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Canon PowerShot TX1 7.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
By Mr.canon | July 10, 2008
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Canon PowerShot TX1 7.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom 7.1-megapixel effective recording * 10X optical zoom (4X digital/40X total zoom) * optical image stabilization * 1.8″ flip-out Vari-Angle color LCD screen * widescreen movie mode offers up to 30-frame-per-second video with sound at 1280 X 720 resolution * component video output (via supplied cable) for high-definition televisions *
Customer Review: Great all around family video/photo camera
I was sooo tired of hauling around a digital snapshot camera and a camcorder. I’ve got 4 kids and we do all the normal stuff. Soccer, skiing, Disneyland etc. etc. Have you ever skied a full day with a camcorder hanging around your neck? Almost as much fun as trudging through Disneyland for a day with one of those things around your neck.
So I heard about these “dual purpose” camcorders that record onto a memory card. I read all the reviews I could find. But let me tell you, don’t believe these guys who pooh pooh this camcorder because the images aren’t sharp enough or they’re not “true” HD, or they use some unconventional file format. If you care about that stuff, then go spend the $3000 to get that stuff. But if you want a pocket sized camcorder to haul around to the family outings, buy this. Still images are excellent. There’s plenty of pre-programmed settings (snow, beach, portrait etc.), so you’ll always be ready to go. And the video quality is unbelievable coming from this little thing. I got an 8 Gig card and I’ve never run out of space. I plugged it into my Mac and it worked without a hitch or any messing around with settings, cords, connections etc. Pure plug and play with iPhoto. iMovie imports the movies from iPhoto. The Canon software isn’t bad either, but I seldom use it.
The ergonomics do take some getting used to. The shutter button is at the top of the box and it’s a little tricky on the first few uses to keep the rest of your fingers out of the frame. The thumb controls on the back for the camcorder can also be tricky to get the hang of. But after a few uses, I got used to it and it feels great now. Be careful asking strangers to use it though because it’s not your typical button layout for either a camera or a camcorder.
This is the best $400 I’ve spent in a long time. Replaced both a digital camera and a camcorder. And it’s saved my neck, back and sanity on all those family outings I enjoy shooting.
Customer Review: Great ski/snowboard camera
The form factor fits nicely in the hand when taking action shots on the run. The AVI format produces great video without any blurring unlike other heavier compressions. I recommend an 8GB class 6 SDHC card to keep up with 720p recording. Battery life is quite good and lasted at least a full day in cold weather. The separate video record button is very handy. You can record at moments notice without having to fumble with modes, dials, etc. The small on/off button takes a bit of effort to operate but not too bad. At least I know it won’t turn on by mistake when pocketed. The stills pick up a fair amount of noise in low light conditions especially if ISO increases over 80. Therefore, I have turned off auto ISO and fixed it at 80. To be fair, the noise levels are consistent with other cameras such as the SD500 and noticeable only if you are used to the quality of a DSLR. Overall, this camera is orders of magnitude better than any helmet cam (hopefully, I can find a strap to attach it to a helmet or arm). The 10X zoom is one of the best features of this camera especially for sports. One slight annoyance is when I take a still shot during a video shoot, the video gets briefly interrupted (this does not happen in the sony camcorder I have). So far, I have taken mostly VGA sized video and reserve the 720p video for special moments (including those which I plan to extract still frames). Regardless, I would highly recommend this camera for any sports enthusiast or traveler looking for a pocket sized camera with video capability. I also plan to take this to kids soccer games which would allow me to capture a combination of stills and video (like I did with the SD500 but with a more powerful 10x zoom and stereo audio). By the way, the key motivator for me getting the TX1 when I already have a SD500 is that unlike the SD500, the TX1 allows you to operate the optical zoom during video recording. Also, the 10X zoom range and 720p capabilities are hard to live without once you get used to them. I do miss the optical viewfinder of the SD500 to help increase battery life and to get around washed out LCD screens on bright days. But that is a minor issue.
Tags: canon, canon camera, canon powershot
Topics: Canon powershot |