If you've ever tried to sneak a picture of a celebrity busting a move in a dark club, you know the disappointment that comes with blurry, grainy photos. Well, stalkerazzi, rejoice! The Sony CyberShot TX1 has a new 10.6mm "Exmor R" CMOS sensor with killer low-light sensitivity as well as high-speed shooting and motion-detection abilities. It can take six photos in the blink of an eye and mesh them together so you get the sharpest and clearest picture possible.
If you remember its predecessor, the T90 that came out in February, you already know what this shooter looks like: sleek and impossibly thin with a slide-down front. It's available in a vibrant array of colors, too. The nuts-and-bolts are about the same as the T90, but we were genuinely surprised to find that Sony reduced the resolution on the TX1, dropping it to 10.2 megapixels from the T90's 12.1. It may feel like a sacrifice, but the new sensor and amazing speed make up for it, without a doubt.
The 3-inch touchscreen LCD is bright, responsive and doesn't even require the use of the included stylus for most functions.
Shooting panoramas? The new Sweep Panorama mode, which lets you pan across a scene while the camera automatically stitches together a panoramic shot, works perfectly with no discernible noise or fuzz — and the results rival what you can do in Photoshop.
Our major complaints don't have to do with image quality. The cam's tiny chassis (3.75 x 2.38 x 0.65 inches) resulted in a lot of pictures featuring a finger in front of the lens — d'oh! — and the menus can be a bit confusing. But when you do learn the interface and are mindful of your digit placement, the TX1 takes gorgeous, clear images devoid of artifacts, especially in dim lighting.
It's no substitute for a full-bodied DSLR, sure, but for discreetly snapping images of Lady Gaga making out with a random Jonas brother in some dank corner of the Viper Room, the TX-1 is a bright option. Hello, TMZ!