Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX10

Waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX10 compact camera surprises reviewers with its durable nature and sleek design. "The TX10 packs a great deal into a small, stylish and tough body," says Ken McMahon of CameraLabs.com. The camera's sleek front panel slides down to reveal the lens hidden beneath. Rather than use buttons to control most major functions, this "fashion-conscious" camera (as Gavin Stoker of PhotographyBlog.com puts it) features a 3-inch LCD touch screen.

At 16.2 megapixels, the TX10's image quality is "more than fair," Stoker says. Its Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS image sensor enhances low-light performance, while its Optical SteadyShot lens-shift image stabilization produces clear photos, and the 4x zoom (25 mm to 100 mm) makes close-up shots a snap. "If you're on the market for a toughened compact camera that doesn't obviously carry any extra bulk and will look as at home on the counter of the poolside bar as in the pool itself, the Sony CyberShot DSC-TX10 may well fit the bill," he says.

The TX10 includes all the basic shooting modes reviewers expect, as well as some useful additions such as Twilight mode for low-light conditions and Backlight Correction HDR, which takes two different shots with different settings and combines them for a better image. The TX10 also includes iSweep Panorama mode and Background Defocus to create blurred backgrounds when desired. Reviewers say images look good up to ISO 1600, and macro mode also works well. Like other point-and-shoot cameras, the TX10 shoots video in 1080i high definition, and while it produces good-quality videos, it does suffer from some shutter lag. Reviewers also gripe about the touch screen, which doesn't work when the camera is submerged for underwater shooting.

DPReview.com, Imaging-Resource.com, PhotographyBlog.com and CameraLabs.com all post expert reviews and lab tests of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX10. Imaging-Resource.com boasts the most detailed lab results, although PhotographyBlog.com and CameraLabs.com also offer thorough reviews with plenty of images. DPReview.com includes the TX10 as one of many waterproof cameras tested as part of a group report.