Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 Digital Camera Review

Automatic Features

Three separate automatic shooting modes are available, which are ironically intended to make the experience simpler. Program Auto is where we spent most of our time, but there's also Intelligent Auto, which is fully automatic, and Superior Auto, which incorporates HDR techniques.

Aside from all of this, an "Easy Mode" menu option exists and once activated it simplifies the entire interface at the expense of detailed control.

Buttons & Dials

Buttons? Ha! Since we're living in the future, most of the interface is handled by the rear touchscreen. This advanced technology allows you to select shooting options with twice the delay and half the precision of regular old buttons.

Effects, Filters, and Scene Modes

16 scene modes are available and the most useful one is Backlight Correction HDR, which uses the TX20's fast burst capabilities to compensate for its low dynamic range. 7 picture effects are also available, including the popular miniature effect, as well as toy camera, pop color, and more.

Menu

The menu system is not an improvement over the TX10's, and therefore represents another addition to the list of touchscreen cameras with atrocious interfaces. Accessing the option you want is a slow, multi-step process; and each time you select one, the menu kicks you back out to the shooting screen to start over. Since the panel is so imprecise, there's always the danger of selecting the wrong option too. Scrolling uses an Apple-style swiping motion, however the software isn't always smart enough to distinguish scrolling from selecting, and that's another reason you'll find yourself choosing the wrong setting. Very frustrating.

Instruction Manual

A short printed manual ships with the TX20 but it isn't very high quality. Plenty of basic information was missing, and no table of contents or index was included.