Sony Cyber shot DSC TX20 Digital 3 0 inch
This is our second Cybershot TX underwater camera, and we love it. This new model has considerable improvements over the original. The capacitive touch screen is SO much better than resistive on our older model. This is by far the best family camera we've owned. The waterproof, shockproof design means this goes everywhere the family goes...the beach, pool, jet skiing, wake boarding, kayaking, rafting, zip line in Maui, snowboarding, it's been on all our trip and taken a beating. The best part is that it looks and feels like a normal point and shoot so it blends in during non-extreme events, where a hard-core ruggedized underwater camera would just look ridiculous.
If you are looking for a great all around camera that goes where other cameras (and iPhones) fear to go, this is for you.
I will keep this short and sweet. This camera is a great point and shoot for everyday use. The ability to take your camera everywhere and in any weather. I have taken this through cenotes, beaches, and many other harsh conditions for a normal camera and it came through with flying colors. I spent a week on the grand canyon rafting in wooden boats and this thing took a beating including being dropped from 4 feet onto solid rocks and kept taking stunning photos. Sony nailed it with this camera.
BalasHapusI'm a college student, so I placed a great deal of thought into my decision for purchasing this camera. I was looking for something cute that could easily fit into my pocket and accompany me on all my water activities in the summer. I also needed it to take fairly good photos in all kinds of light and be user friendly. This camera satisfied all of the above.
BalasHapusWater: I go on many float trips in the summertime and like to take photos of all our activities. I took this camera on a three day camping/floating trip almost immediately after purchasing. I was able to get it wet, use it in the water, and snap pics with wet hands- all without worrying. The manual does recommend letting it soak in clean, warm water after use- take this advice! I used it in the river and didn't clean it afterward- resulted in some of my photos I took at night being foggy from the dirty water that remained. The next time, I cleaned it and had no issues.
Photo quality/ease of use: My pictures in and out of the water look great! I'm still exploring all the (many) features and specific settings, but so far I love it! There are a lot of settings and options, so if anyone knows a good tutorial on these, please share. I love the many options to scroll through the photos stored on the camera card. The only small issue is something that someone else had mentioned: it is very easy to put your fingers in the way of the camera on the left side. But as long as you are aware of it, I don't think it's a dealbreaker.
Touch screen: This was my biggest concern about any camera. I had a Fujifilm touchscreen camera before and absolutely hated it. So naturally, I was apprehensive about purchasing another camera with this feature. I'm glad that I went ahead and gave it a try- the use of this touch screen is much better than my previous experience! The icons are close together- again, there are many options- but they stylus provided is helpful for people with bigger fingers.
This camera is much more stylish than other waterproof options out there- it is only slightly larger than my iPhone 4 and easily fits in my pocket. It comes with a wrist strap so it is easy to hold onto- and the stylus snaps right on to the strap cord. One HUGE bonus that no one has really touched on is the charger. It charges the battery inside the camera and the cord hooks up to the charger via USB port, so I can charge it in my car when needed. This was very convenient because the battery life isn't all that strong. I did make it last for two nights of camping and an all day float trip, but I was careful to turn it off when not in use.
This was a great purchase- I'm very satisfied.
This is our second Cybershot TX underwater camera, and we love it. This new model has considerable improvements over the original. The capacitive touch screen is SO much better than resistive on our older model. This is by far the best family camera we've owned. The waterproof, shockproof design means this goes everywhere the family goes...the beach, pool, jet skiing, wake boarding, kayaking, rafting, zip line in Maui, snowboarding, it's been on all our trip and taken a beating. The best part is that it looks and feels like a normal point and shoot so it blends in during non-extreme events, where a hard-core ruggedized underwater camera would just look ridiculous.
BalasHapusIf you are looking for a great all around camera that goes where other cameras (and iPhones) fear to go, this is for you.
We've had this little guy through a Maui vacation, and it's been excellent!!
BalasHapusFirst off, some good points:
It's certainly waterproof, and has a "underwater" scene mode to help you shoot underwater. I'm not exactly sure what it does, but it seems to work better underwater with the underwater mode enabled, the auto mode tends to kick the camera into Macro mode underwater.
We've taken it snorkeling with us, as well as played in the waves and surf with it and it worked excellently. You can see the screen while snorkeling without too many issues, the camera does have a touchscreen, and it automatically disables the touchscreen while under water. This does mean that you're limited to changing settings while you're above water, but you can start and stop video recording as well as take pictures, zoom, and turn the camera on and off without the touchscreen.
The built in panorama mode is pretty great, it reminds me of the panorama mode in iOS 6, works basically the same way, turn your camera vertically and move it smoothly and quickly from one side to the other.
The image quality is excellent for what it is, the image sensor is a actual CMOS sensor (albeit still a small one) both "dry land" photos and underwater photos turn out great. I normally shoot with a DSLR and good lenses so impressing me with a point-n-shoot has always been difficult.
The video quality is excellent as well, I haven't viewed any of it on the HDTV yet but viewing them on the built in LCD they've been great.
It also takes standard SD cards as well, which since it's a Sony device is for sure a plus.
The waterproof doors that cover the battery/sd card and the HDMI / USB port both have indicators to indicate that they're closed completely, hopefully to help avoid improperly latched doors.
The charger is just a USB port on a wall socket, this means that you can charge the camera in the car with a 12V to USB adapter, like the ones used to charge cell phones.
Some Drawbacks:
As I mentioned earlier, the touchscreen is useless when you're swimming or snorkeling with it, which means adjusting the settings isn't possible during your underwater excursions.
The sliding lens cover can get dirt/sand trapped under it, but if you keep aware of it and rinse it out it doesn't seem to cause any issues. Also the instructions recommend rinsing the camera out with fresh water if you use it in salt water.
The USB cable isn't a standard micro USB plug, in fact I have no idea what plug it is, I've only seen it once on this camera. That means that if you lose your USB cable, charging the camera isn't going to be possible.
Battery life isn't super long, using it for most of the day brought the battery down to the half range. But since you can charge it off of any USB port, we charge it in the car.
The camera body its self is made of aluminum and isn't rubberized like most waterproof cameras, this means that the aluminum could get scratched or dented. However this hasn't happened to mine yet.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is, that this is an excellent durable camera that is also waterproof! It's a solid investment if you're traveling or in need of something waterproof!
I live on the gulf and really wanted a camera that I could throw in my beach bag and take on the boat without worry. The fact that this camera also takes great underwater pictures is a huge bonus. I have only had this camera a few weeks but LOVE it so far. It has quite a few fun photo editing options and I am still discovering new things about it. I used it on a long weekend getaway to Cape San Blas and got some great pictures while snorkeling. It is easy to use and seems durable. The camera spent hours hanging under the water from a floating strap on my wrist and no problems. The colors look really nice too. I have read other reviews about the camera getting water damage. Mine is doing great so far, but I did buy a squaretrade warranty for peace of mind. I highly recommend this camera.
BalasHapusI am a, more or less, forensic photographer. That is to say, that I use my camera for work in the field of marine accident investigation. Sure, I have the Nikon D700 and a myriad of lenses and flash units, but to be honest, the camera I pull out most is the DSC TX20. this is a replacement model for me. I used the DSC TX10 (I think that is what it was) for a long time. This camera was, at first a slight disappointment because when I took it out of the box, I realized that the screen was smaller than on my old one. I had to adjust. No big deal. The photos are nothing short of amazing. I shoot in many dark scenes and enclosed spaces and the flash is so well balanced, I get better results than with the D700. What I love the most, and relish, is the macro. This camera gets into small spaces. I can hold the lens far less than 1/2" away from the subject and get a tight, high resolution photos that, frankly, blows away my Nikkor 105 macro lens that costs more than 4 times what this camera costs. Drawbacks: Small and light weight is not always good in a camera. Steadying the camera becomes a bit of a challenge sometimes as a result. If you work in a dirty environment, the slide front is subject to getting dirt under the edge and the screen is subject to scratches and smudges. I uses a Blackberry phone holster with mine and it is always by my side.
BalasHapusI just received my DSC-TX20 (Black) yesterday and I've tested it and compared it to the previous DSC-TX10 that I had for one year and I gave it to my brother in law. I've been very happy with the DSC-TX10 and I like the new DSC-TX20 a lot. There is no significant changes, the main ones are that the shooter speed is increased to 4 sec (from 2 sec) for night shooting and the new one has video recording in 60i in 1080 AVCHD. Also the panorama option has been boosted since the DSC-TX10's entry, offering solid panoramas of up to 360 degrees. Sony also increased focusing speed. I think these are basically all the differences. Waterproofing and the design hasn't change at all. I red a lot of comments about the waterproofing on the TX10 - both good and bed. I am scuba diver and I've been doing underwater photography for several years now. This camera is not designed for that, it's rated only for 5 meters (16 foot) which I tested in our community pool and it works just fine. Of course you will need to read the instructions and make sure that the seals are properly closed. The camera is great for any pool and for a lot of fun with the kids. Bottom line - it's awesome camera. For it's class I think it's the best on the market for now. If you are looking for very good pictures from a small camera - that's the one.
BalasHapusI recommend you also read the professional review for this model at [[...]]