once you get past that, the LCD is quite poor, the menu system overblown and irritating (who really needs a histogram of each shot?) and the whole thing just grates. In the end none of that even matters when you look through the pictures and realise the white balance is so shot each image has come out with a pink tint.

Just don't go near it, basically.

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Toshiba PDR-4300 3.8 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Good resolution on pictures, economical price.

Weakness: A bit bulky, centre button did not work after 5 months of use, pictures came out blurry if I wasn't on SHQ mode and battery life with traditional AAs is extremely low - with or without LCD.

So I purchased this Toshiba PDR-4300 solely because it was the only 4 mega-pixel at the time that was under $300 USD.

The camera was perfect until it went on it's first trip, to Yosemite National Park - where the AA batteries died out during scenery picture taking.

Using it around my home city, I decided to get rechargeable batteries (2000 mAh), which turned out to last a little longer (about 50 pictures) - but still not top notch. I suggest using 2800+ mAh batteries or lithium AAs.

This PDR-4300 is also a bit slow to start - at about 4 seconds. The LCD is clear and workable, but does not have a preset LCD On/Off switch. This required me to keep pressing the button every time I powered up the camera.

A few months later, I noticed that my centre "OK" button was not working. It now only works when pressure is applied at it, using the left-right-up-down motions on it is also a pain.

The last thing I would like to point out is that the picture quality is excellent - if you're using SHQ (super-high-quality / 3 Stars) mode. If not, the pictures came out a bit blurry.

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Toshiba PDR-4300 3.8 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: use of AA rechargables, good resolution for the price, built in lenz cover, comfortable controls, fast pic review.

Weakness: bulky for the price, very long initialisation time (about 7-8 sec from turning ON!) lenz is too close to edge, when cover is open and camera is not on - glass can easily be touched by fingers...

Poor weak flash, good only for a distance about 6-7 feet, illumionated just an objects in the center the rest does not gets light. In outside conditions takes pretty OK pics for the resolution, but does not like indirect light of son, creates weird magenta spots of tones in the emage.
My doughter refused to have it as her personal camera because size is NOT COOL for teenagers, they need more compact size ;)))

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Toshiba PDR-4300 3.8 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: High quality images. Fully automatic and fully manual modes. Silent video. Has a zoom. Good software. Heavy enough to smooth out vibrations. Large enough to not get lost. Good lens cover and button.

Weakness: As with all digital cameras, need to buy NiMH batteries. Uses AA which is better than expensive proprietary batteries. Data port on wrong side. 16mb memory too small. No microphone.

Great camera! Great value! Has many modes. If left on auto it is great for beginners. Advanced users have many manual modes. Has burst mode. 3 each resolution and compression quality modes. As with all digital cameras, it requires NiMH rechargable batteries (extra) and much larger memory card (I use a 256mb @ $80).

A friend asked me to take her son's engagement photos with it for $40. She and I took the card to Walmart for prints (cheap at $0.26). I made a few enlargements, thumbnails and a CD with all images and an HTML thumbnail viewer (with included ACDSee software). She was thrilled. She used one image to publish in paper. Another friend wants me to photograph antique Jaguar. I have taken many pictures of grand children.

This is the 5th digital camera I've had and by far the best. Wonderful price! My first was $600. This one was $202.

Great thing about most digital cameras is that you can take as many photos as you have space for and then go to Walmart and print only the ones you want at $0.26 each. You don't have to print and pay for the bad ones. For less than $4, you can have a CD burned (or burn your own for the cost of a CD (about $0.40). I will give one of my old cameras to my daughter who doesn't have a computer. She will use it instead of a 35mm camera and print what she wants at Walmart. I will enlarge any good photos she wants. Other daughter already does this. Much cheaper than buying film and paying to print all photos (even bad ones).

I couldn't be more pleased. Of course, I could be very critical and fault it for not having TTL (through the lens viewing), metal body, tiny size and weight, higher resolution, expensive built in proprietary batteries, fully automatic mode only (so simpletons don't get confused, interchangable lenses, etc. BUT, for the price, this is a great value. I would prefer a Nikon system at about $5,000, but, alas, do not have the money.

I started out in 1959 with film cameras and had all kinds (twin lens reflex, cut film types, single lens reflex, range finder types, 8mm, 16mm, etc) and will never return to film. I would like to, but the cost of the cameras (quality cameras), price of film, cost of darkroom (I used to have one), problems with toxicity of chemicals and time required will keep me from ever using film again.

Good value in a digital camera.

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Toshiba PDR-4300 3.8 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: price, picture quality

Weakness: bulkiness, separate lens cover switch, weird rubber cover for USB and adapter ports and how the sd card is housed with the batteries

Don't get me wrong, this is a good camera overall. There are several nit-picky things that could be improved upon such as the lens cover switch. The camera drains batteries quicker than you can count to ten. Rechargeable NiMH batteries are absolutely necessary or you've just wasted what you saved on buying this camera over a more expensive one. The shutter lag is tolerable...and much better than the HP 315 I had before, although I did learn to anticipate a shot (hard habit to break though when it's no longer required!)
It's kinda heavy with the 4 AA batteries. Not good when you have carpel tunnel, although I did take about 35-40 pictures with one hand and a 12lb baby strapped to me in a snuggly without too much problem with camera control. I think in that way, the weight of the camera helped stabilize my hand from shaking.
On the good side, it takes really good pictures. You can set it up to not need a flash, even in less than ideal lighting conditions. Great for taking pics of young babies (not good to have too much flash in their delicate eyes). I get the pictures developed instead of printing them out because it's cheaper and I don't have to tweek them to make them turn out.
Manual mode is impressive for the $. Works like my manual SLR just not as heavy.
The remote control it comes with is cool but I've not had a chance to use it.
I do wish that the movie mode had sound and that it lasted longer than 30 seconds.
Overall, great for the amateur.

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Toshiba PDR-4300 3.8 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: user friendly, good indoor shots,

Weakness: bulky, not enough zoom, slow start-up

Just had the camera at a family reunion. Took over 80M of photos. They all look great. There was both indoor and outside shots.

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Toshiba PDR-4300 3.8 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Manual options, great outside pictures, affordable

Weakness: Poor inside photos, heavy & bulky, expensive developing

I purchased the PDR-4300 not even 1 month ago. As a skeptic of the entire digital camera world, I was very dedicated to educating myself. I read the instruction booklet at least 6 times cover-to-cover. The pictures that I took in-doors from a range of less than 5 feet came out average - the flash definitely seems weak. All pictures that I took out-doors came out beautifully. However, when I cropped the pictures using the software that came with it, the pictures were extremely grainly. When I got pictures developed from 3 different labs, very few of the inside pictures looked even average. Cost Co charges $.19 per picture; Walmart charges $.26 per picture; Konica charges $.39 per picture; Kodak charges $.49 per picture. And, quite honestly, I don't have the time/desire to print them out on my personal printer anyway. The developing is expensive when compared to regular overnight developing at these same places. I probably will not buy another digital camera until I plan on spending +$500. It seems like you get what you pay for with digital cameras and I was not happy with this camera. I returned it to thenerds.com today. However, I will say that if you want an inexpensive 4MP digital camera that produces great out-doors pictures (without being cropped or adjusted), this would be a good camera for you! For me, it wasn't worth it. My Kodak Advantix takes wonderful picture!

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Toshiba PDR-4300 3.8 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Ease of use, great pictures, design is nicely laid out.

This is the first digital anything that I've bought, and I was a bit intimated at first. But, found the manual to be very clear and concise, and learning how to use the camera was super easy.

Recommend this one to everyone, beginner or advanced.

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Toshiba PDR-4300 3.8 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Low price, manual controls.

Weakness: Bulky body, lens cover does not open automatically, slow start up.

I bought this camera of $254.00 and nothing in that price range comes close. It does not do well in poor lighting, but is capable of excellent photographs when properly handled. Not for beginners.

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Toshiba PDR-4300 3.8 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Easy to use, pictures come out great!

Weakness: Batteries don't last very long using LCD display. Use rechargable batteries.

I would buy this camera again. It is compact and perfect for trips, vacations. The pictures I took on vacation on the lowest resolution and size came out great!

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