- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Olympus TG-820
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20
- Olympus TG-1 iHS
- Nikon Coolpix AW110
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2011)At 3in and 921k-dots, the rear monitor of the TX10 is right up there with the very best of them when it comes to clarity and sharpness.
Rated 80% by by Photography Blog (Nov, 2011)Anti-shake is a feature that works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range, while the new range of special effects and the Easy Panorama mode allow you to add a little in-camera creativity to your photos.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Sony Cybershot TX10 compared to the Nikon Coolpix AW100
MP15.9
1/2.5"
Rated 40% by by jvdg27Sony technology with panoramas and low light shooting (takes multiple shots, then combines them for low noise photo) is impressive.-Touch screen is intuitive.
15.9 MP
1/2.5"
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)The 5x optical zoom uses a folded-lens design which essentially means that it is housed entirely within the camera body and protected from the elements by a window of toughened glass.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 15.9 MP   | 20 MP |
Cybershot TX10 by John-L.-Miller (Oct, 2011)I took some 16 megapixel shots of the Storybook land ride in disney during the day, and I was shocked at how good the detail was.
Coolpix AW100 by Photography Blog (Nov, 2011)An asking price of £329.99 / $379.95 is a lot to ask for a 16 megapixel camera, but it is comparable with the AW100's main action rivals, so as ever with such a specialized camera, you really need to decide exactly how much mileage you'll get out of the extra weather-proof and GPS features.
sensor size
Cybershot TX10 by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2011)The TX10 uses a 1/2.3in Exmor R CMOS sensor offering an effective resolution of 16.2MP.
Coolpix AW100 by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)Speaking of image sizes, the AW100 uses a 1/2.3in backlit CMOS sensor that produces 16MP of effective resolution.
wide angle lens
Cybershot TX10 by Angel_Pen--angel_rising (Apr, 2011)Surprisingly good wide-angle (you don't need a wide-angle adapter.
Coolpix AW100 by JD--Hog (Oct, 2011)In favor of the Lumix, I liked the durable feel and overall fit and finish, the wide angle lens and I think people willing to play around with settings will have nice options.
aperture size
Cybershot TX10 by Manfor course you can't compare to ones with larger sensor and aperture as the shallow DoF is unreal.
Coolpix AW100 by Photography Blog (Nov, 2011)Aperture-wise it is not particularly fast, its brightness being f/3.9 at the wide end and f/4.8 at full telephoto.
zoom range
| 0x | 5x | 5x |
Cybershot TX10 by Paul (Nov, 2011)So far, the only reason I'm keeping my super expensive DSLR is because it maintains superior quality with high zoom applications.
Coolpix AW100 by av8r (Oct, 2011)Replay on other devices has good sound but zoom and focus motors are easily picked up (stated in the manual).
body size
96 x 56 x 18 mm
110 x 65 x 23 mm
Cybershot TX10 by F.-Diaz (Jan, 2012)It feels solid but not heavy, it's slim but not tiny, for a non-SLR camera I'd say it's a great machine.
Coolpix AW100 by K.-Chua--KChuaPanasonic makes exceptional compact cameras (well-designed, and they're heavily invested in compact cameras, including their m4/3).
Performance Real world tests of Sony Cybershot TX10 vs Nikon Coolpix AW100
shutter lag
Cybershot TX10 by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2011)Although the elongated shutter button does respond to a half-press to find focus, we found it to be extremely sensitive and eager to fire the shutter as well.
Coolpix AW100 by Code-Monkey (Dec, 2011)low shutter lag as long as you are not using red-eye reduction.
battery life
250 photos
250 photos
Cybershot TX10 by H.-White (Dec, 2011)I used it yesterday in conditions below freezing and it performed well, battery life was good and the pictures turned out great.
Coolpix AW100 by Photography Blog (Nov, 2011)The inclusion of a suite of sophisticated GPS features, which doesn't affect battery-life too adversely, and the innovative Action Control feature makes the AW100 a great travel companion.
max continuous shooting
Cybershot TX10 by P.-Welsh--Objective-Consumer (Sep, 2011)We spent 2 weeks at the beach and took more than 3,000 photos (burst mode ensured we didn't miss a thing - but spent a lot of time deleting dupes).
Coolpix AW100 by c|net (Jul, 2012)The camera's full-resolution continuous burst is capable of 7.1 frames per second, though it can only do it for three shots and takes several seconds before it's ready to shoot again.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the Nikon Coolpix AW100
| Has a touch screen | Yes | vs | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somewhat common; Fewer buttons, interact directly with menus | |||
| Significantly higher resolution screen | 921 k dots | vs | 460 k dots |
| More than 2x higher resolution screen | |||
| Significantly faster rapid fire | 10 fps | vs | 3 fps |
| More than 3.2x faster continuous shooting; Take photos in rapid succession to capture motion | |||
| Much less delay taking photos | 150 ms | vs | 230 ms |
| Around 35% less focus lag; Avoid missing spontaneous moments | |||
| Faster lens | f/3.5 | vs | f/3.9 |
| More than 10% faster aperture; Better in low light | |||
| Wider lens | 25 mm | vs | 28 mm |
| More than 10% wider focal length | |||
| Create realistic 3D images | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Create 3D photos to view on a 3D TV | |||
| Significantly faster benchmarked shot to shot times | 4.84 fps | vs | 8.88 fps |
| More than 45% faster shot to shot; Take multiple consecutive photos quickly | |||
| More highly reviewed by consumers | 77.98% | vs | 75.53% |
| Around 5% more highly reviewed by consumers | |||
| Significantly lighter | 133 g | vs | 178 g |
| More than 25% lighter | |||
| Significantly smaller | 96 x 56 x 18 mm | vs | 110 x 65 x 23 mm |
| More than 40% smaller | |||
| Thinner | 18 mm | vs | 23 mm |
| More than 20% thinner | |||
Advantages compared to the Sony Cybershot TX10
| Significantly larger zoom range | 5x | vs | 4x |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25% larger zoom; Great for sports or nature when your subject is further away | |||
| Shoots high speed video | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Create slow motion video | |||
| Includes a GPS | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Records the location of your photos automatically | |||
| Marginally more recently announced | Aug, 2011 | vs | Feb, 2011 |
| Announced date 6 months later | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Sony Cybershot TX10 | Nikon Coolpix AW100 | ||
 |  
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Rated by 186 users at amazon.com Rated 60% by by veronica-mendes (Sep, 2011) Rated 60% by by Jorge (Jun, 2012) Rated 100% by by Birdy13 (Aug, 2011) |  Rated by 90 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by J.E. (Jul, 2012) Rated 100% by by Syed-Taha-Ghayas--Syed-Taha-Ghayas (Mar, 2012) Rated 100% by by Syed-Taha-Ghayas--Syed-Taha-Ghayas (Mar, 2012) | |
sensor
Sony Cybershot TX10 | Rated 100% by by MDTannen--Mark-D.-TannenRecently, when a new physics experiment required that I buy a rugged dual-purpose camera for capturing HDR (high dynamic range) photographs and HD video, some professional colleagues at the MIT Media Lab recommended the new Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX10 because of its small, rugged waterproof design and the superb low-light performance of it's large, high-resolution 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS sensor.
Sony Cybershot TX10 | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2011)Despite its hefty price tag the TX10 is only able to shoot JPEGs with no RAW capture possible.
Sony Cybershot TX10 | Rated 80% by by Angel_Pen--angel_rising (Apr, 2011)The TX10 shines in low-light still photography, it eliminates most of the noise even at ISO 800.2.
ruggedness
Nikon Coolpix AW100 | Rated 72% by by c|net (Jul, 2012)As a first effort, the Nikon Coolpix AW100 is a decent rugged compact if you're doing most of your shooting on land.
Nikon Coolpix AW100 | Rated 100% by by K.-Chua--KChua** Sony TX10 - I love its image sensor, its rugged yet sleek ultra compactness.
Nikon Coolpix AW100 | Rated 100% by by K.-Chua--KChuaNikon has no rugged compacts and AW100 is the first - risky!
durability
Sony Cybershot TX10 | Rated 80% by by Angel_Pen--angel_rising (Apr, 2011)If you want to read the opinion of a professional photographer, read on...IMPORTANT UPDATE: The TX10 is NOT Compatible with Sony Marine Pack Enclosures or any other enclosures.
Sony Cybershot TX10 | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2011)Waterproof to 5m, freezeproof to -10°C, shockproof to 1.5m and fully sealed against dust, the TX10 is also the smallest 'ruggedised' compact to have landed on the TrustedReviews test bench in recent months.
Sony Cybershot TX10 | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2011)The TX10 even offers a High Resolution option for more detailed panoramas, as well as a dedicated setting for underwater images.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Olympus TG-820 Highest resolution screen |
 | 2 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 3-way tie: Fastest rapid fire mode |
 | 5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 2-way tie: Quite long long exposure |
 | 6 | Panasonic Lumix TS4 Most shots per battery charge |
 | 7 | Samsung PL120 Rated the best by consumers |
