Canon PowerShot TX1

Opinion: I don't know if this camera is still around but I'll make some comments anyway.
I've had my TX-1 for four years or so and am very pleased with it. I've taken approximately a zillion photos, using it mostly for point and shoot outdoors, but it has oodles of features I've never used. I especially like the articulated LCD and can't imagine having a camera without one as I rarely shoot with the camera directly in front of my eyes. I'm very surprised this isn't a more ubiquitous feature. Also, the lens is well protected when the camera is turned off - it retracts into the body and a metal cover slides over it, so I can just put it in my pocket without worrying about it. It has a super macro mode which is indeed super. Occasionally I like to take extreme close-ups and the TX-1 is terrific for this.

Opinion: This little camera just got everything i want.
I brought it for just only Singapore Dollar S$299!!!

Opinion: Can be summerized in one sentence - Built like a gem, video excellent, stills very good, compact size, good for occasional/outdoor use.
A sharp 10X lens is its most valuable asset.
A beauty overall.
Generally speaking, Canon makes best (above 9/10 rating) professional DSLR & point and shoot, Sony best entry level DSLR's and Nikon best prosumer DSLR cameras. However, the difference is not that much between some other makes like Olympus, Panasonic and Pentax, at lower ratings (below 9/10) - with few exceptions, of course.

Opinion: Very good:
Size, 10xZoom, movie quality, picture quality.

Could be better:
Flash, avaiable features in 16:9 mode, screen size

No problems with ergonomics, find it easy to use. Combined with the S5IS, the
dream team is at your hand. But size/features is really what makes this camera great
in everyday use.

Opinion: Anyone who did their homework would love this camera. It's exceptionally well built and lots of fun to use. The memory gobbling video and short battery life are easy and inexpensive to deal with.

The LCD, though only 1.8" is very bright and usable once you've got some experience with it. The videos are sharp on HD TV. The zoom is smooth and precise with no autofocus problems.

I like the idea that it plays slideshows that include both stills and video clips.

Opinion: Compared to conventional high quality point and shoot cameras, this camera does involve trade-offs. The good: 10x zoom, impressive movies, especially for something this small. For the problems, see below.

I"m not unhappy that I bought this camera but as soon as one comes out that has close to the similar specs with more conventional low light performance I'll probably dump it.

Opinion: The Canon PowerShot TX1 is a very pocketable 7.1 MP digital Point & Shoot camera configured in an upright digital video camera orientation. Canon added to the list of usual PowerShot series controls such video camera attributes as a 10x optical zoom lens, image stability, a flip & rotate LCD viewfinder, and video as high as 1200 x 720 resolution @ 30 fps. The resulting product is a Point & Shoot camera with an incredibly capable lens that not only produces the expected high quality photos, but high quality video as well.

The Canon TX1 should be seen as a Point & Shoot camera packed full of goodies, as it cannot be expected to replace a dedicated digital video recorder. But even with this understanding, the TX1 falls short of perfection as a Point & Shoot because of problems that I consider to be rather silly compromises on the part of Canon. These include poor audio quality in video mode (especially considering Canon's work to give the TX1 stereo audio), a terrible red-eye problem with flashed photos, and less than average low light photo quality despite a rather large lens.
Aperture priority and manual focus are two things that are always desired but apparently kept from Point & Shoot cameras for marketing purposes. Consumers that wish these were available in Point & Shoot cameras know that manufacturers could certainly add them. As such, I don't include the lack of them in the faults of TX1.

Almost as startling as the shape of the TX1, and similarly either very appealing or very appalling, is the camera's weight. When you first pick it up, the feel of cold heavy steel makes you know you're handling a well built, robust precision machine. It's feels much like the earlier PowerShot cameras, such as the S230. In fact, it has roughly the same dimensions and weight as my S230, as well as the smooth, rounded corners.

Pull out the swivel LCD view finder, press the power button and the first thing you'll want to do is push that zoom lever. The versatile 10x optical zoom lens does not disappoint, and in my opinion is the best part of the TX1. The zoom lever has two steps for slow and fast zooming speeds, but the difference in them is minute. Combining the 10x optical zoom with the digital 4x digital zoom makes for a fun 40x, though impractical for a quality photograph due to the resulting iterpolation from the digital 4x. I usually lock out the digital zoom via the menu.
Image stabilization is a life saver at full zoom, and makes for very smooth, easy shooting.
At an amazing 39mm - 1520mm, this camera leaves nothing out of reach, but you'll have trouble cramming family into shots in small rooms. Apparently the usual acceptable Point & Shoot wide angle is 28mm, about 35% wider than the TX1.

Photos are clear in the corners in both extremes of the lens' capabilities. "Super Macro" mode yields stunning results and I can't begin to do it justice in writing; examples must be seen to appreciate it.
Photos in good light are of the quality we've come to expect from Canon's PowerShot series, but the higher ISOs needed for photos taken in dim light add an awful lot of noise. I suggest that dim light photos from the TX1 are actually below today's average.
Portraits taken with the flash almost always result in terrible red eye; among the worst I've ever seen. There is onboard after-shot red eye editing, but it's mediocre. Sometimes it works well, but other times it won't work at all.
Photos can be taken in a 16:9 "widescreen" format, but all this does is effectively crop a full resolution 7.1 MP image. I'm one to post edit on the computer, so the digital zoom, the on board red eye "fix" and the "widescreen" cropping would be things I would do myself quite easily.
The usual handful of scene selections, white balances (including custom) and an additional few color enhancing options (including a fun "color swap" option) make for a camera that is hard to get bored taking photos with. The panoramic photo stitching allows for 28 pictures to be spliced. I've done a few using just 12 over 180* and the finished finished products are great, though the subject is quite mundane; my backyard.

The video selection on the TX1 consists of two compressions of 1200 x 720 and 640 x 480, both at 30 fps, and 320 x 240 at either 30 or 60 fps. The video is outstanding, though it noticeably suffers in low light. The M-JPEG codec calls for a lot of memory, and with a video limit of either 4 GB or 1 hour, the higher quality setting of the 1200 x 720 video will blow right through 4 GB in only 14 minutes. But the quality is astounding in good light.
Taking video with the TX1 is unlike taking it with most Point & Shoot cameras in that you can zoom in and out, you can snap a full sized photo while taking video, and the sound is recorded in stereo.
Focus lock and light evaluation lock is available in video, and video can be shot in Super Macro mode.

The camera comes with cables to connect to a television, and videos look great on my 32" wide screen LCD model. Hooking up the camera to shoot using my laptop as the view finder was about as disappointing as the fact that there is no remote capture for the TX1. My laptop screen has 1920 x 1200 display, but the camera's 115K pixel screen doesn't translate well to it. It looks little better than a web cam, but it doesn't effect the pictures.

For some crazy reason, Canon decided to ship the TX1 out with a meager 760 mAh battery, which it consumes quite quickly between the zoom motor and the image stabilizer (especially if it's set to "continuous"). I purchased two OEM 900 mAh batteries on Ebay for cheap, and I go right through them.
A high capacity SD card is a must for video taking, and I have read of people having troubles with slower cards, as well as little known brands. I have also read of people having stumbling problems with with lesser cards when zooming while taking a video.

All in all this is a great "gadgety" camera that's built very well and takes very nice photos and video. It's a lot of fun to use, and despite the 'funky" looking ergonomics, it becomes easy to use rather quickly. This is due mostly to the menu layout and the multi-button joystick. Virtually all of your controls for settings are located on just one button. One other very nice feature is the programmability of the "print" button located on the very top of the camera. It adds an easy quick menu selection.
I'm very satisfied with the TX1 despite the issues mentioned. I think that for the money i paid, I got an average Canon Point & Shoot camera with very unusual added options very much worth the additional cost.
I suggest this camera to people as ideal for outdoor use, best suited for photographing flora and fauna because in addition to not having a very wide angle lens, as much as it shines in full light, it does fall short in dim light. Putting the camera on a tripod opens up a whole other level for the TX1 to show off it's full potential. With shutter speeds of up to 15 seconds, night sky shots come out beautiful. Using a tripod, panoramas taken with the focus and light evaluation locked come together very well.

I researched the TX1 extensively online before I made my purchase, so I knew of the issues regarding poor battery life, memory usage, red-eye problems, and low light noise. For me the attraction was the capability of the lens, and my application for this camera is to use it outdoors in full light.

Opinion: It's a tough call for me to decide if I am keeping this camera. There are a few promises and a lot of compromises. As most reviewer already reported, the video performance and the size are the best features of the camera. It's the only pocketable camcorder with decent video quality out there. The recorded video is as good as any low to mid price camcorder even in indoor lighting. The picture quality is better than many pocket size point and shooters except for flash photography. I can deal with the form factors since my hand is relatively small. The compromises are many:

1. Red-eye is horrible, and the red-eye correction feature only removes the truly red color but cannot remove the white reflections. Each flash picture requires touch-up to be presentable.

2. Auto-focus in lower light environment is hit or miss even with face detection. Make sure you inspect the auto-focus zone(s) by half-pressing the shutter. At the far end of the zoom range, the auto-focus mechanism is often helpless. You can get around this by zooming out first to allow the camera to lock on the focus and then zoom in slowly.

3. The lack of a battery charge meter is confounding especially for a camera that doesn't offer a good battery life. It does warn if the battery becomes very low but that's too late.

4. There is no aperture or shutter speed priority, no sports mode for fast action. Even my 3 years old Pentax Optio S4 has them at half the size.

But because I have been waiting for such a hybrid device for such a long time, I think I am going to keep it.

Opinion: 10X zoom, CD quality audio, optical IS, HD video, super macro & compact size. These are the features that lured me. In good light, video on this machine is wonderful. Playback on a Plasma TV is very impressive. In low light, the video performance drops dramatically but I knew that going in. Photo quality is very good too. For something I carry with me all the time there is nothing better. The ergonomics take some getting used to but after a while you will appreciate the unique design. I'm very satisfied and can recommend this unit.