The Sony RX100 may have only been announced this morning, but we had the pleasure of welcoming it into our test lab yesterday afternoon. It was a race against time to run all our tests on this sleek expert compact before this morning’s presentation, but you’ll be pleased to hear that we pulled it off—test shots from the RX100 are now online in the Face-Off. So how does it compare to the competition?
Sony Cyber-shot RX100
The freshly announced Sony Cyber-shot RX100 has already been put through its paces in our camera test lab. We haven’t had it long, but it’s been long enough to run a whole load of tests, take a selection of sample shots and get a first idea of what it’s like to use. Still, don’t expect to see our full review online next week ...
Several key questions spring to mind with the RX100. First of all about the optics—is it possible to make a good-quality lens that’s big enough to cover a sensor larger than the average compact camera sensor but which also fits into a camera body just 37 mm thick?
Well, take a look at the results for yourself. Why not, for example, compare the Sony RX100 with the Canon S100 and G1 X, Panasonic LX5 and Fuji X10. The 100% size wide-angle and telephoto shots in the Face-Off should answer that question.
That said, it’s important to remember that you’re looking at a 20-Megapixel picture at 100% size, which is a bit like looking at a 12” x 18” (30 x 45 cm) print under a magnifying glass! Any weaknesses in telephoto mode, which are only too obvious on this scale, are barely even noticeable when you look at an 8” x 12” ( 20 x 30 cm) print from a normal distance.
The second important question concerns the electronics. How will this sensor perform bearing in mind it has twice the resolution of the equivalent-sized Nikon 1 sensors? Will performances be closer to standard expert compacts or to the Canon G1 X, the only other compact on the market right now with a large-format sensor and a zoom lens?
The ISO test results should give us some answers. As you can see, the Jpeg shots are visibly processed—as is Sony’s way—but the overall result is flattering. Smoothing is limited up to 3200 ISO and even pictures taken at 6400 ISO could still feasibly be used. The G1 X logically does a slightly better job, but the Nikon 1 cameras don’t really take Jpeg shots of any better quality, despite the fact their pixel density is half that of the Sony sensor.
On the whole, the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 looks like a promising camera. However, we’ll have to spend a little more time in its company to find out how it performs in other fields, such as battery life, design and handling. We’ll also be checking picture quality in real-life situations.
> Canon RX100 Sample Shots in the Face-Off
> Digital Camera Reviews: Choose the Best Compact Camera
Sony Cyber-shot RX100
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The freshly announced Sony Cyber-shot RX100 has already been put through its paces in our camera test lab. We haven’t had it long, but it’s been long enough to run a whole load of tests, take a selection of sample shots and get a first idea of what it’s like to use. Still, don’t expect to see our full review online next week ...
Several key questions spring to mind with the RX100. First of all about the optics—is it possible to make a good-quality lens that’s big enough to cover a sensor larger than the average compact camera sensor but which also fits into a camera body just 37 mm thick?
Well, take a look at the results for yourself. Why not, for example, compare the Sony RX100 with the Canon S100 and G1 X, Panasonic LX5 and Fuji X10. The 100% size wide-angle and telephoto shots in the Face-Off should answer that question.
That said, it’s important to remember that you’re looking at a 20-Megapixel picture at 100% size, which is a bit like looking at a 12” x 18” (30 x 45 cm) print under a magnifying glass! Any weaknesses in telephoto mode, which are only too obvious on this scale, are barely even noticeable when you look at an 8” x 12” ( 20 x 30 cm) print from a normal distance.
The second important question concerns the electronics. How will this sensor perform bearing in mind it has twice the resolution of the equivalent-sized Nikon 1 sensors? Will performances be closer to standard expert compacts or to the Canon G1 X, the only other compact on the market right now with a large-format sensor and a zoom lens?
The ISO test results should give us some answers. As you can see, the Jpeg shots are visibly processed—as is Sony’s way—but the overall result is flattering. Smoothing is limited up to 3200 ISO and even pictures taken at 6400 ISO could still feasibly be used. The G1 X logically does a slightly better job, but the Nikon 1 cameras don’t really take Jpeg shots of any better quality, despite the fact their pixel density is half that of the Sony sensor.
On the whole, the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 looks like a promising camera. However, we’ll have to spend a little more time in its company to find out how it performs in other fields, such as battery life, design and handling. We’ll also be checking picture quality in real-life situations.
> Digital Camera Reviews: Choose the Best Compact Camera
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