Canon Powershot TX1

The TX1 looks ore like a really compact camcorder over a digital camera. But then again, you won't be too wrong in mistaking it for a camcorder since that's one of its primary functions too. Confusing? Let me begin at the beginning.

Labeling the TX1 as a digital camera or a camcorder would not be entirely accurate, as it actually combines the best of both worlds. It's shaped like a miniature camcorder with a flip-out screen and has the ability to record good quality high definition video (1280 x 720 p), and it works as a fully functional 7.1 megapixel digicam as well. The TX1 is a compact 89 x 60 x 29 mm and weighs 220 grams, which may not exactly be featherweight but is light enough nonetheless. Though the overall look of the camera is very cool with its stainless steel body and the sleek design, unfortunately the design doesn't really translate well into good ergonomics. Holding the camera effectively can get very tricky. There are no grooves or any indication of how you're supposed to grip it. When you do hold it the way its meant to be held, the steel body starts to get a bit too slippery for comfort.

The button placement, however, is perfect for single-handed operation, and once my fingers knew where to go, all the shooting went pretty smoothly. Still, I wish they had a better placement and design for the ridiculously sunk-in power button, which is the most frustrating part about the TX1. That said, I still appreciate the fact that Canon actually managed to pack so much into a tiny body like the TX1's. A look at how tightly they've put together all the essential slots and and buttons into that little body, and you can't help but admire the quality of engineering that's gone into this device. But just packing all these features together is not enough to make a good product – which became obvious in our performance tests.

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If I were reviewing the TX1 as a digicam with HD video recording capabilities, the quality of video it produces is way better than what I've seen from other cameras in its category. Though the video is HD merely in size rather than true detail levels, it came without the interpolated scan lines and the jerky performance that often mars the video in digital cameras.

The stereo mic at the back of the screen did little to actually separate sounds into two stereo channels, but the quality was very good nonetheless. In fact, if it's HD video you're mainly interested in, the TX1 is a pretty decent choice for its price.

But as a regular digital camera that's meant for shooting still images, the TX1 fails to impress!

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First off, the autofocus is ridiculously out of place, with the edges completely blurring out even when shooting on a wider aperture. In portrait shots the camera refuses to focus on more than a single person, which makes a group photo pretty much pointless. And on the focused areas, the sharpness levels don't impress too much.

The colors gave little to complain about though, as they were perfectly reproduced with just the right amount of saturation. Camera speeds were pretty good too, with just under 2 seconds needed to start up and the same time to shut down. Even the shot-to-shot time was under 2 seconds without flash.

Now the reason I'm stumped about these issues with image sharpness and focusing is that I've used other cameras that have the same DIGIC III image processor that's in this camera; yet the image quality is nowhere close to those. Maybe it's the piece we got for review, but I can't give it the benefit of the doubt in that case.

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.