CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW! (AMAZON – CHEAPEST)
PART ONE VIDEO REVIEW
PART TWO VIDEO REVIEW
CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW! (AMAZON – CHEAPEST)
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!
The Sony MHS-CM5 is the best under $200 camcorder on the market. Its auto focus is quick, the colors are rich and accurate, and the mono mic actually sounds good. It has a built in usb plug (which is also used to charge) and pretty good face detection. The still camera (unlike the pocket cams) actually takes decent 5 megapixel photos. It has a playback speaker which is loud enough. The 5X optical zoom is smooth, and the digital zoom is well… a digital zoom. Bottom line, for the price the picture quality and build is mighty good.
There is some negatives, I listed them below, none are deal breaking.. more of a wish list. The biggest feature missing for me is Steady Shot (image stabilization) on the 1080p and 720/60 frame modes. The Kodak zi8 has this, but it looks like crap on 1080p so I guess I would rather not have this feature if the hardware is too slow to process the steady shot without problems. Which is why im guessing Sony didn’t include this feature on the higher quality modes. This is better than the Kodak Zi8, and the Flip cameras- both in image quality and overall quality of the product.
This is the perfect camera for people who want to film something quickly and easy with no drama. Perfect when it comes to “bloggin” your life. Check the video reviews below for my full review.
Pros:
-Very acceptable video quality
-Good sounding mic
-GREAT accurate colors
-5X optical zoom
-for once a decent still camera
-quick zoom
-SD memory card capable and Memory Stick Pro Duo
-Record and upload.. its in a format that just.. Works.
-Mac and PC friendly
Cons:
-Battery lasts a little over an hour (buy an extra!)
-Steady Shot Mode is only on 720P (30 Frames/sec) and VGA
-lens cap instead of hardware lens open/close
-mic is mono (but its not bad)
-no manual focus
-low light (like all low cost camcorders) isnt the best, and the focus is slow/struggles in low light.
BUY NOW! -AMAZON (CHEAPEST PRICE)
Videos
PART TWO
As usual I have uploaded a bunch of test videos, and comparisons to my Youtube page.
