Sony TX20 Review

This camera was featured in our Waterproof Camera Shootout 2012. To find out how it compares head-to-head with five other rugged, element-defying compact digital cameras, click here!

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 Review

by Daniel Grotta, Mike Tomkins and Shawn Barnett, with Roger Slavens
Review posted: November 9, 2012

Want a really life-proof camera, but not a fan of the clichéd, chunky design aesthetic that says "rugged camera?" Well, they're not all made that way. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 has a body that's waterproof up to five meters (16 feet), shockproof to 1.5 meters (five feet), dustproof, and freezeproof to -10°C (14°F). In spite of that, it wouldn't be out of place on the catwalk, with clean lines, a selection of bold body colors, and even some interesting textures on a few color choices.

Effective resolution from the TX20's imager is 16.2 megapixels, and the sensor size is 1/2.3-inch, for a diagonal of 7.7mm. It's a backside-illuminated image sensor, so its light gathering ability should be better than that of a standard CMOS chip. That's because more of the surface area can be devoted to light-gathering, as the circuitry has been moved below the active layer of the sensor. ISO sensitivity ranges from 125 to 3,200 equivalents.

In front of the Sony TX20's sensor sits a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar branded, prism-folded 4x optical zoom lens. The prism allows the lens to be mounted sideways in the camera, to achieve its slim, pocket-friendly form factor. That folded optical design also means that there's no delay to wait for the lens to extend, and the delicate moving parts are kept safe from accidental knocks. 35mm-equivalent focal lengths range from 25-100mm for still images at the native aspect ratio, and maximum aperture ranges from f/3.5 to f/4.6 across the zoom range.

On the rear panel of the Sony TX20 is a large 3.0-inch LCD display, with a high resolution of 921,600 dots. That equates to a 640 x 480 pixel array, with each pixel comprised of separate red, green and blue dots. The screen also doubles as an input device, courtesy of a touch panel overlay. As you'd expect given the form factor of the TX20, there's no optical or electronic viewfinder.

In addition to still images, the TX20 can also record high-definition video at up to Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) resolution. For movie capture, ISO sensitivity ranges from 125 to 1,000 equivalents, and can be expanded to ISO 2,000 equivalent. At the maximum resolution, videos are saved with AVCHD compression. A 1,440 x 1,080 pixel mode can be saved either with AVCHD or MPEG-4 compression, and plays back at 16:9 aspect ratio, but with reduced resolution on the x-axis. There are also high-def 720p (1,280 x 720 pixel) and standard-def VGA (640 x 480 pixel) resolution options, both of which are saved as MPEG-4 video. The AVCHD video all has a rate of 60 interlaced fields per second, while the MPEG-4 video is at 30 frames-per-second. A built-in microphone provides for stereo audio.

Two different stabilization systems are available for video: either the standard Optical SteadyShot used for still imaging, or a more powerful Active SteadyShot mode that combines optical and digital stabilization, with a resulting increase in the focal length crop. (Translation: wide-angle video is harder to achieve with this enabled, but you can manage an even greater maximum telephoto.) Interestingly, the Sony TX20 can also save 12 megapixel still images during movie capture, without interrupting the video feed. This is achieved using Sony's "By Pixel Super Resolution" technology, a variant of digital zoom that uses both interpolation and pattern-matching to resample the low-res video frame to a much higher resolution.

The Sony TX20 includes a combined USB/AV-out/DC-in multi-connector and a Mini (Type C) HDMI port. Images and movies are stored in a not-so-generous 19MB of built-in memory, or on SD / Memory Stick Duo cards. Supported SD cards include SDHC and SDXC types, while Memory Stick Duo compatibility includes PRO Duo and PRO HG Duo types, as well as Micro and Micro Mark 2 cards with an adapter. Power comes courtesy of a proprietary NP-BN or NP-BN1 lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack, with the former in the product bundle. The TX20 is rated as good for 250 shots on a charge.

Sony TX20 Field Test

by Daniel Grotta and Shawn Barnett

Design. Sony's metal and plastic Cyber-shot DSC-TX20's body is very cool, with the look and feel of a fine precision instrument. Except for a handful of buttons -- shutter, power, movie, and playback, as well as the tiny zoom lens lever on the camera's edge -- everything else is controlled via a high-res touchscreen. We found that a mixed blessing, because, although the function, modes and control icons are highly visible and easy to understand on the Sony TX20, they're also very small and can be hard to zero in on with your finger. Worse yet, in bright light, we could barely see the subject on the screen, much less the controls. The sliding metal door on the Sony TX20's front is a neat design that turns the power on while exposing the lens, flash, illumination lamp and stereo microphones. The side and bottom flaps open with the flick of a fingernail -- sorry, no locks provided. You must plug the Sony TX20 into the provided AC adapter to charge the battery, though there is an optional dedicated battery charger available for around US$50.

Features, functions and modes. Sony has long been a master of miniaturization, and the Sony TX20 fittingly packs a lot of technology into a very slim and trim camera. We found it remarkable to go from zero to 100 by simply flipping open the cover, flicking the zoom lever in the upper right corner, and pressing the shutter button. While it lacks GPS capability, the Sony TX20 has most of the modes offered by its waterproof competitors, and includes some neat settings, such as High Sensitivity, Anti-Motion blur, Handheld Twilight, Backlight Correction HDR, Intelligent Sweep Panorama and Hi-speed Shutter. It also captures Full HD video at 60i. Unfortunately, the Sony TX20 does not feature a histogram display.

Display and menus. Sporting 921K dots, the Sony TX20's 3-inch screen displays far greater resolution than any of the other cameras in our shootout. It's very sharp and bright, and able to display great detail. However, colors are inaccurate, oversaturated and contrasty, with loss of detail throughout the dynamic range. Alas, the Sony TX20's screen is virtually unviewable in bright sunlight. Except for the zoom lever, power, playback and dedicated movie buttons, all other commands are touchscreen-controlled. While text and icons are legible, they're quite small by default, so it can be difficult zeroing in on a specific icon (note, however, Easy Mode enlarges them). And it's impossible to read in bright sunlight. However, we liked the Sony TX20's In-Camera Guide, a series of abbreviated how-tos and helpful explanations.

Handling and operation. The Sony TX20 is a very agile camera, easy to handle and fast to shoot. It was also instantly popular with everyone who handled it. We could even simultaneously press the shutter button and move the zoom lever with the same index finger. Controlling the zoom is another matter, since its short throw means you can't get it to stop precisely where you want. Bootup and shutter delay are fast, though recycling times, especially with flash enabled, are disappointingly slow. But the Sony TX20 offers an excellent burst mode of 10fps, the fastest in our Waterproof Camera Shootout. Under ideal conditions, and despite the diminutive character and text size, the Sony TX20's touchscreen is quite readable and responsive. But we found it all but impossible to see and use in bright light and underwater.

Performance and image quality. Sony's pool shots were somewhat underexposed at times, but had good color. We rate Sony's underwater still images as Good.

The Sony TX20's videos had excellent clarity, smoothness and accurate color, but weak audio recording. It also underexposed somewhat. Overall, we rate the video quality as Good.

Sony TX20 Lens Quality

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 features a 4x optical zoom lens, equivalent to a 25-100mm lens on a 35mm camera.

Sharpness: The wide-angle end of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20's zoom shows strong blurring in the corners of the frame compared to what we see at center, though blurring doesn't extend far into the image area. At telephoto, blurring is stronger and extends far in toward center.

Geometric Distortion: There is moderate barrel distortion at wide-angle (~0.5%), and almost no perceptible distortion at telephoto. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20's processor does a good job keeping things under control here.

Chromatic Aberration: Chromatic aberration at wide-angle is moderate in terms of pixel count, though pixels are a little bright. Telephoto shows stronger distortion, with bright red and blue pixels.

Macro: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20's Macro mode captures fairly sharp details at the center of the frame, though with noticeable blurring and chromatic aberration in the corners of the frame (a common limitation among consumer digital cameras in macro mode). Minimum coverage area is 1.72 x 1.29 inches (44 x 33mm), which is good. The camera focuses so closely that the flash exposure is uneven, with dark shadows in the left corners and hot spots in the top right.

Sony TX20 Viewfinder Accuracy

Viewfinder Accuracy: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20's LCD monitor showed right about 100% coverage at wide-angle and at telephoto, which is quite good.

Sony TX20 Image Quality

Color: Color is fairly natural-looking overall, though bright yellows are muted quite a bit. Strong reds and blues are a little bright, but greens are about right. Hue shifts are apparent in colors like yellow, orange and cyan, and minutely in some greens. Overall hue accuracy was about average. Dark skintones are about right with a hint of red, while lighter skin tones show a small nudge toward magenta. Still, good results overall, though mean saturation isn't boosted as much as typical compacts.

Incandescent: Manual white balance handled our incandescent lighting best overall, though results are a hint cool. Auto came close, but results are too red. Incandescent produced a very warm image.

Resolution: Our laboratory resolution chart revealed sharp, distinct line patterns down to about 2,200 lines per picture height horizontally, and to about 2,100 lines vertically. Extinction occurred around 2,800 lines.

Flash: Our manufacturer-specified testing (shown at right) shows dark results at the rated wide-angle distance of 12.2 feet, though ISO was increased to 500. The telephoto test came out fine at 8.8 feet, though ISO was boosted a lot to 1,600.

Auto flash produced bright results in our indoor portrait scene, retaining some of the ambient light at 1/30 second, ISO to 800. Image stabilization should help with the slower shutter speed, but any movement of the subject could be problematic at slower shutter speeds. (The TX20 does however have motion detection which should reduce subject blur.) Shot taken at ~5 feet (~1.5m) on a stable tripod.

ISO: Noise and Detail: Details are distinct at ISO 125 and 200, but become noticeably soft at ISO 400. Both chroma (color) and luminance noise remain tolerably under control, though detail becomes progressively smudged as sensitivity increases, thanks to noise suppression efforts. See Printed section below for more on how this affects printed images.

Print Quality: ISO 125 shots look good at 13 x 19 inches. A slight haze over some of the detail and noise in the shadows keep us from calling them great, but they're pretty good. We'd have expected a little better from the 16-megapixel sensor.

ISO 200 images are usable at 13 x 19, but a little soft, so we prefer the 11 x 14-inch prints.

ISO 400 images look a little too smudged at 11 x 14 inches, but look just fine at 8 x 10.

ISO 800 shots are a little softer, but still look good at 8 x 10.

ISO 1,600 images look good at 5 x 7.

ISO, 3,200 shots are usable at 5 x 7, but really quite good at 4 x 6.

Overall, the Sony TX20 does well enough for most, though we'd prefer a little better quality from a 16-megapixel sensor.

Sony TX20 Performance

Startup Time: The Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 takes about 1.2 seconds to power on and take a shot. That's pretty quick.

Shutter Lag: Full autofocus shutter lag is also quite good, at 0.29 second at wide angle and 0.30 second at full telephoto. Prefocused shutter lag is 0.015 second, among the fastest out there.

Cycle Time: Cycle time is a little slow, capturing a frame every 1.99 seconds in single-shot mode. The Sony TX20's full-resolution burst mode is very fast, though, able to capture 10 frames in one second.

Flash Recycle: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 flash recycles in about 6.3 seconds after a full-power discharge, about average.

Low Light AF: The camera's AF system was able to focus down to about the 1/4 foot-candle light level without AF assist enabled, though the camera was only able to focus to one foot-candle with the AF assist lamp enabled. (Our tester noted that the AF lamp was so bright that it overpowered the AF system in our standard test.)

USB Transfer Speed: Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20's download speeds are moderately fast. We measured 7,501 KBytes/sec.

Battery Life: The Cyber-shot DSC-TX20's battery life has a CIPA rating of 250 shots per charge, which is a bit below average for a waterproof compact.

In the Box

The retail package contains the following items:

• Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20
• Battery (NP-BN)
• AC Adapter (AC-UB10)
• Multi USB cable
• Wrist strap
• Paint pen
• Instruction manual

Recommended Accessories

• Extra battery pack for extended outings
• Large capacity SDHC/SDXC memory card. These days, 8GB is a good tradeoff between cost and capacity, but if you plan to capture many movie clips, 16GB should be a minimum. Look for Class 4 or faster.
• Small camera case

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 Conclusion

The Sony TX20 turns the image of the rugged, waterproof camera on its head, offering sleek styling and a touch of class. Fast shutter lag and burst speed, good movie mode and good print quality stand out as high points for the TX20. Optical distortion at wide angle and chromatic aberration at both ends were mild problems, as were occasional exposure inconsistencies, both over and under, which is undesirable outdoors. However, we liked that the Sony TX20 turned on the flash in our outdoor portrait test. It made a big difference in the image. This is just how a camera should behave for the snapshooter who simply wants the best shot. Though it doesn't quite rise to the level of a Dave's Pick, we think the Sony TX20 makes for a fun camera on a rainy day.

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