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Introduction
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01.Product Tour
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02.Color
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03.Noise
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04.Resolution
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05.Video
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06.Sample Photos
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07.Playback
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08.Hardware
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09.Controls
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10.Design & Handling
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11.Sony DSC-T900 Comparison
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12.Samsung TL225 Comparison
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13.Canon S90 Comparison
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14.Conclusion
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15.Photo Gallery
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16.Comments
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7
Previous: Page 2
ColorNext: Page 4
ResolutionNoise
There’s little noise at higher ISOs, and less at low ISOs, though the noise reduction produces soft photos.
Noise (13.47)
Noise is the curse of digital photographs. All digital cameras have noise, where the circuits inside the camera capture their own internal noise as well as the image. As the sensitivity of the camera increases with an increasing ISO, this becomes more pronounced. This didn’t seem to be a huge issue on the TX7, though; we found low noise in images all the way up to an ISO setting of 800. Above, this the noise got more pronounced, but it remained lower than other cameras we have tested. However, this low noise has a price: images at ISO levels above 125 have a slight loss of detail caused by the noise reduction that the camera applies: you can see examples of this in the crops below. More on how we test noise.
We look at the noise in images taken at different ISO settings under two lighting conditions: 3000 lux (equivalent to a cloudy day) and 60 lux (equivalent to indoor lighting). We saw the same behavior in both situations, with the noise remaining flat between ISO 125 and 800. Above this it climbed significantly, with more noise in the low light test.
| Noise Comparisons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 125 | ISO 400 | ISO 800 | ISO 3200 | |
| 60 Lux |  |
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| 3000 Lux |  |
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The TX7’s noise is consistently lower than our comparison models at the lower ISO settings, and is still competitive above ISO 800.
ISO (5.50)
The TX7 has a wide ISO range: from 125 to 3200, all at the full 10 megapixel resolution of the camera. There are a few limitations to remember, though: all of the burst modes limits that range to 125 to 800. And, as the results above and the samples below show, the noise reduction that the camera uses to keep the noise down results in a significant loss of detail, especially at ISO levels above 800.
| ISO Comparisons | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 | Samsung TL225 | Canon PowerShot S90 |
| ISO Low | |||
|
ISO 125
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ISO 80
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ISO 80
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ISO 80
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| Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 | Samsung TL225 | Canon PowerShot S90 |
| ISO 200 | |||
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| Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 | Samsung TL225 | Canon PowerShot S90 |
| ISO 400 | |||
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| Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 | Samsung TL225 | Canon PowerShot S90 |
| ISO 800 | |||
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| Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 | Samsung TL225 | Canon PowerShot S90 |
| ISO 1600 | |||
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| Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 | Samsung TL225 | Canon PowerShot S90 |
| ISO 3200 | |||
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| Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 | Samsung TL225 | Canon PowerShot S90 |
NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.
Shop for the Sony DSC-TX7
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