Canon TX1 First Impressions Review

by Emily Raymond
Published on March 08, 2007

Navigation
Intro	Physical Tour
Components	Design / Layout
Modes	Control Options
Image Parameters	Connectivity / Extras
Overall Impressions	Conclusion
Specs	Photo Gallery

 

 

When the camera is turned off, it is hard to tell which side is which. The pop-out lens gives away the front of the camera though. The camera is held vertically, so the lens is placed near the top with only enough space above it for a built-in flash and AF assist/self-timer lamp. Below the lens is a highlight that looks like a smile. Below it is the Canon PowerShot TX1 logo. At the bottom of the front is a wrist strap eyelet that looks like a horseshoe.

 

 

Back

The back of the TX1 looks quite strange with a memory card door taking up the bottom third of the back and buttons cluttering the top two-thirds. The chrome band from the left side wraps around onto the back, and protrudes ever so slightly in a smooth lump. Atop the lump is the zoom control, which looks like a paddle and can be pushed up and down. The mode dial’s ribbed edge can be seen exposed on the right edge. Just below the zoom control is a large, square movie button that is colored red.

 

Above the zoom control is a plethora of buttons and icons cluttered in a tight space. At the very top are two small circular buttons: Disp. is on the left and Menu on the right. There are two bolts below the buttons that are almost as big; it looks a little strange. Below these is a tiny joystick surrounded by icons for the different functions that can be activated when not wading through a menu. Starting from the top and moving clockwise, the functions are ISO, flash, drive mode, and focus mode.

 

The back looks a little strange, especially to consumers who look at digital cameras more often than camcorders. The layout is, however, fairly common on pistol-grip camcorders.

 

The left side of the Canon TX1 has the Canon logo near the top along with a circular power button with an LED in its center. To the lower left of the power button is the built-in microphone. Below these features is a wide chrome band labeled “10x Optical Zoom” on the left side. This band is where the LCD monitor’s hinge is housed. From here, the LCD folds out and rotates to just about any angle. The back of the monitor, the side that shows when folded into the camera body, has two series of holes that make up the stereo speaker.

 

The right side is quite plain looking, but Canon threw in a silver highlight in the middle to liven up the look. The chrome highlight has a Canon label on it. At the back side of the logo is the circular mode dial that protrudes off the back with its ribbed edge.

 

 

The top looks very plain, with only a label for the image stabilizer. There is also a square-shaped shutter release button near the front and an LED-adorned print button near the back.

 

The normally dull bottom of the camera is cluttered with contours and covers. The left side of the camera’s bottom folds away and upwards into the LCD monitor; this leaves a much narrower base that makes the TX1 vulnerable to tipping. In the middle of the bottom is the battery compartment, which is very thin. There is a tiny rubber cover in the center to allow the power adaptor in. On the right side is a long and rectangular rubber cover that hides the three jacks on the camera body.