Sony DSC-TX1

Maximum aperture varies from f/3.5 to f/4.6 across the zoom range.

The TX1 doesn't offer shutter/aperture-priority or manual modes, but does provide a good range of scene modes that offer some control over the look of images.

The Sony TX1 features Sony's Bionz image processor, and offers sensitivities ranging from a minimum of ISO 80 to a maximum of ISO 3,200 equivalent at full resolution.

The touch panel helps keep the number of controls on the Sony TX1 down to a bare minimum, with almost all interaction instead taking place directly on the display.

For framing and reviewing images, the Sony TX1 offers a 230,000 dot 3.0-inch Clear Photo Plus LCD which is touch-sensitive, there being no optical viewfinder on this camera.

The lens has optical image stabilization, which along with the improved sensitivity should help with preventing blur from camera shake.

The imager sits behind a prism-folded Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar branded 4x optical zoom lens which offers focal lengths ranging from a fairly ordinary 35mm wide angle to a 140mm telephoto.

The Sony DSC-TX1 brings features previously seen in the company's popular HX1 model into a more compact body.

DSC-TX1 is one of the first two Sony Cyber-shot digital still cameras to feature a back-illuminated 'Exmor R' CMOS image sensor.