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Toshiba PDR-M60 Toshiba introduces a "value-priced" 2 megapixel camera with nice image quality and a 2.3x optical zoom. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet Toshiba PDR-M60 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on Toshiba PDR-M60 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Optics :(Previous) | (Next): Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests>> Page 6:Exposure & Flash Review First Posted: 1/12/2001

Exposure
The PDR-M60 features two capture modes, Automatic and Manual, which are accessed through the Mode dial. In both exposure modes, the camera controls shutter speed and aperture. Available shutter speeds range from 1/1,000 to 1/2 second, with one- and two-second exposure times available in the Bulb mode (accessed manually). The camera's instruction manual didn't report the full range of aperture settings, but listed the maximum setting as f/2.8 or f/3.2, depending on the amount of optical zoom. Our own tests revealed the minimum aperture to be f/13.5. The majority of the exposure functions are fully automatic, with the exception of White Balance and Exposure Compensation, which can be adjusted in Manual mode, and flash and ISO equivalency, which can be adjusted in both Manual and Automatic modes.

An LCD-based menu system controls most of the exposure settings, although the Flash, File size/quality, Self-Timer, Digital Zoom, Optical Zoom, and Macro modes feature external controls. The Record menu, which is accessed by pressing the Menu button, remains the same in both Automatic and Manual exposure modes. Upon switching to Manual mode, the White Balance and Exposure Compensation menu items automatically appear on-screen, displayed over the LCD image. Pressing the Up arrow button pulls up sub-menus with a range of options from which to choose.White Balance options include Auto, Daylight, Cool White Fluorescent, Standard Fluorescent, or Incandescent. Exposure Compensation can be adjusted from -1.5 to +1.5 in one-third EV increments. (The camera automatically controls white balance when shooting in Automatic exposure mode.) To display the standard information screen in Manual mode, simply press the Enter button to remove the White Balance and Exposure Compensation menus.

The PDR-M60 also provides adjustable ISO settings through the Record menu, with sensitivity equivalents of 100, 200, and 400, and a B&W (black-and-white) setting, which, if selected, records images in black-and-white. As a default setting, the PDR-M60 automatically displays a two-second preview immediately after an image is captured. To disable this preview, simply turn the setting off in the Record menu. An Erase button on the back panel allows you to delete the previously captured image, but is ineffective during the image preview. A built-in self-timer counts down from either 10 or two seconds before firing the shutter, after the shutter has been fully depressed. Although it is activated via the Self-Timer button on top of the camera, the countdown time is adjustable through the Record menu, in both Automatic and Manual exposure modes. Once the countdown begins, the viewfinder LED and the Self-Timer LED on the front panel blink to indicate the countdown.


Flash
The PDR-M60's built-in flash offers five operating modes: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, and Slow Synchro. The Automatic setting places the camera in charge of when to fire the flash, based on current exposure conditions. Red-Eye Reduction eliminates the red-eye effect by firing a small pre-flash before the full flash, to allow the subject's pupils to adjust to the light. This mode is most effective when the camera is level with the subject's line of sight and at the closest distance possible. The Forced Flash mode fires the flash with every exposure, regardless of the light level. Likewise, Suppressed Flash mode completely disables the flash. Finally, Slow Synchro mode synchronizes the flash with a slow shutter speed, to allow more ambient light into night scenes. When shooting with the flash in Slow Synchro mode, use a tripod to prevent blurring in the image caused by camera movement. The flash is completely disabled when shooting in the Multi-Shot and Bulb record modes. The Flash button on top of the camera controls the flash mode, and the camera remembers the previous mode setting after it has been powered off (unless the batteries or AC adapter have been completely removed, which signals the camera to revert to factory default settings). Toshiba estimates that the PDR-M60's flash is effective from 1.65 to 9.8 feet (0.5 to 3.0 meters). In our own tests, we noticed a significant drop in flash brightness in moving from 8 to 9 feet, so we'd rate it as having a range of somewhere around 8.5 feet, not 9.8.

Multi-Shot Mode
Accessed through the Record Mode menu option under the Record menu, the PDR-M60's Multi-Shot capture mode captures 16 consecutive images at approximately 0.25 second intervals, with one press of the shutter button. The 16 images are saved as one 1,792 x 1,200-pixel resolution image. The actual shot-to-shot cycle time varies with the amount of image information being processed, and the flash capability is disabled. Available in both Automatic and Manual exposure modes, the Multi-Shot mode is a unique way to capture the actions of a moving subject.

Bulb Mode
For long exposures of night subjects, such as fireworks or cityscapes, the Bulb photography mode offers one- and two-second exposure times. The flash is disabled in this mode, and a tripod is highly recommended to keep the camera steady. After the exposure, the camera takes another couple of seconds to process the image. As we've noted with other Toshiba digicams, the PDR-M60 is actually taking two pictures each time you snap the shutter in Bulb exposure mode. The first exposure captures the subject, and the second takes a picture with the shutter closed. Since the image should be completely black when the shutter is closed, the camera assumes that anything it "sees" there is noise, which it then subtracts from the image of the subject. This greatly reduces image noise and the problem of "stuck" pixels.

Thanks to Toshiba's clever implementation of bulb mode, the PDR-M60 does much better at low light shooting than many competing inexpensive two megapixel models.