Canon PowerShot TX1 Digital Camera Review

Canon PowerShot TX1

Digital Camera Review

Jun 28, 2007 - By Emily Raymond
1.9 The Canon PowerShot TX1 made waves in February as Canon’s first attempt at a true hybrid digital camera-camcorder. The 7.1-megapixel TX1 borrows elements like image stabilization, stereo audio, a wind filter, and video editing from bigger cameras like the PowerShot S3 and newer S5. The TX1’s compact style and palette of exposure modes is similar to the Digital Elph series of slim cameras: automatic and scene modes are the order here. With a Digic III image processor comes trendy face detection technology, but the TX1 will be noted most for its high definition video capabilities. We took the Canon TX1 for a test spin to see if it was worth the $499 asking price.
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Likes
- Effective face detection
- Accurate preset and auto white balance
- Great image stabilization
- High definition video
- Stereo audio   
- Compact, very portable
Dislikes
- Poor handling
- Video displayed ghost-like motion artifacts 
- Noisy video footage 
- Inefficient Video codec
- Weak battery
- Top-heavy
- Tiny controls
- Lots of red eyes
- Useless flash


Conclusion
The Canon PowerShot TX1 is a hybrid camcorder/digital camera that secures a unique spot in the digital camera marketplace. It has the ability to snap 7.1-megapixel pictures as well as record high definition video. Hybrids marketed more as camcorders, such as the Panasonic LX2 and Sanyo HD2, are not as appealing as the TX1 for various reasons. The LX2 records video at high def resolution but at a choppy 15 fps frame rate and while the HD2 has high definition video that rivals Canon’s and has a compact body, it costs twice as much as the TX1, which has a $499 price tag.

The TX1’s movie mode has a lot of good features. Users can snap full resolution still images simultaneously, the 10x optical zoom lens is fully functional, the image stabilization system is very effective, the exposure can be adjusted, audio is recorded in stereo, and the video resolution is silky smooth. However, there are as many disappointments as there are good features. The camera is so hard to handle that users won’t want to record lengthy videos: the body is top-heavy, the LCD folds to the left and often tips the camera, the controls are miniscule, and the surface area of the camera body just isn’t much to grab onto. That’s just the handling. Add in the inefficient video codec, motion artifacts, and hefty noise and the TX1's video appeal is severely diminished. If you’re serious about videos, buy a camcorder. The TX1 isn’t going to record your daughter’s hour-long band concert in high definition.

Canon's concept is good - a solid digital camera with awesome high definition video that can record just as well and as long as a camcorder and still snap album-worthy photos – but that’s not what the TX1 is. It’s an average camera coupled with an underdeveloped movie mode, stuck in a body that’s too small. We're glad Canon made the TX1 for its eventual influence and its place in the evolution of hybrid imaging devices, but unfortunately, the TX1 offers far more potential than performance.

Overall Impressions Page 10 of 13 Sample Photos
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