Toshiba PDR-3300 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 2.8x Optical Zoom

I had this camera for about a year and a half. Compared to the one I had before it, this camera was a big improvement. But overall I wasn't all that happy with it. The picture quality in low light was pretty bad, and in all but the best lighting conditions it refused to focus. If I could get it to focus and flash the picture quality was fine.

I bought mine refurbished, and perhaps I should have taken the advice of one of the other reviewers and checked to see how many were being sold refurbished. 2 weeks before Christmas it died. I was out with friends for the evening, with lots of photo-ops, when suddenly the flash stopped working. I figured it had something to do with how cold it was, cuz we were outside. The next day, after it had been inside all day, I tried it again, and the flash still didn't work. The next day I tried taking a picture in a situation where I didn't need the flash, and realized that it wasn't just the flash that was dead. The camera still took a picture, but was only capturing about half the light it should have. I searched the internet for answers and came up empty.

I'm an electrical engineer, and have been known to be able to fix broken electronics in the past. So I figured I would open the camera up and see if it was something simple. What I ended up doing instead was completely dismantling the camera, because it was impossible to take apart without doing irreparable damage.

I was impressed with this camera for only the first few months that I had it, and then only because it was a big step up from the previous camera. But couldn't justify getting a new one because it still worked like it was supposed to, it just wasn't designed to be a very good camera. When it died I was actually overjoyed, because it meant I could shop for a new one. I could have done without the stress 2 weeks before Christmas, but luckily I was able to get a new camera in time for the holiday celebrations.

This is my first digital camera and I have owned this camera for about 3 years now and really like it except for a few things.
Pros
-Produces great pictures in good light, and in some but not all, dark light situations
-Uses AA batteries which are easy to find if yours run down
-quick focusing
-Can zoom optically whilst taking movie

Cons
-Takes a long time to power up and get ready to take a picture (about 7 seconds) and this has lead to me missing a few good shots whilst driving past some great scenery.
-Recycle time is slow about 3 seconds
-Movie quality is poor with no sound
-Is bulky to carry
-Shot selection would be easier to perform if accessed via a dial and not a menu option.
-Batteries do not last for 200 pictures

The above cons are not really major issues for a camera in this price range as it does take great pictures which is what really counts at the end of the day.

I have this camera for a bit more than a year now. Overall, this is a great camera for 169.00 I paid for at that time. I bought this so that I don't have to use my regular minolta maxxum 5 all the time to take pictures.
Pros:
1) Tons of features
- Manual controls
- Macro focus
- Night shot mode
- Manual Flash controls

2) Real canon glass lense. Decent optical zoom and combine it with digital zoom and you get very good coverage.

3) LCD display is sharp even in birght sun light

4) The remote ! The remote is awsome. No more running to the seat after for self timer.

5) Last but not least. Picture quality is really good in good lighting. Contrasting colors come up very nicely. Like pictures of flower bed.

Cons:
1) Poor picture at low light
2) Cycling time is a bit slow
3) For macro photo focus is always not very sharp

I have owned this camera for 2 years now and it finally bit the dust.

I still think it holds the title for best bang for the buck in the 3-megapixel range. I really enjoyed all of the manual features and fine-tuning capabilities. The remote control is a great feature for group photos. The long exposure times can generate some very interesting night shots. In short, I don't have any complaints about the features of the camera.

Last weekend the camera died. I got just over 2 years and 2000 pictures out of it. I researched the failure to see if there was a known fix out there on the Internet. No such luck.

I did discover that there seems to be some serious reliability issues with this particular model. I found 1 good piece of advice to find out how reliable a camera is: check the completed auctions on your favorite auction website and see what percentage of the cameras being sold are non-functional or are manufacturer reconditioned units. If found about 60% of the 65 units sold were dead or rebuilt PDR-3300's. I checked the Canon A70 for comparison - only about 7% of the 320 units sold were dead or rebuilt.

My recommendation would be to either purchase an extended warranty or just don't expect a lot of life out of the camera. It sounds like I did pretty well with a 2 year run. I'll miss this camera, but won't buy another Toshiba.

I bought this camera in early 2002. Pictures are great for the computer viewing and e-mailing. Program that comes with it is easy to use to download pictures. Picture quality when you get prints done from a photo store aren't very clear unless you always use full size and quality for every picture you plan to get on prints. Even then they have a slight "fuzz" to them. When I bought this camera it was 3 times the price, but it has just now started having problems with picture taking 2 years later. At this current price you can't beat what it can give you. Has lots of options so you can mess with the pictures you take as if you had a regular SLR type of camera. Great for the "point and shoot" type also.