I’ve been wanting to write about my favorite little camera for a while, but needed to find the time to do it justice.  I have owned the Sony DSC-TX10 since April 2011.  It has been beaten, dunked, dropped and overall mistreated in travels near and far.  This little camera is almost always with me, spending a lot of time rattling around in my work bag.  It is the best small camera I have ever owned…thus making it one of my favorite things!

This Sony camera is the perfect companion for a parent or youth minister…I happen to be both.  As a parent, it is nice to have a little camera that easily fits in my pocket.  I never have to worry about treating it nicely or worry if it gets wet or sweaty.  As a youth minister, I never know what I will get into.  This camera has been pelted by marshmallows, drowned in rivers and pelted on paintball fields – all parts of an active youth ministry.

Why do I feel qualified to write about a camera? I have been taking photos since I was in junior high, when cameras used film and I developed my photos in a darkroom.  I have shot professionally for a while and have owned many great cameras.  My current big camera is a Canon 5D Mark II with an L-series lens.  The Canon is by far the best camera I have ever owned, but it costs over 10x more than this Sony.  I love photography, videography and capturing moments.  This Sony camera is an affordable way for anyone to shoot good photos and record great HD video.

Here’s what I like about the Sony:

• Super slim design
• High quality 16.2 MP image sensor for photos and HD video
• Stereo microphone
• Optical image stabilization
• Waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof
• Large touch screen

For fairness, here is what I don’t like:

• Battery life is short
• Touch screen can be tough to navigate

This is the second small Sony camera we have owned.  This one is a big improvement!  Sony did an excellent job of redesigning the camera.  The current model (DSC-TX20 – $199) is very similar to the TX10 that I own and have used for years.  Sony is just coming out with a TX30 that has some new features.  It will be available 4/19.  So now is a good time to pick up a discounted TX20 unless you like the newest technology and can wait till mid-April.

I’ll be honest, I shoot more video with this little camera than I do photos.  I originally found the little Sony camera after seeing it on a blog I followed, the now defunct Lo-fi, Hi-style which was written by Seattle photographer Kirk Mastin.  His whole emphasis was using low-cost (by comparison) equipment to produce high quality productions.  With an amazing sensor and stereo microphone, the TX10 can make a quality image while being unobtrusive.

Let’s take a look at some particulars.  I took some quick photos and videos while out playing with the girls in the backyard.  Let’s start with two photos that I made of the girls.  In the following image, the bottom photo was taken with the $200 Sony TX10 and the upper photo was taken with my $2,000+ Canon 5D Mark II in auto mode (not how I usually shoot).

Neither of the photos in the image have been touched up in any way.  I didn’t adjust the contrast or correct the color, etc.  You can see that both images are just fine for a quick snapshot.  Honestly you could mix in an image from an iPhone and not be able to see much difference until you start trying to crop the image or make it bigger.

The following image shows the distance that can be covered by the built in 4x optical zoom lens.  I was standing in the same spot when I took both photos.  It is amazing that the camera can zoom this much without having any kind of protrusion from the camera body.

The next image shows a photo using the digital zoom at its maximum range.  Just a hint  – never, ever…and I mean never…use the digital zoom option.  The pixelation is very noticeable. The TX10 has tons of settings and adjustments that can be made on the camera.  I’ll be honest, I have no clue how half of the options work.  But the TX10 has a surprising number of adjustments like a DSLR would have.  The only problem, they are only accessible through the touch screen.  If I were shooting with my Canon I could make the same adjustments without pulling the camera away from my eye by using the buttons and dials.  The Sony requires going through the touch screen, which runs down the battery.  The following photos have similar composition but one photo with the flash in the auto mode and the other with the flash turned on in manual mode.

The TX10 is fairly straight forward to use.  There are only a few buttons on the camera since it is waterproof.  The largest button is the shutter button for photos.  There is also a power button, photo viewing button and a record button for quickly entering movie mode.  On the corner of the camera is also a nub that is used to zoom the camera in and out.  The sliding lens cover that turns the camera on and off is a nice touch too.  Whip the camera out of your pocket, flip the cover down and the camera is ready to go.

As I mentioned before, I use the TX10 primarily for shooting video.  It is amazingly easy to position and I don’t have to be too careful with it.  Many of the videos I have shot for this blog were done on the little Sony camera.  I strapped the Sony camera on top of Rosie our robot vacuum as she made her way around the house.  I also had the camera on our Eureka steam mop as I mopped the kitchen.  In the video below I had it attached to our daughter’s swing seat and at the pivot where the swing attaches.  It is super small and easy to attach, mount or clip in various areas.  Take a look at the video below and I’ll have a few more comments after…

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This camera does suck down the battery pretty quick.  It can actively shoot for about an hour before the battery is run down.  By the way, if you’re shooting video the maximum length of a single clip is 10 minutes.  The other draw back for the camera is that the battery charges in the camera.  Its nice to not have to keep up with a battery charger but it is easy to misplace the special cable that hooks the camera up for charging and image transfer.

Overall these little Sony cameras are a great tool for anyone who needs a basic digital camera that can withstand some tough treatment.  I can say this camera truly is shockproof, waterproof and dustproof.  I have never been careful with it and the camera continues to work perfectly.  For a rugged camera it is also sleek and nice looking.  The Sony DSC-TX10 is definitely one of my favorite things!  If you think you might like it too, check out the link I have put to it in my Amazon store in the right column >>>

A bit of bonus footage….

The camera was fully soaked for hours while exploring this river in Dominica.

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Some video from yesterday (shot with the TX10) of our baby showing off some of the sounds she can make.

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