Manual Control Options
The most manual controls are found in the manual mode, although it’s not really manual. It is really more of a "program" mode than anything else. It doesn’t allow the shutter speeds and apertures to be adjusted individually, but allows changes to the exposure compensation, white balance, ISO, and such. The Canon PowerShot TX1 has the level of control most Digital Elph cameras have.
Focus
Auto Focus (7.25)
The Canon PowerShot TX1 is equipped with a Digic III image processor, which has face detection technology hardwired into it. This means when it is activated (through the recording menu) it shows boxes around faces, then automatically focuses and adjusts the exposure for the detected faces. When there is more than one face in a picture, the camera meters from the largest one. The boxes appear and disappear as people turn their faces because the camera can’t recognize jaw bones and ears, but the boxes grow larger and smaller as subjects move toward or away from the camera. The face detection system is automatically activated in the portrait scene mode. Overall, it works quickly and effectively.
The face detection system seems to get all the attention but the standard through-the-lens auto focus system isn’t bad either. The TX1 can focus as close as 0-3.9 inches in the super macro mode, which is pretty incredible for a 10x optical zoom lens, although it will take a second or two for the camera to decide on a focal point. The super macro mode is found in the manual position of the mode dial, whereas the other focus modes are found by pushing the joystick to the left. In the macro mode, the camera can focus from 3.9 inches to 1.6 feet. Normally, the camera can focus from 1.6 feet when the lens is zoomed out and 3.3 feet when zoomed in. When the infinity focus mode is set, the camera focuses only as close as 9.8 feet.
The auto focus mode can be set to single or continuous. Most cameras have these options, and the continuous auto focus mode is sometimes noisy. That is not true with the TX1; it works silently. This option, along with the auto focus assist beam, can be turned on in the recording menu.
The auto focus system works well with faces and in good lighting. It moves slower when the lights are low, subjects have vast solid patches (hopefully you won’t shoot white walls often), are very close, or the lens is zoomed all the way in. For the most part, though, subjects were crisp and focused. But the slow auto focus in those few situations is disappointing for a camera that costs $499.
Manual Focus (0.0)
The Canon PowerShot TX1 doesn’t have a manual focus mode. Some camcorder enthusiasts may be disappointed that they can’t manually control focus while shooting high definition videos.
Exposure (7.75)
The Canon PowerShot TX1 doesn’t allow manual control over aperture and shutter speed individually, but allows adjustment to exposure compensation which encompasses both of those parameters. The TX1 has a +/- 2 exposure compensation range, adjustable in 1/3 steps. Adjustments to exposure compensation can be previewed via a live view. There isn’t a live histogram provided – probably because there isn’t much space on the tiny LCD screen – but there is a histogram available in the playback mode to help users check the exposure.
Metering (7.5)
The metering mode can be changed when the mode dial is set to the manual position. The typical options are available: Evaluative, Center-weighted Average, and Spot. The Evaluative metering mode syncs with the face detection system when it is activated, and the spot mode is fixed to the center.
ISO (7.75)
The TX1’s ISO sensitivity options are found in the function menu. There is a nice wide range from 80-1600 along with Auto and High ISO Auto choices. This selection can be found on Digital Elphs, but the TX1 has a new ISO feature called Auto ISO Shift that is accessed through the recording menu. When it is activated, the camera automatically bumps up the ISO when it senses any shaking. Thus, the High ISO Auto mode stays within its 800-1600 boundary while the Auto ISO Shift works with the optical image stabilization system to determine when a higher ISO setting is needed. There is a tradeoff between image quality and high ISO sensitivity: to see how the TX1 fares, check out the Testing/Performance section of this review.
White Balance (7.75)
The white balance modes can also be found in the function menu: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, and Custom. The list of presets is decent, but certainly not expansive. Shade or Flash settings could’ve been included. Nevertheless, the TX1 has an all-important Custom mode, which allows users to tell the camera what is white under the current lighting conditions. This can be done easily using the joystick and the on-screen directions.
Shutter Speed (0.0)
The TX1 also has a mechanical and electronic shutter that flips at typical speeds of 15-1/2500th of a second. Canon’s specs indicate that the noise reduction system kicks in at shutter speeds from 1.3-15 seconds. These can’t be manually adjusted though.
Aperture (0.0)
The 10x optical zoom lens’ maximum apertures aren’t very impressive. The widest is f/3.5, which is about average for cheap long-zoom and very compact lenses. However, there are ultra-zoom cameras out there with wider f/2.8 apertures that let in more light. When the Canon lens is zoomed in, the aperture shrinks to f/5.6. The aperture cannot be manually adjusted on the TX1.
