Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1/H 10MP "Exmor R" CMOS Digital Camera with 3-inch Touch-Screen LCD (Grey)
by Sony
List Price:
Our Price: $269.96
You Save: $80.03 (23%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $68.51 (click here)
Category: Digital Camera
See more product details
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: SonyModel: DSCTX1/H
Color: Grey
Product features:
- 10.2-megapixel "Exmor R" CMOS sensor for stunning low-light performance
- 3-inch touch-screen LCD display for easy operation
- Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 4x optical zoom; Optical SteadyShot image stabilization
- Wide zoom display allows resizing images to 16:9 aspect ratio
- Capture your videos in HD Movie mode (720p); PhotoTV HD Mode with compatible BRAVIA HDTVs
- Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade [Old Version]
- Serif PhotoPlus X3
- Aperture 3
- Manfrotto 7302YB M-Y Tripod with Ball - Replaces 725B
- Pixelmator [Old Version]
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1/H 10MP "Exmor R" CMOS Digital Camera with 3-inch Touch-Screen LCD (Grey)
Customer Review: Great size, good-to-great performance
Summary: 4 Stars
The short review:
I've owned this camera for a week and tested it out thoroughly. If you want the smallest, most convenient camera possible, this is the one for you. If you want great low-light performance and great high-def video quality, this is the one for you. If you want ultimate still-picture quality, this is not the one for you.
The long review:
I bought this camera to replace my aging Sony DSC-T7. I loved the thinness and convenience of the T7, but after four years it was getting long in the tooth -- at only 5.1 megapixels, 3x zoom, and 640x480 video, it's almost prehistoric by today's standards.
I watched the evolution of Sony's thin cameras after the T7 and T9, but was distressed to see that after they added the touch screens, the cameras bulged out to more than twice as thick as the T7. The whole point of a thin camera is that you can slip it into your pocket and forget it's there. The T900 was almost twice as thick as the thinnest part of the T7, which was a deal-breaker for me.
So I was happy to see the TX1 appear earlier this year. It's still thicker than the T7, but when you put them side by side it's a pretty close call, and the TX1's curvaceous body makes it feel a bit thinner than it is. At 10.2 megapixels, 4x zoom, and 1280x720 video, the specs are about twice as good as the T7. But looking at the reviews was a bit discouraging. The highly technical reviewers generally praised it, but many everyday users reported problems.
I decided to buy a TX1 anyway, and I'm glad I did.
First the cons. Like any camera this size, they had to make sacrifices to get the smallness. The image quality is not going to be as good as a larger camera with a non-folded lens system and a bigger sensor. If you do very careful shots of standard test patterns, you can see that there's a tiny bit of fuzziness near the edges of the picture when you zoom in, and the image has more grain at a given light level than a large camera would have. You can check Imaging Resource's review of the TX1 for details.
My main problem with it (as with the T7) is that when you take pictures in very low light with the flash on, your subjects can look white and washed out if you're not careful. You can fix this by using the slow-synchro flash setting and by standing back further from your subject, but it takes some experimentation to learn to use it well. As others have commented, you really do need to read the manual, experiment with the settings, and learn how to get the best results with it.
But no one should be buying this camera because they want the best possible picture quality. If that's what you're after, you really should buy a DSLR. They're much bigger, but the image quality is unmatched.
The real reason to buy this camera is to take pictures that you wouldn't take otherwise. When I'm going to a friend's house for a party, or going out on the town, I don't want to drag along a DSLR, or even a "normal" 2-inch-thick camera. I want a camera that I don't know is there, that I can whip out in 2 seconds to snap off a shot. When I'm on vacation on the beach, I don't want to hang a camera case around my neck, I want something that fits in my pocket with room to spare.
With that in mind, this camera has tons of great features.
First, the low-light performance is outstanding. Sony touts their new "Exmor R" sensor chips highly, but I'm the skeptical type, so I did a head-to-head comparison with my old T7. The result: you can really see the difference. In a room illuminated by only a thin string of Christmas lights, with the flash turned off, the TX1 could produce a good picture in its "Hand-held Twilight" mode. The T7 produced a full frame of black in the same situation. The same goes for video: the TX1 can take a usable video in a candlelit room, where the T7 just shows black noise. This low-light ability is great for taking pictures and video in museums, restaurants, concerts, bars, and other dark places where a flash is either not allowed, or doesn't help.
The TX1 automatically switches between different modes depending on the lighting and distance to the subject. If you hold it close to a flower, it switches into Macro mode. If you hold it even closer, it switches to Close Focus mode, which is almost like a microscope! In the dark, it switches to Twilight mode. It's like the automatic transmission in a car, where it finds the best gear on its own.
My favorite hidden feature is the "Dual Shot" option. In difficult lighting conditions, it'll take two pictures in quick succession, but with different exposure settings, so you can choose which one you like best. I've found that it's best to make those decisions looking at the pictures at full size on a computer screen, rather than on the camera screen -- a shot that looks washed out or too bright on the camera screen is often perfect when seen on a larger monitor. I'd guess they're cranking up the brightness of the camera screen a bit to make it more visible in sunlight.
The "Anti Motion Blur" and "Hand-held Twilight" modes each take six pictures in quick succession, then combine them to reduce noise and blurriness. They both work well, though the results are even better if you brace the camera somehow instead of shooting totally freehand. Still, it beats the pants off the T7, where I'd have to make several attempts to shoot a freehand picture in low light before I got one where my hand didn't shake. There's also an option to set a two-second timer, so you can push the shutter button, then hold still afterwards while it snaps the photo.
The video quality is great for a camera this small. I used running dogs as a test, and the results were impressive -- there was no digital blockiness near their fast-moving legs, and the image quality was good even when panning the camera around. You can zoom in and out while filming, and I couldn't hear the zoom motor in the video clips. The microphone is mono, not stereo, but it's sensitive and the sound quality is good.
The touch screen is very responsive, well-organized, and easy to use. It controls everything but the zoom, shutter, and on/off switch, but it's quick enough where I never found myself wishing for more physical buttons. Like other LCD screens, it can be hard to see in bright sunlight, but it's still usable.
All in all, I'm very happy with the TX1. It's perfect for what I bought it for, and if you read the manual and learn how to use it, you'll get great results.
More Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1/H 10MP "Exmor R" CMOS Digital Camera with 3-inch Touch-Screen LCD (Grey) reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Description of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1/H 10MP "Exmor R" CMOS Digital Camera with 3-inch Touch-Screen LCD (Grey)
The TX1 features a 10.2 megapixel 1/2.4-Inch Exmor R CMOS image sensor that delivers fast speed, high resolution, and twice the low-light sensitivity of traditional CMOS sensors, resulting in outstanding image clarity and drastically reduced noise. Get up close to your subject with the Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens featuring a 4x telescopic zoom for distant subjects and Close Focus mode for close-ups up to just under ½-Inch from the subject.Digital Cameras
Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
Bestsellers in Digital Cameras
Sony DSCF505V Cybershot 2.6MP Digital CameraSony; Digital Camera
Best price: $429.99
Price in other shops:
KB Gear JamCam 0.3MP Digital Camera, SilverKB Gear; Windows NT; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Minolta Dimage 2300 2.3MP Digital Camera KitKonica Minolta; Windows NT; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Kodak DC5000 2MP Digital Camera w/ 2x Optical ZoomDigital Camera
Leica Minilux 35mm CameraLeica; Digital Camera
Best price: $1,995.99
Pretec DC-520 0.3MP Digital Camera, ChampagnePreTec; Windows NT; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Sony MVCFD85 1.2MP Mavica Digital Camera with 3x Optical ZoomSony; Windows NT; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Canon PowerShot S10 2MP Digital Camera w/ 2x Optical ZoomCanon; Windows NT; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Sony DSC-F55 Cyber-shot 2MP Digital CameraSony; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Vivitar Vivicam 2750 0.3MP Digital CameraVivitar; Windows NT; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Similar Digital Cameras & Photo Products
HDE ® Camera Case for Sony CyberShot - BlackHDE; Digital Camera
Best price: $7.93
Price in other shops:
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 10MP "Exmor R" CMOS Digital Camera with 3-inch Touch-Screen LCD (Silver)Sony; Digital Camera
Best price: $180.00
Price in other shops:
Sony 16 GB Memory Stick PRO Duo Flash Memory Card MSMT16G - Bulk PackageSony; Windows; CE
Best price: $45.99
Price in other shops:
Sony Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX 8 Flash Memory CardSony; Windows; CE
Best price: $18.41
Price in other shops:
Sony Party-Shot Personal Photographer for Sony TX1 and WX1 Digital CamerasSony; Digital Camera
Best price: $49.99
Price in other shops:
Sony 8 GB Memory Stick PRO Duo Flash Memory Card MSMT8GSony; CE
Best price: $19.43
Price in other shops:
Sony NPFD1 Rechargeable Battery Pack (Retail Packaging)Sony; Digital Camera
Best price: $32.95
Price in other shops:
Neoprene Sleeve Case (Black) for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1/ H Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera GreyrooCASE; Digital Camera
Best price: $17.00
Price in other shops:
Sony LCS-CST General Purpose Soft Carrying Case for Slim Cybershot Digital CamerasSony; Release date: 2012-01-31; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Sony 4 GB Memory Stick ProDuo MSMT4G/ TQ1 (Black)Sony; Release date: 2012-01-31; Windows; CE
Best price: $6.49
Price in other shops: