Sony Cybershot DSCTX1/H 10MP Exmor R CMOS Digital

Great Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I really love this camera. I have had it for about a month now and love taking pics and video. The video quality is excellent. I am still learning how to play with the camera settings, such as focus front and back, etc….but overall the picture quality is good. Is it equivalent to my SLR, no, but thats not expected. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a very compact camera, with good quality pictures (maybe not the best, but definitely good), and more features then you could possibly imagine. The panorama option is fantastic, takes absolutely incredible pictures of my dogs (in pet mode), and the low light shots come out better then any other point and shoot I have ever had (including my bf canon). For those who purchase it, ENJOY!

Great size, good-to-great performance
Rating:4 out of 5 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 640×480 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 1280×720 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.

definitely a worthwhile bump up from the dsc-t900 for a couple reasons…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
with all due respect to the reviewer who said this is not a worthy upgrade from the t-900……..wrong wrong wrong.

You get awesome burst mode (up to 10 shots in a second, better than far more pricey cams can provide), pano shooting made simple, great low-light filming, an improved touch interface…if those aren’t good reasons for an upgrade, what is?

the one minor disappointment: the loss of stereo sound to go with the hi def video shooting. but the difference will only matter to real mavens, and the added benefits far outweigh this small nit.

go get yourself one of these…it’s an eye popper, well made, well designed, with performance that’ll make you glad you made the investment.

The Camera That Stole Me Away From Canon! Sony TX1.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
For a long time I was nervous about leaving canon elphs! Normally I stay away from sony as if it were the plague. Every sony electronic I’ve ever bought has had complications or broken down on me in 1-2 years (video camera, laptop, desktop, etc.).

However, I wanted a true pocket-size camera that was good in low lights, had HD video for quick memory capture, and took overall really good pics. I’ve had elphs, including the new SD780, since they were first releast. Great little cameras – always top not pictures, very portable, and extremely durable (I’m kind-of clumsy). Unfortunately, the last SD780 did not live to longgg (black sand at the beach). Long story short, outdoor pics were great, the camera size was excellent, and battery life was out of this world. However, indoor shots were almost always really fuzzy, the screen is tiny, and the overall camera was simply boring.

So, after some research I decided to give the sony a try…I have to say that I love it. The camera is amazing…the panorama tool and the touch screen are so intuitive and easy. The pictures it takes are AMAZING – low light and normal. I’ve done tons of pics in bowling allies at night, at parties, at plays, you name it, with and mostly without flash – and pics are amazing! Outdoor pics are eqaully fantastic. The camera is also really small and fits easily into my front pocket with minimal notice, the play mode touch screen options are pretty incredible, and the advance dual shot mode is pretty incredible — e.g. sometimes for night shots it will automatically do two shots, one with flash and one without or simply alternate settings and do two shots really fast so you can choose which one to keep.

Things I really don’t like:

- proprietary cable

- sony memory card (kind-of pricey, albeit a little bit faster than SDHC – definitely not a big hinderance)

- Battery life is decent (it’s really not bad at all – it will last a day with tons of shooting – but i wish it was better)

Things I really like:

- size and overall design

- picture quality

- touch screen

- video recording quality

- intelligent auto mode – much better than most other cameras auto mode (for when you’re in a rush)

- low light capabilities are out-of-hand…simply amazing! not kidding…

- camera slideshow and editing capabilities

- touch screen focus selection

Would I recommend: yes! Especially, if form factor, low light picture taking, and overall fun factor is important to you. This camera runs circles around the Canon SD780 and SD940 – which I’m surprised to acknowledge….

Pocket Rocket
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I normally buy my products through Amazon, but I am here in Taiwan when the TX1 was released and I decided to take a stab and buy one from the local 3C.

I was wary of getting the touch screen version, having tried my sister’s T9 from last year and not liking the interface. But I have to say that the screen on the TX1 is very much improved and now I wonder if I could go back to a conventional interface. Taking pictures with this camera is so much fun.

Because it is so thin and light, pressing the shutter release button without adding shake to the shot takes a very steady hand. I rather prefer to use the 2-second timer, which gives me just enough time after pressing the button to steady up the focus frame on my subject. My only caveat so far is that I could keep it on 2-second timer as default, rather having to set it for each shot.

This, combined with the various technologies give great low-light shots, really incredible for hand-held. The TX1 is my so-called “American Express” camera, replacing my much larger and less-forgiving Fujifilm F31fd. It is really hard to take bad shots with this camera, and if you take the time to learn the benefits of the various modes, I am certain you will get great results too.

I was also skeptical of getting the rather narrow range of the 35mm lens, thinking I would prefer the wider lens on the WX1 when it comes out next month, but the panorama mode is awesome so I don’t miss having the wider lens. All of the technologies work well, and are not just Sony’s hype. This camera really deserves way better than two stars.

Give this little gem a spin. You can always return it if you don’t agree that it’s the best little camera out there.

For it’s size it’s great
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Picture quality in both the still & video is great and low light is exceptional. The zoom is difficult to use it moves to fast. It should have a viewfinder a bit hard to see in direct sunlight. One thing that really bugs me is that Sony does not make a HDMI cable for the tx1. They use the old red green blue inputs. Don’t know why. About the video be sure and buy a fast chip if you want good video Sony pro duo is a bit to slow for action shots. All in all I really love this camera and recommend it for video or stills.

Not overly impressed
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Granted, I’ve only been able to use the camera for a few weeks now, but I have to admit I’m not overly impressed. I disregarded several of the negative reviews I read on this, trying to be optimistic, but that isn’t working out for me. The biggest negative I’ve noticed is indoor shots that require the flash are very grainy. Much more grainy than my last Sony Cybershot was. I haven’t fiddled around with many of the settings yet, so perhaps it’s a learning curve, however, the whole reason I got a point and shoot was so that I didn’t have to worry about settings to grab a quick shot.

Positives: The ease of use is great. I need to use reader glass for things up close, and the settings on this camera are big enough that I don’t have to use my readers in order to change settings, or switch from video clips to shots. I really like that.

I’m hopeful I’ll be able to dial in what I need on this camera and be able to count on awesome shots, but so far, I’m not getting the quality of pictures I’d hoped for with this 10 megapixel camera.

Best Tiny Portable Camera Available, only a few drawbacks
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this camera!

GREAT THINGS about this: The slim design with a built-in cover to protect the lens instead of needing a lens cap is great. The low-light modes are amazing, especially when compared to other compact cameras. The speed and auto-focusing are good. The HD movies are terrific, if you can hold it steady enough the footage looks like something from a much bigger camera. The digicam has a wealth of cutting-edge electronic features: digital panorama stitching in the camera, automatic multi-exposure low light shots, all kinds of shooting modes, blink prevention, smile detection, touching the touch screen to focus on things, nice playback controls such as a calendar display to view images and movies by the date they were taken, etc. These functions really work as advertised, although the sweep panoramas I’ve gotten so far haven’t been as good quality as what I could have stitched together on my PC.

Not so great: The TX1 doesn’t have a full manual control over shutter speed and aperture (although you can choose different shooting modes that tend to favor wide apertures or fast or slow shutter speeds, and you can manually set the ISO and EV.) There’s no exposure bracketing mode. The lack of auto bracketing is especially surprising because the camera does nice burst-mode high-speed sets, it just has no option to take the shots with different exposures. It can’t shoot RAW files, only .jpg and movie files, although I plan to experiment with the DRO mode that might prevent highlights from looking clipped in some cases. The price is somewhat high, but I guess that’s what always happens with the hottest new camera model of the year.

Best compact digital camera I’ve owned so far!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this camera for about a month now. I did purchase this camera elsewhere. I simply love this camera! I’ve had other Sony Cybershots, most recently, the W170. But this one is the best so far. I love the compactness and portability as well as its sleek, stylish design. The touchscreen is very responsive and easy to use. I thought that it would take some getting used to, but the learning curve was very minimal. Being able to get to the various menu items by touching the screen is easy and intuitive despite some comments I’ve read.

The pictures I took during the holidays came out really nice. I love the intelligent mode where the camera will take two shots to ensure that you get a good shot depending on the conditions. One reason I purchased this new camera was because I wanted the sports and pet mode. Whenever I took action shots or shots of kids or pets with the W170, the pictures would always come out blurry. Not with the TX1! Every shot is clear with no blurriness. I was extremely surprised by the quality of the videos too. The HD quality was quite impressive. I’ve shared them with friends and family and they’ve all commented on how clear they are.

I plan to take this camera with me to Japan and can’t wait to take photos there. I still have to learn more about this camera and experiment more. I truly believe you’ll be very happy if you decide to purchase this camera.

Best camera I’ve had so far
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was looking at this last month when it was announced, and had decided I was going to go with the forthcoming 980 from Canon. My last four digital cameras were all Canon, and i was happy with them. But the more I dug and waited, the more I saw that there were things on this one I was hoping would make a difference, since many of my shots are indoors with my 5 year old, and the lower light benefits of this camera may make a difference.

I was getting tired of the grainy blacks indoors even with good light on automatic settings… They looked better if I manually set the ISO, but if I’m just pulling it out for a quick shot, i don’t want to have to remember to go to manual settings all the time. This is replacing a Canon Powershot SD40 Elph that I liked very much other than the grainy blacks…

So I thought I’d take a chance. The smile shutter may be useful with a 5 year old, the panorama mode looked pretty slick, battery life was more than acceptable compared to my SD40. I liked the thin form factor even if it is a little larger the other two dimensions. And the 3 inch touch screen would be a very nice upgrade from my tiny 1.2 or so inch on the canon.

Since the big thing I was looking for was better indoor pictures with lower light and less grainy blacks, that was the first set of shots I took. I had both cameras in my hands, one on top, one below. Took shots at the same time from the same distances with the same lighting, both left on automatic. I know I can always get into manual modes to compensate for things, but I wanted something I didn’t always have to do that with. And this low light boasting on the TX1 had me curious.

Got the pictures onto my computer, loaded them side by side, and dang if every single picture I took was not GREATLY improved with the Sony compared to my older Canon. The blacks were black, not grainy grey. The details were better (makes sense since it’s 3 MP more than mine) but the clarity of even far away things that weren’t in focus was astounding.

I have played with a family member’s 900 version of the TX, and while it took good pictures, I didn’t see that much difference between those and my older SD40. So this one is definitely a notable improvement even over newer Sony cameras.

The 10 shots per second is amazing – and they are great shots, not like they dropped in quality to get them so fast. panorama is cool, but I need to work on the speed to get the best speed it needs, since mine so far have a spot in most of them where it gets a little fuzzy, probably where my speed changed. Not very noticeable, but there nonetheless until I can figure out my panning method.

Video i’ll want to wait till tomorrow to test out more, as it’s moving into evening here, indoor light is very very low. Video still looked much brighter in the viewscreen and on replay than it really was when recorded, so you can see the power of the light gathering in everything you do with the camera. But it was blurry when panning a bit (but i’ve yet to find a camera that doesn’t break the bank that doesn’t do this) so it’s certainly not going to replace my hard drive based non HD camcorder for everything.

I’ll have to play with the more advanced features later after the battery recharges again, so I can test out the way it will take 6 shots and average them out for a crisp picture. And some outdoor night shots. But based just on what I’ve seen so far compared to the pictures I’ve been used to taking, I’m not too worried about them. Even if they aren’t as stellar as the photos, just having this kind of noiseless indoor low lighting shots more than satisfied my needs, and made this camera worth every penny.

I would definitely buy this camera again. And if you’re like me, on the fence trying to figure out a good thing for indoor use, I can say that this is the best I’ve ever used so far.

Edit a few days later – Movies I take in good light turn out fantastic. Pictures, movies, everything I’ve done with this has been outstanding. VERY happy with this camera.

Amazing !
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Really good camera. Easy to use.

Panoramic feature is incredible easy to use and has an astonishing result.

Sharp image.

Light and small.

Cool Camera, BUT YOU HAVE TO READ THE MANUAL
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Hi everyone and thanks for reading my review

If you are reading this chances are that you are in the market for a good point and shoot camera…

In my opinion, you have to look no further.

Most complaints about this camera basically tell you that the new image sensor that sony uses is not “that great” or that night images are good but day images are not…

These complaints would ALL go away if they read the manual. Even though the camera is really simple to use, there are small tweaks that you have to adjust in order to create a perfect picture.

I got this camera and its sibling (wx1) for 2 main reasons:

1.- portability and ease to use

2.- PARTY SHOT. if you have not heard about this you are just missing out. its this little dock that rotates, pan and tilts to automatically shoot pictures… its a great neat addition to a compatible sony camera and I would highly recommend this gadget also.

so here’s the things I love about the camera:

1.- Easy to use

2.- Takes great panoramic photos

3.- Captures great indoor pictures

4.-good battery life

5.-touch screen with a lot of great add ons (like basic picture editing features built into the camera) it even comes with a stylus pen.

Now the not so great features are:

1.- NO DOCK. you have to take the battery out of the camera to charge it… there is no way of charging the camera’s battery without removing it.

2.- proprietary cable: I guess this is the most annoying and irritating feature (or non feature) of the camera: Sony created this weird looking dongle that is supposed to make life easier… you plug in the camera one end (again, proprietary port, not the standard mini usb port you would find in other cameras) and on the other end you have a standard video and audio jacks that you would plug into your TV and a USB port for downloading pictures. I really dont like this, but I can live with it.. just be sure to never forget your cable.

There you have it, I hope this review was helpful

best regards

I’m happy with this camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Just purchased this camera few days ago and I’m absolutely happy with it.. I read alot of reviews before I decided which one to buy because I needed a camera that is allowed in the concerts venue.. shoots a good HD video and good pictures in the dark! and this was what I decided…

I’m totally in love with the video quality… even the sound quality is good although it’s mono mic..

the picture quality is so good for such a compatable slim and light camera! the focus works really well.. loved the smile detection and the intelligent mode.. it automatically changes the mode due to the conditing.. it also can focus to multiple faces if you’re taking the picture to more than one person.. you can also choose the focus priority (child or adult)!! how cool is that?? I wont forget the panoramic shoot it’s so cool and new

loved how pictures look in the dark… I sometimes dont even need to use the flash!! yes sometimes you don’t need the flash at night! it’s perfect for night shootings..

I only wish it has a button to switch from picture shooting to video… here you have to do it through the touch screen and it needs 2 clicks to switch..

by the way the touch screen works wekk.. I read in some reviews people complaining about it’s touch screen.. but it works well with either with stylus or my finger..

it’s a cool camera and I recommend it to people who needs a small compatable stylish camera that can be slipped in the jeans pocket people who needs to shoot HD video with a small camera.. if you need a camera for stunning picture quality go for SLR coz this is not the one.. but for everyday use it’s amazing

this is a link for the video test I took with this camera hope it’s helpful

[...]

Exactly What I Was Looking For
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After a LOT of research, I decided to bite the bullet and get this camera. I wanted the following: 1) crisp, good pictures 2) good low-light capabilities 3) portability–small but powerful and 4)HD video. And that’s what this tiny camera delivers. The rest is icing on the cake. I had only owned Canon cameras before and was very hesitant to try another brand, but it was a good decision to take the plunge.

Perfect Fit
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My requirements in a camera are pretty basic: compact for travel, good color values, enough megapixels to maintain clarity when the pictures are shown in class on a data projector, and something convenient for family and pet shots. When I body-slammed my camera and myself to the paving stones of Salisbury, England, my Sony DSC-T9 performed like nothing had happened until I returned home, four days later. Then, it completely kicked the bucket, vibrating uncontrollably and unable to focus. I researched other brands online and in person, but frankly, the color values for Canon, Nikon, Casio,Samsung, and Kodak and the Sony W-series were completely unnatural on the viewing screens. I’ve been with Sony digital cameras since the first Mavica and I liked what I saw advertised, so took a leap of faith with the TX1. My daughter got the HX1 and after seeing its colors values and features, it was tempting, but bottom line, too bulky for my needs.

I’ve had the DSC TX-1 camera for 24 hours and having mastered the touch screen am running it through its paces:

* Low light, wonderful! That will help in museums and the interior of historic homes where flash and tripod are not welcome, not to mention sparing people (especially babies) temporary flash blindness when taking candids at parties.

* Panorama? Not a gimmick to me: I can shoot the local lighthouse which means I can shoot cramped cathedrals.

* The pet feature is great. Don’t laugh, my first dog was a ham and it didn’t matter, but the new one’s camera shy.

* Closeups of the flowers in the garden and some figurines inside without flash came out beautifully.

* I tested out the film feature, and caught a pair of squirrels chasing on the fence in perfect clarity (not to mention hilarity.)

I don’t have an SLR and I don’t want one. I’m strictly point and shoot. The memory stick duo is what Sony uses; save to an external hard drive (you’re going to need one either for the quantity of VGA photos or the memory required to store all your 10.2 megapixel treasures) and re-use to bring down your expenses if the price differential with other media is such a big factor. Maybe I should know what “noise” is without having to look it up, but I don’t. The outdoor and indoor pictures look just fine, even at full magnification. I haven’t transferred them to the computer, but I don’t show my pictures on my computer. Neither do I have a huge HD television, nor a super-duper printer for printing large images on photo paper. If you’re like me, then you probably won’t see odd color flecks either (that’s what noise is, for the uninitiated.)

For me, it’s a sweet little camera, a perfect fit. Did I pay too much? Having the first decent portrait of my three-year-old Sheltie, in glorious true sable and white color (unlike the competition), is worth every penny I paid.

I love this camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have a very expensive DSLR which takes much better pictures than the TX1. The problem is the DSLR doesn’t fit in my pocket.

I carry the TX1 all the time. It has an anti-blur mode which is awesome indoors without a flash. It’s perfect for still objects, as in a museum or store. Remarkable, actually.

The touch screen is easy to use. Focus is fast.

Not a real upgrade from DSC-T900
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I have said a million times say that I love my DSC-T500

It films amazing HD video, takes great photos, and overall is just a perfect pocket cam. I then got a Kodak Zi8, which also takes great videos (better quality then the T500), decent photos, but the low light video quality suffers from being darker then the T500.

So my journey continues to find a better low light pocket cam, since I mostly work from dark comedy clubs and situations. Well Sony later released the T900 a sequel to the T500, and its lower light quality was no better and it got a downgrade from a 5X optical zoom to a 4X. But.. the T900 was slimmer and had a few tiny software upgrades that still made it a great camera.

Now just months after the release of the T900, Sony surprisingly pulled the T900 from the shelves and released a new camera called the DSC-TX1. While this camera is stated as the new version of the T500/T900 series on many websites (including Amazon), I dont believe it.

It has a smaller LCD (3″ down from 3.5″) a mono mic (instead of the stereo mic of the t500/t900) and familiar 4X optical zoom. So why am I reviewing a camera that seems like a downgrade?

Well Sony is using a new lens system called the “Exmor R”. It’s been said that these new optics have TWICE the low light quality as the previous cameras. The touchscreen also got an upgrade even if it’s smaller and has more of a iphone’isk menu system. With finger swipes you can view new photos, even draw on photos using your finger or the included stylus. The hardware is slimmer, tiny in fact.. and the photo quality (especially during low light) is way better then the t500/t900.

This camera is packed with new features and shooting modes, like my favorite, “Hand-Held Twilight” which take 7 photos in a second of a subject with no flash, combines the photos using software and makes the perfect single photo. Its cool how it works, it detects things like walls, and removes the static. It does an amazing job.

So why am I returning this camera?

Well for most people I would say buy this camera now.. its a great photo camera for it’s size, and has some really neat features. But as a owner of the previous model i’m spoiled. The TX1 doesn’t have a “movie mode” button like the t500/t900, you have to use the menu system to turn it on. The MONO mic sounds fine, but its no where close to being as good as the STEREO mic of the past. The LCD screen is bright, and high quality.. but its smaller.. and the menu system seems cluttered and annoyingly thought out. The zoom is now buttons on top of the camera, so its clumsy to use, compared to the t500’s rocker which you slide your finger on to zoom.

But here is the main reason… The video, while has amazingly richer colors, and blacker blacks.. is no brighter in low light situations. How is that possible? When comparing the videos of the T500 to the TX1 the T500 actually had better low light! While the video had more static, it was alot better. So it might be a little more washed out on the T500, and have more of a grainy look to it, at least I could see things that the TX1 couldn’t even pick up. It’s not a HUGE difference, but it was noticeable when shooting.

So for whatever reason the video does NOT benefit from the new low light lens system. So now I have a camera with better colors, but mono sound and poorer low light.

So for my purposes, I will return and wait. I have a feeling sony is prepping a true sequel to the T500/T900. My guess is they are adding 1080P. So I will wait, and see what happens in the next few months. I just don’t see them replacing a camera with one that is missing some key features of the previous. I honestly think this camera is a T700 or T90 replacement. As for the rest of you, I DO recommend this camera.. it great for what it is, just not for me.

Hopefully since they pulled the recently released T900 off their website, something better will replace it soon.

PROS:

-New Exmor R lens system does reduce grain and increase low light photo quality

-Great low light features and options for photos (only)

-The Auto modes work well (photos)

-720p video is great for it’s size, and the colors are rich, and blacks are black

-Video can record up to 32 min or 2GB at a time, then it stops and you have to hit record again, compared to the T500’s 10 min limit. (T900 also had the 32 min limit)

-Great Slim Design, better battery door lock then DSC-t500

-Panoramic mode is quick and painless with stunning results

-10 FPS mode for action shots is great

-Touchscreen works well, and looks great

-It’s fast to take photos

-You can zoom during video!

CONS:

-Mono Microphone

-3″ screen instead of the previous 3.5″

-Amazing Low light quality doesn’t seem to work in Video mode.

-No actual video mode button (touchscreen based)

-Zoom buttons seems awkward to use during filming

-Battery/memory card is squeezed in camera’s tiny body

-4X optical zoom instead of 5X of DSC-T500

If you search the internet for “redban and dsc-tx1″ I have numerous videos and photo samples available from my full review.

Improved low-light performance but a maxium exposure time of 1 second.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
What makes this camera unique is its promises of excellent low-light performance. Compared to my old Nikon Coolpix S1, the TX1 only requires half the exposure time. However, the TX1 is limited to a maximum shutter of only 1 second! This kills an otherwise great night-time camera. You can jack up the ISO to compensate, but this feature is buried in a menu (as is EV compensation). As with most compact cameras, image noise is a significant problem. Even in daytime scenes at ISO 125 there was enough noise to make me change into 5 megapixel mode. What the camera does have going for it is a very slim profile.

So to summarize: It’s a great camera for the push-just-one-button crowd but will drive more advanced users crazy. I’ll probably return mine for a Lumix TS1

Simplicity Defined
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This little gem is about the size of a cell phone and takes very decent photos. The ability to seek faces and automatically trip for smiles makes for some fun and easy pics. The screen is about as easy to navigate as you could ask for. We do a lot of socializing and it’s nice to have something easy to record the memories. You can take this camera just about anywhere.

Sorry Sony!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I usually love Sony products, but I’m no fan of their new TX1. When I first saw this new camera, I thought this could me my next love, but we had a very short honeymoon – about 3 hours – then the ugly separation ensued!

I’ll be brief and to the point – the video was pretty good, but the pictures were actually horrible. Instead of there being reduced noise as promised in news and reviews, there seems to be more (see my other reviews for most of the other cameras I’ve tried), even in bright light. I’m pretty tech savvy and went through ALL of the setting, trying everything possible to get good consistent pictures, but to no avail! We set the camera to various ISO settings to try and minimize the noise, but no good. It just is not good for viewing on the big screen, it most likely be OK for 4 by 6 printing but I did not try to print my samples. I have a media computer hooked up to my HDTV and the pictures just look terrible!

I mentioned above that the video was good and this is true – and I knew this going in – but why did Sony remove the stereo recording? If the pictures and other features where good, the lack of stereo would have been OK, but WOW what a disappointment all around.

This is just my opinion! I wish these camera makers would actually improve with subsequent models – I just don’t get it! Sorry Sony. Oh and one more thing, don’t tell me to just get a DSLR or it’s just a P &S – I know that already! I just want the cameras to live up to their billing! By the way, I have the Panasonic ZS3 and it BLOWS the Sony away.

Just what I was looking for
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Our last camera was a canon Powershot S2 IS. The Canon stopped working, suffering from “the black screen of death”. Having faith and loyalty in the Canon brand (this was our 4th Canon Camera purchase, two of which were Canon AE-1s given as gifts) I contacted Canon and was sorely disappointed. Even though many other models with the same faulty CCD had been recalled they refused to stand behind this product.

After a year of research and looking at many cameras, I came across the Sony DSC-TX1. It got me thinking about all of the Sony products we have had in the past. Which included at least 2 Sony camcorders, a very early digital camera; Sony Mavica MVC-FD75, various other electronics and most recently a Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-40V3000 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV. We have been very pleased with every one of those products. As a matter of fact, the MVC-FD75 took amazing pictures even though the megapixels were only 0.3 and used a 3.5 floppy to store images. My husband still uses that camera.

So, mostly on a whim, I thought to h*** with reviews and purchased the TX-1. I LOVED it from day one! It is very intuitive, and easy to use. I used it as soon as I got the battery charged – and that, the battery, is the only thing I can say is a slight negative. I prefer a camera that uses off the shelf AA batteries, to the inconvenience of having to charge a battery. However I am more than willing to suffer that inconvenience for a quality, sleek, sexy, fun to use camera.

I flipped through the manual while the battery charged. As soon as the battery charged, I started using the camera. I found it amazingly easy to use with just that little bit of reading. I took panoramas, photos with the foreground in focus and the background unfocused and vice versa, and very clear macros (the canon could do all of these things, but it was a pain, and the macros were almost impossible). The low light pictures were much better then any other camera I have owned. The size is another thing I love…it’s about the same size as my cell phone.

I suspect that a professional photographer may disagree with my assessment. That being said, if you are a casual user looking for a point and shoot that is easy and fun to use and small in size, this is the camera for you.

Slightly better at low light but terrible with good light
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
As an owner of a smattering of point and shoot cameras and high end DSLR’s, I can be more picky than most about cameras.

I own an old 6MP Sony T9 slim camera from 4 years or so back and this looked like a promising upgrade for a slim pocketable camera. HD MP4 video, 4x zoom, almost twice the MP, touch screen and this new touted Exmor R sensor.

The T9 isn’t a great camera, in fact it’s one of the worst at image quality of all of my cameras, and it’s memory stick duo format is constantly a hassle.

Unfortunately this new TX1 still uses Memory Stick Duo, and is somehow just as bad in terms of image quality as the old T9. It’s better in low light but still very grainy, however it’s worse in good bright light. Set manually to the lowest ISO (125) and placed on a tripod, the T9 produces shots with more detail and dynamic range while the TX1 has a grainy soft and blown highlight look to everything. This is with the best possible conditions, and in my opinion the shots from this camera are completely unacceptable. That means it only gets worse from there. Handheld shots in the automatic modes have much more noise and grain in them, even in full daylight. Trees in the distance look like water paintings. Neither camera is good with contrasty scenes, but all I want out of a small pocket camera is acceptable images to resize and post on facebook and so on.

The TX1 will do, but for the price the quality is terrible. Cut the price in half and I might think about keeping it but this is all about style over design.

It does have some neat features like a high speed burst mode, an anti shake mode that takes multiple exposures and combines and aligns in camera, face detection and so on. It also has one of the best touchscreen interfaces I’ve used on a camera, it’s not in the way and it’s easy and quick to use. Just double tapping on where you want the camera to focus is very nice as well. The zoom slider is probably the worst physical part on this camera, not very sensitive, and then when you finally get it to zoom, it shoots quickly from the wide end to the telephoto end which means you are always overzooming and having to back off, which is frustrating when all you want is to frame the image.

If this is going to be your only small camera I would choose something else probably from Canon or Panasonic, it will be a slightly larger camera but the jump in quality will be very noticeable.

I’m going to return it and keep the T9 for the pocket slim camera that I don’t care about, and use the SD870is and LX-3 as my other smaller cameras. Unless the price on this really drops, or you just have to have this for the style and don’t care about camera-phone quality pictures from a dedicated camera I would stay away from this model.

Had High Hopes – Defective Product
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Hi folks: I am the director of photography for a television series. We have been using Sony professional broadcast studio equipment for 20 years without failures and I could not be happier. We recently purchased this camera for “behind the scenes” snaps at our location shootings. Please note: this camera was not purchased from Amazon, but instead, a local retailer serving professional photographers in Los Angeles.

I had high hopes for this camera but alas, the images I got were not that impressive, excepting the panorama which was strikingly good and the camera malfunctioned very quickly needing repair. I found the menus a bit confusing and not intuitive even though I am an iPhone junkie and very tech savvy. What if I dont WANT smile trigger? Admittidly, I probably needed to spend more quality time learning all of the functions but I bought the camera for super fast point and shoot in a variety of lighting conditions.

In any event, two weeks after purchase (and one actual location use), the zoom function of the camera malfunctioned and started engaging automaticly regardless of mode. The only way to stop the camera from zooming in, is to turn it off. I reported the problem 32 days after buying so I was out of luck with the retailer. Sony said they would repair the camera but that means shipping, waiting, and considerable trouble. And, when directed to the service website to make a repair request, that malfunctioned too. It could be just some bad luck today but I’m not happy at all.

Moral of the story: check the zoom function before you buy if possible. If not, make sure you check it before your 30 day return option expires

an excellent point and shoot
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera to replace my Sony T90 point and shoot when it finally died. This camera is a huge step-up from that model. For one thing, it is extremely easy to use. I figured out most of the settings without even reading the instructions. It takes very clear photos in day light and at night time or low light conditions. I have been having a ton of fun with the panoramic function. It takes surprisingly very clear pictures in this mode as well. As for the burst mode, it works pretty well too. I used it at my daughters soccer game with great success. Instead of the usual 3 pics, you have up to 10 to choose from. Another feature I have been having fun with is the smile feature. You can press an icon on the display for the camera to take a picture when the detected faces actually smile. I have no idea how it does this but it does and it’s very cool. I know this camera is not a replacement for those full-sized jobs but it is a very nice camera that fits easily in your pocket and takes great pictures. A solid purchase if you ask me.