Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 Review
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 12.2 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 4.5Mb.
The Sony CyberShot DSC-TX9's image quality is very good for a compact camera with such a small image sensor. The Sony CyberShot DSC-TX9's dealt very well with noise, which doesn't really become obvious until ISO 800. The noise, colour desaturation and loss of detail gets progressively worse as you go from ISO 800 to ISO 1600 and finally the last resort 3200 setting.
The Sony CyberShot DSC-TX9 handled chromatic aberrations well with some purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations. The 12.2 megapixel images were just a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpen setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop.
The Sony CyberShot DSC-TX9's maximum shutter speed is only 2 seconds, which is not good news for night photography enthusiasts. Macro performance is one of the stand-out highlights, allowing you to focus as close as 1cm away from the subject, although there is a lot of lens distortion and shadowing at such a close distance.
The built-in flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and good overall exposure. The Sweep Panorama feature is fun for anyone wanting extra wide landscapes, now enhanced by the ability to view them in cutting-edge 3D on a compatible 3DTV set.
Noise
There are 6 ISO settings available on the Sony CyberShot DSC-TX9. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.
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ISO 125 (100% Crop) |
ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
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Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are just a little soft and ideally benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can't change the in-camera sharpening level.
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Original (100% Crop) |
Sharpened (100% Crop) |
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Chromatic Aberrations
The Sony CyberShot DSC-TX9 handled chromatic aberrations well during the review, with some limited purple fringing present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.
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Example 1 (100% Crop) |
Example 2 (100% Crop) |
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Macro
The Sony CyberShot DSC-TX9 offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is just 1cm away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.
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Macro Shot |
100% Crop |
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Flash
The flash settings on the Sony CyberShot DSC-TX9 are Auto, Forced Flash, Slow Syncro, No Flash, with a Red-eye Reduction option in the Main menu. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.
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Suppressed Flash - Wide Angle (25mm) |
Forced Flash - Wide Angle (25mm) |
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Suppressed Flash - Telephoto (100mm) |
Forced Flash - Telephoto (100mm) |
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And here are some portrait shots. Neither the Forced Flash setting or the Red-Eye Correction option caused any red-eye.
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Forced Flash |
Forced Flash (100% Crop) |
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Red-eye Reduction |
Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop) |
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Night Shot
The Sony CyberShot DSC-TX9's maximum shutter speed is 2 seconds, which is not good news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 2 seconds at ISO 125.
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Night Shot |
Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Intelligent Sweep Panorama Mode
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 allows you to take panoramic images very easily, by 'sweeping' with the camera while keeping the shutter release depressed. The camera does all the processing and stitching and now even successfully compensates for moving subjects. The main catch is that the resulting image is of fairly low resolution.
There's also a 3D Sweep Panorama mode which, if you're lucky enough to own a compatible 3D HDTV, displays the panoramas in 3D. Download the full-size samples below to experience the full 3D effect.
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| Download the Full Size Image |
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| Download the Full Size Image |
Superior Auto Mode
The Superior Auto mode takes 6 images and combines them to create one low-noise picture with wide dynamic range.
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Off |
On |
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Background Defocus
The Background Defocus mode makes it easy to blur the background to make the main subject stand out.
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Off |
On |
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Backlight Correction HDR
The Backlight Correction HDR scene mode takes two pictures at different exposure settings and combines them into a single image for more natural looking shots.
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Off |
On |
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Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
Sample Movie & Video
This is a sample video from the Sony CyberShot DSC-TX9 camera at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 10 second movie is 21.2Mb in size.
Product Images
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera / Lens Cover Open |
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Isometric View |
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Isometric View |
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Rear of the Camera |
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Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed |
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Rear of the Camera / Turned On |
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Rear of the Camera / Main Menu |
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Rear of the Camera / Settings Menu |
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Rear of the Camera / Mode Menu |
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Top of the Camera |
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Bottom of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Battery Compartment |
Conclusion
Sony have built on the proven design and success of earlier T-series models to create their best-ever slim, stylish and down-right clever compact. If you want an all-singing, all-dancing pocket camera that will impress your friends and take great pictures, then the Cyber-shot TX9 certainly fits the bill - that's if you're not put off by the seemingly vast number of technology-led shooting modes and the sky-high price.
The TX9 is literally stuffed full of clever modes that aim to take the best shot possible with the minimum of fuss, most of them taking advantage of the camera's high-speed shooting capabilities to combine groups of shots into a single perfect image. Whilst most, if not all, of these modes delivered the goods, choosing the right one for the right situation is something of a minefield for the uninitiated, and some of the resulting effects do range from too subtle to over-processed. And despite all that cutting-edge technology, the TX9 is still a point-and-shoot at heart, with no direct control over the fundamentals of photography.
Thankfully image quality is very good, with unwanted noise and colour desaturation not becoming too obvious until IS0 800, chromatic aberrations are well controlled, white balance is generally accurate and colours pleasingly err on the vibrant side. The TX9 also has every base covered in terms of video, with 1080i movies with stereo sound, a silent 4x optical zoom and a HDMI port for easy connection to a TV making this one of the few compacts to offer a Full HD experience straight from the camera to the living room. The intuitive and well-honed touchscreen interface is one of the few systems that we've used where we haven't moaned about the lack of physical buttons, and the 3D sweep panoramas are more than a novelty for those lucky enough to own a suitable 3DTV.
As with all of Sony's TX-series cameras, the TX9 is a premium product in terms of build-quality and overall finish, and it's diminutive dimensions and weight positively encourage you to carry it with you wherever you go. You may not take your best and most admired shots with it - you'll need a budget DSLR that you could buy for a similar asking price for that - but with the TX9 about your person you're sure to take ones that you otherwise wouldn't have.
The only real drawback then is the high asking price - £380 / $399 is an awful lot of money for a point-and-shoot camera, however many clever technologies it has. If you don't mind spending the extra cash or some time learning what the various modes can do, then the Sony Cyber-shot TX9 is one of the most full-featured and ultimately fun cameras around.
| Ratings (out of 5) | |
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| Design | 4.5 |
| Features | 5 |
| Ease-of-use | 4 |
| Image quality | 4 |
| Value for money | 3.5 |
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 from around the web.
asia.cnet.com »
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 offers plenty of advanced shooting features underneath its good looks.
Read the full review »
Specifications
| Optical Zoom | 4x |
| Precision Digital Zoom | Approx.8x(Total) |
| Smart Zoom | up to 25x (with VGA) |
| F | 3.5-4.6 |
| Focal Length (f= mm) | 4.43-17.7 |
| Focal Length (f=35mm conversion) | 25-100 |
| Macro (cm) | iAuto(W:Approx.1cm(0.39'') to Infinity, T:Approx.50cm(1.64') to Infinity) / Program Auto(W:Approx.8cm(0.26') to Infinity, T:Approx.50cm(1.64') to Infinity) |
| Filter Diameter (mm) | NO |
| Conversion Lens compatibility | NO |
| Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens | YES |
| Sony G | NO |
| CCD Type | Exmor™ R CMOS sensor |
| Size (Inches) | 1/2.3 type(7.81mm) |
| Effective Pixels (Mega Pixels) | Approx. 12.2 |
| Bionz Processor | YES |
| Face Detection | YES |
| Smile Shutter | YES |
| Sweep Panorama | NO |
| Intelligent Sweep Panorama | YES |
| Underwater Sweep Panorama | YES (Housing Off/On) |
| 3D Sweep Panorama | YES |
| Clear RAW NR | YES |
| Auto Focus Area (Multi Point) | 9 points(Under Face Undetected) |
| Auto Focus Area (Centre weighted) | YES |
| Auto Focus Area (Spot) | YES |
| Auto Focus Area (Flexible Spot) | YES(Touch) |
| Manual Focus | NO |
| Focus Preset | NO |
| Focus Preset (m) | NO |
| Tracking Focus | YES |
| Aperture Auto Mode | YES |
| Aperture Priority Mode | NO |
| Aperture Manual Mode | NO |
| Shutter Speed Auto Mode (sec) | iAuto(2" - 1/1.600) / Program Auto(1" - 1/1.600) |
| NR Slow Shutter | 1 / 3sec or slower |
| Hand Shake Alert | YES |
| Exposure Control | +/- 2.0EV, 1/ 3 EV step |
| White Balance | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent1, Fluorescent2, Fluorescent3, Incandescent, Flash, One Push, One Push Set |
| Automatic White Balance (Under water) | YES |
| Light Metering (Multi Pattern) | YES |
| Light Metering (Centre weighted) | YES |
| Light Metering (Spot) | YES |
| Sharpness Setting | NO |
| Saturation Setting | NO |
| Contrast Setting | NO |
| ISO Sensitivity (REI) | Auto / 125 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 |
| Scene Selection | 9 modes (Twilight / Twilight Portrait / Twilight using a tripod / Backlight / Backlight Portrait / Landscape / Macro / Portrait / Close Focus) |
| AF Illuminator | Auto / Off |
| Flash Mode | Auto / Flash On / Slow Syncro / Flash Off |
| Distance limitations using Flash (m) | ISO Auto: Approx.0.08-Approx.3.8m(Approx.0.26'-Approx.12.47')(W) / Approx.0.5-Approx.3.1m (Approx.1.64'-Approx.10.17')(T), ISO3200: up to Approx.8.0m(Approx26.25')(W) / Approx.6.3m(Approx20.67')(T) |
| Pre-flash | YES |
| Red-eye Reduction | YES |
| Auto Daylight Synchronized Flash | YES |
| Super SteadyShot capability | NO |
| SteadyShot capability | NO |
| Optical SteadyShot capability | YES |
| AF Illuminator | YES |
| Flash Mode | Auto / Flash On / Slow Syncro / Flash Off |
| Red-Eye Reduction | YES |
| Auto Daylight Synchronized Flash | YES |
| LCD Screen Size | 8.8cm / 3.5" |
| LCD Total Dots Number | 921.600 |
| LCD Monitor Type | TFT |
| Auto Bright Monitoring | YES |
| Optical Viewfinder | NO |
| Electrical Viewfinder | NO |
| Recording Media | Memory Stick™ Duo(still only), Memory Stick PRO Duo™(Mark2 only for movie). Memory Stick PRO Duo™ High Speed (Still only and no Speed Advantage), Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo™ (No Speed Advantage) |
| Recording Media-II | SD Memory Card(Class4 or Higher for movie), SDHC/SDXC Memory Card(Class4 or Higher for movie), Internal memory (32MB) |
| Recording Format | JPEG |
| DCF (Design rule for Camera File System) | YES |
| DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) | YES |
| Burst Mode (shots) | Approx.10 fps(10 shots) |
| Burst Interval (approximately sec) | Approx.0.1 sec.(10 shots) |
| Still Image size (14 Mega 4320 x 3240) | NO |
| Still Image size (13 Mega 4224 x 3168) | NO |
| Still Image size (12 Mega 4000 x 3000) | NO |
| Still Image size (10 Mega 3648 x 2736) | YES |
| Still Image size (9.0 Mega, 3456 x 2592) | NO |
| Still Image size (8.0 Mega, 3264 x 2448) | YES |
| Still Image size (7.2 Mega 3072 x 2304) | NO |
| Still Image size (5.0 Mega, 2592 x 1944) | YES |
| Still Image size (3.1 Mega, 2048 x 1536) | NO |
| Still Image size (VGA, 640 x 480) | YES |
| Still Image size (16:9 mode, 1920 x 1080) | YES |
| Still Image size (16:9 mode, 4320 x 2432) | NO |
| Still Image size (16:9 mode, 4000 x 2248) | YES |
| Still Image size (3:2 mode, 4000 x 2672) | NO |
| Still Image size (3:2 mode 3648 x 2432) | NO |
| Still Image size (3:2 mode 3456 x 2304) | NO |
| 2D Panorama | 7,152 x 1,080(281deg) / 4,912 x 1,080(193deg) / 4,912 x 1,920(194deg) / 3,424 x 1,920(135deg) |
| 3D Panorama | 7,152 x 1,080(281deg) / 4,912 x 1,080(193deg) / 4,912 x 1,920(194deg) / 3,424 x 1,920(135deg) / 1,920 x 1080(76deg) |
| Moving Image Size (1280x720 30fps Fine Approx.9Mbps) | NO |
| Moving Image Size (1280x720 30fps Standard Approx.6Mbps) | NO |
| Moving Image Size (640x480 30fps Approx.3Mbps) | NO |
| Moving Image Size (320x240 30fps) | NO |
| Moving Image Size (AVCHD 1920 x 1080(50i, Interlace) Approx.17Mbps(Average bit-rate)) | YES |
| Moving Image Size (AVCHD 1440 x 1080(50i, Interlace) Approx.9Mbps(Average bit-rate)) | YES |
| Moving Image Size (MP4/AVI 1440 x 1080 Approx.25fps Progressive) Approx.12Mbps(Average bit-rate)) | YES |
| Moving Image Size (MP4/AVI 1280 x 720 Approx.25fps Progressive) Approx.6Mbps(Average bit-rate)) | YES |
| Moving Image Size (MP4/AVI 640 x 480 Approx.25fps Progressive) Approx.3Mbps(Average bit-rate)) | YES |
| HD (High Definition) Playback | YES |
| Slideshow Playback | YES |
| Slideshow with Music | YES |
| Slideshow Movie | YES |
| Trimming | YES |
| Playback Zoom | YES |
| Divide (MPEG) | NO |
| Cue & Review (MPEG) | YES |
| Index Playback | 12 / 28 images (Date / Folder-Still / Folder-MP4 / AVCHD) |
| Image Rotation | YES |
| Auto Image Rotation | YES |
| Auto grouping and & Best Picture Recognition | YES |
| Battery Remaining Indicator | YES |
| Histogram Indicator | NO |
| Exposure Warning Indicator | YES |
| Disk / Memory Stick remaining indicator | YES |
| PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) | YES |
| Print Image Matching | YES |
| PictBridge | NO |
| Shop Front Mode | YES |
| Start up time (approximately sec) | 1.3 |
| Menu Language | English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek, Croatian, Romanian, Bulgarian |
| Multi use Terminal with HD | Type2c (AV(SD/HD Component*5) /HDMI*5/ USB / DCIN*5 |
| Multi use Terminal | YES |
| AV Out | NO |
| USB 2.0 Hi-Speed | YES |
| Battery System | Lithium N |
| Supplied Battery | NP-BN1 |
| Stamina (battery life) with the supplied battery(s) in normal shooting condition | 230 shots, 115min (CIPA standard with LCD screen on) |
| Battery for Clock | Manganese-Lithium (MS614SE) |
| Weight (g) | Approx. 133 (4.7oz.) |
| Weight with Accessories (g) | Approx. 149 (5.3oz.) |
| Supplied Software | Picture Motion Browser Ver.5.3(Windows only) |
| Supplied Accessories | Rechargeable Battery Pack(NP-BN1),Battery Charger, AV Cable, USB Cable, Power Cord, Wrist Strap, Paint Pen, CD-ROM, Multi-output Stand |
| Width (mm) | 97.8 |
| Height (mm) | 59.5 |
| Depth (mm) | 17.5 |
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