Canon PowerShot TX1

usability, performance, portability, size, image quality

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86% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

HD video recording, great colour reproduction

Chromatic aberration issues, control layout irritating

Images sport bright colors and sharp details, even in full 10X optical zoom shots. HD video quality matches stand-alone camcorders

Low-light shots look noisy and undefined. Tiny, 1.8-inch LCD. Buttons are hard to reach when shooting vertically

10X zoom and optical image stabilization ; Records high-definition video

Small LCD ; Short battery life

If you're already comfortable using a camcorder, the TX1 could be a good choice for taking still photos and short video clips. It's hard to imagine packing a 10X zoom into a smaller package. That small size, unfortunately, leaves you with a small LCD...

Good resolution, good edge-to-edge sharpness at most settings Surprisingly good output quality at lower ISO settings Very compact design and superb build quality Big 10x (39-390mm equivalent) zoom range in a very small camera Much improved on-screen...

Vertical design and control placement have a serious effect on handling Would be nicer if the lens started a little wider than 39mm equivalent Very difficult to hold for vertically-orientated shots Almost impossible to start/stop movies or zoom without...

I have to confess I'm struggling to know who Canon is really aiming the TX1 at; it seems slightly confused as to what its primary function actually is. One the one hand it is, technically, the cheapest 'HDTV' camcorder on the market, and one that is...

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Though the camera has a lot of appealing features, such as its unique design and HD video recording, it just isn't good value at Rs 20,990.

If you're already comfortable using a camcorder, the Canon PowerShot TX1 could be a good choice for taking still photos and short video clips. It's hard to imagine packing a 10X zoom into a smaller package. That small size, unfortunately, leaves you...

10x optical zoom ; Optical image stabilisation ; 1,280x720, 30 frames per second HD video capture ; Very close-focusing SuperMacro mode

Extremely awkward design ; So-so still image quality ; Sluggish performance ; Noisy at higher ISOs

If you absolutely have to have a combo still camera/720p HD camcorder, the Canon PowerShot TX1 is probably the best bang for the buck. Its two serious competitors, the Sanyo Xacti HD2 and Panasonic SDR-S150 both cost significantly more, and in the case...