Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 Review

The TX7 is small and slim, measuring 3.9 x 2.4 x 0.7 inches and weighs 5.3 ounces, including the battery and memory stick. It features Sony's 1/2.4 inch, 10.2 megapixel EXMOR R CMOS sensor, designed for superior low light performance, and a very wide angle lens (25mm, 35mm equivalent) with 4x optical zoom that uses folded optics so it does not protrude from the camera body. The TX7 has a 3.5-inch high resolution LCD screen, a menu system using touchscreen technology and many interesting image modes, some of which are found in only very few of the most recently released digital cameras. They include a true HD movie mode (1920 x 1080) using the latest AVCHD technology to achieve 60 interlaced frames per second (or 30 progressive recording in MP4), a sweep panorama mode, anti-motion blur mode, a handheld twilight mode, a backlit correction HDR mode and a high speed continuous shooting mode.

The TX7 certainly delivers in the style department, with a very attractive brushed metal front panel that incorporates a sliding lens cover which turns the camera on when opened and off when closed. Does all this new technology and style add up to a first rate camera? Let's find out.

BUILD AND DESIGN
The TX7 has an elegant, slim, metal body that's very sturdy. It comes in three colors: silver, dark blue and red, which was the color of the camera I used for this review. Its front is dominated by a smoothly sliding lens cover and its rear by an all-encompassing 3.5-inch LCD. When the lens cover is up, the front of the TX7 is completely protected, though the large LCD at the rear remains vulnerable. To protect the LCD, it would be a good idea to purchase a slim camera case, even though that may make for a tighter fit in the pocket.

Ergonomics and Controls
A downside of the TX7's sleek body is that it's not easy to get a good grip. There's a slim ridged border on the right side of the LCD that can help. If you want to use your left hand to steady the camera, as I prefer to do, you could have a problem since the lens is very close to the top front right edge; I frequently found myself covering up the lens with my left hand. Next to the lens is an auto focus assist lamp and to the left of that is the flash. Slightly below the flash are two microphone holes that enable the TX7 to record in stereo. The left side of the camera contains a metal holder for the wrist strap but other than that, there aren't other controls or ports on the sides.

The top of the camera contains a recessed on/off button and a slightly protruding, oblong shutter button. Next to the shutter button on the corner is a small switch that controls optical zoom, which moves left for wide angle and right for telephoto. The zoom switch does not work as well as a control ring, which I prefer, but it does the job. Also at the top of the camera are dedicated buttons for record mode and movie mode.

The rear of the TX7 contains only the 3.5 inch high-resolution LCD. The bottom of the camera contains a sturdy metal tripod mount. Next to it is a connection for an output stand that the camera is placed onto to transfer data and other functions; it's an interesting feature. The stand contains ports for DC in, the USB cable, an HDMI cable and A/V out. Next to the output stand connection is the opening for the combination battery/memory card compartment. The compartment cover is much sturdier than that typically found in small point-and-shoot cameras. The camera uses an NP-BN1 rechargeable lithium-ion battery that Sony says has a capacity of 230 images. The TX7 accepts both Sony memory sticks and SD/SDHC memory cards.

The TX7 comes with a 30-page instruction manual (in English and Spanish) that explains how to use the camera's basic functions. A comprehensive 168-page handbook is located on a CD, which also contains Sony's PMD Picture Motion Browser, a program for uploading and managing your photos and videos.

Menus and Modes
The TX7's menu system is operated by using the touchscreen (except for the dedicated photo and movie buttons referred to earlier). The basic menu functions are located on the left and right sides of the screen and vary somewhat by the shooting mode you're in. The upper right corner contains icons for battery life, number of images, and size. These are not affected by the touch screen so that area is a good place to put your thumb if you find the ridged border is insufficient to get a good grip. Beneath that is the mode icon, which lets you control the TX7's recording modes. Beneath the mode control is the icon that will put the camera into picture review mode.

On the left side of the screen is a menu icon, which, depending on the recording mode, will lead to links for Easy mode and other functions. The shooting settings menu is also accessed here. Below the menu icon are icons for accessing the camera's movie mode, flash settings, the self timer button and the camera's burst mode (continuous shooting mode). Although the menus do not mention optical image stabilization, the TX7 does have it, according to Sony's website. After a short learning curve, I became comfortable using the touchscreen menus, especially in conjunction with the audio cues that you can select in the settings menu.

Here are the TX7's basic shooting modes:

• Easy Mode: This puts the camera into an auto shooting mode with limited access to settings and a simpler menu system. The user can control only smile shutter, image size, flash and self-timer. The camera will automatically set the exposure and also select among nine scene modes: Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Twilight using a tripod, Backlight, Backlight Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Close Focus and Portrait. When the scene modes are selected, an icon will appear on the screen confirming which one is being used.
• Intelligent Auto Mode: Similar to Easy Mode, but permits more control over options including burst, macro, EV compensation, face detection and display settings.
• Program Auto Mode: This allows the user to adjust many camera settings or leave them on auto, including the settings accessed in Easy Mode and Intelligent Auto Mode plus ISO, white balance, focusing and metering.
• Movie Mode: The TX7 can record movies in stereo in either AVCHD or MP4 formats. Using AVCHD enables you to record at 1920 x 1080 and 1440 x 1080 at 60 interlaced fps. MP4 format allows recording at 1440 x 1080, 1280 x 720 and 640 x 480 at 30 progressive fps. The TX7 allows the use of optical zoom while shooting movies. Movie files are limited to 29 minutes or 2GB.

The TX7 also has some special shooting modes: sweep panorama, anti-motion blur, handheld twilight and backlight correction HDR.

The sweep panorama mode is very easy and fun to use. Set the camera to sweep panorama mode, press the shutter, and slowly pan the camera horizontally (or vertically if you choose). You'll see on the screen how far you have to move the camera to create a full panorama shot. Once you've panned far enough, the camera records the image. Here's an example:

When anti-motion blur is set, the TX7 captures six images in a fraction of a second and combines the data from of them to eliminate subject blur. Handheld twilight mode also involves the camera quickly taking six images to obtain sharp images in low light shooting situations. In backlight correction HDR mode, the camera takes two pictures at different exposure settings and combines them to correct for problems in high-contrast scenes where backgrounds are overexposed and shadows lack detail. Below are pictures of a high contrast image with and without backlight correction HDR mode enabled:

Backlight Correction HDR enabled

Backlight Correction HDR not enabled

Display/Viewfinder
The TX7 does not have a viewfinder, but has a 3.5-inch 920,000 dot LCD in a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is ideal for viewing HD movies. The LCD brightness level can be adjusted, but it's probably better to leave it somewhere in the middle to avoid shortening battery life. Although I enjoyed the sharpness and fine resolution of the screen indoors, I had a problem viewing it in bright sunlight.