Sony Cyber-shot TX10 Review

The Sony Cyber-shot TX10, announced in January 2011, is a 16.2 Megapixel compact with a 4x stabilised zoom and a 3 inch LCD wide touch-sensitive screen. Like other TX-series models the TX10 is, in Sony's words, 'sleek and stylish', with a non-extending lens protected by a slide-down panel when not in use. A well as sleekness, the other defining characteristic of the TX10 is ruggedness: it's water proof and dust proof to a depth of 5 metres, shockproof against a drop of up to 1.5 Metres and freeze proof down to -10C.
The Cyber-shot TX10 has all of the features you'd expect to find in a mid-range compact including fully auto exposure modes with scene detection and Face AF as well as trademark Sony features like sweep panorama and multi-angle 3D modes. The stacking composite low-light modes for which Sony's Exmor R back -illuminated sensor is well known are complemented in this model by a new HDR mode. As well as all that it's a capable video camera with full HD 1080i and 25fps 1080p video recording.

Design and controls

At only 18mm wide, the Cyber-shot TX10 is compact by any standards. If you're serious about water-based activities it'll slip inside your wetsuit and you'll hardly know it's there, but I suspect for most people its ability to work in the wet will be a secondary consideration, in which case it'll fit equally comfortably in your shirt or jeans pocket.
 

The slide down front panel serves as an on/off switch, exposing the lens and powering up the camera at the same time. Likewise, you just need to slide the cover back up to turn everything off. There's also an on/off button on the top panel which gives you on-screen access to the menus, other settings and playback, but obviously, you still need to slide the cover down to shoot.

The only other physical controls on the camera are the lozenge-shaped shutter release, a corner-mounted zoom rocker and, on the bevelled rear edge of the top panel, a playback and a dedicated movie record button.

The rear of the camera is entirely given over to the LCD screen. It's clear plastic from top to bottom and left to right, but the actual screen area, even in 16:9 movie mode, doesn't reach all the way to the edges and there's ample space on the right for your thumb to grip without activating any of the screen icons. When shooting in the 4:3 aspect ratio, touch-icons are arranged in the black vertical strips either side of the image.

Lens and Stabilisation
 The Cyber-shot TX10's 4x optical zoom has a very useful 25mm wide angle extending to 100mm at the telephoto end of the range. Compact manufacturers are increasingly opting for super-wide-angles, a trend I'm happy to see. Both the Canon IXUS 310 HS / ELPH 500 HS and Panasonic Lumix FX77/ FX78 start at a similar focal length, though the Canon lens has a significant light-gathering advantage over the TX10 when zoomed-out: f2.0 vs f3.5, which lets the Canon gather almost four times as much light, thereby allowing faster shutter speeds or lower ISOs under the same conditions. 

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