Canon PowerShot TX1

Connectivity
Software (6.5)
Canon Digital Camera Solution Disk Version 30.0 comes with the TX1. This CD-ROM comes with ImageBrowser 5.8, PhotoStitch 3.1, and EOS Utility 1.1 for Macintosh and ZoomBrowser EX 5.8, PhotoStitch 3.1, Camera TWAIN Driver 6.7, and EOS Utility 1.1 for Windows. It comes with Apple QuickTime 7 too. I looked at only the Windows applications.

EOS Utility

ZoomBrowser offers three different ways to view photos. Users can search images by comments, keywords, shooting date, rating (you can rate your images up to 3 stars), and the date the file was last modified. From the main window, users can delete and rotate. There are also options to edit, export, print, and transfer to the Internet.

ZoomBrowser

The editing features aren’t anything elaborate. There are just as many editing features in the playback mode of the TX1. The red-eye correction feature either automatically or manually fixes problematic red eye. The auto tool didn’t work well on my images, but the manual tool fixed the problem.

Editing

There is an automatic adjustment feature that fixes the exposure and works pretty well. Users can also manually adjust this with the color/brightness adjustment feature below it. The sharpness can be adjusted, the image can be trimmed, and text can be added to the image in the editing menu too. Like I said, there’s not much here. Users can view movies in this program but can’t edit them. Still, the ZoomBrowser program has the basics needed to view, organize, and print photos.

Canon’s EOS Utility program has a very simple interface that allows users to monitor on-camera folders, download images from the camera, shoot using a computer, and customize the camera settings. From here, users can do cool things like snap pictures with a mouse click and add sound clips to the camera for operational use (think of your own voice shouting "smile!" when the shutter is released).

The CD-ROM also has PhotoStitch 3.1 on it, which is meant to complement the Stitch Assist mode on the camera. Users load images one by one and then merge then in a step-by-step tutorial-like process. There is a simple Start button but there’s room for manual adjustments too.

PhotoStitch 3.1

Overall, the software offerings with the Canon PowerShot TX1 tend to be better than the average digital camera but still aren’t impressive.

Jacks, ports, plugs (6.25)
On the bottom of the camera is a very thin rubber rectangle that patches over the TX1’s three jacks. The cover must be pried open with a fingernail, and there isn’t much of a finger grip. The rubber material is very thin and feels like it could rip at any moment. Two of the jacks are familiar to compact digital camera users; AV and USB jacks are found on almost all models. The TX1 has separate jacks along with a jack labeled 'Component.' This is what connects the camera to HDTVs. Users who want to watch high-definition slide shows and videos have to hook up both the component and A/V cables because the component cable doesn’t transfer audio. This makes for a lot of wires, but smooth pictures and gorgeous video – the kind that make you think that perhaps the $499 price was worth it. There is also a rubber cover on the battery compartment door that opens so the power adaptor can be strung through.

Direct Print Options (7.0)
In the playback menu, the print menu appears as a tab with the other menus. It allows users to select images to print by date, category, and folder. Pictures can also be selected individually, assigned a quantity from 0-99, and added to the print order. The camera has a Print/Share button that transfers images to PictBridge printers, but the button can be set to perform other functions, including exposure compensation, white balance, custom white balance, digital tele converter, disp overlay, disp off, and play sound effect. When paired with Canon Pixma, CP and Selphy compact photo printers, ID Photo Print and Movie Print modes are available.

Battery (3.0)
The TX1 comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that doesn’t get as much life as it ought to. The NB-4L battery snaps only 160 shots per charge or 240 minutes of playback time. These specs are a bit disturbing as recording video is often more taxing on a camera than snapping still images. Canon’s specs claim that the movie mode maxes out at an hour, but between the massive movie files taking up all the room on the memory card, the awful handling that causes hand cramps, and the weak battery, the TX1 won’t shoot close to that. This is very unfortunate. Comparable digital cameras get way more battery life. Users will have to tote around the included wall-mount battery charger and let the battery rest in it for 90 minutes. The other option is to purchase an extra battery and keep it on hand. Unfortunately the battery is costly so users will have to factor that into the total ($499 camera + $69 one-gigabyte SD card + $59 battery = $627. Ouch).

Memory (3.75)
The Canon PowerShot TX1 comes with a 32 MB MMCplus card, which won’t last long with this camera. It will record just six seconds of high definition video. The 7.1-megapixel digital camera’s main feature is its HD movie mode. High definition video takes up a lot of memory – and that’s not something that comes with the TX1. The digital camera accepts SD, SDHC, MMC, and MMCplus cards up to 4 GB. This is enough to get 26 minutes of HD video – nowhere near the one hour limit Canon advertises on its movie mode. To get the memory card in the camera, users have to have the LCD screen folded up and away from the camera body because the card compartment’s door slides into it. The TX1 doesn’t have internal memory.

Other features (3.0)
Sound Recorder – This feature is located in the playback menu, although it seems very oddly placed because it has nothing to do with playback. It simply records stereo audio up to the capacity of the memory card and saves it as a WAVE file rather than attaching it to an image like the sound memo feature.