Sony Cyber-shot TX5

UPDATE 19 October 2010: the overall score of the Sony TX5 has been brought down to four stars. In line with our newly tightened test criteria, its limited battery life cost the TX5 a fifth star.

For most manufacturers, 2009 was the year of the waterproof camera. But whereas other brands took to the trend like ducks to water, Sony was slightly more reluctant in taking the plunge. In fact, it's only now, in spring 2010, that Sony has released its first all-terrain camera, the Cyber-Shot TX5. Logically, the TX5 should slot into Sony's range somewhere between the TX1 of late 2009 and the TX7. Unlike these two models, though, the TX5 is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof. And with so many waterproof cameras now on the market, the TX5 has plenty of fine features to help ward off the competition.

Handling

Waterproof cameras usually have to compromise design in favour of resistance. They're generally thick, heavy and have a 'rugged' look to them, and their waterproof controls can be less pleasant to handle. The Sony TX5, however, sets a new standard in design, with a casing that looks no different to other models in the brand's super-slim and stylish T series of compacts. The TX5 is about a millimetre thicker than the TX1, and waterproofing isn't the only new feature, as the TX5 also boasts an ultra-wide-angle lens and a 4x zoom starting at 25 mm rather than 35 mm.


The TX5 has the same user interface as other Sony T-series cameras, based on large touch-sensitive screen. The 3-inch screen has a resolution of 230,000 dots, and although this is a little on the low side, it's still pleasant to use. The interface is nice and has been well thought-out, even if it could sometimes be a little quicker to react. Animated sub-menus sometimes take a little time to display, and the movement of your finger isn't tracked instantly when you've zoomed in on a picture.
As this is a resistive touch-screen, you have to make sure you press hard enough for it to register your choices, and multi-touch control isn't an option. The screen can be used with wet hands, which is perfect for the beach, and the TX5 is even supplied with a stylus so you won't have to take off your ski gloves just to take a snap!

Note that although a zoom lever is usually a particularly irritating feature, here, it's not too much of a problem. In fact, it's actually more practical than most of the buttons you typically find on waterproof cameras, as their reinforced design can make them difficult to press.

One let-down that's been carried over from the TX1 is that although it's useful to be able to press the touch-screen to select the subject you want to focus on, the focus doesn't follow any movement or zoom to keep the picture sharp, even though this is possible in some other manufacturers' models.

Responsiveness

The TX5 takes its time to get started. It's ready to use in two seconds, which isn't bad, but it isn't great either. Thankfully, things get better once you've started it up with a fast autofocus and smooth, seamless photo-to-photo turnaround. In fact, the TX5 knocks the socks off most of the latest 14-Megapixel compacts out there, which frequently take over three seconds to take, process and save a photo. But then that's the advantage of limiting the camera to 10 Megapixels: pictures are less weighty, easier to handle and easier to save.

The fastest burst mode reaches 10 fps but only for 10 frames. As with all compacts with Exmor sensors, after ten frames, the camera needs ten seconds to sort itself out while it saves the pictures. It's a little frustrating, but no-one has found a way to overcome this yet.

Picture quality

We've got to know the sensor featured in the TX5 very well now as it's the fourth camera we've tested with a 10-Megapixel Exmor R sensor. It's no surprise that the picture is almost identical to that of the HX5V, with smoothing starting to appear at 400 ISO. Granularity is controlled up to 1600 ISO for 20 x 27 cm prints, but smoothing is slightly more marked as a result. The contour lines disappear at 800 ISO, which isn't the case with the Panasonic FT2.


Unlike the sensor, the lens is brand new and is certainly worth closer inspection. It's an ultra-wide angle 4x zoom lens with a 35 mm equivalent of 25-100 mm. At first glance, the distortion looks to be well controlled for such a wide angle, but the image lacks consistency, and if you look carefully you'll notice the edges of the picture are less sharp than the middle. These aren't major problems, but they'll be visible close-up on an A4-size print. In telephoto mode, things are a little more consistent, with photos that are less sharp in the middle but better defined towards the edges. Chromatic aberration is, however, noticeable.

This camera has an excellent macro mode. The centre of the picture is particularly sharp, even if the edges are a little fuzzier and there's some chromatic aberration. Focusing from 1 cm is quite a rare feature for this type of camera.


On the whole, the TX5 offers picture quality that's comparable to that of the TX1. It does, however, have the added advantages of a wide-angle lens and a waterproof design, even if picture quality isn't as good as in regular compacts with telescopic lenses, particularly the HX5V.

Video

The TX5 films 720p HD video. You can use the zoom in video mode and it's quiet. The picture is accurate and the continuous autofocus is effective. Sound is unfortunately recorded in mono.

Interestingly, with the same sensor, Sony's TX7 films in Full HD. So given that there seem to be no technical limitations, perhaps the TX5 been scaled down to fit more neatly into Sony's range?