Toshiba PDR-3330

Opinion: I bought this camera for $180 about 2.5 yrs ago. It has proved to be pretty robust, but the image resolution and quality is clearly aging.

For a camera of this type, the amount of control available is great, from auto to full manual. It is very hardy, and I have taken more than 5 thousand pictures with it.

I and another user have had this camera die on me, but it has been revived in both cases by plugging in a flash card with the updated firmware, both updating the camera and bringing it back to life.

This is now, in comparison to what is available now, a beginner camera. Now with my 8yr child

Opinion: I paid $300 for this camera 2 years ago and it worked okay until it died today! Compared to the Olympus or HP cameras I used before, this was less intuitive but functional and pictures were decent. Camera shutter speed was disappointing as was the flash recharge time between successive pictures. It is bulky and not easily carried in a pocket or purse. One has to purchase the AC supply separately or pull the SD card from its slot within the battery compartment (should be easily reached from outside).

Opinion: I've had this camera for almost two years. It's very easy to use and takes good pics. Would I buy this camera now? Probly not, only because my tastes have changed. I now shoot with a Canon DSLR because my renewed interest in photography. If I was in the market for a point & Shoot I'd go for something with better otpical zoom (not digital) and a camera with image stabilization.

This camera is extremly tough. I've taekn it on many ATV and canoeing trips and believe me I've dropped it a few times and nothing happend to it except for some scratches.

As with any camera you buy I would get some rechargeable batteries. They arent allot of money and you'll be able to take tons more pictures in a single chage over the regular battereis.

One neat feature that comes with this camera is the remote control. It comes in real handy when you want to put on a slide show for your friends on your tv.

Bottom line: good camera with nice features. I just think it's outdated.

Opinion: I have owned my PDR-3300 for one week and have put it through its paces and am quite pleased with it. It can be purchased on line at eBay or uBid for very little money. I got mine for $120. It makes a nice, light-weight, portable point-and-shoot alternative when I don't want to carry around my Minolta A1. Once it is set up it is easy to use. The pictures are surprisingly very good--clear, and detailed, with good color. Battery life is very good. I use high-capacity AA rechargeables. The remote and the case were nice touches.

Opinion: Don't Buy this Camera! I am on my second one and it was sent back to me by Toshiba and it doesn't work. The first one lasted 6 months and took good pics then just died, would not power on. I sent it to Express Repair and they sent me a refurbished camera, different camera and it lasted three months and then died the same way. When I called in they refused to fix it again but I sent it in anyway since I had not had one full year between the 2 cameras. They sent it to be fixed but it came back the same, will not power on. The phone number for the repair company was disconnected when I called. I sent letters to top management four months ago and have had no response. Do not buy this camera unless you want problems.

Opinion: I love this camera! I was looking for a digitial camera to carry with me to catch those candid moments with my kids. This camera is easy to use. The menus are straightforward and easily accessible. I wanted a camera that focuses quickly and takes the pictures quickly so I don't miss those moments with my kids. This camera is great. It has the ability to be fully manual, but the totally automatic mode works great too! It's quickly ready to take another picture - the wait time between shots is minimal! With NiMH batteries it seems like it will run forever. I've probably taken over 800 pictures with this camera and look forward to using it for a long time!

Opinion: Great camera for the $! I have had mine for almost a year & the features are what make this a great camera. I've taken macro shots of flowers & insects & the detail & color is unbelievable. Full manual mode allows for photos that you can't take with a point & shoot. I've printed photos up to 8 x 10 & I'm happy with them.

Opinion: Difference between the PDR3300 (mine) and the PDR-3330 is the colour. PDR-3300 is Charcoal, PDR-3330 is Silver, and it comes with a 32MB SD card instead of 8MB.

There have been two negatives posted for this camera, which I believe I have some explanation for, and hope it is of use to anyone either currently using this camera, or contemplating getting one.

The PDR-3300 is a terrific camera, excellent value, extremely flexible, fully automatic, and just the right (i.e. not TOO small) size.

I am very impressed with my PDR-3300, and hope you find the following of use.

The two "problems"I was concerned about from this and other web sites:
1. Camera can't be turned on without removing the batteries, and
2. That the PDR-3300 shuts off just when you least want it to (1-3 minute time out is too short).

If the camera shuts off due to insufficient power (low battery), you do indeed need to open/close the battery compartment to restart it. The cause of the problem is the nature of this camera, and the nature of alkaline batteries (limited current density). The combination of power draws from the flash, charging the flash, having the LCD on, is such hat after just a few shots, the current load on alkalines causes the voltage to dip (temporarily), so that the PDR-3300 thinks the batteries are discharged. They recover, but the camera won't turn on, because the voltage dropped below a critical value.

NiMH chemistry can carry a much higher current while maintaining its voltage, si the PDR-3300 uses up the whole charge and works fine. If you use the NiMH batteries to exhaustion (seems like hundreds of shots (50% flash), the PDR-3300 again won't turn on until the battery door is opened, but it needs to be - to put in fresh batteries.

As for the shut off after 3 minutes, that can be lengthened as needed by holding the DISP button while you turn on the camera. This causes the PDR-3300 to NEVER turn off (until the batteries are used up). Handy feature for when you want it to stay powered on indefinitely.

USB download speeds are very fast, since the maximum file size is @ 1.2MB ((avg @ 750K) at high res).

My favourite feature is the manual coltrols, combined with the ISO 100/200/400 equivalent "film" speeds. The up/down joystick controls the aperture, and the left/right the shutter speed. The +/- exposure indicator changes from red to green when the manual exposure is correct. Using this method, not only can you take pictures in the "dark" with no flash required, but you get immediate feedback as to what effect the changes have on your picture.

That is "M" mode. In the (still manual) Prg, Av, Tv modes, most of the exposure work is done for you, but the joystick serves to adjust exposure, in 1/2 stops. The immediate feedbacl with the half press of the shutter is very useful.

White balance. There are plenty of choices, but if those are not to your liking, just hold down the joystick (in the south direction) for 2 seconds, and you get to set a custom white balance. Try it with a red background set as white! It is great for sodium lighting (orange), or those green rink lights, to get proper exposure.

I like the two door on switch. One controls the lens cap, and the other turns on the camera. When set for playback, or for PC communication, or setup, I do not want the lens open and exxposed. With this setup, the choice is mine whether to open the lens or not. I like it.

The richest pictures come from the 100 ISO setting, and there is some noise (grain) at the 400 ISO setting. Having the flexibility of high speed "film" if you need it is a real advantage.

Shutter lag is short, and when used without flash, VERY short. Press the shutter half way, compose your picture, and what delay there is, is negligible. Impressive.

Price. $249 CDN at Future Shop, including cables (two), CD, remote strap and case. And the pictures are excellent as far as I can tell so far.

Opinion: Difference between the PDR3300 (mine) and the PDR-3330 is the colour. PDR-3300 is Charcoal, PDR-3330 is Silver, and it comes with a 32MB SD card instead of 8MB.