Canon PowerShot TX1 Easy Digital Camera Review

The 7.1-megapixel Canon PowerShot TX1 is the first digital camera to have a high definition movie mode. That means it can record videos at an awesome 1280 x 720-pixel resolution at a smooth 30 fps. If you’re viewing it on the camera though, it looks just the same as the 320 x 240-pixel more email-friendly video resolution. You have to view the movies on an HDTV to appreciate it. So if you don’t have an HDTV, don’t bother with this camera.

This digital camera aims to be the ultimate bridge between cameras and camcorders. It has the standard 640 x 480 and 320 x 240-pixel video resolution, which is standard on most digital cameras. It adds sharp-looking high definition video and also includes a few more perks to the feature set. Optical image stabilization, stereo audio, wind filter, video editing, functional 10x optical zoom, manual exposure control, and the ability to snap full resolution still images while recording video make this movie mode top of the line.

The TX1 comes with a 32MB MMCplus card that records an entire six seconds of high definition video. You’ll have to invest in a high-speed SD, SDHC, or MMC card too (high speed meaning at least 20mb/ps transfer). If you don’t have a fast card, you can record only 10 seconds of video at a time. The TX1’s large MPEG files require more memory space than most movie modes. Accessories are almost a necessity with this digital camera. The battery runs out after only 160 pictures so you’ll need an extra one of those on hand.

The camera retails for $499, the battery for $59, and Canon sells a 1GB SD card for $69. That comes to a grand total of $627. Ouch. That’s quite a hole in the pocket for a point-and-shoot camera. To make matters worse, you know as soon as you buy this trendy device that Canon will come out with a newer, swankier version.

As a digital camera, the Canon PowerShot TX1 is average. It has program (called “Manual” in the menu, but it’s really Program), automatic, and 11 scene modes. That’s not much variety to work with. It has a face detection auto focus system that works quickly and effectively. It finds faces and automatically adjusts the exposure and focus so they always look good. However, the more you zoom, the less reliable the auto focus system. The flash hardly lights up anything as it only reaches 6.6 feet at best, and portraits are plagued with red eyes.

There isn’t much real estate on the camera body. It measures 3.5 x 2.4 x 1.1 inches and is designed to be held vertically. A tiny 1.8-inch LCD screen folds out and throws the balance off, so setting it on a table will likely cause it to tip. The screen can be rotated though and is reminiscent of pistol grip style camcorders. There are a few problems with the design though. Handling is awful, horrible, terrible. Did I mention it was bad? It’s hard to hang onto, the controls are tiny, and the navigational joystick makes going through menus painful.

The Canon PowerShot TX1 is the first of its kind for this manufacturer and I’m hoping for better things from this line in the future. The TX1’s high definition videos look nice and smooth, but don’t last long because either 1) the memory card filled up, 2) the battery died, or 3) my hand cramped and dropped the camera. The TX1 is meant to put high def video and digital camera capabilities in your pocket. It does just that - but at the expense of your savings, comfortable handling, and still image quality. Are the tradeoffs worth it? Not for me.

Canon PowerShot TX1 - THE BOTTOM LINE.... Rating: 362.58

Likes

- Effective face detection - Great image stabilization - High definition video - Stereo audio - Compact, very portable

Dislikes

- Poor handling - Weak battery - Top-heavy - Tiny controls - Lots of red eyes - Useless flash

Canon PowerShot S5 IS Rating: N/A	Casio Exilim EX-V7 Rating: N/A	Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Rating:427.49	Sanyo Xacti HD2 Rating: N/A	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-M2 Rating: N/A
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
- 12x optical zoom lens - Wider f/2.7 aperture - Better control layout - Much better handling - 2.5-inch LCD screen, 207k pixels - 8 megapixels - Manual exposure modes and controls - Hot shoe - Wider 15-1/3200 shutter speed range - Much more powerful built-in flash fires to 17 ft	- Manual exposure modes - 33 scene modes - Manual focus - Thinner inch-thick camera body - Better traditional handling - H.264 video encoding method stores 1.5x more video in the same memory space - Print slides from movies - 3 fps burst mode - 2.5 inch LCD screen with 230k pixels - Includes camera cradle - Comes with 240-shot battery - Cheaper $399 price tag - 11.6 MB internal memory	- More traditional horizontal design with better handling - Lens has wider 28mm angle for better landscape shots - Wider f/3.3 aperture - 270-shot battery - 12.7 MB internal memory - Gigantic 3 inch LCD with 230k pixels - Comes in black, silver, and blue colors - Cheaper $349 retail price - Exposure bracketing	- 2.2 inch LCD screen - MPEG-4 video format - Video can be recorded up to 3 hours - More advanced video editing - Jack for an external microphone - Pop-up flash unit - Ships with a docking station - Compatible with SD and SDHC cards up to 8 GB - Verbal directions for beginners - Flicker reduction feature	- Thinner body looks like cell phone - Larger 2.5 inch LCD screen - 57 MB internal memory - Manual focus - 210 shots per charge on battery - Musical slide shows
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
- Similar hybrid design - LCD folds out - 640 x 480, 30 fps movies - Stereo audio - Wind filter - Selectable audio sampling rates - Optical image stabilization system - Dual recording buttons for snapping stills while recording video - Video maxes out at one hour - Four alkaline AA batteries get only 170 shots - Same $499 price - Digic III image processor - Face detection	- 7.2 megapixels - Widescreen videos - Vertically oriented zoom control - Stereo audio - Optical zoom functional while recording video - Optical image stabilization - Video editing - Lots of color filters and effects - Weak flash - Pocket-sized and very portable	- 7.2 megapixels - 10x optical zoom lens - Optical image stabilization - SD media compatible - Similar automatic exposure modes - Widescreen videos and still images	- High definition video - 7 megapixels - Announced in January 2007 - Vertical pistol-grip style design - 10x optical zoom lens - Optical image stabilization - LCD screen folds out to the side - Stereo audio - Dual recording buttons - ISO up to 1600 - Tiny control buttons	- Hybrid model - Vertical design - Video editing - Stereo audio - Functional zoom while recording video - LCD folds out to one side - Same $499 original retail price - Red eye issues
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
- Heavier, less portable - Chunkier SLR shape - Doesn’t record in high definition - 1.5 fps burst mode	- 7x optical zoom lens - No high definition videos - No dual recording buttons - Widescreen video resolution 848 x 480 at 30 fps - 64-800 ISO range - Lots of blurry pictures - Fastest shutter speed is only 1/800th of a second	- A bit bigger at 4.2 x 2.4 x 1.5 inches - Widescreen video resolution of 848 x 480 pixels, 30 fps: not high definition - ISO 100-1250 - Shorter 8-1/2000 shutter speed range - No color effects	- Much more expensive at $700 - 4-1/2000 shutter speeds - Audio isn’t that great	- No high definition video - Old and hard to find - 5.1 megapixels - 3x optical zoom lens - Requires Memory Stick Duo Pro card for 30 fps videos - Top resolution is 640 x 480 - No metering options - No custom white balance - 64-400 ISO range - 2-1/2000th shutter speeds - No image stabilization