Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5

Viewfinder (0.00)

There is no viewfinder on this camera.

Display (4.50)

Dominating the back of the LCD is a 3-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 231k pixels. That is significantly less than the 921k of the TX5, and this makes images on the TX5 significantly grainier and less attractive. Presumably, the lower resolution is a consequence of the waterproof nature of the camera.

Although the LCD screen of the TX5 isn’t as impressive as the TX7, it is certainly adequate for getting a decent preview of images before and after they are captured.

Flash (6.00)

The flash of the TX5 is located to the left of the lens, on the front of the camera body. Like all small cameras, that places it rather close to the lens, which could result in red-eye. We didn’t see too much of a problem here, though: images were mostly red-eye free, and a special editing tool is included to deal with then when they do occur.

A standard selection of flash modes are included, with options for full auto, off, forced on and a slow synch mode. There is no specific red-eye reduction mode, though and there is no flash exposure compensation.

Lens (3.50)

The lens of the TX5 is a 4x zoom that is completely within the camera body. A piece of glass on the front provides some level of protection for the lens, as well as waterproofing it. The aperture range of this lens is adequate, at f/3.5 to f/6.3.

Zoom Ratio Examples
4.4 mm	8.7 mm	17.7 mm

Battery (5.00)

The TX5 is powered by a small NP-BN1 Lithium Ion battery that holds just 630 mAh of charge. Sony claims a battery life of around 250 images, or around 125 minutes. That feels about right to us; we found that it lasted for a couple of days of casual shooting, but no longer. A spare battery would be a wise precaution, and that will cost you $50.

Memory (5.50)

Like all of Sony’s 2010 cameras, the TX5 comes with a memory card slot that can handle both Memory Stick Pro Duo and SDHC cards. This is a plus if you are upgrading from an older camera that uses SD Cards. A new 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card will cost you about $20.

Jacks, Ports & Plugs (2.00)

There is a single port on the TX5, located under a small cover next to the battery compartment. This multi-purpose port provides both the analog standard def A/V and USB connections of this device through a single included cable. That’s rather unusual, as is the lack of HDMI support: there is no option to connect to a HDTV directly from this camera. Instead, Sony offers an adapter that allows this camera to connect to either a HDMI or analog component HDTV which, in typical Sony style, costs $60.

The cover of this port also feels rather flimsy: a slight bit of pressure in the wrong directions could snap it off, which would mean the camera is not waterproof anymore. So, this should be used with caution.

Other Hardware (6.00)

Waterproof

The TX5 is waterproof to a depth of 10 feet (3.3 meters), which means it can be used while snorkel diving or splashing around at the pool.

Drop-proof

The TX5 is built to withstand being dropped onto hard surfaces from heights of up to 5 feet (1.5 meters).

Cold-proof

The TX5 can keep taking photographs in temperatures of down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (around -10 degrees Celsius), so it can be carried on the outside of a ski outfit for shooting.