TX1 Blog Retired - Forums still live!

Just a short note to say this blog has been retired, but will be kept online for reference and research purposes. The forums are still alive, so check them out if you're interested in this camera.

Forums down - NOW BACK!

Folks, the TX1 forum has gone offline unexpectedly. Looking into the issue and hopefully it will be back soon.

UPDATE 12/01: I have received what must be world's worst practice support from GoDaddy over this problem. I am now left to try and fix a 3rd party script myself.

UPDATE 12/01: Forums restored!

DIY Stabilisation for the TX1

The Rodfather Mobile Blog has a good overview of a number of DIY stabilisation options for the TX1 to assist or replace the on-board IS.

I have tried a few of these in the past using DV cams with mixed success. Personally though I really like the look of the Wii steering wheel option linked to in the article.

Links: Blog article | Discussion forum thread

TX1 Forums are LIVE!

Well you asked for it, and you got it! The TX1 Forums are up and running.

As per usual you'll need to register, and verify once you receive an email from the forum system.

I'll most likely do some shameless promotion around some of the other places TX1 users lurk, but if you can also put the word out then we could get together a nice little community of contributors adding to discussions wide and varied.

Cheers, Matt

TX1 forums?

A few people have emailed me asking for a dedicated TX1 forum to be set up. I'm happy to do this if people will use it and get benefit from it. Would you register and use it if I set one up?

Cheers, Matt

Update: The forums are now live at http://forums.powershot-tx1.com

Sony HDR-TG1: smallest 1080i camcorder

Engadget has an overview of Sony's latest pocket rocket HD camcorder, the HDR-TG1 which is claimed to be the world's smallest HD camcorder. With a 10x optical zoom, touch screen LCD and face detection, it looks impressive. Although if you're a TX1 owner you'll notice a drawback right away - the price, US$900.

Engadget link.

TX1 101: Using the Enhanced Digital Zoom

Today's TX1 101 lab is focused on the nifty enhanced digital tele-zoom functions on the camera that allow you to combine optical and digital zoom to get closer to your subject.

Normally I would completely ignore the digital zoom capability on a point-and-shooter because the moment you pass over from optical to digital zoom, you can see the picture quality drop off significantly. But in the case of the TX1, and with good shooting conditions, the digital zoom is actually amazingly good.

The TX1 already has a fantastic 10x optical zoom which trounces most other pocket sized snappers. I personally think this is one of the camera's top features. One of the tricks it has up its sleeve is the ability to 'improve' the zoom further by dialling in some digital trickery.

Under normal circumstances, the TX1 has a 39mm-390mm focal length (35mm equivalent). By employing the digital tele-converter feature (manual, p32), you can improve this zoom by a factor of 1.5x or 1.9x. On each of these settings, both ends of the focal length are increased, as follows:

• 1.5x: 58.5mm - 585mm
• 1.9x: 74.1 - 741mm

In addition to this, you can simply allow the camera to use all of its digital zoom capability, stretching the far end of the focal length to a whopping 40x (or 1560mm). You might be thinking that's plain ridiculous and that the images are going to look badly pixelated, but you might just be surprised, as the test shots below demonstrate.

Zoom comparison

Alright, let's get some more room happening so you can see the comparisons, side by side.

Launch the comparison page (new window)

Sold? How to access the digital zoom & tele-converter

OK, so are you're impressed enough to want to try it for yourself? If so, here's how:

1. In any of the shooting modes (not play mode), go into Menu
2. Make sure you're on the menu with the Camera icon
3. Scroll down to 'Digital Zoom'
4. There are 4 settings
• Off (no digital zoom available, just optical 39-390mm)
• Standard (digital zoom on, 39-390mm optical, crossing into digital up to 1560mm)
• 1.5x (58.5mm - 585mm)
• 1.9x (74.1 - 741mm)
5. Choose the setting you want, and exit the Menu
6. If you've chosen 1.5x or 1.9x you'll notice a new display icon of T1.5x or T1.9x shown on the LCD
7. Use the zoom normally for photos and video
   

Safety Zoom feature

If you've chosen just to use the digital zoom (standard setting), you'll notice that when you zoom, the zoom bar shown on the LCD has two sections. The left hand section (shown in white) is the optical zoom. Any zooming in this section won't suffer from any digital deterioration.

The right hand section is where the digital zoom is being used. When you cross over from optical to digital zoom, the zooming action will pause for a moment to let you know you're crossing over.

The camera has a smart feature which can work out whether the digital part of the zoom is going to result in a significant reduction in image quality. If the zoom bar turns yellow, the digital part of the zoom is still going to take a good shot (with minor degradation of quality). If it however turns blue, that's when you are going to start to see the image quality go downhill fast.

You should also note that you can only use the digital zoom and tele-converter when you are shooting 4:3. It does not work in 16:9 mode.

I wouldn't recommend using this feature much indoors (or in low light), as the picture starts to get very noisy quickly. You'll also notice that at the far end of the digital zoom, the picture is very shaky. Unless you have the camera sitting on a rock solid tripod I also wouldn't recommend using too much digital zoom for video.

Why bother?

You might wonder why you'd want to use the 1.5x and 1.9x settings when you could just use the full power of the digital zoom. It's a valid question. One reason might be that you treat it like you might on a DSLR where upping the focal length at both ends is like changing zoom lenses. You always know what the minimum and maximum focal lengths are going to be, and you work within those.

Another possibility, and the one highlighted in the manual is that by using 1.5x and 1.9x you can achieve a faster shutter speed and more image stability than the equivalent focal length using the standard digital zoom. That's certainly worth considering.

Summary

So as you can see, the TX1's enhanced zoom is not too shabby when used in ideal conditions. In good light and with a fast enough shutter speed, you can still capture images of good quality and with excellent detail.

I'd be interested in people's experiences using the tele and digital zoom when out and about, so feel free to tell us all about it in the comments.