Digital camera Sony TX5 Overview

Digital camera Sony TX5 Overview




Digital camera Sony TX5 Overview

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 digital camera is based around the combination of a 10.2 megapixel, 1/2.4"-type Sony Exmor R CMOS image sensor coupled to a Bionz-branded image processor, and a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar branded 4x optical zoom lens. The Sony TX5's sensor is what's known as a backside illuminated type, meaning that its circuitry is placed on the non-light gathering side of the sensor, allowing the maximum area of the sensor's other side to be devoted to light gathering. This should translate to higher sensitivity, and to reduced noise levels when compared to a non-BSI sensor for the same sensitivity. Actual focal lengths vary from 4.43mm to to 17.7mm, equivalent to a range of 25 to 100mm in still image mode. This equates to everything from a generous wide angle to a moderate telephoto.When shooting high-def movies, the sensor crop raises the effective focal lengths to a range of 28 to 112mm, and for standard-def movies the range is equivalent to 34 to 136mm.


Digital camera Sony TX5 Overview

The TX5 has a maximum aperture which varies from F3.5 to F4.6 across the zoom range. At wide angle the minimum aperture is F6.3. To help combat blur from camera shake, the Sony DSC-TX5's lens includes an optical stabilization mechanism which works in concert with a built-in gyro sensor to detect and .correct for camera motion. As is sadly the norm for most compact cameras these days, the Sony Cyber-shot TX5 doesn't include any form of optical or electronic viewfinder. Instead, Sony has opted for a 3.0" Clear Photo Plus LCD display with a resolution of 230,000 dots, roughly equating to a resolution of 320 x 240 dots with three dots per color.Overlaid on the LCD display is a touch panel, allowing it to double as an input device with intuitive operations like flicking or drag and drop used to control camera functions.

Digitalcamera Sony TX5 Overview

Perhaps the most significant feature of the Sony TX5 is its rugged body, which for the first time in a Sony Cyber-shot camera is protected against a variety of dangers including water, dust, shocks and freezing. The Sony TX5 functions up to depths of ten feet underwater for as long as one hour, gaining the camera an IEC60529 IPX8 rating, and the TX5 is also rated as dustproof to the IEC 60529 IP5X standard. The shock proofing should protect the camera from accidental drops as high as five feet, which merits the MIL-STD-810F Method 516.5-Shock rating. Finally, the freezeproofing allows use in temperatures as low as 14° fahrenheit / -10° celsius, and as high as 104° fahrenheit / 40° celsius.

A nine-point autofocus system includes face detection capability, and can recognize up to eight faces in a scene. The face detection function can be disabled if desired, and can also be programmed to give priority to either adult or child faces. The AF system can also operate in either center-weighted or spot AF modes. ISO sensitivity in the Sony DSC-TX5 ranges from 125 to 3,200 equivalents, and exposures are calculated using multi-pattern, center-weighted or spot metering. 2.0EV of exposure compensation is available in 1/3EV increments, and to help with capturing contrasty scenes, the TX5 includes Sony's Dynamic Range Optimizer function, although its strength isn't user-adjustable, and is instead fixed at the Standard position Nine white balance settings are available, including Auto, Manual, and seven presets. Shutter speeds vary from 1/1,600 to two seconds. Burst shooting is possible for up to ten shots at full resolution, with a generous rate of ten frames per second. A built-in four mode flash operates to a maximum range of 9.5 feet at wide angle, or 7.9 feet at telephoto, using the ISO Auto mode.