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Canon PowerShot TX1 Performance


Timing and Performance

Good to average speed for a consumer camera.

Startup/Shutdown

Power on
to first shot

 1.9 seconds

Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.

Shutdown

 2.3 seconds

How long it takes to retract lens.

Buffer clearing time

 1 seconds
(buffer clearing after LSF JPEGs)

Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Mode switching

Play to Record,
first shot

 3.3 seconds

Time until first shot is captured

Record to play

 1.3 seconds

Time to display a large/superfine file immediately after capture

Display
recorded image

 1.3 seconds

Time to display a large/superfine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time):

Full Autofocus Wide

 0.62 second

Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.

Full Autofocus Tele

 0.38 second

Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.

Prefocused

 0.070 second

Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Continuous AF
0.81 second
This mode usually shows no speed increase with our static subject; we have no way to measure performance with moving subjects.
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode
Large SuperFine JPEG
 1.68 seconds

Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.

Single Shot mode
640x480 Normal JPEG

 1.56 seconds

Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.

Early shutter
penalty?

 No

Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer

Continuous mode
Large SuperFine JPEG

 0.99 second (1.01 frames per second);
1 second to clear

Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.

Continuous mode
640x480 Normal JPEG

 0.98 second (1.02 frames per second);
1 second to clear

Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.

Flash recycling

 7.2 seconds

Flash at maximum output.

Download speed

Windows Computer, USB 2.0

 1,779 KBytes/sec

Typical Values:
Less than 600=USB 1.1;
600-769=USB 2.0 Low;
Above 770=USB 2.0 High

*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode.

The Canon PowerShot TX1's performance ranges from good to just average, though its 7-second flash recycle time is a bit slow. Start-up time is reasonable, but not fast. Shutter lag at wide angle and telephoto zoom settings is good, and "prefocus" times (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure) are fast as well, with a shutter delay of only 0.070 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are a little longer than average these days, at about 1.7 seconds for large/superfine JPEGs, but the camera captures frames continuously at this rate. Continuous-mode speed is on the slower side, at about one frame/second, though again the camera captures frames continuously. Connected to a computer, download speeds are exceptionally fast, so you won't feel a need for a separate card reader. Bottom line, the Canon TX1 is responsive enough for most family photo opportunities, though its continuous shooting mode might be a tad slow for kids or sporting events.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Short battery life for a lithium-ion design.

Operating Mode Number of Shots
Lithium-ion rechargeable battery
160

The Canon PowerShot TX1 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and a charger is included. Runtimes are well below average, so we strongly recommend you pick up an extra battery pack and keep it charged and on-hand for extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Canon PowerShot TX1 accepts SDHC/SD/MMC memory cards, and a 32MB card is included with the camera.

Image Capacity with
32MB Memory Card		 SuperFine Fine Normal
3,072 x 2,304
Images
9
15
32
File Size
3.3 MB
2.0 MB
984 KB
2,592 x 1,944
Images
11
21
41
File Size
2.7 MB
1.5 MB
762 KB
2,048 x 1,536
Images
18
33
65
File Size
1.7 MB
966 KB
491 KB
1,600 x 1,200
Images
29
52
99
File Size
1.1 MB
610 KB
322 KB
640 x 480
Images
111
171
269
File Size
288 KB
186 KB
119 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SDHC/SD memory card at least a 2GB card, preferably a 4 to 8GB one, especially if you'll be shooting video. An 8GB card will record 62 minutes at highest quality 640x480 30fps. Set resolution to 16:9 1280 at 30fps, and that drops to 28 minutes.

 

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