Almost by chance, I came across the relatively new Sony RX10, a hair I would not have realized that there is this model at all. One could almost call it love at first sight and my interest was immediately aroused.
Of course, I have been involved in the Internet with the same performance and features, read me in various reviews and forums reports. The result of my research was very mixed, so I had to purchase rejected. But somehow would not let the subject go and so I have ordered the RX10 with a healthy dose of skepticism.
First impression, feel and quality of workmanship:
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The Sony RX10 had me already drawn on the basis of product photos in its spell. After unpacking and first touched turned first of all a very positive first impression. On the part of design for me one of the finest cameras ever, coupled with a very pleasant feel! Everything feels very valuable. The camera is also very good grip and is surprisingly well in hand. Although anything but small, it is not such a big chunk as initially feared. Compared to my last Nikon D7000 is relatively compact and lightweight. The controls are logically located, I am particularly pleased about the thumbwheel for exposure compensation and aperture ring on the lens. You can use it either continuously or with grid via a switch on the underside. For movies I would use the silent continuous mode, for photos it is recommended that screening.
The cross rocker mode dial is with the RX100 almost identical. For me no more a reason for criticism as the quality of the remaining controls. We are also pleased that the Video button is mounted outside the range commonly used and you can lock the button for the photo programs. I'd wish for the RX100 also, there it annoys me very much that you often accidentally start a video recording. The folding mechanism of the monitor is surprisingly stable, everything snaps cleanly and securely.
The generous rubber makes handling the camera safe and enjoyable. All doors and covers act extremely robust. The removal of the memory card, however, is likely to be for strong men hands a real challenge. This is somewhat contrived required in practice.
Large parts of the housing and the fixed piece of the lens along with zoom and iris ring are made of metal. Always raises a feeling of quality. Only the pop-up flash does not fit into the picture as quite so, he seems a bit undersized and fragile. Even the strap could be a track quality.
The lack of an external charger and a reasonable instruction manual dim addition the overall impression. However, there is relatively little money a Bundle from a third-party external charger and two spare batteries to buy, so I had already handled it in the RX100.
The application as "dust and splashproof" unfortunately unfounded. At no flap or opening even the hint of a seal is to be discovered.
Technology and features:
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Probably the main reason to buy the most is the image stabilized Carl Zeiss lens with a very practical focal length 24-200 mm with continuous maximum aperture of 2.8.
Also worth mentioning is the well-known already from the RX100 or RX100 Mark II 1 inch sensor with 20 megapixels, which has already proven its qualities sufficiently demonstrated. In conjunction with this objective, however, entirely new possibilities as they are otherwise known only from SLRs result. Finally capture images with a beautiful background blur (bokeh). The low minimum focusing distance succeed even macro shots and make the camera very versatile. In the little sister models sorely lacking: an ND filter, which reduces the amount of light when needed. The RX10 has these on board.
Operationally, the RX10 is replete with pretty much everything you can currently imagine. Globetrotter will perhaps miss a built-in GPS module, but otherwise everything imaginable on board, also a WiFi module is not missing and even an illuminated shoulder display is available. Recording parameters, Keys, display and viewfinder displays, everything is largely flexible customization. Video filmmakers will appreciate the 50p in Pal or NTSC 60p in Full HD resolution. A video functionality bring SLRs although now also, but not nearly at the level of the RX10.
The menu of the RX10 I feel compared to some other brand than boon. So quickly and safely navigates with no other menu through the various functions. However, I find the menu structure in the RX100 even better, because it despite lower functionality is a sophisticated function breakdown there. So there are at little sister eg own tab for Video and memory card. But that's whining at a high level and not a real criticism.
Very pleasant I find the detailed battery indicator in percentage increments. The anti-blur "SteadyShot" makes a very good job. I succeed partially self shots with 200 focal length and 1 / 10s exposure time, in which case a steady hand and hold your breath and are also included.
Autofocus I find reliable and fast, especially in low-contrast subjects or in darkness, he is far superior to the RX100. The exposure of the Sony RX10 is fairly balanced, there is relatively rarely needed to make an exposure.
That the RX10 got missed a motorized zoom, probably a tribute to the videographer be because so much can be zoomed verwackelungsfreier. For pure photographers, a manual zoom would have been much better option.
Monitor and viewfinder:
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When Monitor is an "old friend", in terms of technology and resolution, he does not differ from that of the RX100, except for the fact that it is foldable. With its white subpixels he is setting in "Sunny", in fact, even in high ambient light conditions are still easy to read. In addition, he is also quite blickwinkel stable and homogeneous. The brightness of the monitor is automatically controlled by a sensor. A touch functionality I do not miss.
The electronic viewfinder of RX10 has surprised me very positively! He's tall, Knack sharp and bright. With its 100% frame coverage, and its size, it is definitely superior to seekers of entry-level SLRs. Also, the proximity sensor works very reliably and on the viewfinder while looking through a and the monitor automatically simultaneously. All additional information that you can show on the monitor, are also the viewfinder available.
Also known by the RX100 is the ingenious 3D spirit level which can be displayed on both the monitor and viewfinder.
Image Quality:
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The prerequisite for good image quality is the combination of good sensor, unerring autofocus, powerful camera electronics and good lens. All of these elements brings with the RX100.
Pragmatists who knew only compact cameras so far be immediately be amazed what provides the RX10 directly from the camera. Picture details, low noise and color fidelity are much better than one that knows generally of compact cameras.
But what about users that are semi-professional deal for years with the issue of photography and already could make relevant experience with SLRs?
Let's look at the lens. Apparently, I've been lucky because my copy is not decentralization. The best resolution I achieve the wide angle at F2.8 - F4.0. Fade from 5.6 degrades the resolution already clear. In Tele Man (Focus) achieved at aperture F5.6 the absolute optimum in resolution. Aperture F8.0 should not exceed one, diffraction blur are eg F11 already pronounced and make the more clearly Focus naught.
Basically, the image results are very similar to the results of the RX100 at first glance. On closer inspection, however, show up in the comparable focal length range in the RX10 significantly more image details and better sharpness. And in the center, but even more so on the edge. At the long end, the results are very good and surpass what I knew from the Nikkor 18-200.
We come to the image sensor and the camera electronics: The RX10 has installed a revised sensor (Exmor R) and a new BIONZ processor X in relation to the RX100. The already known from the Exmor R sensor RX100M2 should still be sensitive to light and even less noise. Up to ISO 1600, I can not detect any differences to the RX100 and normally I use no higher ISO settings. Now I have made some comparison's sake times indoors with ISO 6400 (RAW). Here is actually a significant improvement recognizable. It rushes not only less, it is also significantly more details available. On my 27-inch monitor these recordings still look really good, only in the 100% view of noise is visible. In contrast, the high ISOs the RX100 are hard to use yet. With such a clear difference, I would not necessarily expect.
What does the new BIONZ processor X, I can not really say because I only take pictures in RAW mode and the internal image processing deal with it. While the JPEG image quality is not bad, but the dynamic range achieved so high-contrast scenes convinced despite function for dynamic range optimization is not always to our full satisfaction. From RAW data can be a lot more out here. Since I have no desire to optimize each image manually, I use the RAW converter in conjunction with a batch and a generic setting. Only the absolute best pictures I edit individually. In this way I achieve to have significantly better results without a significantly greater effort. The results thus obtained are at such a high level that you hardly miss anything in comparison to system cameras with much larger sensors.
Conclusion and alternatives:
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Of course there are camera-lens combinations that provide better image quality than does the RX10. But not at the price and the compactness of the RX10. And here we come to the crux, is debated much about. How useful is a kind of camera? Who needs a Sony DSC RX10? If the camera is worth its price?
It is relatively simple. A camera with an equally bright lens and focal length range - but a larger sensor - would be much larger, heavier and more expensive. Let Let's sidelined, that does not exist such a combination. At the same time the quality of the built here 1 inch sensor can certainly compete with much larger specimens of other system cameras. And larger sensors have not only benefits (depth of field). So this is not only unique, but also very interesting with the RX10 offered. More diversity in the same great picture quality is not going to get in this size and at this price.
The RX10 is, in fact a kind of "jack of all trades" and I am delighted with the spirit of innovation and the courage to Sony here creates the day to establish a more or less entirely new camera category. At the same time Sony also earned criticism for poor documentation. The zusammengefrickelte emergency PDF is only a temporary and not a full instruction manual.
