I got this camera because I needed something with a flash-sync terminal (for pro studio flash equipment) and the ability to attach filters.
Filters cannot be attached without an adapter though. This definitely seems to be the age of the aftermarket-accessory sell. Why can't anyone just thread the lens instead of the "outer ring?"
Strangely, this is one of a handful of cameras (as of late 2001) with the ability to use an external flash (The Olympus C-line only has a proprietary 5-pin terminal, as well as some of the Nikon line.)
There must also be an anti-AA-battery conspiracy throughout the industry, because god-forbid I can find a decent camera using them anymore. Once your Lithium runs out, (and they do, very quickly, even though the meter says otherwise,) you are flat out stuck.
I read another review where someone complained they picked up a Radio Shack adapter on the road, having left their charger at home, and they claimed it didn't work. That was because the amperage rating of the RS adapter was too low. If you are going to pick up a spare, make sure it can supply at LEAST one amp, because the Toshiba requires two amps. (the rating is on the label of the Toshiba charger.)
There is a simple and inexpensive way around this, if you need more batttery power: Use a 6-volt lantern battery ... and make an adapter cable to connect them ...
The camera takes extremely high quality and sharp images, except in dim light.
BUT I discovered (like an idiot, after a YEAR of owning it,) the hidden secret of this camera that makes it worth the money: You can set it to COMPLETE MANUAL OPERATION! Hold down the Menu button as you turn it on, and you have complete control over the focus, aperature and shutter!
No more out-of-focus shots in the dark!
I've never had any trouble with the SmartMedia, as someone else mentioned. If you do, you can always go to Toshiba's website and download the latest BIOS for the camera.
"Histogram?" A feature no one ever asked for. It's a bar-graph in the lower right of the LCD (a pretty fair amount of LCD real-estate, by the way,) that shows the color intensity across the color spectrum, except there's no reference numbers or symbols to even explain what values you're looking at.
Why didn't they give an option to turn it off?
The camera saves all images once taken, and you must 'go into' trash mode to delete them, rather than having them linger until you decide.
At least the USB interface is fast between your computer and the camera.
Subsequent models still don't have the all-useful flash-sync or filter-attaching capability, which is something all 35mm cameras, even the cheapest models, have had since the invention of photography.
It's like the 'touchpad' on laptops: No one asked for them, if anything people have revolted en-masse against it, and yet they persist.
But still all the other issues are worth it for the control and flexibility and classic styling this camera offers!