I just received my DSC-TX20 (Black) yesterday and I've tested it and compared it to the previous DSC-TX10 that I had for one year and I gave it to my brother in law. I've been very happy with the DSC-TX10 and I like the new DSC-TX20 a lot. There is no significant changes, the main ones are that the shooter speed is increased to 4 sec (from 2 sec) for night shooting and the new one has video recording in 60i in 1080 AVCHD. Also the panorama option has been boosted since the DSC-TX10's entry, offering solid panoramas of up to 360 degrees. Sony also increased focusing speed. I think these are basically all the differences. Waterproofing and the design hasn't change at all. I red a lot of comments about the waterproofing on the TX10 both good and bed. I am scuba diver and I've been doing underwater photography for several years now. This camera is not designed for that, it's rated only for 5 meters (16 foot) which I tested in our community pool and it works just fine. Of course you will need to read the instructions and make sure that the seals are properly closed. The camera is great for any pool and for a lot of fun with the kids. Bottom line it's awesome camera. For it's class I think it's the best on the market for now. If you are looking for very good pictures from a small camera that's the one.I recommend you also read the professional review for this model at []
The "good":
Very small.
The moveable metal cover did a good job protecting the lens, and was easy to open with one hand.
Superb picture quality and superb videos
16Megapix quality
A good zoom feature
The "bad"
Pricey (most expensive in its class?)
The record, on/off, display, picture buttons are all WAY TOO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER...It is sometimes hard to press just the button you want
The documentation is not great (the documentation is stored electronically in the camera and is not very comprehensive
The lens is located very close to the top-left of the camera and your finger will make its way into too many of your photos
The electronic viewfinder is difficult to see in bright sunlight (all cameras that have a similar viewfinder will have this problem)
Having said this, I'm glad I bought it and pleased with the quality and the product.We've had this little guy through a Maui vacation, and it's been excellent!!
First off, some good points:
It's certainly waterproof, and has a "underwater" scene mode to help you shoot underwater. I'm not exactly sure what it does, but it seems to work better underwater with the underwater mode enabled, the auto mode tends to kick the camera into Macro mode underwater.
We've taken it snorkeling with us, as well as played in the waves and surf with it and it worked excellently. You can see the screen while snorkeling without too many issues, the camera does have a touchscreen, and it automatically disables the touchscreen while under water. This does mean that you're limited to changing settings while you're above water, but you can start and stop video recording as well as take pictures, zoom, and turn the camera on and off without the touchscreen.
The built in panorama mode is pretty great, it reminds me of the panorama mode in iOS 6, works basically the same way, turn your camera vertically and move it smoothly and quickly from one side to the other.
The image quality is excellent for what it is, the image sensor is a actual CMOS sensor (albeit still a small one) both "dry land" photos and underwater photos turn out great. I normally shoot with a DSLR and good lenses so impressing me with a point-n-shoot has always been difficult.
The video quality is excellent as well, I haven't viewed any of it on the HDTV yet but viewing them on the built in LCD they've been great.
It also takes standard SD cards as well, which since it's a Sony device is for sure a plus.
The waterproof doors that cover the battery/sd card and the HDMI / USB port both have indicators to indicate that they're closed completely, hopefully to help avoid improperly latched doors.
The charger is just a USB port on a wall socket, this means that you can charge the camera in the car with a 12V to USB adapter, like the ones used to charge cell phones.
Some Drawbacks:
As I mentioned earlier, the touchscreen is useless when you're swimming or snorkeling with it, which means adjusting the settings isn't possible during your underwater excursions.
The sliding lens cover can get dirt/sand trapped under it, but if you keep aware of it and rinse it out it doesn't seem to cause any issues. Also the instructions recommend rinsing the camera out with fresh water if you use it in salt water.
The USB cable isn't a standard micro USB plug, in fact I have no idea what plug it is, I've only seen it once on this camera. That means that if you lose your USB cable, charging the camera isn't going to be possible.
Battery life isn't super long, using it for most of the day brought the battery down to the half range. But since you can charge it off of any USB port, we charge it in the car.
The camera body its self is made of aluminum and isn't rubberized like most waterproof cameras, this means that the aluminum could get scratched or dented. However this hasn't happened to mine yet.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is, that this is an excellent durable camera that is also waterproof! It's a solid investment if you're traveling or in need of something waterproof!I don't use SLR cameras because they are too much to carry around and I am a little shy. I need a camera which is better than an SLR and if my ignorance can be ignored i dare say, this camera for what it's worth is better than buying an SLR for your travler, photo enthusiast, keen spirit hippie tree lover. Two years back I tried Canon for digital cameras. They make some amazing ultra compact slick scratch free easy to use cameras and I was immediately a fan. Those cameras would cost around $200 and the battery life was decent enough. My cousin visited me from India and we went to Vegas, Georgia and Orlando and all this while we used his Sony Camera. I was so impressed I decided to buy the Sony TX 10 (previous model of the camera you're reading about) and the relationship was beautiful.
When I lost my waterproof TX10, I was very sad because it was easily the best camera I had owned. It's amazing how much money we spend on traveling but seldom do we realize the value of spending $100 more for a camera that will go the extra 20 miles and give you the best output. I paid $320 for mine when I was in Shenzhen, China.
Features -
a) Image quality in low light is superior without any defacing. More sharp than the TX 10.
b) The interface has changed since the previous camera and it took me a few days to get used to
c) 16.2 Megapixel camera and videos are shot very well
d) nice big led display / touchscreen works good
e) Strong Battery Easily click 300 + images before requiring recharge / plenty of options to view/playback meanwhile
f) Slick design though almost no change since TX 10
g) 100 % waterproof .. i have tried it a lot
h) This can take a few shocks and falls too
Pros -
a) The image itself is superior to any entry level or mid level Canon cameras and the design is also much cooler
b) The image capture team seems oddly a fraction of a second longer than the TX 10 sometimes but this also ensures no blurriness whatsoever
c) Super flash. It will make you look good and the objects in the background sustain themselves too
d) Easy to put in pocket
e) Very fast load time and hardly any lag.
Cons -
a) No extra battery charger and you have to charge by connecting into power socket
b) Sony Memory Stick Duo Pro doesn't play on my iMac or Macbook Air / I have to connect usb cable which is a chore
c) Interface will take slightly longer to get used to and the button that makes images turn left to make horizontal/vertical is very buggy and ineffective (it's a touchscreen button)
d) I have a scratch on this within 20 days. I must have kept it in a pocket with change or pen or something. The screen should be able to take more.
I am never buying anything but Sony for cameras. Don't quote me on this but I believe the iPhone 4s uses a Sony/Carl Zeiss lens.
I love this camera and I pray I don't lose I lost my last TX 10.
***PS I visited China recently and am uploading a few images, please do check for quality***I love the size and features of this camera. I just took it on a trip to Belize where we snorkeled. The little Sony was terrific. It good picture and videos that we certainly acceptable or better for its size. It was really nice to be able to always have it in my pocket for a quick shot.
Unfortunately, when I got home I notice what appeared to be some green corrosion on the mini HDMI connector. Sure enough when I tried to view my pictures and video on my TV it was a no go. Everything else is working fine but it is a real bummer that the HD video, 3D images, etc... only work through the HDMI, so back to Sony it must go since I was 3 days beyond the Amazon returns policy :-(
So far the Sony returns process seems OK so hopefully I will get a new or at least working unit to have fun with on my next excursion.
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