Sony Cyber-shot WX30 and TX55: Touchscreens All Round

Sony yesterday presented a couple of new Cyber-shot compact cameras—the TX55 and WX30. From the outside they couldn't look more different, but these two snappers are surprisingly similar on the inside.


Both of Sony's new cameras use the 16-Megapixel BSI CMOS sensor that's been working wonders for the firm since the beginning of the year. The news sensor inevitably brings 1080/50i HD video (although we don't yet know whether there's an alternative progressive scan recording mode like in the HX9V and HX100V) and the usual host of modes that make use of the sensor boosted speed, including sweep panorama, freehand long exposure, 3D panorama etc.

One all-new feature though, is that these cameras can take a 12-Megapixel photo while you're shooting a video—thus edging into the territory of the Olympus SZ-30 MR. They also boast a 2x built-in digital zoom system known as 'by pixel super resolution'. This kind of function has failed to impress us in the past so we'll be interested to see whether Sony can do any better than the competition.

Note that these two cameras do have different lenses, though. The TX55 has a periscopic lens with an equivalent focal range of 26-130 mm—something we don't think we've seen before. The WX30, on the other hand, has a 25-125 mm periscopic lens that's probably already been seen in the W570 and WX7, and which we weren't over-enamoured with.



Both cameras have touchscreens, with a 3.3-inch OLED screen for the TX55 and a standard 3-inch LCD for the WX30.

In fact, the main difference between the two models is their design. Sony's T-series cameras are super-slim and stylish compacts, while W-series models have a more classic look and feel. So although the WX30 has been treated to a touchscreen, it still has a pretty bog-standard design, at around two centimetres thick and with the typical zoom-control ring around the shutter-release button, for example.

The TX55, on the other hand, is even slimmer than its predecessors, announced at 13.2 mm thick—including the slide-down cover! That makes it 4 mm to 5 mm slimmer than the previous models in Sony's Cyber-shot T range, which were already considered to be among the slimmest compacts on the market.

One major downside of these reduced dimensions, however, is that the TX55 uses micro-SD memory cards. That won't be too much of a problem for those of you who hook the camera up directly to a computer to unload your photos, but for anyone using a card reader, these tiny memory cars are far too easy to lose and often have slower data transfer speeds than regular SD cards. Plus, you'll probably need an adapter, since 90% of card readers aren't compatible with micro-SD cards as standard.

The Sony Cyber-shot WX30 and TX55 are lined up for release in September.

> Digital Camera Reviews: Choose the Best Compact Camera



> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products