Canon PowerShot TX1 Digital Camera Review

Model Design / Appearance (7.0)
The Canon PowerShot TX1 makes a nice shiny metal box but an awkward digital camera. The device is designed to be held vertically, which departs from the traditional horizontal appearance of most compact digital cameras; it more resembles the pistol grip camcorder style. This vertical design is also seen in the Sanyo HD2 and the Sony M2, both hybrid digital camera-camcorders.

The Canon TX1 is boxy with slightly softened edges. The 1.8-inch LCD screen folds out like a wing on the left side and the zoom lens pops out of the front. When turned on and folded out, the TX1 is a bit top-heavy and often tips from its skinny base. This is a common problem that also happens with the Sanyo HD2.

The body is very compact and constructed from stainless steel. It looks similar to Digital Elph cameras but is a little thicker and certainly more awkward when the LCD is folded out. The TX1 isn’t the sexiest digital camera, but it looks good when its folded up.

Size / Portability (7.25)
The TX1’s boxy stainless steel body resembles the Digital Elph series, but it has the thickness of an A-series model. Still, this camera is very compact compared to camcorders with high definition capabilities. At 3.5 x 2.4 x 1.1 inches, the Canon PowerShot TX1 is smaller and more pocketable than its direct competition, the Sanyo HD2.

The camera’s small size is one of its most marketable features. The Canon TX1 can slip into a pocket and dangle from a wrist with the included faux leather strap The wrist strap has a clasp that allows users to tighten it around their wrist, which is a nice feature.

That feature is especially nice because the TX1 has some gravitational issues. Shall we say it’s “big boned”? It weighs 7.8 oounces without the card and battery, which feels heavy for its slim size. Add in the fact that the camera holds awkwardly with the fingers wrapped around front, the thumb navigating the back, and the palm supporting the weight, and the heft becomes quite an issue.

The weight complicates handling and the size complicates the size and placement of control buttons and components. For instance, the flash is mashed just above the lens and the mode dial is randomly placed on the otherwise desolate right side of the camera.

The Canon TX1 doesn’t necessarily need a carrying case because it looks durable (when folded up, of course) and slides into a pocket. It might be a good idea to keep the stainless steel from scratching though. After all, the TX1 is a camera that will be sharing pockets with iPods, Treos, Palm Pilots, Blackberrys, and other gadgets.

Handling Ability (4.0)
The Canon PowerShot TX1 is a nightmare in terms of handling. It is fairly flat and free of handling features. This camera is held differently than the traditional digital camera. The middle and ring fingers grip the front, while the pinky finger offers some support on the bottom. The index finger sits at the top, and since the top is much taller than most digital cameras it has to stretch a bit farther. The thumb sits on the back and splits time between the zoom control in the middle and the surrounding buttons, which are all small and too close together, complicating matters even more. This is designed to be a one-handed camera, but its hefty weight and unevenly distributed base makes it hard to hold it steady. Users will often need their left hand to steady the LCD screen so they can rotate the mode dial or grip the camera while jumbling around with the awfully tiny joystick.


The placement of the controls is a bit awkward. I kept wanting to navigate with the zoom control, which is on a little bump on the back. To truly get around the menus though, I had to stretch my thumb farther than was actually comfortable and manipulate a tiny feeble joystick that only went the correct direction about half the time.

Canon’s A-series of PowerShot digital cameras have folding and rotating LCD screens but they can fold back into the camera and still be viewed. The TX1’s LCD screen must be folded out when the camera is on. It can fold back into the camera with the screen facing out, but it faces out to the left side so it can’t be seen anyway. Thus, the camera can’t be held the traditional horizontal way either. An attempt to hold it that way puts the LCD screen facing up, the shutter release button on the right side, and the zoom lens still poking out front.

One major complaint about the Canon TX1 is that it doesn’t allow videos to be taken for longer than an hour. The truth is, though, that as soon as you handle it, you will want to stick it back in your pocket. No one will want to hold this for anywhere near an hour. It’s too uncomfortable.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (3.75)
The controls are small and crammed. The shutter release on the top of the camera is square-shaped and nicely placed, although it doesn’t move as smoothly as other digital cameras’ shutter buttons. The print button is also atop the camera, and it can be set to perform other functions within the setup menu.

The right side of the camera hosts a dime-sized mode dial that rotates nicely. However, because of the dial’s placement, it takes a significant amount of effort from the thumb to get it moving. Due to its placement, it may even be necessary to steady the LCD screen with the left hand to rotate the dial.

On the left side of the TX1 is a power button that is nicely sized and marked with a green LED. On the back is a flurry of icons around the navigational joystick designating the multiple functions the control can perform when not in the menu.

The joystick control is very small and was probably chosen for this layout because it can fit in a very small space, but it isn’t very comfortable. The knob on it has a sharp edge. It doesn’t make a very good navigational control because it only goes where it was intended about half the time. It only works well when slowly and daintily pushed.

There are Menu and Display buttons on the back as well; they are undersized and almost look like the bolts that are placed beneath them. The zoom control is also on the back; it is placed upon the crest of a small bump. It is shaped like a horizontal paddle that can be pushed up and down to move throughout the 10x optical zoom range. This is a stretch for the thumb to reach, but not as big a stretch as the joystick.

Below the zoom control is the movie button. This can be activated from any mode at any time, which is very handy. The movie button is separate from the shutter release button so that full resolution still images can be snapped while recording a movie. Overall, the controls are on the small side but that’s the tradeoff for buying such a petite camera.

Menu (7.0)
The menu system can be entered with the designated Menu button on the back of the camera, and current Canon users will find the menus very familiar. They are organized into tabs and have gray backgrounds. The text is readable – as long as you have good eyesight. The 1.8-inch-sized LCD screen doesn’t allow much room for menus.

Like other PowerShot digital cameras, the TX1 has a split menu system that features frequently used items in a menu accessible by pushing the Func./Set joystick.

This menu is from the manual mode; when the mode dial is set to the "SCN" position, the shooting modes reflect the many image presets available. The following is the standard recording menu accessible from the Menu button.


The previous menu is the first of three tabs that appear. It has a camera icon on its tab, while the central tab has an icon of a wrench. The setup menu is as follows.


There is also a menu tab that allows users to customize their cameras with a choice of startup images and all sorts of sounds for operation, shutter, etc. The sounds are like those on other PowerShots: howling wolves, tweeting birds, and descending aliens.

Overall, the menu system is nicely organized and very intuitive. It is composed of text, and is very readable except for the small size of the font. The biggest menu hassle is the finicky joystick that complicates navigation.

Ease of Use (6.75)
The Canon TX1 is very easy to use, especially if you’ve previously owned a Canon digital camera. The menus are nearly identical to those found on other Digital Elph models, and the icons and labels around the buttons are also familiar. The exposure modes are mainly automatic too. The biggest pain is the awkward handling, but the TX1 makes picture-taking easy.