1. Many people are reporting the lens cover is too stiff to shift and that the TX7 was better. I've even seen testimonies that fingernails have to be used, is this true?
1A: The new covers on the TX10 and TX100 need to be pushed down from the top edge to open. It isn't too tight apparently, it just needs to be slid down a certain way.
2. Does GPS work all the time? I read that it can take 3mins to get a lock on three satellites, unlike the Casio EX-H20G which is on all the time and gets a signal immediately.
2A: No, the signal is requested each time the camera is turned on, unlike the Casio EX-H250G which requests it constantly but in a fashion that does not drain the battery significantly. As usual, the signals of at least three satellites are needed to determine the longitude and the latitude, with a fourth providing elevation info, which could all take some time and a signal may not be gotten at all. However with the Casio the last known location is always in memory (better than nothing), however the short of it is NO, the signal is not maintained when the camera is off (this make's the Casio the winner in the GPS category in my opinion, which is the market this camera is aimed at really) - especially with a p&s where the camera is switched on for a photo and then off again in the space of about 5 seconds.
3. I'm not sure what format the video files come in, ideally I'd like MOV but that would mean royalties to Apple Inc. I have conflicting information as i read that its MP4 (MPEG) up until 1080p /60fps, which is then recorded in AVCHD (*.m2ts - what is that?!), can anybody confirm this.
3A: Okay, so .MPG or .MP4 for lower quality, but AVCHD (which are recorded in .mts or .m2ts formats) for the top of the top 1080p/60fps (NTSC). There are two types of AVCHD: PS and HQ! In top quality PS mode, which is the Highest Quality Video Recording mode, quality you'll eat 2GB for just 9mins! While HQ mode is slightly lower quality but lets you take snapshots at the same time as recording (a feature of the camera).
info: http://esupport.sony.com/docs/dvimag/DSCTX10-TX100V_guide/eng/contents/13/03/02/02.html
4. Apparently its not possible to take pictures while recording video at the highest quality, this being 1080p /60fps, is this true?
A4: It is *but* the Dual Rec function (recording the image while shooting movie) is only available in AVCHD HQ mode. Modes can be preset so you know that if you set HQ you can get snapshots without having to fiddle with settings.
5. Also, it's reported that the camera begins to record as soon as the video function is selected, can this be modified in the settings?
A5: http://esupport.sony.com/docs/dvimag/DSCTX10-TX100V_guide/eng/contents/03/02/01/01.html
6. What's the greatest capacity the TX100V accepts with the SDXC medium? Further, will USB2 be sufficient to transfer the files? I am hearing the use of USB3 and 5/Gbs, but do not have USB3 port on my computer, maybe Thunderbolt (Mac).
A6: The Camera supports up to 32 GB Memory Card.
info: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/support-info.pl?&info_id=590&mdl=DSCTX100VR
7. Is the recording time limited to 29mins and to all qualities (i.e. 720p/1080p...). Do the videos split if the file reaches 2GB, which I assume will be reached fairly quickly if the following calculation is to be believed: 5min clip at 1080p /60fps will be roughly 600MB?
7A: 29mins is your lot. Ref A6 link details (bottom of linked page).
8. Is the startup time (until ready to take a picture) roughly 3sec?
8A: Yep.
9. Does the battery charge faster in a dedicated SONY wall charger than in the camera (over USB), if so, I have read it can cut the charging time by roughly an hour, correct?
9A: "…the official Sony high-rate battery charger is the fastest. However having the option to charge in camera is nice and the TX9 doesn't offer that. Don't get a cheap third party one, get the genuine external one for a good price here:" - Descance. That's right the TX100V is the first to allow for in camera charging (albeit with a proprietary cable), however the choice of the *official* external charger will speed up the regeneration process.
Ref: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/675571-REG/Sony_BCTRN_BC_TRN_Travel_Charger.html
10. A lot of complaints in reviews have been made about the sensitivity of the touch screen; hovering just above triggers options/focusing accidentally, slighting grazing the screen can alter an option (which may not be noticed in strong light) and sometimes buttons have to be pressed more than once to get a positive response.
10A: "Yes, it is very oversensitive. However, with a screen protector it becomes PERFECT. Get the official Sony 3.5" one PCK-L35WCS whether you decide on the TX9 or TX100V" - Descance.
11. The screen, for an OLED, is apparently not bright enough in sunlight?
11A: This has been many a point of view from reviewers all over the net. It turns out that SONY cannot provide software/firmware updates to change this either, I checked. They claim it's a "it is a feature of the OLED screen to consume less power", but that sounds like they're aware of the issue (we all know OLED is meant to consume less power for more brightness, right!), I mean, compared to the PSP Handheld computer it's below par. Following up on this theme I was directed here to updates for previous TX7/TX10 models after enquiring how well SONY looks after a model of camera once released:
Ref #1: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?upd_id=6751&mdl=NEX3
Ref #2: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?upd_id=4487&mdl=DSCG3
But those wen't the models I was after, also the updates are .exe file. Bummer. Still, this is SONY. But, they do seem to be documented updates and not ones based on faith.
12. When recording video is it possible to zoom with optical zoom? I read that the digital zoom can be disabled, is this globally or just for video?
12A: Sorry, optical's only available when taking still imagery.
13. Do videos get geotagged? If it takes an average of three minutes to tag an image then its more likely that videos will get tagged as they take longer to compose and finish. However, given the container formats (MP4 and AVCHD) it doesn't seem like they will be able to contain the metadata and/or in a nondestructive way?
13A: Right, well it turns out that the GPS metadata recorded for the movies, unlike the photos, is retained on the camera itself. This data is then parsed to the Windows only software which contains a map and that is how the movie is shown on the map.
The movies formats used are MPG/MP4/AVCHD of which none have the ability to retain metadata, so that data can never travel with the movie, it's locked in the camera and the software which SONY issues. While the EXIF data for the photos will carry the GPS data with the image internally.
There must be some kind of proprietary format that the data is stored in as there is no track log exported. This is a shame as if it were then third party applications could use this valuable data, which becomes especially important on operating systems like Mac OS X where the official SONY software is not supported.
*The shooting direction is not recorded when shooting _movies_ but is with photos!*
Info: http://esupport.sony.com/docs/dvimag/DSCTX10-TX100V_guide/eng/contents/08/03/15/15.html
**The TX100V has not been released in the UK, despite being released in other European countries such as Germany and France**
