Sony RX10 Reviews

[Allan Bell]

I think it could be a deal breaker for me. My photo trips are usually in a VW camper.

Space is a bit restricted for a camera to be tied up to a laptop for long periods at a time, and if I'm not on a campsite - no electricity.

Trust Sony to come up with something promising and then shoot itself in the foot!

 

Christine

 

From an earlier link in this thread:-

 

Recommended Accessories

• Extra NP-FW50 battery pack for extended outings
• BC-VW1 battery charger (if you want to charge one battery while shooting with another)
• Large capacity SDHC/SDXC memory card. These days, 16GB is a good tradeoff between cost and capacity for a consumer DSLR, but if you plan to capture HD movie clips or shoot in RAW format, look for larger cards with Class 6 or faster ratings.
• External shoe mount flash (HVL-F20M, HVL-F60M, or HVL-F43M), or other accessory flash
• ADP-MAA shoe mount adapter (if you want to use an older strobe with Sony / Konica Minolta's proprietary shoe, colloquially known as an iISO shoe)
• AC-PW20 power supply kit with DC coupler
• HVL-LEIR1 or HVL-LE1 video light
• ECM-CG50 mono or ECM-ALST1 / ECM-XYST1M / XLR-KM1 stereo microphone
• CLM-V55 clip-on LCD monitor
• RM-VPR1 remote commander
• PCK-LM15 screen protector
• Small-to-medium size camera bag

 

Allan

[David Kilpatrick]

OK, to answer further - the zoom Jeff is indeed very high quality but unless you can pause for a vital second, and also take a little time adjusting its focal length, it's not for you. The power zoom action is sort or fly-by-wire and peculiarly damped, designed almost 100% round movie shooting. It is amazingly quiet and smooth, with a soft start and stop 'accelerate/decelerate' curve. It's almost difficult to judge when the zooming will stop, as it continues for a bit after you cease the turn the ring/lever.

 

You asked about street photography. The RX10 is a super high quality bridge camera but it's just not a shoot from hip type of camera at all.

 

Charging - it comes with the same battery as the amateur range DSLRs/DSLTs, all NEX models and the A7 models - not the smaller battery of the RX1/RX100. I have two chargers already. The bonus is that the camera can just be plugged into my Mac or laptop, or into the USB of my car, to charge up at any time. Actually, I like that feature. It's meant I do not need bulky chargers and mains cables etc when travelling (on the RX100).

 

The sound quality is quite superb. I've tested it using its own mics (good), using an HP headset with lanyard mic which enabled monitoring and recording and was surprisingly good, and using a Rode VideoMic Pro (wonderful quality, and the almost totally silent zooming and focusing then don't pick up at all). I plan to try some video/audio on Friday night if Dana & Susan Robinson will let me film part of their gig locally.

 

The RX10 is emphatically not a grabshot camera and if you set the RX100 to f/2.8 (A) and auto ISO the little zoom in that is only 'worse' than the RX10 in terms of distortion, vignetting and some softening to the corners plus a 1.5-stop loss of aperture at the long end (only 100mm equivalent as well). The RX100 lens is so much lighter and smaller that its zoom and focus is faster.

[Christine Whitehead]

Thanks Allan and David. That clarifies the battery thing.

 

Christine

[Linda]

I always buy third party charges and batteries.I've done that for at least 15 years and have never had a problem on at least 20 different cameras.It sets you back about $20..battery with charger..

 

I saw on the Sony dpreview forum that many users are posting samples. SOme are not too bad.I suspect most are people that have not yet bothered to figure the camera out.

L

[TABan]

Not too bad on dpreview? That's saying something. 

 

David will post some. Then we'll see what happens when someone who knows what they're doing uses it.

[Ed Rooney]

I'm wondering if any of you know if the information I came upon that Sony will not be producing any more cameras in their NEX line is a fact or just a rumor???

[David Kilpatrick]

The info on NEX is incorrect. They will not be continuing the NEX name, instead they will simply be Alpha cameras identified by numbers. There will still be NEX-type E-mount models, ILC type (A3000) and RX-type FE (A7) models all using the E-mount and there will be SLT type cameras made with the A-mount, but that is most likely to be the line ultimately discontinued. Sony has become the first maker to forsee the end of the SLR design.

 

Just for info - the A7 designs allow you to disable auto APS-C crop and I'm finding that some of the E-mount lenses (even the often criticised 16mm f/2.8) can do an good job making wither 24 x 24mm format square shots or even full frame. My 30mm macro for A-mount, used with an adaptor, turns out to cover full frame which it was never intended for. It makes a decent 30mm wide angle with rather strong vignetting but straight lines and good sharpness. That's just saved me a whole load - it also focuses to 1:1 scale...

[Ed Rooney]

Thanks for the clarification, David. I see that 24-200 f/2.8 Zeiss zoom as a Sony best buy at $1,300 . . . and low and behold it comes with a camera attached. 

[David Kilpatrick]

I've been doing a bit of measuring, including the substantial part of the 24-200mm equivalent lens which hides inside the camera body. If Sony/Xeiss used the same optical design to create a genuine 24-200mm f/2.8 to fit a DSLR, the lens you get on the RX10 would measure 189mm from mount to front rim, would have a barrel diameter of 200mm (trying sticking your hand round that to change lenses!) and a front glass 125mm in size with a filter thread to take 170mm diameter filters. The lens hood would add 95mm in length, and be 220mm in diameter. When fully extended to 200mm, the lens would be 325mm long.

 

Yesterday night I did a complete Adobe Camera Raw Lens Profile at four focal lengths and 2.8, 5.6, 11 for each focal length. After completing the profile and loading it (it has been sent to Adobe for general distribution) I opened a set of raw files and compared profile applied against profile disabled. The difference is so slight at all settings that I had to make the change repeatedly while examining different parts of the image. The vignetting map is almost zero and distortion is either corrected before the raw file is created, or the lens has none.

 

Some of the tests are pretty stunning. At apertures like f/5.6 this lens will resolve detail close to the limit of the 20 megapixel density. I've also just shot a video (talking head/body camera demo) and it's up there with the best video quality I have ever had.

[TABan]

I've been doing a bit of measuring, including the substantial part of the 24-200mm equivalent lens which hides inside the camera body. If Sony/Xeiss used the same optical design to create a genuine 24-200mm f/2.8 to fit a DSLR, the lens you get on the RX10 would measure 189mm from mount to front rim, would have a barrel diameter of 200mm (trying sticking your hand round that to change lenses!) and a front glass 125mm in size with a filter thread to take 170mm diameter filters. The lens hood would add 95mm in length, and be 220mm in diameter. When fully extended to 200mm, the lens would be 325mm long.

 

Yesterday night I did a complete Adobe Camera Raw Lens Profile at four focal lengths and 2.8, 5.6, 11 for each focal length. After completing the profile and loading it (it has been sent to Adobe for general distribution) I opened a set of raw files and compared profile applied against profile disabled. The difference is so slight at all settings that I had to make the change repeatedly while examining different parts of the image. The vignetting map is almost zero and distortion is either corrected before the raw file is created, or the lens has none.

 

Some of the tests are pretty stunning. At apertures like f/5.6 this lens will resolve detail close to the limit of the 20 megapixel density. I've also just shot a video (talking head/body camera demo) and it's up there with the best video quality I have ever had.

David,

 

Can you use Auto ISO in manual mode? You can't with the RX100.

[TABan]

Interesting video review:

 

[Ed Rooney]

I see in this video that the RX10 zoom can be used for micro without a lot of fuss. I wonder if the LR5 convertor works with RX10 RAW, or will we need a Adobe update?  

[Duncan_Andison]

I'm kind of thinking I may take a pass on the Sony RX10 as well. I was out doing an outdoor event in the cold tonight and brought my Canon 60D w/24-105mm f4 using flash and the Fuji X Pro 1 with 18-5mm f2.8-4 shooting at iso1600.

The Fuji blows away the Canon 60D in available light. It's not the easiest thing to focus for a performance but I am happy with the results.

 

I've decided when I want full frame I'll lug the 6D with perhaps the 40mm 2.8 pancake.

 

The Fuji X Pro 1 quality is better than much of what I have seen with other cameras.

 

I will possibly hold off until spring for anything new. I don't shoot much outside in the winter.

 

L

Fuji are rumoured to be releasing a new camera that will sit between the X-E & X Pro cameras (Jan-Feb 2014). It will be based on the X100s sensor/features (plus extras) and will have weather sealing apparently! Could be useful for outdoor events. More or less the same sensor as the X Pro but improved AF.

 

Me, I'm hanging fire for the X Pro2, more than happy with the X Pro1 & E1 that I use at the moment.

[Ed Rooney]

I would like to have a dollar for every time I've said, "This is the very last piece of photography equipment I will ever buy."  Yes, I'm considering purchasing a Sony RX10.  Unrealistically, I always say to the security checkers as I leave Adorama and B&H, "Thanks for your help and goodbye forever."  Alas. . . .

 

The main thing is I might well want to buy that 24-200 f/2.8 zoom with its sharpness and closeup possibilities and its VR at the same price if it were available for my NEX cameras . . . so my faulty 'buy it!' thinking tells me : you are getting a new camera FREE!  Another small detail that I've been missing on my digitals is the screw-in point for a standard cable release; I see more tripod use in my future. 

 

Here we go again.  

[TABan]

I would like to have a dollar for every time I've said, "This is the very last piece of photography equipment I will ever buy."  

You and my wife. :-D

[Linda]

Good points and bad points.

 

Quality appears to be good in stills and video and the camera is made well. It's also expensive now perhaps the price will come down by spring?

 

Bad point.It's big.Not pocketable.So,it depends how you want to use this.Once people see a 'big camera' they might take notice and avoid you or might not let you in certain events with your 'pro looking camera' :-)

 

You will need a camera bag to lug this around. :-(

 

L

[Allan Bell]

 

I'm kind of thinking I may take a pass on the Sony RX10 as well. I was out doing an outdoor event in the cold tonight and brought my Canon 60D w/24-105mm f4 using flash and the Fuji X Pro 1 with 18-5mm f2.8-4 shooting at iso1600.

The Fuji blows away the Canon 60D in available light. It's not the easiest thing to focus for a performance but I am happy with the results.

 

I've decided when I want full frame I'll lug the 6D with perhaps the 40mm 2.8 pancake.

 

The Fuji X Pro 1 quality is better than much of what I have seen with other cameras.

 

I will possibly hold off until spring for anything new. I don't shoot much outside in the winter.

 

L

Fuji are rumoured to be releasing a new camera that will sit between the X-E & X Pro cameras (Jan-Feb 2014). It will be based on the X100s sensor/features (plus extras) and will have weather sealing apparently! Could be useful for outdoor events. More or less the same sensor as the X Pro but improved AF.

 

Me, I'm hanging fire for the X Pro2, more than happy with the X Pro1 & E1 that I use at the moment.

 

 

 

I'm getting the X-E2 next week but still may be interested in the RX10 later next year when the price has fallen and a few firmware updates have made it a better camera.

 

Allan

[David Kilpatrick]

My exercise with the lens profile wasa bit futile. I merely replicated the built-in profile which the camera embeds in every raw. Using Iridient Developer, I have been able to compare the uncorrected raw (which ACR/LR will not let you do) with my correction and Sony's embedded correction. Compared to the RX100 which uses really strong (huge) corrections for distortion and vignetting alike, the RX10 lens starts out very clean and good indeed and needs only very slight corrections. You can't use without the profile, but if you could, it would be as good as many zooms for larger formats.

[Ed Rooney]

Waiting for a price to drop seems to be a pointless exercise. They don't drop that much until the next model is introduced. And I think of gear as tools; I need the tool or not . . . I surely don't befit by getting along without something. Getting older I see tomorrow as the day after today.

 

http://www.imaging-resource.com/camera-reviews/sony/rx10/

[Gervais Montacute]

Yes I agree about price drops to a point. But that's a bit of a game. For instance, waiting for Nikon G series lenses to drop in price could result in a lot of beard growth followed by serious health issues. Like death.

[Duncan_Andison]

 

 

I'm kind of thinking I may take a pass on the Sony RX10 as well. I was out doing an outdoor event in the cold tonight and brought my Canon 60D w/24-105mm f4 using flash and the Fuji X Pro 1 with 18-5mm f2.8-4 shooting at iso1600.

The Fuji blows away the Canon 60D in available light. It's not the easiest thing to focus for a performance but I am happy with the results.

 

I've decided when I want full frame I'll lug the 6D with perhaps the 40mm 2.8 pancake.

 

The Fuji X Pro 1 quality is better than much of what I have seen with other cameras.

 

I will possibly hold off until spring for anything new. I don't shoot much outside in the winter.

 

L

Fuji are rumoured to be releasing a new camera that will sit between the X-E & X Pro cameras (Jan-Feb 2014). It will be based on the X100s sensor/features (plus extras) and will have weather sealing apparently! Could be useful for outdoor events. More or less the same sensor as the X Pro but improved AF.

 

Me, I'm hanging fire for the X Pro2, more than happy with the X Pro1 & E1 that I use at the moment.

 

 

 

I'm getting the X-E2 next week but still may be interested in the RX10 later next year when the price has fallen and a few firmware updates have made it a better camera.

 

Allan

 

 

Lucky man.... apparently the X-E2 is much improved over the E1 and Pro1 in terms of AF speed.

[Linda]

> You will need a camera bag to lug this (RX10) around

 

Yes Not at all!

My Canon 7D with its 27-88mm equivalent f2.8 fixed** lens

has NEVER seen inside of camera bag in 4 years & lens

cap NEVER taken when traveling.  Always ready to shoot...

(**as in, lens almost never gets detached from body)

 

Also,

since DavidK says there's lens shade shadow at 24-50mm

when using onboard flash, am going to need very lightweight

hot shoe flash that offers the most separation between flash

head & lens...  Any suggestions appreciated!

 

NOTE TO SELF: Sony HVL-F20M SUGGESTED

In Chicago,you'd really have to be careful. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people lose their camera and phones...When I was in NYC a few months ago I saw two people lose their camera to thieves near The Plaza Hotel within a week. Ignore this message if you are 6'2 and built like a linebacker.The thugs will probably leave you alone! :-)

[Allan Bell]

 

 

 

I'm kind of thinking I may take a pass on the Sony RX10 as well. I was out doing an outdoor event in the cold tonight and brought my Canon 60D w/24-105mm f4 using flash and the Fuji X Pro 1 with 18-5mm f2.8-4 shooting at iso1600.

The Fuji blows away the Canon 60D in available light. It's not the easiest thing to focus for a performance but I am happy with the results.

 

I've decided when I want full frame I'll lug the 6D with perhaps the 40mm 2.8 pancake.

 

The Fuji X Pro 1 quality is better than much of what I have seen with other cameras.

 

I will possibly hold off until spring for anything new. I don't shoot much outside in the winter.

 

L

Fuji are rumoured to be releasing a new camera that will sit between the X-E & X Pro cameras (Jan-Feb 2014). It will be based on the X100s sensor/features (plus extras) and will have weather sealing apparently! Could be useful for outdoor events. More or less the same sensor as the X Pro but improved AF.

 

Me, I'm hanging fire for the X Pro2, more than happy with the X Pro1 & E1 that I use at the moment.

 

 

 

I'm getting the X-E2 next week but still may be interested in the RX10 later next year when the price has fallen and a few firmware updates have made it a better camera.

 

Allan

 

 

Lucky man.... apparently the X-E2 is much improved over the E1 and Pro1 in terms of AF speed.

 

 

Yes but when I get it there is already a firmwear update waiting, unless Fuji have been very quick and installed the firmwear already in my new camera.

 

Allan

[Ed Rooney]

My campaign to pretend to myself that I'm not going to buy the Sony RX10 is losing its thrust.

 

Linda says it's big, not pocketable. But I have no interest in putting a camera in my pocket. (How would it cohabitant with that tuna salad sandwich or my keys and my cellphone?)  I have been carrying a small bag with a UpStrap attached with my NEX cameras; I'm good with that. The RX10 is a bit large but not really heavy, at under two pounds, just heavier than my NEX-6 with the 24 Sony Zeiss onboard. I love this combo, but I'm ready to explore other frames on my images.  As you can see, I am a high-end rationalizer.

 

I love the idea of going back on a tripod using an old-time cable release and the subtleties that suggests. I've been working with a few NEX primes for over two years now, waiting for Sony to award me with an affordable selection of lenses . . . but they have not done that. I use the 24 f/1.8 and the 50 f/1.8 and that's it. I own but don't use (much) the 16 pancake and 30 micro. I bought the 12mm ultra-wide Touit for about $1,200 and returned it.  And I was looking at the new 10-18 for $750 . . . but it seems that three good lens will cost me lots more than the very sharp Zeiss zoom on the RX10, with the camera thrown in free. 

 

To make this move I think I will have to sell all my Nikons, including the D700 and the D90 and the 20, 60 macro and 24-120 zoom I had planned to try and keep. 

[Gervais Montacute]

My campaign to pretend to myself that I'm not going to buy the Sony RX10 is losing its thrust.

 

Linda says it's big, not pocketable. But I have no interest in putting a camera in my pocket. (How would it cohabitant with that tuna salad sandwich or my keys and my cellphone?)  I have been carrying a small bag with a UpStrap attached with my NEX cameras; I'm good with that. The RX10 is a bit large but not really heavy, at under two pounds, just heavier than my NEX-6 with the 24 Sony Zeiss onboard. I love this combo, but I'm ready to explore other frames on my images.  As you can see, I am a high-end rationalizer.

 

I love the idea of going back on a tripod using an old-time cable release and the subtleties that suggests. I've been working with a few NEX primes for over two years now, waiting for Sony to award me with an affordable selection of lenses . . . but they have not done that. I use the 24 f/1.8 and the 50 f/1.8 and that's it. I own but don't use (much) the 16 pancake and 30 micro. I bought the 12mm ultra-wide Touit for about $1,200 and returned it.  And I was looking at the new 10-18 for $750 . . . but it seems that three good lens will cost me lots more than the very sharp Zeiss zoom on the RX10, with the camera thrown in free. 

 

To make this move I think I will have to sell all my Nikons, including the D700 and the D90 and the 20, 60 macro and 24-120 zoom I had planned to try and keep. 

 

Ed I would definitely want to keep the D700 if just purely on nostalgia reasons. 

 

I haven't looked at the RX10 too much, but it does look like quite a big camera. Not like a D4 or even D800. But fairly big. I still can't get over the RX100 II.