Sony’s new glass-faced TX200V is a decidedly opulent stab at something we’ve been asking for around here: a waterproof camera that doesn’t sacrifice optics and design. It’s just that it does it at a pretty painful price point.
The TX200V has Sony’s new 18.2MP Exmor R CMOS sensor, which has the hugest resolution in any point and shoot. It’s also got a new processor, has the superfast 0.1-second autofocus of the TX55 and it’s lowered low-light autofocus to 0.2 seconds. It shoots Full HD 1080/60p video, has 5x (35mm) optical zoom, a range of f3.5-4.8 and a 1,229,760-dot TruBlack OLED screen. The 5m waterproof spec is about half that of other rugged cameras right now, and it doesn’t feature the shockproof or dropproof specs of those other cameras either.
We got a chance to play with some units that were unfortunately totally drained of battery, and the glass body feels surprisingly light, though that also makes it feel a little cheap. It’s also a good deal fatter than you’re used to from Cybershot cameras, sort of resembling a morbidly obese iPhone from the front.
It’s out in March for $US500, which is a little more expensive than other rugged cameras (which are, again, a good deal more rugged). [Sony]