Underwater photo -gun. Sony Cyber-Shot DSC TX5 Moil-Processing Camera Testing
Technical characteristics
Display: 3 inches, LCD, sensory, 230,000 points * Matrix: EXMOR R CMOS 1/2.4 inches, 10.2 MP EFF. * Maximum photo resolution: 3648×2736 * Continuous shooting: 10 frame/s * Lens: Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar, 25-100 mm, f/3.5-4.6, 4X optical zoom, image stabilizer * Focusing: 9-pointed * ISO range: 125-3200 * Excerpt: 2-1/1600 s * Video recording: 1920×1080, 30 frame/s * Memory cards: MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/MS Pro Hg-Duo, SD/SDHC/SDXC * Interface: USB 2.0 * Battery: lithium-ion, completely charged is enough https://sister-site.org/davincis-gold/ for 250 frames * Additionally: moisture-, dust-, frost and shock-resistant, sensory control, Sweep Panorama, HDR, optical image stabilization * Available colors: black, silver, golden, pink, red * Dimensions: 9.4×5.7×1.8 cm * Weight: 128 g * Price for September 2010: 12,000 rubles
Sony Loved to release cameras in pairs. Following the brothers NEX-5 And NEX-3 , compact cameras with interchangeable lenses that we wrote about in the last issue, the Japanese presented stylish compacts of the series Cyber-Shot – TX5 And TX7. The senior model has a 3.5-inch touch screen and is able to record a video in resolution of 1080i, while the youngest is equipped with a 3-inch touchscreen and keeps the video in resolution 720p. But the main difference of TX5 is that this is the first Sony waterproof amateur camera. We will talk about this model today, although everything that relates to the quality of shooting photos and videos is applicable to TX7.
Feiscontrol
TX5-the camera is compact, thin and light, the smallest of all dust-, moisture-, frost- and shock-resistant devices. It weighs only 128 grams – and the iPhone 4, the thinnest smartphone in the world, weighs 137 grams.
Looking at the device, you quite rightly expect that the device will be removed at the level of some cameras, and you least think about TX5 as an all-weather: there are no rubber inserts on the case or rubber plugs that need to be checked before immersion (but-running forward- There is a system that signals that the battery compartment is not closed). Nevertheless, the water camera is really not afraid, and the quality of the pictures pleasantly surprised us, but more on that below.
TX5 protection corresponds to the IP58 specification of the IEC International Electrotechnical Commission IEC 60529 – this means that Sony guarantees dustproofness and the absence of leaks at a depth of three meters (in the manufacturer tests, the camera lasted at this depth for an hour). TX5 should also withstand the fall from a height to one and a half meters, which is confirmed by a test of 516.5 American military standard MIL-STD 810f. In addition, the compact is resistant to frost. Of course, not Russian winters, but soft European and American – with temperatures up to minus ten degrees Celsius.
Exterior
The front side of the camera is equipped with a large metal curtain. Her shift instantly awakens the device. The solution is correct: to move the curtain under water to turn on the camera is much more convenient than groping a button. And on land it will not hurt – it will allow you to prepare the device for battle with one hand. True, sand grains can stick to the curtain, as a result of which an unpleasant rattle sound will be heard every time when turning on the camera, and the case will be scratched, so you should not casually throw tx5 on the sand.
During the testing process, an unpleasant defect was discovered at the curtain: after bathing in salt water, varnish peeled out from it, even flushing did not help with fresh water, as the instruction recommended. It's not scary if the camera is silver or golden. But if TX5 is bought in a black, red or pink case, you will have to come to terms that over time the curtain will change color.
Despite the fact that formally the camera can survive several falls, it is better to handle it carefully, as with an ordinary unprotected gadget. The body of TX5 is plastic, marks and scratches after falls will remain guaranteed to be on it.
Hands off
The second trump card of the newcomer "Saiberthot" – a touch screen after water supply. It is resistant, that is, it needs to be slightly pressed on it to work. This is a technology for an amateur: a simple finger touch, as when working with a capacitive sensor (installed in the same iPhone), but with a resistive screen you can work in gloves.
Display resolution is standard for compacts and relatively low – 230,000 points. The touchscreen is very bright: on land on a sunny day, it is comfortable to view photos and videos on it, and menu is clearly visible under water. By the way, it is intuitive and with large virtual buttons. This is a rarity-with the interface, many of the touchscreen companies have a problem.
The most control is carried out using the touch menu, but the camera has three more buttons at the end: turning on, transition to viewing mode and, in fact, the descent button. In addition, there is a zoom lever. Both buttons and redheads are tiny, it is difficult to use them both ladies with long nails and men with large fingers. Fortunately, most of the operations allows you to turn the touchscreen.
Build!
The camera is equipped with a 10-megapixel CMOS-matrix Exmor R and the Bionz processor, which is usually installed in mirror cameras. The processor provides high speed-recording an HD video in resolution of 1280×720 points at a speed of 30 frames per second and serial shooting at a speed of 10 frames per second.
The sensor is responsible for low noise at high ISO values - this means that TX5 allows you to take tolerable photos in low light conditions. The fact is that the EXMOR R matrices are available according to a curious reverse backlight technology. In conventional CMOS matrixes, the light passes through microlysis, then gets to transistors and conductors and only after meets with photocells (each photocell is a separate pixel). In EXMOR R, photocells are located directly behind microlyins, as a result, transistors and electrical circuits do not make noise and do not affect the ability of the camera to shoot, for example, in the evening or indoors.
The sensor itself, however, is small-1/2.4 inches, and, of course, some amazingly high quality to expect it to be stupid from it. The limit values of ISO, in which decent pictures are obtained, is 400-800 units. Today it is a norm for most compacts. Photos with the value of ISO 1600 or 3200 are too graniques and are not suitable for printing.
The outbreak, as expected, is rather weak and can come in handy only if the object is near the photographer: at a distance of up to one and a half meters, you can remove with a flash with the ISO value less than 800.
The lens is wide -angle (well suited for shooting attractions) from the famous Carl Zeiss, with four -time optical zoom and aperture of 3.5-4.6.
The automatic mode works tolerately, but does not always properly set the ISO value, overwhelming or darkening part of the picture. The problem is solved elementary – using manual mode. If this does not help, you can get a picture using the Backlight Correction HDR function, which is especially useful when shooting against the sun. In this mode, the camera makes and glues several photos with different exposures. TX5 has an optical, and not just digital image stabilization, but, of course, it is better to fix the camera during the shooting of HDR photographs on a tripod.
For shooting under water there is a special mode that provides sharpness and good color rendering. Macro -shooting works great: the camera confidently focuses from a distance of one centimeter – you can hunt for exotic bugs and corals.
But we especially fell in love with the automatic mode of shooting panoramas, called Sweep Panorama. The user simply draws a camera in a given direction, and the device independently glues a panoramic picture (you can take up to 100 frames and get a picture with a review of up to 258 degrees.). The function is present in all the latest Sony cameras, but in TX5 it works in video mode. The picture is released by semigapixel with 1080 points on the short side. Under water, however, the focus with a panorama does not pass – it turns out not at all what you expect.
Summarizing, we can say that most pictures are juicy and contrasting and they are not necessary to improve in photo editors – this, of course, is a big plus.
HD-video recorded by TX5 can be shown without fears on large screens-no one will even suspect that it is shot on a small stylish camera. The sound is written single -channel, but to demand stereo from such a compact chamber is too much. Only the zoom function is unsuccessfully performed: when approaching, the camera, the camera loses focus for a while.
The weakest place TX5 is a battery, the reserve of which is enough for only 250 photos and 15-20 minutes video. Put the finger batteries instead of the battery, alas, will not work, and the owner of the TX5 will always have to keep in his head that he has a photo -machine in his hands, and not a photocuret.
* * *
In the dry residue we have an excellent compact and stylish camera, which is not a shame to get to friends, and the shooting results of which will fit not only for laying out in VKontakte. Inoportable advantages-an attractive appearance, sensory screen with intuitive control, convenient turning on-shutdown using the curtain, the function of shooting HD-video, HDR and panoramas.
There are two minuses by and large: this is a varnish that is getting from the curtain (which, however, is not critical) and a small supply of energy in the battery. The second can really bring on a long journey, so it is worth immediately adding to the price of TX5 the cost of an additional battery-another 1,500-2000 rubles.
In general, TX5 is an excellent photo -gun with all modern functions that will provide a decent quality of shooting on land and under water. Successful photo hunting!
The material was prepared by Mobi experts.ru specifically for the magazine "Gambling".
Pros:
- dust-, moisture-, frost and impact resistance
- Small dimensions and weight
- Ergonomics: convenient menu interface, inclusion curtain
- The pictures are clear, juicy and contrasting
- Sweep Panorama and HDR modes, optical stabilizer
Cons:
- Extremely short of autonomous work
- Plastic case: dents and scratches remain
- varnish gets from the lines of the inclusion curtain
- A weak flash