Read our full specifications for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 specifications

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There's a slight premium to be paid here, but as the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 offers a staggering combo of image quality, good looks and rugged credentials, we think it's worth forking out the extra for. A point and shoot camera through and through, it's simple to use and can handle some rough treatment without falling to bits. Read full review

Overall

9/10

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By Cliff Smith
Reviewed 02 August 2010
Updated 19 May 2011

Price as reviewed

£249.00

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Key Features

4x optical zoom
10-megapixel camera
Ruggedised body
720p video recording
SD/MemoryStick Duo compatible
Buy now for 6

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 specifications
Quick Glance
Camera type	Digital Compact, Digital SLR
Optical Zoom	4
Megapixels	10.2
Physical Specifications
Dimensions Width	94
Depth	56.9
Weight (body only)	128g
Features
Camera type	Digital Compact, Digital SLR
Optical Zoom	4
Megapixels	10.2
Image Sensor	1/2.4-inch Exmor R CMOS
Optical focal length	4.43 to 17.7mm
Viewfinder	N/A
Shutter speed	2 secs to 1/250
Auto focus	Multi, Centre-weighted, Spot
Manual focus	N/A
Video (max res/format)	1280x720 at 30fps
Max output resolution	3648x2736
Other resolutions	3648x2448, 3648x2432, 3648x2056, 2592x1944, 2048x1536, 1920x1080, 640x480, 7152x1080, 4912x1080, 4912x1920, 3424x1920
Focus range	8cm
Exposure control	Program auto, Intelligent auto, 12 scene modes
Exposure metering	Multi-patter, Centre-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation	+2EV in 1/3 EV steps
Image Stabilisation	Optical
ISO settings	Auto, 125, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
LCD Monitor	3-inch
Flash range	8cm to 2.9m (wide), 0.5 to 2.4m (tele)
Flash modes	Auto, Forced Flash, No flash, Slow sync
White balance modes	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluoro 1/2/3, Tungsten, flash
Image formats	JPEG, Exif 2.2
Picture adjustments	Vibrant, natural, sepia, black & white
Movie length	Card capacity
Self timer	10/2 secs
Memory card slot	Memory Stick Duo/SD/SDHC
Supplied memory	45MB
Batteries supplied	620mAh Li-ion rechargeable
Charger supplied	Yes
A/V output	PAL, NTSC
USB	Yes
AV Out	Yes

	$266	Buy now
	$295	Buy now
	$300	Buy now

Awards

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 details

Build Quality: 10/10
Image Quality: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Overall: 9/10

Pros & Cons

Pros

Rugged skills without rugged looks
Natural colour reproduction
Large 3-inch touchscreen LCD

Cons

Autofocus slows a little low light
Lack of manual settings options
Touchscreen display not that responsive

Manufacturer

Sony

Comments

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10 comments

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joose

4:52 PM on 2 August, 2010

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Just wanted to say that I appreciate that you have judged the camera value by the street price rather than the RRP.

Score:

Chris

5:44 PM on 2 August, 2010

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That panorama was stitched completely in camera? Crikey, I'm impressed. These little things must be packing some serious processing power these days.

Only 1080 pixels high though, I suppose there's plenty room for improvement.

RafflesNH

10:47 PM on 2 August, 2010

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"Corner sharpness is also very good, with no chromatic aberration."

ahem... I'm surprised you missed this one as it's not especially difficult to see.

If you're still stuck, it's the blue branch silhouetted against the bright sky. ;-)

DarthKent

8:03 PM on 3 August, 2010

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9 out 10 for Image Quality. Are you sure?

The ISO tests look 'blotchy'

"No chromatic aberration" apart from the big purple streak where the sky is coming through the brick.

I noticed a halo effect in the tunnel shot and an even bigger halo effect in the HDR shot.

Plus the overall shots look very grey, so I, as a test, I took the street scene and had a look at its histogram. The darkest part start at around 25 (out of a scale of 255). Admittedly this can be rectified in photo touch up software but...

So apart from that 9/10 it is then.

JohnPriceThomas

9:21 PM on 6 August, 2010

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Sony has continually improved the TX range of cameras and the TX5 is surely the best yet. One negative point, do the images possess a white haze or are my eyes deceiving me

andersemanuel

6:12 PM on 7 August, 2010

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i bought this camera for a friend and used it for a day. It's quick! focus, shot to shot and startup is very fast. compared to the last generation like the wx 1 and tx 1 it's much much better in low light conditions. movie mode is smooth and keeps focus steady, not in and out of focus in lowlight like many other cameras. BEST small SONY in many years. a big leap forward. Water and bump proofing is just a bonus :-)

UncleSam

12:26 PM on 10 August, 2010

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I am also worried about that white haze. It's quite strong in the fence shot, the dynamic range shots and the panorama shot.

Can TR comment on this please? Maybe just a greasy fingerprint on the lens? ;-)

Jeff

1:10 PM on 27 August, 2010

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This is by far the most fun I've had with a camera in many years. I did much research before buying an underwater camera for our trip to Fiji. I settled for the Panasonic FT1. I thought I should try it before leaving so went to the beach nearby and it lasted only a few minutes before leaking and dying. It was replaced by Harvey Norman, however I was now very nervous about taking it along as I felt it could happen again at anytime without warning. So after carefully researching again I found the Sony has a far superior O-ring seal but I was unconvinced that the picture quality would equal the Pana. (Why Pana settled for its rediculous seal I dont know, O-ring seals should be the only option) Well I am absolutely blown away by the TX5. Underwater burst mode will take up to 10 shots per second! The fish cant get away. The sweep panoramas are so much fun, You can sweep Right or Left or even up or down. I got some brilliant shots sweeping up palm trees and water level shots of our island. The backlight mode takes 6 photos without flash then makes one clear night shot out of them removing graininess. (A serious flaw with the Pana if not using flash)I met someone while away who was sporting the Pana. Shae bought it last year and it leaked the first time she put it in the water. When she returned from holidays Pana replaced it for her and now she was away with it for the first time again. Yes you guessed it! It stopped again the first time in the water. She took a copy of all of my underwater shots and said she's getting the TX5 as soon as she gets home. I also had a couple of semi-professional photographers ask for copies of my shots and they said they would be purchasing this camera also. Here is a link to my photos using the Sony TX5 http://picasaweb.google.com/107524493612881589197/SonyTX5NanuyaIslandResortMatamanoa#

Bernado

3:49 PM on 15 October, 2010

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Well, being an owner of the TX7, which is pretty much identical to the TX5 bar the waterproof aspect, I can say these cameras produce very flat and soft images. The higher the ISO rating, the more softening is applied to control noise, which is a bit of a cheat when the end results are blurred looking images. However, with some software sharpening and contrast adjustments, the images do look pretty good, making the new TX range great for someone who is able to throw a couple of Photoshop actions at it. The very good HD video recording is another bonus.

For those unable (or unwilling) to perform any image processing, the images produced may be a bit disappointing.

HaggardPete

8:19 PM on 9 December, 2010

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Steady on - this is a waterproof sub compact. Kicking it for not offering as good image quality as a conventional camera is just daft. The reviewer did not include this qualifier but I cant blame him for taking that as understood.

Good review, good camera. Shame about the post-review noise

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