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PART ONE VIDEO REVIEW
PART TWO VIDEO REVIEW
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So a few months ago I did a review of the Sony DSC-TX1. While I enjoyed the camera, I had some mild disappointments with it. The previous models of the camera (T500/T900) had some features that were better than the TX1. The LCD screen was smaller, the mic wasn’t stereo anymore and the zoom toggle was removed and a clumsy button combo was added in its place. I said in my review while I thought the camera was great, I had a feeling Sony was going to release an upgraded model in the future.
Well the future is now, and surprisingly EVERY SINGLE complaint I had was fixed. It was almost as if Sony had seen my review and followed my wish list. This “DREAM” camera is called the DSC-TX7. While it still sits at 10.2 Megapixels instead of 12 that the t900 had, this camera is AMAZING. I have never been as excited for a camera ever, and for good reason. This little beauty not only has the new “EXMOR R” cmos sensor, but it has a 25MM wide angel lens, a 3.5″ LCD and real HD. Not just a 1080p mode, but a 1080i 60 FRAMES A SECOND! That’s unheard of, most camcorders dont even have that! The lens is made by Zeiss, which is always superb and this is one of the first times Sony lets you use Memory Stick Duo OR SD cards for its memory.
Lets take a look at some of its highlights…
The new “EXMOR R” sensor is amazing. For the first time low light situations are not a problem. This new technology allows more light to enter the lens, and the photos look FANTASTIC!
Check out this photo I took of my cat with no flash and only a single dim lamp:
The camera also has a IMPROVED panoramic sweep mode. This mode allows you to just push a button and move the camera from side to side and it will take multiple photos and stitch them together almost FLAWLESS within seconds. Something most cameras rely on software or tedious lining up of landscapes, this camera does in one quick sweep.
(Click the photo to see the original size)
Also returning is the super cool “Twilight Handheld Mode” This takes 6 photos, and combines them into one. This way it can detect static and remove it. Here is a photo in a room that is pitch dark, except for a computer monitor behind the subject. With no flash most cameras would take a mess of a photo. Not only did the Sony lighten the photos up, the static has been drastically reduced! Amazing.
check out the T500 trying to attempt the same photo-
This camera is quick too. It can take up to 10 FRAMES PER SECOND! For a small pocket camera (especially at its full 10.2 MP), thats insane! There are all the modes you would expect, including a pet mode that turns off the flash and blinking lights so your animal wont blink its eyes. Speaking of blinking eyes, there is a mode that detects eye blinking, so if you take a picture of someone and they blink, your camera will let you know.
One of the biggest features on this camera for everyday use is Sony’s “Intelligent Auto Adjustment” or in other words their version of the auto mode. Most people will keep it on this setting from day one. It’s such a good auto mode that during my tests it even detected when shooting something close up, that it took it to “Macro Mode”. I then sat the camera down on a table to do the same shot, and it set it in “Macro Mode on Tripod” because it detected no movement! Not many times will people say that the auto mode is killer, but it in this case it is. Turn on face detection and the camera will automatically detect the atmosphere its shooting, and adjust the flash and settings accordingly. This is great for shooting pictures of people in darker situations so that the flash doesn’t completely wash out the face. This camera is smart, and in my tests very accurate and smokin’ fast.
The photo quality is really good, the features are packed, and the zoom at 4X optical is not distorted in any way. If there was anything I would of liked to seen different when it came to picture quality I haven’t thought of it yet. Sony really has raised the bar for tiny cameras and great options and quality.
RAITING – 5/5
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—–
While most digital cameras have a movie mode, not many can compare to the TX7. Not only is it HD, it has a 60 Frames per second in 1080i (1920 x 1080) HD mode. Unfortunately this mode is recorded in the always annoying AVCHD. A format that was created by Satin himself. While it can be imported into programs like Final Cut Pro and iMovie (on Mac) – the whole process is time consuming and annoying. Luckily, this camera also has a 1080p (30 frames/sec) mode that is filmed in MP4. MP4 is one of those formats that’s easy to drag, drop, edit, upload, whatever – without any headaches. This mode also has a 720p (30 frames/sec) and VGA setting. I have found myself almost always filming in the 1080p MP4 mode, while the 60 frames per second is nice, to me its not worth messing with the AVCHD headaches. Hopefully, at least on OSX we will be getting some better support for this format in the future.
The bottom line is, for a digital camera this movie mode has some amazing results. Its also interesting to note that even though the DSC-TX1 uses the same EXMOR R sensor as the TX7, the video quality looks a lot better on the TX7, especially in low light situations. It can record up to 29 mins at a time, a 16gb memory card will give you almost 3 hours of video in 1080p. The return of the stereo mic brings great sound, and being able to zoom while recording is always nice. The missing ability to take photos while recording is still not here, something that was taken away with the release of the T900.
Sample Video Rainy Day
Sample Video Low Light
Sample Video Medium Light
RAITING 5/5
Small pocket digital cameras, especially one that’s so slim, light and tiny are usually lacking in the quality department. This camera takes amazing photo and videos and has almost every bell and whistle you can imagine. There are so many options and features that its really hard for me to find anything negative to say about it. Throw in some basic in-camera editing options like red eye removal and cropping features, along with being able to actually draw on your photos using the touch screen you have a powerhouse of camera. This is a camera I can safely recommend to anyone. Its as close to a “Dream Camera” as it gets, and I will be talking about it for years to come. If you’re in the market for a camera or even a small camcorder, treat yourself to Sony’s feature packed DSC-TX7.
Im sure I wont be the only one to say this… The best compact camera ever made to date.
FINAL SCORE – 5/5
PROS
-Great zero thought photo taking
-Rich and accurate colors and whites
-1080i (1920 x 1080) 60 Frames a second
-Insane amount of movie modes including MP4 modes for ease of use.
-Stereo Mic Returns
-HUGE gorgeous 3.5” display
-Zoom Rocker is back and better!
-Amazing Low light in BOTH photo and video (EXMOR R RULES)
-SD card & Memory Stick Duo
-Insane amount of features and options
- Very compact and light
- HDMI and Camera dock
- A physical movie mode button returns!
-Panoramic mode is amazing
-Super fast, not missing shots
-Zoom during video
-10 Frames per second action shot mode in full resolution.
-Startup time is almost instant!
CONS (really trying hard to find any)
-Only a 4X zoom
-Price is higher than others, but worth it
-Included Software is PC only, but who really cares about that
-No taking photos during video (I don’t think that feature is ever coming back)
-New battery model, so throw those old spare ones away!
-It will spoil you for awhile so you have no reason to buy a new camera.
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS (FLICKR)
UPDATE- Here are some FULL IMAGE SAMPLES
Sample 1 LOW LIGHT (TWILIGHT HANDHELD MODE)
Sample 2 LOW LIGHT MACRO MODE
Sample 3 RAINY DAY IN LA
-MORE COMING SOON!
That cat just HAS to be called Garfield.
I could not seem to find something to click on in order to see LARGE photos on the flicker site. They’re too small to make any judgements on. Any help?
I know TX7 can zoom during video recording. Can it refocus during video recording?
Can you please post some indoor and outdoor pics (not resized)?
I added some pics for you guys, ill add more in a bit. Also when recording it will refocus when needed.
Hey redban,
thank you for your great review – I loved it!
I bought the WX1 and returned it – because I was so dissatisfied with the outdoor picture quality. Especially the colors were so pale, they were just screaming for more saturation!
Is this the case with the TX7 as well? Can you post some outdoor (maybe nice weather) photos?
Thank you in advance :)
lunatic54
Thanks for adding three more big ones, but it doesn’t look like full size picture, Could you please add a few more original one.
I’m trying to figure out whether I should buy a transferjet memory card for this or go with the eye-fi pro x2.
I heard that the pro x2 might not be compatible with avchd. Wish someone could try it.
How large are the avchd files in the highest quality capture mode? The pro x2 is only an 8gb card.
Thanks for the review! I’m really anxious to get this camera. My last digital camera was the DSC-T1..the first in this series. This should make an awesome upgrade considering back then the DSC-T! was the first camera to shoot 30fps VGA quality video. Think I had paid $250 for a 512mb memorystick when it came out.
Nice review!
I still have my old T1 camera which works fine, although the sensor was replaced under warranty once. But the new low light performance is really tempting!
I think I’ll upgrade when they add a GPS module like they have on the HX5, or my camera breaks down again.
How long does the battery lasts while recording video (highest quality) and does it have a recording time cap? the official website says its 1080p format is only 1440 x1080 did you use that resolution or can it really do 1920 x1080 in progressive @ 30 fps? thank you.
I am about to make a leap on something to record video posts. As I am using my laptop webcam where quality is okay ; but not as good as I would like it. Also … since I love to take photographs this looks like something that may do my v-logs too. Is it better than the Sony Bloggie ?
Thanks for a great review!!!
I played with one of these in the store a few days ago. One thing I noticed after taking a pic was that it would pause on a screen that said ‘Processing’ for about 5 seconds before I could take another pic. The sales guy said this was normal? Does this happen on yours?
I’m hoping Eye-Fi gets their X2 Pro working with this camera. I’m just using a 16gb class 6 SDHC card in the meantime. So nice not having to buy yet another memory card to test it out. :)
[...] A second Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX7 review has been made by TedBan …with four youtube videos! [...]
What colour is your camera? is it black? thanks
Blue
hi redban,
nice review. i was about to buy the tx1 when i saw your review and thinking this is my camera to be. Also can you tell us how the battery last for taking videos and photos?Do you have to charge every day?
It would be awesome if you could post like 30 second day and night clips of 1080i60 in their original 17mbit .MTS format. Links so youtube doesn’t break it.
Hi Redban, what’s your take on Sony DSC W380 vs. Sony TX7 ?
I’m torn between the 2 of them..what will be your recommendation?
아. 검은색도 있네요?
Redban, how different would you say the UI speed is compared to the TX1? About the same? Over on SonyStyle, some reviewer complained it was laggy vs. older T-series.
I don’t know how true that is. I own a TX1 and I have no complaints about UI speed.
Is it possible to set the focus fixed to infinity in video mode? I needed this on the TX1 of a friend while shooting fireworks… but I was not able to find this. On the T100 this option was available… also I was curious if this option came back.
I like the small camera.. like the T100 I own (along a DSLR) for taking snapshots and videos at all time. But now there is also the HX5V… is this much bigger? The 250mm and the better lens appeals to me. It’s just a few mm’s… but when having them next to each other (or in the pocket) may be a big difference. What do you think… have you compared them already?
Now that the SDHC is possible… is it maybe still better to use memory sticks for optimized writing… or is the speed of the card always reality in the camera?
Thanks for the answers…
Best regards from the Netherlands,
Stefan
Wht don’t you answer the question (youtube or here) about how long does the battery last while recording video or taking pictures? Does it suck so much?
Just curious if the TX7 can charge while connected to USB (drawing power from the computer)?
Or is the external battery charger the means to charge?
Great review, great details.
How does the TX7 compare to the W380 and which would you recommend?
Hey Bro,
Listen up…
I’m from the Netherlands and I saw your videoreview about the Sony TX-7. I was pretty amazed, especially about the specifications of the new camera.
I decided to buy the Sony-TX7 camera en came to the discovery that the TX-7 that you’ve bought DIFFERS of the one I’ve bought. Those @sses gave you the opportunity to film with 60 fps but over here the camera’s are limited to 50 fps. Even the sticker on the front says 50i instead of 60i on yours as we all could see in you ‘unpacking’ video. How is that possible?
My second question is about the burst-mode, were you can take 10pics in one second. My TX-7 doesnt shoot that much pictures in one second in exacty the same mode you are using in your review. It’s more like 5pics per second. What can be de cause of this? Is it my memcard (…sandisk memory stick PRO Duo 2GB) or lies the cause in my pictureformat?
Can you help me out?
HI,
I can’t thank you enough for your excellent review of the sony tx7. I used your link (hope it worked right) and should receive mine from amazon today. I am very excited. My question is about the hx5v and whether it is going to be “better” with the G lens and 10x optical zoom and enhanced image stabilization. Do you have any information on this yet to be released model? Thanks,
[...] Great review at RedBan. [...]
Hi – enjoyed your interesting TX7 review (ordered one for arrival next 2 days).
Please could you let me know the breed of your stunning cat. Thanks!
Thanks for the great review. Your videos showing all the camera features were a great help! This will be my 3rd Sony camera. Started with the t500 (stolen) Purchased t900 ( lost it today-along with spare batteries, case etc.) I believe I will order this camera tomorrow after seeing your review and I give it a days thought. (The one positive thing about loosing your camera every 6-12 months is it gives you an excuse to get the latest one.) I will buy through your link and amazon to make sure you get your credit with them. I have one question if you can help me. I use the PMB software that comes with these cameras. I have never been able to get the t500 video shots that I took with that model to play properly with the new version of the software that I got with the t900. The sound plays but the video pauses every few seconds on every video clip from the t500. I am afraid of having the same compatibility problem with the new camera and now a new format of video and newer software version making it so that I can’t view the last years worth of video from my t900. I have also been unsuccessful in playing the sony video clips on windows media player and/or adobe, nero vision, etc. Any thoughts or help you can give me? I am not as techie as I would like to be.
Thanks again for taking your time in your very thorough review.
Good day. which is better T900 (12mpixels) of TX7 (10mpixels)?
Thank you in advance..
I have the TX7. Bought an SDHC 8gb memory card (by Toshiba) from Sam’s for it. Looking at the card in the package it looks a little bigger than the Sony 4gb ProDuo card. Before I open the 8gb packaging can you tell me if it will fit into the TX7?
Thanks. Your reviews are the reason I purchased my TX7. I got it from Amazon. Any way I can give you credit for it?
Debbie
I have been beating the crap out of my TX7 for a few months now, and it has performed very admirably. I would like to shoot more than ten shots in the burst mode, or have it write to the memory card faster. I have a class 4 16gb sdhc card in there now (so yes Debbie, that card will work) and I’ve noticed that fast action (skateboarding) and low light (construction sites) produces choppy video in mp4 and avchd. My questions to anyone who has the ability to experiment with cards is: is the memory stick any better? and is it worth is to get a class 10 card, or will a class 6 suffice?
Great review. I was having a hard time deciding what to replace my good ole Canon sd 870 is with and this review sealed the deal for me to buy my first non-Canon digital camera. I can attest to the accuracy of this review. Thanks-Patrick
Hello people, im looking to purchase this Sony DSC-TX7 as an upgrade to my very old Sony W80 which is still going strong..iv heard pretty good things about the model but the only question no one can seem to answer is, “Does it capture STILL images @ 1080p?” like the old W80.
Any replies would be much appreciated, many thanks.
Great and very thorough review. And that is the cutest cat ever btw!
How long will this record in full HD mode? Do you think it will fully capture a 25-30 minute firework show?
Hello,
Thank you so much for your reviews and comments regarding Sony TX7 and TX5. That is a good job and explanations made. I would like to ask you, if possible of course, to share your comments and opinion about TX9 that will be available soon on sale and T99 the difference between TX7 and TX9 and WX5 and T99 what woud you personaly recommend ? I am so much lost in them but at least you removed my doubts regarding TX 5.
I have another question regarding laptops, say I got ASUS x52F but I am not really so happy and regret so much as I was in a hurry to buy it and saw later better ones like Toshiba and Dell with light keystrokes and buletooth and blueRay technologies and 1To, what do you personally can tell and recommend among laptops. Thank you in advance and your opinion will be so much appreciated. Best Regards, Janna