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Product Description
From the Manufacturer
 Exquisite image quality and creative freedom in a truly compact package. For razor-sharp images and pro-quality defocused backgrounds, the RX100 features a large, 1" sensor and an ultra-bright Carl Zeiss® f/1.8 lens. It also features a handy control ring for easy access to aperture settings and more for total creative freedom. |  |
| Massive 20.2MP Image Sensor. | Optimal Optics. | P/A/S/M modes for video and stills. | ||||
| The massive 20.2MP Exmor® 1” CMOS sensor captures ultra-high definition images that take full advantage of the camera’s sharp Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® T* lens. The sensor enables advanced column A/D processing that reduces noise levels, resulting in astonishing low light images with incredible smooth and clear details. | Legendary Carl Zeiss® optics and unrivalled Sony imaging technology come together in the RX100's high-performance Carl Zeiss Vario- Sonnar T* lens. Despite its compact dimensions, this extraordinary lens offers supremely accurate performance, 3.6x optical zoom and an enormous F1.8 circular aperture for gorgeous defocused backgrounds. An integrated control ring puts easy, intuitive access to camera settings right at your fingertips. | Enjoy a full range of controls for video and still shooting from the beginner's iAUTO mode to P/A/S/M: Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual. On-screen prompts help you refine your skills, build your confidence and exercise greater creative control. |
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Product description and full feature list
The DSC-RX100 Digital Camera is equipped with the latest technology to bring you
incredible entertainment quality. Explore the full range of features and options below.
incredible entertainment quality. Explore the full range of features and options below.
| Massive 1” Exmor® CMOS sensor, 20.2 MP The massive 1” Exmor® CMOS sensor with 20.2 MP captures ultra-high definition images that take full advantage of the camera’s sharp Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® T* lens. The sensor enables advanced column A/D processing that reduces noise levels, resulting in astonishing low light images with incredible smooth and clear details. Bright F1.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with 3.6x zoom Newly developed large-diameter F1.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens delivers refined background defocusing - bokeh. A premium multi-layered T* coating also dramatically reduces ghost and flare caused by light reflection. P/A/S/M modes for video and stills Enjoy a full range of controls for video and still shooting from the beginner's iAUTO mode to P/A/S/M: Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual. On-screen prompts help you refine your skills, build your confidence and exercise greater creative control. Capture JPEG files, RAW files, or both The DSC-RX100 saves pictures as compact JPEG files and/or ultra-high quality RAW files. RAW files save images prior to de-mosaicing, white balance, sharpness and color enhancement. This retains maximum latitude for enhancing the image on your PC. Full HD 1080/60p Record crystal clear movies at the highest resolution available with capabilities for 60p in 1080. This provides stunning, fast motion video with less distortion for playback on your HD TV.2 With dual record of stills and movies, you can shoot both at the same time. Low-light ISO 6400 sensitivity Incredibly clear low-light pictures without sacrificing detail, made possible by the low-noise Exmor® CMOS image sensor and refined BIONZ® image processor. High speed Auto Focus To improve focusing speed and sensitivity, the Exmor® CMOS sensor uses its rapid throughput to deliver high-quality image signals to the camera’s BIONZ® processor, which provides intelligent response data to a new high speed actuator motor in the lens. The result is fast, DSLR-like focusing speeds even in low light. Capture the decisive moment with up to 10fps Capture full 20.2 megapixel resolution images at up to 10 frames per second, helping to ensure that the decisive moment is captured such as the soccer ball flying into the goal. In addition, a mechanical shutter helps reduce distortion when continuously shooting moving subjects. 3” Xtra Fine LCD™ Display The 3” (1,229k dots) Xtra Fine LCD™ Display makes it easy to scroll through menus and preview life. WhiteMagic™ increases visibility in bright daylight. The large display delivers brilliant-quality still images and movies while enabling easy focusing operation. Customizable function button Assign up to seven different functions to the function button, to allow quick access to your most frequently used features. | Optical SteadyShot™ with Active Mode Optical SteadyShot™ with Active Mode for blur-free movies even while walking. Camera-shake compensation using Optical SteadyShot/Active Mode has been improved with the addition of new electronic image stabilization. Now it’s easier than ever to obtain sharp, blur-free movies even when zooming in unsteady situations, such as shooting with one hand while walking. Memory recall MR (memory recall) mode can memorize up to three groups of the user's preferred settings. Settings include zoom magnification, white balance, exposure compensation, date, and grid lines. This enables quick switching of settings at the right moment. Sophisticated metal body The sophisticated aluminum body is lightweight, slim, and strong. Auto portrait framing Simply photograph a person and Auto Portrait Framing will save an additional, optimally framed image in portrait or landscape orientation. Combining Face Detection and By Pixel Super Resolution technologies with rule of thirds, Auto Portrait Framing provides beautifully composed and appealingly balanced full resolution portraits. Auto HDR mode Captures more scene dynamic range than a single exposure can handle—and more range than photo film. Combines the best highlight detail from one shot, the best mid-tones from a second and the best shadow detail from a third for one incredible shot (up to 6 EV stops). Captures in a split second. (Recommended for still subjects.) Face Detection/ Registration technology The camera can automatically detect and register up to eight individual faces and adjust focus, exposure, white balance and flash to help deliver crisp, properly lit images of family and friends. Can prioritize children or adults. Multi-aspect ratio recording for still images Capture still images in any of four aspect ratios — 1:1, 2:3, 4:3, or 16:9 (vertical to horizontal). This provided the freedom to choose a ratio that matches the scene or the specific shooting purpose. 3.6x optical/7.2x Clear Image digital zoom Most digital zooms use electronic cropping to get closer to the subject, resulting in unsharp images. With Clear Image Zoom the powerful processor compares patterns found in adjacent pixels and creates new pixels to match selected patterns, resulting in more realistic, higher-quality images. Clear Image Zoom digitally doubles optical zoom for closer photos. Built in pop up flash Enjoy the convenience of flash photography everywhere you go. Four focusing modes This camera has two Autofocus modes: Single-shot AF (AF-S) or Continuous AF (AF-C), which tracks moving objects. It also has Manual Focus for manual focusing freedom, and Direct Manual Focus (DMF), that first uses autofocusing to focus on the subject, and then allows fast and easy switching to manual focusing for even more precise adjustment. | Digital level gauge Digital level gauge to allow easier leveling of the camera. MF assist and peaking Manual focus becomes much easier because peaking highlights the edges that are in focus in your choice of three colors (white, red, or yellow). This is especially helpful during macro or portrait photography where your focus setting can make or break your shot. Multi-frame noise reduction In this mode, the camera automatically shoots multiple images and layers them to produce a single noise-free image. This method provides noise reduction equivalent to a 2-stop lower shutter speed while maintaining the same aperture setting. Since the Multi Frame NR mode can be used in combination with P/A/S/M modes, it expands the user’s shooting flexibility. Photo Creativity The Photo Creativity interface enables you to easily enjoy the creative expression of SLR-quality digital imaging without complex jargon. Changes can be combined/ removed and viewed in real time on the LCD making it a breeze to make adjustments. Choose from several different Photo Creativity functions using the convenient control wheel and center button including; Picture Effect, Background Defocus, Color, Brightness, and Vividness. Picture Effect mode Realize your creative potential with Picture Effect, a fun and simple way to convert ordinary landscapes and portraits come to life by heightening mood and emphasizing certain attributes. Effects are Soft Focus, Posterization, Retro Photo, High Contrast Monochrome, Rich-tone Monochrome, Miniature, Soft High-key, Toy Camera, Pop Color, Partial Color, Watercolor Painting, HDR Painting, and Illustration. Creative Style settings Control how the camera processes your images with six finishing styles: Standard, Vivid, B&W, Sunset, Portrait and Landscape. You can even fine-tune contrast, saturation, and sharpness to your personal taste. Sweep Panorama™ Mode Capture expansive landscapes automatically. Press the shutter, sweep vertically or horizontally. The camera does the rest, continuously shooting images and stitching them together. Superior Auto mode Get cleaner, more dynamic pictures and fewer missed shots. The camera automatically recognizes the correct scene mode, then quickly shoots and combines up to six shots to produce images with greater clarity, optimum dynamic range using Backlight Correction HDR technology and lower image noise using 6 shots layering technology. Superior Auto intelligently detects 33 scenes for still images and movies, making it easy to get the best shot. Intelligent Scene Recognition mode Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN) Mode automatically detects 33 different types of scenes for photos and 44 scenes for movies, and then selects the appropriate camera settings. In Auto Mode, the camera takes a single shot using the optimal settings. In Advanced Mode, the camera takes a photo with the optimal settings and, if in difficult lighting (low light or back light) immediately takes a second photo with another optimized setting so you can choose which to keep. |
1. Records in 29 minute segments
2. Requires HDTV and HDMI cable sold separately
© 2012 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony, Cyber-shot, Optical SteadyShot, Smile Shutter, Sweep Panorama, Exmor, Xtra Fine LCD, WhiteMagic, BIONZ and the Sony make.believe logo are trademarks of Sony. AVCHD is a trademark of Panasonic Corporation and Sony Corporation. HDMI is a trademark of HDMI Licensing LLC. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Mac is a trademark of Apple, Inc. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Features and specifications subject to change without notice.
Product Description
Exquisite image quality and creative freedom in a truly compact package. For razor-sharp images and pro-quality defocused backgrounds, the RX100 features a large, 1-Inch sensor and an ultra-bright Carl Zeiss/1.8 lens. It also features a handy control ring for easy access to aperture settings and more for total creative freedom.1-Year Limited Warranty.What's in the box: Micro USB cable, Instruction Manual, Battery NP-BX1, Wrist Strap, AC Adapter AC-UD11 and Shoulder Strap Adapter. For more in depth look, check out the RX-100 brochure.
Available Warranties for This Item
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
724 of 752 people found the following review helpful
By Z. Wu
I have NEX-7 and E-M5, I want to write some comparison notes here.
RX100 is from Sony which have more similarity with NEX than E-M5, so this list is mostly compare the RX100 to the NEX-7, the NEX-7 have a wonderful hardware and bad implemented software really pi-ss me off.
On contrary, this RX100 is an almost excellent camera both in hardware and software.
Pros:
1. Size of s100 with 1' sony sensor, the auto-focus is super fast and very accurate, much better than NEX-7, better than E-M5 with some lens but fail to match in the tele side.
2. It charges with USB, I can attach it to my car charger or remote battery for my mobile phone in emergency.
3. It unlike Olympus xz-1,Fujifilm x10, Panasonic lx5/lx7, Canon g1x, it has build-in lens cap, which makes it smaller and a LOT more convenient than those in real life shooting.
4. ISO can be as low as 80, compensate some margin for the 1/2000s shutter speed(E-M5's 200 base iso is a horrible decision from Olympus)
5. The software(operation system) is derived from Sony Alpha DSLR, unlike the NEX's bad UI implement from Sony P&S digital camera. It gives you 3 custom profiles, with their own iso range setting. different picture quality setting etc.
6. The face detection can be set on for ALL light metering and focus mode. this is a big evolution from NEX(which can only used with matrix metering and multi-focus).
7. 20m pixels is very good with pixel peeping or cropping, thanks to it's large sensor and quality lens, lots of details with base iso.
8. It still keep the Sony camera's features:
Sony's color profile. I really like this kind of realistic color rendering. Way better than Panasonic's wash-out plain dirty image and Olympus bluish white, more graduation than too much contrast Nikon, and less pink from Canon.
Portrait mode have more dynamic range boost.(good trick from NEX)
AF-illuminate light is useless.(turn it off immediately when you received your camera, good trick from NEX)
Alpha DSLR's multi frame noise reduction is great for iso 3200 and up
Manual focus with focus peaking and zoom-in
Lot's filter effects can be applied to video and photo, HDR, Pano, Hand held twilight mode, they are still there.
Exposure compensation and white balance you see on screen is identical to the actual shots.
9. leaf shutter is almost silent. lower latency compare to NEX-7, super fast, that can sync flash with 1/2000s
10. 10fps shutter stream with live view, this is a huge plus from NEX, and the buffer flush is very quick compare to NEX-7 with sandisk ush-i 45mb SD
11. almost no screen lag between shots-to-shots(after you turn off the quick review, another trick from NEX/Alpha)
12. dual dials control is very good, comparable to NEX-7 and E-M5(NEX-7's tri-dial is a totally hoax, most of the time, 2 of the dials are redundant with same function. )
13. lens is exceptional, f1.8 can be used but there maybe some halos in daylight, starts from f2.8 is razor sharp. Macro shoot is amazing(see my photos uploaded to the product gallery)
14. photo replay can be zoomed-in and then roll-over each photos to compare the zoomed parts. (NEX-7's tri-dial is useless here, all of them have the same function of roll-over to next photos)
15. lots of customization with buttons.better than NEX-5n and comparable to NEX-7
17. Video function is better than NEX-7, it have more control, and concave dedicate movie button, which in comparison, NEX-7 have a protrude button, can be easily pressed by accident and record unnecessary movie.(Shame on you! Sony, 8 months w/o firmware fix for this!)
18. Video active stabilization is effective, panning and zooming is butter smooth.
19. dedicate modal dial, with memory recall and movie mode. memory recall can set up to 3 memories for the most distinguish settings, such as 1 for portrait(low iso base range, med shutter speed, portrait color rending, face detection ), 2 for landscape (80 iso, vivid color rending, small aperture), 3 for in-door flash portrait. You can alway record video in any mode with press the movie button, but in dedicate movie mode, you can set to automatic or manual, or Av, Sv and filters for your fine tune of movie style.
20. flash can be set to bounce with your fingers, produce nice in-door photos. (good trick from NEX-7)
21. white magic rgbw screen is very good, more vivid and bright than NEX-7 outdoor.
22. battery is generally good in this category , I shoot 700 photos for half a day, So prepare 2 spare battery for a night and day shoot session.
23. Since Adobe released Lightroom 4.2 RC, Raw file can extract more details for high ISO setting, but jpeg out of camera is better than what I expected as well as the vignetting, distortion, purple fringe compensation.
Cons:
1.front dial is smooth, the smooth dial is excellent for manual focus, but I prefer tick dial to adjust values.
2.modal dial is a little tighten to turn.
4.no dedicate on/off button for flash. it can only be triggered with menu option to use flash.
5.Lens zoom out/in speed is not very fast, if you drop the camera, it may not survive...
6. aperture decay fast compare to the focal length, hopefully it can provide 28-35mm with f2.8
7. no grip, even its small but you'd better have the wrist strap.
8. no external battery charger for spare battery.
9. no sd card buffering write indicator nor any sign of indication on screen.
10. photos and movies in separate replay menu, Sony's old problem though...
11. manual can only be downloaded from Sony support website. (No CD manual or Raw converter for a enthusiast camera? )
Things I really expected:
1. ND filter for landscape under bright sunlight.
2. Smart terminal from NEX, So I can hook up EVF or external flash, it's a bad dicision for a camera without articulate screen.
3. Trade some aperture range for a little extra on wide lens, such as 24mm f2
4. Filter thread
5. Wifi/GPS
6. Dedicate Flash on/off switch
7. Traditional focal range display
8.info battery provide precise battery level( % battery display like NEX)
RX100 is from Sony which have more similarity with NEX than E-M5, so this list is mostly compare the RX100 to the NEX-7, the NEX-7 have a wonderful hardware and bad implemented software really pi-ss me off.
On contrary, this RX100 is an almost excellent camera both in hardware and software.
Pros:
1. Size of s100 with 1' sony sensor, the auto-focus is super fast and very accurate, much better than NEX-7, better than E-M5 with some lens but fail to match in the tele side.
2. It charges with USB, I can attach it to my car charger or remote battery for my mobile phone in emergency.
3. It unlike Olympus xz-1,Fujifilm x10, Panasonic lx5/lx7, Canon g1x, it has build-in lens cap, which makes it smaller and a LOT more convenient than those in real life shooting.
4. ISO can be as low as 80, compensate some margin for the 1/2000s shutter speed(E-M5's 200 base iso is a horrible decision from Olympus)
5. The software(operation system) is derived from Sony Alpha DSLR, unlike the NEX's bad UI implement from Sony P&S digital camera. It gives you 3 custom profiles, with their own iso range setting. different picture quality setting etc.
6. The face detection can be set on for ALL light metering and focus mode. this is a big evolution from NEX(which can only used with matrix metering and multi-focus).
7. 20m pixels is very good with pixel peeping or cropping, thanks to it's large sensor and quality lens, lots of details with base iso.
8. It still keep the Sony camera's features:
Sony's color profile. I really like this kind of realistic color rendering. Way better than Panasonic's wash-out plain dirty image and Olympus bluish white, more graduation than too much contrast Nikon, and less pink from Canon.
Portrait mode have more dynamic range boost.(good trick from NEX)
AF-illuminate light is useless.(turn it off immediately when you received your camera, good trick from NEX)
Alpha DSLR's multi frame noise reduction is great for iso 3200 and up
Manual focus with focus peaking and zoom-in
Lot's filter effects can be applied to video and photo, HDR, Pano, Hand held twilight mode, they are still there.
Exposure compensation and white balance you see on screen is identical to the actual shots.
9. leaf shutter is almost silent. lower latency compare to NEX-7, super fast, that can sync flash with 1/2000s
10. 10fps shutter stream with live view, this is a huge plus from NEX, and the buffer flush is very quick compare to NEX-7 with sandisk ush-i 45mb SD
11. almost no screen lag between shots-to-shots(after you turn off the quick review, another trick from NEX/Alpha)
12. dual dials control is very good, comparable to NEX-7 and E-M5(NEX-7's tri-dial is a totally hoax, most of the time, 2 of the dials are redundant with same function. )
13. lens is exceptional, f1.8 can be used but there maybe some halos in daylight, starts from f2.8 is razor sharp. Macro shoot is amazing(see my photos uploaded to the product gallery)
14. photo replay can be zoomed-in and then roll-over each photos to compare the zoomed parts. (NEX-7's tri-dial is useless here, all of them have the same function of roll-over to next photos)
15. lots of customization with buttons.better than NEX-5n and comparable to NEX-7
17. Video function is better than NEX-7, it have more control, and concave dedicate movie button, which in comparison, NEX-7 have a protrude button, can be easily pressed by accident and record unnecessary movie.(Shame on you! Sony, 8 months w/o firmware fix for this!)
18. Video active stabilization is effective, panning and zooming is butter smooth.
19. dedicate modal dial, with memory recall and movie mode. memory recall can set up to 3 memories for the most distinguish settings, such as 1 for portrait(low iso base range, med shutter speed, portrait color rending, face detection ), 2 for landscape (80 iso, vivid color rending, small aperture), 3 for in-door flash portrait. You can alway record video in any mode with press the movie button, but in dedicate movie mode, you can set to automatic or manual, or Av, Sv and filters for your fine tune of movie style.
20. flash can be set to bounce with your fingers, produce nice in-door photos. (good trick from NEX-7)
21. white magic rgbw screen is very good, more vivid and bright than NEX-7 outdoor.
22. battery is generally good in this category , I shoot 700 photos for half a day, So prepare 2 spare battery for a night and day shoot session.
23. Since Adobe released Lightroom 4.2 RC, Raw file can extract more details for high ISO setting, but jpeg out of camera is better than what I expected as well as the vignetting, distortion, purple fringe compensation.
Cons:
1.front dial is smooth, the smooth dial is excellent for manual focus, but I prefer tick dial to adjust values.
2.modal dial is a little tighten to turn.
4.no dedicate on/off button for flash. it can only be triggered with menu option to use flash.
5.Lens zoom out/in speed is not very fast, if you drop the camera, it may not survive...
6. aperture decay fast compare to the focal length, hopefully it can provide 28-35mm with f2.8
7. no grip, even its small but you'd better have the wrist strap.
8. no external battery charger for spare battery.
9. no sd card buffering write indicator nor any sign of indication on screen.
10. photos and movies in separate replay menu, Sony's old problem though...
11. manual can only be downloaded from Sony support website. (No CD manual or Raw converter for a enthusiast camera? )
Things I really expected:
1. ND filter for landscape under bright sunlight.
2. Smart terminal from NEX, So I can hook up EVF or external flash, it's a bad dicision for a camera without articulate screen.
3. Trade some aperture range for a little extra on wide lens, such as 24mm f2
4. Filter thread
5. Wifi/GPS
6. Dedicate Flash on/off switch
7. Traditional focal range display
8.info battery provide precise battery level( % battery display like NEX)
355 of 367 people found the following review helpful
I ordered this from B&H the morning it was announced. Having it for a day and about 500 photos, I'm glad I bought it. After some very late night prints, I'm thrilled. Bottom line: the photo quality is great.
Pros.
Small
Quick to focus and quick between shots
Excellent lens with decent zoom range
Good JPEGS and very good RAW files
Nice controls and the front adjustment ring helps
Well built
Excellent manual controls
The first pocket camera with good manual focus
Cons
Sony's menu's are a bit confusing
Somewhat limited battery life, though par for the category
No manual
Slow aperture at full zoom
No external batter charger
Make no mistake, this is as good as current technology allows for a pocketable camera. It's about the same sizes as my Canon S95. It has a similar design, but IMO looks classier. Sony has made good use of the 20 megapixels. Low ISO files are excellent and as good as recent generation DSLRs. The larger sensor does make a difference.
Is this worth the extra $200 over a S100 or LX7? That depends. If you print your photos larger than 11x14, the answer is an unqualified yes. Photos show more detail and better sharpness. If you mostly post your photos online, then the advantage lessens, especially if you shoot JPEG. What's the advantage of having 20 MP if your photo is displayed at 2 MP? Yes, the Canon and Panasonic cameras will output RAW files, but in practice, there is little advantage from doing so. You gain little if any dynamic range and all three cameras do a good job with white balance in most cases.
If you shoot RAW, the RX-100 is the first pocketable camera that gives you a real advantage with RAW. There is a noticeable difference in dynamic range. Use RAW and there's more highlight headroom and you can pull more details out of the shadows. The bad news here is that Sony's RAW converter program is a bear to use. When Adobe comes out with support for this camera in the next month or so.
Sony has copied Canon's front control ring, which is a great thing. It doesn't have the click stops that Canon's does. It has electronic clicks, which do nothing for me. Those can be turned off. Using the ring for exposure compensation, the lack of felt clicks is a negative. Using the ring for manual focus, it's a plus. Call it a draw. It's the manual focus feature that has me excited. Simply put, manual focus on other pocket point and shoots is marginal at best. With the focus peaking that Sony has included along with the front control ring, manual focus is precise and accurate.
Some of Sony's extra shooting modes are very useful. This carries over the handheld twilight, in-camera HDR and sweep panorama features that I learned to like in my NEX-5n. There are plenty of other options, that somebody will like. Those are the ones I like. Photos at 100-200 ISO are terrific, and good up to 800. Above that, image quality drops off quickly. Compared to my Canon S95, there's not that much difference in quality with JPEGS. Shooting RAW then working the files a bit in PHotoshop, I'd say the there's a good stop to stop and a half advantage to the RX-100 Did I mention that the lens is very good?
Is the camera worth $650? That's a tougher question. Sony sells more capable NEX cameras for $50 more and less. As light and compact as the NEX cameras are, they don't fit in a pocket. This camera will even fit in a shirt pocket, if you don't mind your shirt sagging. It's great for pants pockets or a jacket. While the camera has good manual controls it won't give the same versatility as a NEX or Micro 4/3 camera, let alone a DSLR, which you can get in the same price range. If you want to get serious about photography, I'd recommend getting one of those instead of the RX-100. Panasonic has announced the LX7 which has an insanely fast lens, that should make low light photos easier. Again, if I mostly posted photos online, I'd consider the less expensive but still very good alternatives to the Sony.
If you want the best current small camera, especially as a second camera then the RX-100 is as good as it gets.
Pros.
Small
Quick to focus and quick between shots
Excellent lens with decent zoom range
Good JPEGS and very good RAW files
Nice controls and the front adjustment ring helps
Well built
Excellent manual controls
The first pocket camera with good manual focus
Cons
Sony's menu's are a bit confusing
Somewhat limited battery life, though par for the category
No manual
Slow aperture at full zoom
No external batter charger
Make no mistake, this is as good as current technology allows for a pocketable camera. It's about the same sizes as my Canon S95. It has a similar design, but IMO looks classier. Sony has made good use of the 20 megapixels. Low ISO files are excellent and as good as recent generation DSLRs. The larger sensor does make a difference.
Is this worth the extra $200 over a S100 or LX7? That depends. If you print your photos larger than 11x14, the answer is an unqualified yes. Photos show more detail and better sharpness. If you mostly post your photos online, then the advantage lessens, especially if you shoot JPEG. What's the advantage of having 20 MP if your photo is displayed at 2 MP? Yes, the Canon and Panasonic cameras will output RAW files, but in practice, there is little advantage from doing so. You gain little if any dynamic range and all three cameras do a good job with white balance in most cases.
If you shoot RAW, the RX-100 is the first pocketable camera that gives you a real advantage with RAW. There is a noticeable difference in dynamic range. Use RAW and there's more highlight headroom and you can pull more details out of the shadows. The bad news here is that Sony's RAW converter program is a bear to use. When Adobe comes out with support for this camera in the next month or so.
Sony has copied Canon's front control ring, which is a great thing. It doesn't have the click stops that Canon's does. It has electronic clicks, which do nothing for me. Those can be turned off. Using the ring for exposure compensation, the lack of felt clicks is a negative. Using the ring for manual focus, it's a plus. Call it a draw. It's the manual focus feature that has me excited. Simply put, manual focus on other pocket point and shoots is marginal at best. With the focus peaking that Sony has included along with the front control ring, manual focus is precise and accurate.
Some of Sony's extra shooting modes are very useful. This carries over the handheld twilight, in-camera HDR and sweep panorama features that I learned to like in my NEX-5n. There are plenty of other options, that somebody will like. Those are the ones I like. Photos at 100-200 ISO are terrific, and good up to 800. Above that, image quality drops off quickly. Compared to my Canon S95, there's not that much difference in quality with JPEGS. Shooting RAW then working the files a bit in PHotoshop, I'd say the there's a good stop to stop and a half advantage to the RX-100 Did I mention that the lens is very good?
Is the camera worth $650? That's a tougher question. Sony sells more capable NEX cameras for $50 more and less. As light and compact as the NEX cameras are, they don't fit in a pocket. This camera will even fit in a shirt pocket, if you don't mind your shirt sagging. It's great for pants pockets or a jacket. While the camera has good manual controls it won't give the same versatility as a NEX or Micro 4/3 camera, let alone a DSLR, which you can get in the same price range. If you want to get serious about photography, I'd recommend getting one of those instead of the RX-100. Panasonic has announced the LX7 which has an insanely fast lens, that should make low light photos easier. Again, if I mostly posted photos online, I'd consider the less expensive but still very good alternatives to the Sony.
If you want the best current small camera, especially as a second camera then the RX-100 is as good as it gets.
188 of 203 people found the following review helpful
By MyKeyReviews
As soon as I saw information released about this camera, I knew instantly I wanted to get my hands on it; it looked awesome and the specifications mentioned seemed incredibly impressive for a camera it's size, so when I finally got it(which of course made a big hole in my credit card), I was super excited to play around with the features and see what it could actually do and if it would live up to the expectations Sony had created about this camera.
First impressions were definitely positive, it looks remarkably suave and holding the camera itself I found it to be really comfortable even though it only has one grip which is located precisely for your thumb. I personally think they got a good balance between grip and style, because if they had added any more grip it would have ruined that nice sleek design it has, for example if you take a look at the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V, you will see it has a huge grip which whilst gives maximum grip it does overwhelm the side of the camera.
Included in the box are the following:
Camera | AC adapter | Battery pack | Micro USB cable | Wrist strap | Two shoulder strap adapters | Manual.
Things you NEED:
SDHC Card (You can choose a different brand/memory capacity, though do remember as this is a 20MP camera, files sizes average around 5MB if your using Jpeg in fine detail, or is around 20MB if using the RAW format (RAW image has a '.ARW' file extension)).
Optional:
Camera Case (LCJ-RXA) | USB SDHC Card Reader | Spare Battery NP-BX1 | HDMI - Micro HDMI Cable | Anti-reflective Screen Protector
- - -
The main thing I love about this camera is it has modes which are great for people who don't have a lot of knowledge about cameras and just want to point and shoot whilst getting great results, and there are modes for those who know more about cameras and want to go more in-depth with the settings.
The modes which I personally think are great for those with limited camera knowledge, I would suggest using the mode dial located on top of the camera to choose one of the following:
1) Superior Auto; "This device beautifully shoots automatically while reducing blurring and noise".
My opinion: I've always had great results with this mode, on most occasions it takes the picture I want it to, though sometimes you may want select a mode in the scene setting to get a little bit extra.
- - -
2) Intelligent Auto; "Automatically identifies the scene's characteristics and shoots a photo".
My opinion: Pretty much the same scenario with the superior auto, it takes fantastic shots most of the time, though I haven't really noticed the difference between both of them, this may be because I haven't had the chance to test them in many varied locations.
- - -
3) Scene Selection; Here you can select different pre-setting modes to get the most out of certain scenarios:
- Portrait; "Emphasizes subject by blurring away background. Reproduces soft skin tone".
- Anti Motion Blur; "Reduces blur indoors with poor lighting or for telephoto shooting to obtain clear images".
- Sports Action; "Shoots fast motion at higher shutter speeds".
- Pet; "Shoots pets and other subjects in movement to reduce blur".
- Gourmet; "Shoots food to look delicious".
- Macro; "This mode is best suited for shooting close-ups of small subjects such as flowers and food in clear and sharp focus".
- Landscape; "Shoots the entire range of scenery in a sharp focus with vivid colours".
- Sunset; "Vividly expresses and dramatically captures the redness of dusk and dawn".
- Night Scene; "Shoots night scenes clearly. Recommend using tripod".
- Hand-held Twilight; "Suitable for shooting a night scene without using a tripod".
- Night Portrait; "Automatically fires the flash to illuminate foreground subjects and engages slow shutter to capture background night scenes".
- Fireworks; "Shoots beautiful fireworks without flash".
- High Sensitivity; "Reduces blur even without using flash".
You can select different scene modes by twisting the mode dial back and forth, twist the control ring(my favourite and the easiest way), or go to photo tab 5 which is located within the menu.
My opinion: You have such a good amount of different options to choose from. Not only does the camera explain the best situation to use such scenes, but also shows a picture to give you a better idea of what scene they should be used in.
I've had some great shots with the hand-held twilight setting, whilst I don't get perfect shots all the time, it has produced better results than all my previous cyber-shot cameras combined!
I also really like the portrait mode.
There is one option not on the list from previous models and that is the "Picture Effect" mode, this has been moved into the menu or can be selected via the function button (if selected), I would have preferred it to be in the scene selection, but that may be because I'm used to it being there.
- - -
4) Sweep shooting; "Creates a panoramic image while you move the camera left/right or up and down at a fixed speed".
You can adjust the settings by going into the menu on photo tab 1.
My opinion: This is one of my favourite features on the camera that produces truly amazing panoramic results.
- - -
5) Movie; Choose from the following movie modes:
- Program Auto; "Auto movie shooting where aperture and shutter speeds are automatic, and other features can be set as desired".
- Aperture Priority; "Adjusts aperture to change focus range and background defocus".
- Shutter Priority; "Manually adjusts speed to control how moving subjects are captured".
- Manual Exposure; "Adjusts aperture and shutter speed manually".
You do have the ability to duel record (take pictures whilst recording) however it's important to note that it's disabled whilst recording in AVCHD format '60p 28M(PS)', so if you do want to take full advantage of this feature, make sure your on '60i 24M(FX)', '60i 17M(FH)' or are recording through the MP4 format. When taking pictures whilst recording, you will NOT hear the shutter sound, instead you till see a message on the screen stating "captured", this is to ensure the shutter noise is not recorded.
Also note that you don't have to be in the movie mode to start recording, you can start recording on most modes/settings by clicking the record button as you would do normally.
My opinion: When recording in the best quality the output is phenomenal, the video is so smooth and it focuses on things very well. To be honest if it wasn't for the fact that my camcorder has so much more zoom than this camera, I would use this camera instead and scrap my camcorder!
- - -
For those who understand a bit more about camera settings, you will be pleased to have several modes available for you to use:
1) Program Auto; "Automatically sets aperture and shutter speed. Other settings can be set as desired".
2) Aperture Priority; "Adjusts aperture to change the range in focus and amount of background blur. Small value blurs front and back, large value makes even background in focus".
3) Shutter Priority; "Adjusts shutter speed manually for different effects of moving subjects. Faster speeds to appear stopped momentarily. Slower speed to capture traces of movement".
4) Manual Exposure; "Adjusts aperture and shutter speed manually".
5) Memory recall; This setting lets you go in-depth with pretty much every setting, you can save up to three profiles which you can quickly select for later usage. This will be a favourite for a lot of people so they don't have to manually set everything all over again.
My opinion: I wouldn't classify myself as someone who knows a lot about in-depth camera settings, but thanks to the camera guide which you can pop-up by clicking the "?" button, it's given me some really good simple yet detailed tips to get me started. I still think it will be awhile before I understand these settings fully, however I'm certain I will get there at some point, it just takes persistence.
- - -
The menu system is a lot different from the previous cyber-shot cameras I've owned, previously when you click "Menu", you get a quick menu system on the left hand side to where you can fiddle around with the settings quickly or choose to go into the proper settings menu, however with this camera it goes straight into one menu where you can browse everything. This for me is something I had to get used to as it is different, however they do have pictured tabs which make it easy to navigate.
Another feature which is new to me is the function button labelled "Fn", this button lets you navigate through 7 different options that can be changed to your liking via the menu system. Read more ›
First impressions were definitely positive, it looks remarkably suave and holding the camera itself I found it to be really comfortable even though it only has one grip which is located precisely for your thumb. I personally think they got a good balance between grip and style, because if they had added any more grip it would have ruined that nice sleek design it has, for example if you take a look at the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V, you will see it has a huge grip which whilst gives maximum grip it does overwhelm the side of the camera.
Included in the box are the following:
Camera | AC adapter | Battery pack | Micro USB cable | Wrist strap | Two shoulder strap adapters | Manual.
Things you NEED:
SDHC Card (You can choose a different brand/memory capacity, though do remember as this is a 20MP camera, files sizes average around 5MB if your using Jpeg in fine detail, or is around 20MB if using the RAW format (RAW image has a '.ARW' file extension)).
Optional:
Camera Case (LCJ-RXA) | USB SDHC Card Reader | Spare Battery NP-BX1 | HDMI - Micro HDMI Cable | Anti-reflective Screen Protector
- - -
The main thing I love about this camera is it has modes which are great for people who don't have a lot of knowledge about cameras and just want to point and shoot whilst getting great results, and there are modes for those who know more about cameras and want to go more in-depth with the settings.
The modes which I personally think are great for those with limited camera knowledge, I would suggest using the mode dial located on top of the camera to choose one of the following:
1) Superior Auto; "This device beautifully shoots automatically while reducing blurring and noise".
My opinion: I've always had great results with this mode, on most occasions it takes the picture I want it to, though sometimes you may want select a mode in the scene setting to get a little bit extra.
- - -
2) Intelligent Auto; "Automatically identifies the scene's characteristics and shoots a photo".
My opinion: Pretty much the same scenario with the superior auto, it takes fantastic shots most of the time, though I haven't really noticed the difference between both of them, this may be because I haven't had the chance to test them in many varied locations.
- - -
3) Scene Selection; Here you can select different pre-setting modes to get the most out of certain scenarios:
- Portrait; "Emphasizes subject by blurring away background. Reproduces soft skin tone".
- Anti Motion Blur; "Reduces blur indoors with poor lighting or for telephoto shooting to obtain clear images".
- Sports Action; "Shoots fast motion at higher shutter speeds".
- Pet; "Shoots pets and other subjects in movement to reduce blur".
- Gourmet; "Shoots food to look delicious".
- Macro; "This mode is best suited for shooting close-ups of small subjects such as flowers and food in clear and sharp focus".
- Landscape; "Shoots the entire range of scenery in a sharp focus with vivid colours".
- Sunset; "Vividly expresses and dramatically captures the redness of dusk and dawn".
- Night Scene; "Shoots night scenes clearly. Recommend using tripod".
- Hand-held Twilight; "Suitable for shooting a night scene without using a tripod".
- Night Portrait; "Automatically fires the flash to illuminate foreground subjects and engages slow shutter to capture background night scenes".
- Fireworks; "Shoots beautiful fireworks without flash".
- High Sensitivity; "Reduces blur even without using flash".
You can select different scene modes by twisting the mode dial back and forth, twist the control ring(my favourite and the easiest way), or go to photo tab 5 which is located within the menu.
My opinion: You have such a good amount of different options to choose from. Not only does the camera explain the best situation to use such scenes, but also shows a picture to give you a better idea of what scene they should be used in.
I've had some great shots with the hand-held twilight setting, whilst I don't get perfect shots all the time, it has produced better results than all my previous cyber-shot cameras combined!
I also really like the portrait mode.
There is one option not on the list from previous models and that is the "Picture Effect" mode, this has been moved into the menu or can be selected via the function button (if selected), I would have preferred it to be in the scene selection, but that may be because I'm used to it being there.
- - -
4) Sweep shooting; "Creates a panoramic image while you move the camera left/right or up and down at a fixed speed".
You can adjust the settings by going into the menu on photo tab 1.
My opinion: This is one of my favourite features on the camera that produces truly amazing panoramic results.
- - -
5) Movie; Choose from the following movie modes:
- Program Auto; "Auto movie shooting where aperture and shutter speeds are automatic, and other features can be set as desired".
- Aperture Priority; "Adjusts aperture to change focus range and background defocus".
- Shutter Priority; "Manually adjusts speed to control how moving subjects are captured".
- Manual Exposure; "Adjusts aperture and shutter speed manually".
You do have the ability to duel record (take pictures whilst recording) however it's important to note that it's disabled whilst recording in AVCHD format '60p 28M(PS)', so if you do want to take full advantage of this feature, make sure your on '60i 24M(FX)', '60i 17M(FH)' or are recording through the MP4 format. When taking pictures whilst recording, you will NOT hear the shutter sound, instead you till see a message on the screen stating "captured", this is to ensure the shutter noise is not recorded.
Also note that you don't have to be in the movie mode to start recording, you can start recording on most modes/settings by clicking the record button as you would do normally.
My opinion: When recording in the best quality the output is phenomenal, the video is so smooth and it focuses on things very well. To be honest if it wasn't for the fact that my camcorder has so much more zoom than this camera, I would use this camera instead and scrap my camcorder!
- - -
For those who understand a bit more about camera settings, you will be pleased to have several modes available for you to use:
1) Program Auto; "Automatically sets aperture and shutter speed. Other settings can be set as desired".
2) Aperture Priority; "Adjusts aperture to change the range in focus and amount of background blur. Small value blurs front and back, large value makes even background in focus".
3) Shutter Priority; "Adjusts shutter speed manually for different effects of moving subjects. Faster speeds to appear stopped momentarily. Slower speed to capture traces of movement".
4) Manual Exposure; "Adjusts aperture and shutter speed manually".
5) Memory recall; This setting lets you go in-depth with pretty much every setting, you can save up to three profiles which you can quickly select for later usage. This will be a favourite for a lot of people so they don't have to manually set everything all over again.
My opinion: I wouldn't classify myself as someone who knows a lot about in-depth camera settings, but thanks to the camera guide which you can pop-up by clicking the "?" button, it's given me some really good simple yet detailed tips to get me started. I still think it will be awhile before I understand these settings fully, however I'm certain I will get there at some point, it just takes persistence.
- - -
The menu system is a lot different from the previous cyber-shot cameras I've owned, previously when you click "Menu", you get a quick menu system on the left hand side to where you can fiddle around with the settings quickly or choose to go into the proper settings menu, however with this camera it goes straight into one menu where you can browse everything. This for me is something I had to get used to as it is different, however they do have pictured tabs which make it easy to navigate.
Another feature which is new to me is the function button labelled "Fn", this button lets you navigate through 7 different options that can be changed to your liking via the menu system. Read more ›
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