I have a Nikon D300 for quality images whenever this camera is an option. However the image quality difference between my TX5 and my D300 are minimal compared to the difference between having an image taken and not having a camera to capture the moment. I will not get into nitty gritty details about image quality and handling, because so many enthusiasts loves to elaborate on such things. My story is that I have a Lowepro toploader camera bag with D300 in the big pocket and TX5 in the little pocket. There are so many things this camera can do that my Nikon can't. It is a lot better at making movies. It can be brought to the beach, the pool and out in the pouring rain. It also comes the extra mile to take pictures on the trips where I don't bother to bring the heavier camera. It fits nicely into any pocket, so it is always available when there is a moment to be captured. My kids at 3 and 5 are using this camera all the time, bringing it with them on trips when I don't participate. It has never failed to capture the image I hope for. Of course if I look at pictures from my D300 beside pictures from the TX5 i can see differences, but I regularly send pictures to family and friends and they do not notice which camera has taken the picure. They only appreciate me for sharing the moment with them. Basically this camera should be anyones first camera. Then you'll get the picture to save the moment. If you somehow find yourself in need of more quality you can then decide excactly how much more quality you need, and how much you are willing to sacrifice of size, toughness and money.

This was the most expensive underwater camera in the Ipswich store of Jessops UK and was highly recommended, the only worrying thing was the depth limit of 3m so I took Jessops extra accidental damage warranty out just in case (and just as well). After two holidays and many many hours in the water here's my comments. Picture quality (especially for small fish) was reasonable to poor due to focussing and light issues but the video for all purposes was outstanding and well worth buying just for this. The camera itself had a few problems, the position of the lens is very poor and easily covered by your fingers especially when trying to keep it still underwater and the touch screen was difficult to see underwater but was useable most of the time. The lacquer paint on the sliding cover started peeling almost straight away but once it was completely gone left a nice silver finish! Now the real problem, although the screen was easily scratched and 'appeared' to let in water behind it this never presented a problem or so I thought. While on holiday, after many hours of perfect operation (and having never been dropped, bashed or taken below 3m) the camera failed half way through the holiday which was a real pain. On inspection salt water had entered the battery chamber, you could tell where it had come in as the salt dried around part of the seal and down to the battery connection (a 'battery not compatible' warning appeared shortly before failure) clearly indicating where it had come in. Therefore one would assume this was the the problem but not according to Sony who claimed it was damaged beyond economical repair due to 'impact damage around the touch screen'. So not only did they completely ignore the clear signs of damage they made up some cock-and-bull story to make their warranty null and void! Remember this camera is supposed to also be shock proof up to 1m, even so there were no signs of damage apart from a few minor scuffs on the touch screen. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, Sony will do anything to get out of their obligations. I'm now waiting on Jessops insurance company to contact me regarding settlement, lets hope they are a bit more trustworthy.

My TX5 was problem right from the start; it had problem reading SD card so i got an exchange. After less than 6mths of usage, the surface housing cracked and slided off! and there were WATERMARKS under the LCD screen. this is totally unacceptable, did they do enuf tests before releasing?! after i sent it for servicing, it came back with a lonnngggg hairline crack across the housing. im asking for a refund and they totally cannot get it. I'm so disappointed with it! no more sony for me.

I have the same problen that Dustin had (his review on 8/10/10). My camera was only 2 weeks old before I took it to the pool. When I got home I noticed a small amount of water that appeared to have seeped/leaked into the seal behind the LCD screen just above the battery door area. It's about a size of a dime. It would disappear immediately when I opened the battery door (I opened it after the whole camera was completely dried). It's like the second I opened the battery door, there was some sort of pressure change...and the water disappered. I looked in the battery/memory stick area but did not see any sign of moisture. I took camera to the pool 3 more times and the water appeared at the same place and, again, disappeared after I open the battery door. Just for information, I only submerged TX5 into pool water no more than 3-4 feet, no longer than 5-10 min at a time. I handle my camera with care and never banged it by accident (not even small bump I would say). I can't tell whether more water leaked more on the 2nd/3rd/4th times. It looks like it was the same amount from water from the 1st leak that keeps showing up underneath the LCD screen. When the water underneath the LCD is visible, and I press&drag my finger in that area, I can see small amount of electronic sparks. I can't immitate this water leak at home though. I tried submerging the camera in my bathroom sink for 10-15 min and that water didn't show up. Maybe the sink doesn't have enough water. The camera is still operating just fine and I like every other things about it otherwise. I am going to send it to Sony to check. Hopefully they will honor this under warranty and fix it at no charge (or better yet, send me a new one).

I bought this camera and loved everything about it. Takes great pictures (day or night), cool fun options and will fit into a pocket no problem. The second day myself and the family went to the pool. Everyone playing, taking pictures and my son spraying everyone with water hose. The camera was in the water for about 3 minutes barely submerged. long story short I seen the LCD touch screen had water inside. I let it sit on a towel and called Sony. Sony told me to ship it in (no cost) to get it repaired. If it cannot be repaired they will replace within 2 weeks. This is not an acceptable option for me. First of all this camera is 2 days old and already having issues. If I wanted a refurbished camera I would have purchased one. Second my wife and I are expecting any day. I DON"T HAVE TWO WEEKS!!!! Luckily I took the camera back to the store and they gave me a refund! I have always bought Sony camera's and had good luck with them but I will not purchase another TX5 and Truly debating on leaving Sony as a customer because of their warranty policy. Good Luck hope this helps! P.S. the manual is on a disc. instead of a book ANNOYING!!

What a great little package. Waterproof (To 10ft), HD video (720p), 10 frames per second at FULL resolution! Handheld night shot mode that takes 6 frames in under 1 second and combines them into a great NO FLASH picture......works great! HDR mode that snaps 2 frames and puts them together to fill in the shaded portion of a picture. I've already used this a bunch.....excellent results! Sweep panoramas that are instantly viewable.....nice. So far I love this little camera.