Auto Mode
The camera’s auto mode is easily found with the camera icon on the dime-sized mode dial. This automates just about everything, but not everything everything like Panasonic’s Simple mode. The Canon PowerShot TX1’s auto mode still allows access to most of the options in the recording menu and several from the function menu: aspect ratio, video resolution, and image size. The Auto and High ISO Auto modes are available by pushing the joystick up, the flash can be set to Auto or Off with a push to the right, the self-timer can be turned on with a push to the bottom, and one to the right will turn on the macro mode. Pictures taken in the convention center using the auto mode looked good in the LCD screen. Pictures weren’t blurred or discolored.

Movie Mode
The movie mode is the main feature on the Canon PowerShot TX1: this is what separates it from all other compact digital cameras, and has created more interest in video circles than anything else at this year’s PMA. The vertically aligned camera is designed like piston-grip-type camcorders such as the similar Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2 (also a camera/camcorder hybrid). The TX1 has a 10x optical zoom lens complemented by an optical image stabilization system that keeps the picture steady. The system works very well and is noticeable even in the small 1.8-inch LCD screen.

The zoom moves quickly when not recording video, but once a movie is started with the push of the designated movie button the zoom slows considerably. It takes about 7 seconds to zoom 10x. This keeps users from getting too jumpy with the zoom, but some consumers may not like the lack of speed control.

The zoom lens is available at all times – even with the audio, unlike some other compact digital cameras. The Canon TX1’s audio is exceptional when compared to other digital cameras. For one, it records in stereo whereas most cameras record mono audio. The microphone level can be changed, complemented by a live mic levels display. A wind filter can be turned on and off, although I couldn’t really test this effectively in the still air of the convention center. Wind filters typically work as high pass filters, killing the low, rumbling sound of wind against a microphone.

The reason the TX1’s movie mode is so unique is because it records 720p high definition video. The 1280 x 720-pixel movies are recorded at 30 fps, which makes it better than the Panasonic LX2, which records the same resolution at a choppy 15 fps. The TX1 comes with a 32MB MMC card, which is just about enough to capture yourself fumbling with the zoom toggle before running out of memory. This will require an immediate upgrade in media.

The camera records in the Motion JPEG format at data rates of up to 4480KB/second (in the common camcorder parlance, this translates to 35Mbps, or megabits/second). Motion JPEG is a bit of a throwback in a world of high definition video moving quickly towards smarter, faster, more efficient codecs like H.264 AVCHD, co-developed by Panasonic and Sony and employed in several of their products. While the quality should remain high, potentially higher than current AVCHD camcorders, Motion JPEG is an inefficient method, requiring a lot of space for little video. This could put a dent in its appeal to consumers.

Canon claims that the TX1 can record HD video for up to 26 minutes on a 4 GB card at 720p. The TX1 has other video resolutions that can record up to an hour at a time. 640 x 480-pixel video shoots at 30 fps for up to 56 minutes. The email-friendly 320 x 240-pixel video can shoot at 60 or 30 fps. Some other PowerShot cameras record 320 x 240-pixel video at 60 fps, but they maxed out at a minute. The TX1 has only the limit of the memory card capacity.

In all the movie mode resolutions, movies look good. The white balance and exposure controls can be changed as long as the mode dial is switched to the “manual” position. My Colors modes can even be added if you really want a sepia-colored movie.

Although the Canon PowerShot TX1 records 1280 x 720 progressive video (because it has a CMOS sensor), footage is outputted in 1920 x 1080 interlace component video for playback on HDTVs via the jack on the bottom of the camera labeled “component.” With standard televisions, there is an AV jack too that can be set to NTSC or PAL. I couldn’t carry a HDTV around with me on the show floor, so I didn’t get to watch the video in anything but the tiny LCD screen but the specs are mighty impressive and I expect good things.

Videos can be played back in the camera too: normally and in 5 levels of slow motion. It has VCR functionality with its rewind, fast forward, stop, play, and pause buttons. Files can also be clipped in half and saved as separate videos.

Hardcore camcorder users will be disappointed with the inefficiency of the Motion JPEG,  but the Canon TX1 is still meant to be a digital camera with camcorder functionality – not the other way around. Coming from a digital camera background, the movie mode looks great to me.

Drive / Burst Mode
The burst mode can be found with a downward push to the camera’s navigational joystick. Single, Continuous, Continuous AF, and self-timer options are available. The single drive is the default, but the continuous mode snaps the true burst at 2.2 fps. The continuous auto focus mode focuses between shots and takes twice as long at 1.1 fps. The TX1 kept snapping pictures in a lengthy burst and would probably fill a card like its other PowerShot siblings – although I stopped it after about 15 pictures. The self-timer can be set to delay for 2 or 10 seconds; it can also be customized to delay for 0-30 seconds and then snap a string of 1-10 images.

Playback Mode
The playback mode is accessed with the mode dial, which takes a little longer than access from a button. Images are displayed individually or in index frames of 9 at a time when the wide end of the zoom control is tapped. The telephoto portion of the control magnifies individual pictures from 2-10x.

Pictures can be organized into categories through the playback menu or the button atop the camera. Categories include events, people, and more. Users can jump through loads of pictures by pushing the joystick up: this allows users to jump to categories, dates, folders, movies, and image files by 10 or 100. Pictures can be erased by category or by date, as well as one by one or all at once.

There are plenty of editing options available from the playback menu, which is below.