Best Sony DSC TX30 Digital Stabilized 3 3 Inch

Best Sony DSC-TX30/B 18 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.3-Inch OLED (Black)

This is My Opinion About This Product

After I buy this New Sony DSC-TX30/B 18 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.3-Inch OLED (Black) (Electronics)

Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?)

Length:: 4:27 Mins
The Sony TX30 is a small, feature rich, and fun waterproof digital camera, so it's a shame the photo quality isn't better.

(I'd like to preface this review by saying that I've owned the predecessor to this camera, the TX20, and it has stayed waterproof through the many water adventures I took it on. I will also be bringing it up from time to time in this review to compare it to the TX30.)

The TX30 is a very stylish and modern looking camera. It's made of three different finishes - there's a matte plastic, a matte metal, and a textured glossy metal. Together they make even the black TX30 look rich and different. The materials and assembly quality are both high, and the TX30 feels solid and well assembled in the hand. On the back of the camera is a 3.3" OLED touch screen display that has a plastic cover. The plastic screen is similar to the TX20's and scratches fairly easily, so be sure to use a case with the camera if you want it to stay flawless. OLED screens tend to wash out in direct sunlight, and the TX30's is no exception, but you can raise the screen's brightness to fix that issue, as the default brightness is a bit dim. The camera is very small (a little shorter and slimmer than a deck of playing cards), but there is not much space to grip the camera so you end up holding it gingerly by the edges. Also, be sure to watch your fingers, as it's very easy to get them in the shot. One thing I'd like to point out is that the TX30 takes the slightly less popular Micro SD memory cards.

The TX30 is positively full of great and useful features. For those who want to let the camera do all the thinking for them there are two automatic modes. One is the normal automatic, and the other takes multiple photos in quick succession and combines them for the best shot. There is also a program mode than gives you control over ISO, metering, and white balance, amongst other things. There is a custom white balance setting, which is a nice touch, but the TX30 lacks any sort of control over shutter speed or aperture. Rounding out the shooting modes are a variety of scene modes, and art filters (pinhole, illustration, etc). My favorite scene mode is the HDR mode, which takes photos in quick succession and combines them so you get one photo where both the shadows and highlights are properly exposed. Another great feature is the sweep panorama. It lets you stand in one spot and rotate as the camera shoots photos and stitches them together into one long photo. It works perfectly about 90% of the time. One very unique feature is the LED lights around the lens used for taking extreme macro shots. They work well and light up your subject evenly. Lastly, in playback mode there is a beatification feature that lets you tan yourself, remove wrinkles, and whiten teeth. It's actually pretty effective when used subtly, but it won't tan your body, just your face.

The Sony is rated to be waterproof up to 33 feet, an improvement over the TX20, and indeed I had no problems when using the camera underwater. Just make sure that you clean the seal on the battery door of any debris, and rinse the camera in a dish of tap water for a few minutes after having it underwater. Additionally, if you get any sunscreen on the camera make sure to wipe it off immediately as it can stain the camera's finish.

Using the Sony is very simple. It has just a shutter button, power button, zoom rocker, and a movie record button. All of the other controls will be handled using the very responsive touch screen. The touch screen has been improved over the TX20, and now responds instantly to commands. You can also customize the functions that appear on the touchscreen and put those that you use most on the main screen. One thing to bear in mind is that the touch screen does not function while underwater, so choose your camera settings before you dive! Built into the camera is an interactive owner's manual if you need help.

Speed wise the Sony is blazing fast. When you slide down the lens cover, it's ready to take the first photo in about 3 seconds. It takes about 1 second to focus in good light, while in low light it may take just about a second longer. It's ready to take the next photo almost instantly. When continuous shooting you can shoot up to 10 full resolution photos at 10 frames per second, which is great for fast action. When recording movies the camera takes about 4 seconds to start recording. The only time the Sony makes you wait a bit is when zooming in to review photos in playback mode.

The one place where the Sony TX30 is an average performer is for its photo quality. While the photos are usually well exposed, have natural color, and proper focus, they lack fine details when viewed at 100% on screen, and look a bit "mushy" overall. The situation only gets worse as the ISO speeds rise. The good thing is that the TX30 goes down to ISO 80, while the TX20 only went down to ISO 125. Additionally, the TX30 does a better job with detail and color than the TX20. Despite the lack of detail, color saturation stays high all the way up through ISO 12,800! I'd consider up to ISO 400 as where I'd prefer to shoot, while up to ISO 1600 is acceptable, and anything over that is for emergency use only as photos look less like photos and more like water color paintings. If you don't look at your photos very closely, and usually print at 8' x 10' or smaller, you'll be very happy with the TX30's photos, but if you're critical you may be disappointed. The optically stabilized lens stays fairly sharp in the corners wide open at wide angle, but the extreme right hand side of the photos are softer than the rest, and there is a bit of purple fringing to be found.

Video quality is great on the TX30. It takes full high definition video in stereo sound. It also lets you use the optical zoom, and take a high-resolution photo without any interruption of the video.

Battery life is good. I was able to take a couple hundred photos, and handful of videos, and spend a lot of time reviewing photos and playing with the camera before the battery died. The battery is charged in camera via USB.

Two last things I'd like to mention is that this case fits the camera perfectly Case Logic UNZB-202 Compact Camera Case (Blue), and it's a good idea to buy this floater wristband so if you drop the camera while in the water it won't sink to the bottom Kodak Essential Floating Wrist Strap for Cameras - Orange.

All in all... a great waterproof digital camera.

P.S. If you have any questions leave me a comment and I'll reply as soon as I can.