Toshiba PDR-M70

Digital camera, video camera or voice recorder? Toshiba get multifunctional with a top-quality digital device.

Manufacturers seem to be falling over each other in the rush to make their products multifunctional. Toshiba has now got in on the act with a top-quality digital camera that, like many new models, also does a mean impression of a video camera. In fact, the PDR-M70 can even act as a voice recorder.

The small, silver unit more than holds its own with a 3.37 mega-pixel CCD and a top-quality lens from Canon. There's a 3x optical and 2x digital zoom, and for the most part, captured images are razor sharp. Toshiba's picture optimisation technology ensures images are accurately exposed, even in low light conditions, and it includes a useful histogram option to tweak light levels if necessary.

At just 340g, the camera is not too heavy but still weighs substantially more than a conventional 35mm compact. The onscreen display is a little tricky to master but provides a great deal of control over the different settings, and it refreshes to show any changes you make to an image almost instantaneously.

Pictures, video and sound are stored on SmartMedia cards. A 16Mb card is supplied and this stores 163 snaps at low resolution or 13 at the highest setting. Alternatively, you can record up to five minutes of .avi video footage, complete with sound, or forget about photography altogether and opt for 65 minutes of audio.

The lithium-ion battery life is excellent, and you don't even need a separate charger as the AC adaptor does all the work for you.

Minimum requirements:
486 PC, Windows 95, 16Mb RAM, 20Mb free hard disk space, CDRom drive, USB port.

Contact:
Toshiba: 01932 828828
http://www.toshiba.co.uk