Toshiba PDR-M70Toshiba brings true photographic features to their new 3 flagship model!<<Video, Power, Software :(Previous) | (Next): Reference: Datasheet>> Page 12:Test Results & ConclusionReview First Posted: 8/17/2000 |
Test Results
In keeping with our standard policy, our comments here are rather condensed, summarizing our key findings. For a full commentary on each of the test images, see the M70's "pictures" page.
As with all Imaging Resource camera tests, we encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the devices performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how well the PDR-M70 performed, and how its images compare to other cameras you may be considering buying.
Overall, the PDR-M70 performed very well, with good color balance even in difficult lighting situations, such as the very high contrast Outdoor Portrait and the dimly-lit Indoor Portrait. We chose to shoot with the automatic white balance setting the majority of the time, since it did a very nice job of matching a variety of light sources (although we did use the incandescent setting for our Indoor Portrait without flash). Color saturation looked only slightly weak in the large color blocks of our Davebox target, and the subtle tonal variations of the Q60 target were only visible up to the "D" range. Still, the PDR-M70 handled most of our tests rather well, producing nearly accurate color most of the time. We did notice a slight magenta cast in some of the darker images, but overall, the PDR-M70 does a nice job.
The PDR-M70 did quite well on the laboratory resolution test, supporting our earlier surmise that it actually had more raw resolution available than appeared in some of our test shots, due to insufficient in-camera sharpening. On this laboratory target, we "called" the horizontal visual resolution as 850-900 lines per picture height, although there was some slight aliasing apparent as early as 650-700 lines, and good detail was visible all the way to 1000 lines, with color artifacts appearing at about 1100 lines per picture height. In the vertical direction, we again saw slight aliasing as early as 650 lines per picture height, called the visual resolution as 800 lines, saw good detail all the way to 900, and color artifacts beginning at about 950 or so. Overall a very good performance, easily among the top three-megapixel performers in this particular test.
The PDR-M70 offers a nice range of exposure control, with both Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority exposure modes, as well as a "hidden" full-manual mode. The user can also control ISO, exposure compensation and white balance. The camera performed relatively well in our low light tests, although we had to tweak the settings a little to get a good exposure. In the end, we obtained reasonably bright, useable images as low as 1/4 foot candles (2.7 lux) at the 100 ISO setting, with only moderate noise. We also shot with the 200 and 400 ISO settings, which did produce brighter images, but also increased the noise level. To put the PDR-M70's low light performance into perspective, an average city night scene under modern street lighting corresponds to a light level of about one foot candle.
We found the PDR-M70's optical viewfinder to be a little tight, showing approximately 88 percent accuracy at wide angle, and 84 percent at telephoto. (Note that we've changed our nomenclature on this to better reflect what you see when looking into the viewfinder. We previously would have referred to the PDR-M70's viewfinder as "loose.") These numbers were consistent with both image sizes. The LCD monitor proved to be only slightly more accurate, showing approximately 89 percent accuracy at wide angle, and about 91 percent at telephoto. We did observe that the ever-present LCD information display made framing images in the LCD monitor rather little difficult at times. (It would have been nice to be able to turn it off.) We generally prefer LCD monitors to be as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, so the PDR-M70 falls slightly below the mark in this regard.
The PDR-M70 is about average in the macro category, capturing a minimum area of 4.37 x 3.28 inches (111.02 x 83.26 mm). Although resolution appears slightly soft in this macro shot, we did notice a fairly nice level of detail. However, we also picked up a small amount of barrel distortion from the wide angle setting of the lens.
Overall, the PDR-M70 performs moderately well for its 3.3 megapixel class, providing good exposure control and nice image quality, and good resolution. Still, the camera's performance in the low light category and its relatively accurate white balance system can tackle most difficult lighting situations, making it a versatile performer.
Conclusion
With the PDR-M70, Toshiba has finally developed a true "enthusiast" camera, with all the manual exposure control you could want, as well as unusual options like a full-featured sound recording function, and the on-screen histogram display to help with exposure determination. The lens (which we suspect to be a Zeiss design) is quite sharp with low distortion, and image quality is overall quite good. It provides a standard PC-type external flash connection, a welcome feature in a market that seems increasingly dominated by custom flash connectors and adapter cables that are months late to market. Overall, an impressive entry by Toshiba in the 3 megapixel marketplace.
Reader Comments! --> Visit our discussion forum for the Toshiba PDR-M70!
Follow Imaging Resource: