Image Quality

Casio EXILIM TRYX EX-TR100 review – Image Quality

The TRYX’s back-illuminated 12.1MP sensor has moved the wiring to the back of the sensor which allows for a cleaner signal and improved image quality over a conventional setup. Images are sharp and, despite some processing issues visible at all ISO settings, shots look punchy and detailed. As the ISO increases so the final quality diminishes, and shots beyond the ISO 400 mark and above are softer.

Exposures are accurate in neutral light, but the TRYX’s lens suffers from flare and light bleed should brighter areas also be in the shot. We also spotted some oddities in the processing – obscure sharpened edges adding vertical-run black lines in highlight areas being the most noticeable. Another problem with images is that the lens is so wideangle it causes notable barrel distortion towards the edges when shooting closer-up subjects. Cropping into the frame with the digital zoom will help to ‘hide’ this somewhat.

Beyond the normal picture quality Casio also includes the company’s HDR Art mode. This one’s going to be an ‘acquired’ taste as its mixture of pronounced high dynamic range and posterised colour effects is far removed from what we’d consider photography to be. There’s no live preview to imagine what the HDR Art shots would look like, and as no additional (original) JPEG is taken when pressing the shutter the image you capture is the one you’re left with – whether you like it or not. There are no degrees of control to tone the effect down, which is a shame as a more subtle HDR option with vivid colours might make for more pleasing results.

All in all the Casio EXILIM TRYX EX-TR100’s images can be decent at lower ISO settings, but when brighter conditions infiltrate a shot there are inexplicable problems.