Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX30

July 2013 | By Jeff Keller

18.2MP | 26-130mm (5X) Zoom | $348/£317/€338

This is the sixth in a series of short underwater/rugged camera reviews on DPReview. We'll be publishing a roundup of the class shortly, which will compare them directly.

Where most rugged cameras seem like something you'd throw in the glove compartment of your 1-ton truck, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX30 has a thinner, more stylish appearance. It has an ultra-slim metal body that should be familiar to anyone who has seen a Sony T-series camera in the last few years (non-waterproof models are no longer manufactured), complete with a sliding lens cover and large touchscreen display.

The TX30 has most of the traits of other high-end rugged cameras, with one big exception: it has no GPS.

Specification Highlights

18.2 effective megapixel 'Exmor R' BSI-CMOS sensor
F3.5-4.8, 26-130mm equivalent 'Carl Zeiss' zoom lens (5X)
Optical image stabilization
Waterproof to 10m, shockproof from 1.5m, freezeproof to -10C, dustproof
3.3 inch widescreen touch-enabled OLED display with 1229K dots
Built-in LED lamp for close-up macro shooting
1080/60i movie mode with stereo sound
Dual Record allows user to shoot video and take stills simultaneously

The two standout features here are the touchscreen display and Dual Recording feature. We'll dip into those a bit more later in the review.

	The Cyber-shot DSC-TX30 has one of the longer zoom lenses in the rugged camera group, with a range of 26-130mm (5X). As with most of its peers, the lens has a 'slow' maximum aperture range of F3.5-4.8.
	Around the lens are a pair of LED illuminators, which can be used to brighten up your subject in the camera's Magnifying Glass Plus mode. This mode allows you to be 1cm away from your subject.

Is this ultra-thin rugged camera able to keep up with its bulkier competitors? Keep reading to find out.

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.

Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window.

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DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision Optical at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C.

Sony DSC-TX30/B 18 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.3-Inch OLED (Black)	$258.00
Sony DSC-TX30/D 18 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.3-Inch OLED (Orange)	$258.00
Sony DSC-TX30/P 18 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.3-Inch OLED (Pink)	$258.00
Sony DSC-TX30/B 18 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.3-Inch OLED (Black)	$258.00
Sony DSC-TX30/D 18 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.3-Inch OLED (Orange)	$258.00
Sony DSC-TX30/P 18 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.3-Inch OLED (Pink)	$258.00
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Black) (2012 Model)	$190.99
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX30 Shock & Waterproof Digital Camera (Black) with 32GB Card + Battery + Case + Floating Strap + Flex Tripod + Accessory Kit	$284.95
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Green) (2012 Model)	$209.00
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Blue) (2012 Model)	$220.00
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX200V 18.2 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 3.3-inch OLED (Silver) (2012 Model)	$339.10
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66 18.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 3.3-inch OLED (Silver) (2012 Model)	$324.99
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Orange) (2012 Model)	$240.00

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Comments

Total comments: 44

Have been using a TX20 a few years now. We have other cameras that can take much better pics, but somehow the TX20 often ends up being the chosen camera.
Very small, so is easily pocketed or packed. Life-proofed enough to have some confidence it survives travel, fishing trips, beach, and other trips into the world. Simple enough that it takes little time to get a reasonable setup for whatever shot. And the resulting pics have been great for us.
But the TX20 annoyed me in a few things. Long delay for it to decide to record video. Significant delay after starting up to take a pic. Proprietary cable, so one more thing to pack and try and keep track of. 4x optical zoom could be longer.
TX30 sounds to have improved in all these. I noted a price drop this week, and by the time I add up 25% more discounts I get, I pulled the trigger on the TX30. No silver color offered in the US? How odd is that? So I chose blue, hope it doesn't heat up in the sun much, and is easily located in dim light.

0 upvotes

From the comments, sounds like people expect this camera to be all things to all people. In the ruggedized bunch, the Olympus is what I'd go after for really rugged, more options, and better pics. Or maybe the Panasonic.
But those others miss the main points for me... be small, be simple, and be likely to survive, while taking decent pics. It is a point n shoot afterall and the main reason we have so many pics using our old TX20 is that it was convenient and in-pocket so often.
The new TX30 I expect to be a bit friendlier to me in some ways, in an evolutionary rather than revolutionary way.

0 upvotes

oh,,,, replace "TX20" with "TX10" in my comments. I forgot that I skipped the TX20 version. So I'm going from TX10 to TX30

0 upvotes

I have had many of these TX cameras ( TX-5, 4 TX-20's). All have failed. None of them have lasted longer than 18 months. I always buy the ADH policy, which pretty much means that I am leasing the camera for the ~$70 the ADH costs me. I love the cameras except for two things, 1) the screen is useless outdoors. You pretty much have to memorize the screen to use it outdoors, and 2) the lens is in a bad place so lots of shots with fingers in them.

But I think I will be moving on to another camera now. I just had one TX-20 replaced, my green one, using the ADH warranty. Then my blue one failed in only 6 months, so it was still covered under the factory warranty. Shipped it to Sony, they said they fixed the "flash" unit circuit, and now after only 2 weeks, it is failing with an over-heating message.

I buy these for my kids, so they can have fun. But the failures and poor screen are causing me to consider the Panasonic, plus the TX-30 switched to micro-SD from SD.

Buyers beware.

0 upvotes

I think the review may be overly harsh. I have had the TX5 for several years. If you need a slim camera for outdoor adventure use, your options are this and a Casio that is nowhere near as good.

The Sony deploys, one-handed, while riding my bike, without looking, in a couple of seconds, from a pouch or pocket. Recently returned from touring in Dordogne, France with the family. Hundreds of on-bike shots and HD video clips that look great on my 2560 x 1440 display. I believe the TX line is the ONLY camera that fits this need well.

The criticism about the screen in sunlight is well-taken, but I find it little worse than most. Underwater use? The camera is not intended for underwater use- it has very modest waterproofness. Screen scratching? Not to my experience. And the touchscreen works with thin gloves on.

Last thing is this camera is TOUGH. Dropped several times at 15+ MPH to asphalt and rock. Scratched up a bit. Still works like a champ.

0 upvotes

Hi Jeff,
Could you please review the Sony DSC-HX50V?
I'm really interested in this camera.
Thanks!

Comment edited 34 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Can't believe Sony still has 6400 & 12800 modes. Very deceiving. Maybe a different mode for those two named anti-shake high ISO. But nice constant quality but a tad too much dark shadows.

0 upvotes

Nice designed cam, crappy sensor!!

0 upvotes

It did not seem to say about size but it is no larger than 1/2.3" as the picture are pretty bad for anything larger than that!!

Not the worse in group, maybe the best, but still bad with nothing more than 10-12mp resolution.

But a nice tough cam, but pricey!!

Compare the old lady details using Canon sx230hs, Canon has SOO much more detail & is a 12mp sensor.

Sony is silly to insist on high resolution sensors when they do not give even 12mp 'real' resolution, a waste of memory on card IMO!!

Silly Sony!!

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I didn't get... wich size is the sensor?

0 upvotes

I am a bit surprised by this review and some of the comments too. Some commenters just expect a cadillac of a waterproof cam out of a long-existing niche of inexpensive water-tight P&S. At sub $500 it aint gonna happen! The review itself: a few years ago I went through a slew of cams for beach/pool/ocean trips/waterparks. I owned one of the first underwater Olies, was relatively happy with it, till its battery door broke down. Hence, bought Panasonic TS-2, only to have sand stuck in the power button. Bought and returned several underwater Olies as they were sluggish and less usable than their earlier models. Finally, got a Sony TX5, which has blown everything else in the underwater P&S out of the water: fast, sharp, sweep panorama and IQ overall were all light years ahead of the peers from other brands.

1 upvote

Part 2: I too was suspicious at first of the sliding cover, but after several years of abuse, regular trips to the beach, etc., it still works, albeit its black paint has peeled off to display shiny metal on the sliding cover. After a day at the beach I just wash it with faucet water at home, voila! Having looked at this TX30 at a store I personally think Sony again has a big time winner in the category: like the LED's around the lens, and like the quality of shots at ISO1600. I am buying this as soon as my TX5 goes kaput, in fact I can't wait! (I own/ed top notch cams from other categories, so, I'd classify myself as an advanced hobbyist).

0 upvotes

Another unnecessary disappointment. It really begins to look like a conspiracy, because it is simply hard to believe that among all the World's caera manufacturers there is not one designer capable of understanding what an underwater-capable camera should comprise.
Don't they understand that part of the market? Apply all the proper principles, get rid of all the useless crap, and what remains should be an indestructible camera capable of withstanding 10 Atm/Bar, with interchangeable lenses, with IR commands to wirelessly control the lighting accessories, etc. It can be small and coat-pocketable, and it WILL sell. It will be unique like Nikonos III, and usable in the rainy city, in the hospitals, in the depths, on boats, in mines and caves, in ultralight flights etcetera.
But no, they simply have to follow the half-chewn solutions of some "experts" who think they think... and we get products that fall short in every aspect, just to fit someone's idea of "pocketability".
Really sad.

2 upvotes

I think there could be a more capable and serious rugged/underwater camera out there someday. The question remains how much are pro-sumers willing to spend before we enter the realm of professional equiopment and housings for them; replete with their astronomical prices?
As for the legendary Nikonos here is a re-post form a month ago:

Seems there was at one time an "Area 51" Nikonos :
http://gizmodo.com/5532611/the-secret-behind-the-mysterious-digital-nikonos-camera

For the serious underwater guys there are all sorts of housings for DSLR's and HD video equipment. They may be a better investment that that Hasselblad Lunar:
http://www.aquatica.ca/

Personally I would like to see a pro-sumer level camera even if it didn't fit in my bathing suit pocket. Something like an underwater Canon G1X or Sony RX1 or NEX even a Fuji X Pro 1. If one of these were made, it would still be a $3.000 to $4,000 camera. Any takers?

Comment edited 40 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

The area is very specific and not all designs can be used in building an underwater camera. Cameras in housings are a different kind of thing entirely. But when you consider amphibious cameras (those that can be used by divers the way they're built), bear in mind that these can not be of the variable volume. Thus, no extendable zooms. There should be several interchangeable lenses, so some of the glass can be wide-range zooms, while other lenses can be made for underwater use only.
This solves several problems related to the optical characteristcs of u/w lens ports. Dry-land lenses would not have to have any, and u/w short-range zoom lenses can be cased-in behind special ports. Zooms are not of much use in the water.
As for the body, properly formed shape alone cancels out a lot of the pressure (convex surfaces, no flat area save the monitor), and all closures should be o-ring sealed. Commands could be magnetic (reed) switches, not push pins. All that does not have to be expensive.

0 upvotes

As to the article linked in your post, the man is holding a stabilized Canon binoculars that can be bought just about anywhere, and the "mysterious" camera below is an Nikonos RS with a bit of add-ons which does not make it much better than the original RS. Divers have pronounced the RS a flop; this was an outrageously overpriced SLR which was very hard to keep in perfect working order in the field. Besides, ALL SLRs, amphibious or in the housing, were not very practical underwater, except in near ideal light conditions. Thus, refurbishing an Nikonos V casing by adding an articulated monitor in place of the film hatch would make much more sense. So far, it's all just wisful thinking.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Typical $100-300 Sony quality - can only be expected to be decent (generous) at 5 megapixel size and pretty good for video.

Only the big two really try to have decent image quality in the low price range past few years.

0 upvotes

Why dpreview reviews crappy camera like this one and doesn't review fantastic cameras like Samsung NX300?

3 upvotes

Sony should add a phone chip to it.Then it will be a perfect companion to carry.Why Sony should fall behind? We are eagerly waiting for a good camera phone.

0 upvotes

get a TG-2 or WG-3
it is that simple

0 upvotes

Or Panasonic TS5!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/primozp/sets/72157633781549649/

0 upvotes

nice pic, no PP? just out of camera?

0 upvotes

Only some minor corrections in Picasa3.

0 upvotes

they should come back to 12 mpix and do something better out of that. Beyond 14 mpix, those sensors get just crappy.

0 upvotes

TX5 was the best.

0 upvotes

I like my TX5
wish I can buy it again
not this junk

1 upvote

Yeah, I finally broke my TX5, unfortunately. The new cameras are just horrible image quality compared to that camera. I'd like to buy another Sony to replace it, but the new cameras are horrible, bought one and returned it.

1 upvote

More style than substance.

If one do not need a zoom or water resistance capability, one is much better off with the Samsung Note II or the S4 smartphone. The image quality might be even better.

I have taken some photos on these devises and they do not disappoint. They can perform quite well just below 0 degrees without fogging.

0 upvotes

"We've just posted the sixth and final review in our round-up of compact rugged cameras."

Thank goodness...

1 upvote

Neither at the present review, nor at the camera database is listed size of the sensor.
Accidental overlooking or a new standard for information?
(-)

3 upvotes

Since they're $300-400 compact cameras, I think it's safe to assume that they're 1/2.3" :)

5 upvotes

The sturdiness but especially the IQ of all cameras in this class lead me to think they're at best suitable as a gift for my kid to take to the beach or poolside.
Come to think of it, they're actually perfect for that. ;-)

0 upvotes

The IQ seems to be worse than the TX10 in the comparison tool. The higher the ISO, the worse it gets.

0 upvotes

Compared to the Canon D20, this camera looks soft, lacks detail and has lots of noise/mottling in areas of fine detail. At 6mp less, the D20 shows more detail in the face etching and is cleaner all over. Detail is smeared away in the Sony. This is why it is pointless to put high pixel counts on small sensors. But, hey, the market for which this camera is aimed is not supposed to care.

3 upvotes

I wonder how a GoPro 3 Black would stack up against these cameras?

2 upvotes

GoPro stills are rather uncompetitive, especially due to wonky colors, but I am in awe of the video they can produce on such a small device.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

I've had this camera for a couple of months now, and pretty much just use it when I go to the beach and water parks. For that it's superb. Slip it into your bathing suit pocket and forget it's on you. Photo quality is definitely lacking, but with 18 MP and since I rarely print these types of photos larger than 5 x 7, it works just fine. Color, exposure, and focus is always superb.

I love the sliding lens cover. It makes it very easy to get that quick shot.

Although the screen is not super easy to see outdoors, I don't have the same problems the reviewers had. Lastly, the touch screen is very responsive.

2 upvotes

This whole category of camera disappoints me.

9 upvotes

Just the fact that you have to pull the whole "Deinterlacing" disclaimer on it should have put the 1080/60i video in the "What we Don't like" column. I guess you had to find something positive to say.

3 upvotes

Conclusion: "They call it a camera".

2 upvotes

F3.5-4.8, max usable ISO = 80, No RAW, 1080i/60 video that has to be deinterlaced.

What is not to like about it? Pretty much everything.

6 upvotes

Sound of crickets, tumble weed rolls past, dog looks away bored.

8 upvotes

At least it deserves and got a review, which is more than can be said for the Fuji XP50.

1 upvote

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes