Sony RX100 review

[sanveer]

Actually, for STILLS there may actually be no comparison between the Panasonic LX7 and the SonyRX100. The RX100 is Far superior. Hands down.

This gentleman has taken the pains to compare pics on both, as well as on the LX5.

This is the Link. :

[url="http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=42054141"]http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=42054141[/url]

[ntblowz]

Well LX-7 have 120fps in HD mode (much better than those VGA or less from other company), which should be good for people who want to do slo-mo without spending big $$$

[hoodlum]

Looks like we'll soon have ND and CPL filter options for the RX100. Along with the RF grip the accessories are starting to come.

[url="http://cheesycam.com/examples-with-cpl-filter-on-rx100/"]http://cheesycam.com/examples-with-cpl-filter-on-rx100/[/url]

[sanveer]

I read this this, a few days back. These are very important accessories, for some wanting to seriously shoot on the RX100. Especially for film.

[sanveer]

If the pics, in the Comparison between various cameras, with the Panasonic are believable, then, the RX100 outperforms even the Canon GX1, though ONLY at lower ISOs.

[url="http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/panasonic-lx7/panasonic-lx7A.HTM"]http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/panasonic-lx7/panasonic-lx7A.HTM[/url]

[Tony Anastasi]

I've been using the 550d ML for daily interviews and the 3seconds lost footage as the video spans is very annoying. however most of my interviews are going for over 45mins so 3seconds lost video every 12mins is grr.

question is - after 29mins what happens here? does it span ? is there lost seconds? and how long does the battery last while recording video ?

my budget is extremely very low/non-existant! - I've been in China now for three months shooting this self funded documentary on my own coins and have not earned a cent this year at all - so every coin saved helps these days, lucky its very cheap to live here :) having said that - the 3second drop out on the 550d with ML is enough me to make me grab a second camera and start it a few mins later and use two cameras to shoot the interviews so when one drops out the other will be still going.. this will work for me.

This is what I'm shooting - China's 45 second nano-technology & laser light whole body out-patient cancer cure. https://vimeo.com/46583888 - I've already started posting my footage up online which is helping cancer patients make the huge decision to come to china for treatment and not do chemo or radio as their first option.

Thank you,
Tony.

[kitchentable]

Picked one of these up last week but not really had too much time to test it.

However, I have addressed the filter thread issue in a way that might be too extreme for some but here it is anyway.

I looked at the magnetic option and as clever as it is, it is let down by the fact that there doesn't seem to be any info regarding a release date and I didn't fancy just having this thing in a box waiting for that to arrive.

Before doing what I did, I rationalised it by asking myself two questions :

1) Did I envisage a time when I wouldn't want this camera to have a filter thread
2) Did I envisage selling it and if so to someone who would be put off by it having a filter thread.

The answer to both was a pretty firm No so I pressed ahead with my not particularly hi tech solution of adding a permanent filter thread with the aid of a step up convertor and some super glue.

As luck would have it, I had a 46mm-52mm step up convertor and the 46mm end is pretty much the perfect diameter to fit the lens housing of the RX100 and only adds a few mm of extra appendage to the camera. One advantage to that is that it does add a little bit of protection to the actual lens glass which is no bad thing.

[img]http://www.eoshd.com/comments/uploads/inline/20751/501bd8d41ae06_r1000filterthread.jpg[/img]


So, I now have an RX100 with a perfectly serviceable 52mm filter thread.

I've found the Cokin A series system to be a good add on for something like the RX100 as it gives you a slot for a circular polariser and three more slots for NDs and Grad NDs etc so its pretty flexible.

As the A series are pretty compact, it also feeds into the cinema camera in your pocket vibe !

Another big advantage is that they are reasonably cheap (particularly "compatible" ones such as 4 x ND at less than £20 on ebay) and you also often find people selling an entire collection on ebay for a bargain price.

[img]http://www.eoshd.com/comments/uploads/inline/20751/501bdb1e8dd17_r1000filterthread2.jpg[/img]


Of course I'm not just limited to using the Cokin system, so I just add the 52mm-77mm step up and can use my Lightcraft variable ND as well.

So, there you go, it might be sacrilege for some to start permanently disfiguring a brand new camera but I think the ends justify the means in this case as it makes it useable now rather than at some unknown point in the future and at less than a fiver you certainly can't argue with the price ;)

[DPC]

@ kitchentable -This is attached to the front of the collapsing lens, right? Are you sure the weight isn't going to be a problem? Is the whole lens mechanism robust enough to bear a variable ND (especially one that will be turned)?
And I would still like to know if anyone has managed to mount a Zacuto finder on this...

[kitchentable]

[quote name='DPC' timestamp='1344005129' post='14912']
@ kitchentable -This is attached to the front of the collapsing lens, right? Are you sure the weight isn't going to be a problem? Is the whole lens mechanism robust enough to bear a variable ND (especially one that will be turned)?
And I would still like to know if anyone has managed to mount a Zacuto finder on this...
[/quote]

Yes, attached to the front of the lens.

The Cokin holder is plastic and weighs next to nothing. Ditto the resin filters.

Cokin do a holder for compact cameras that attaches via the baseplate if you just want to have a way of putting their NDs and CPs etc in front of it and don't want to disfigure the camera.

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cokin-Digi-Holder-Cat-BAD700/dp/B0000AQ4N1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344009102&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cokin-Digi-Holder-Cat-BAD700/dp/B0000AQ4N1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344009102&sr=8-1[/url]

With the Lightcraft mounted there is no impairment of the lens movement or apparent reduction in speed.

One interesting side effect of having the Lightcraft mounted is that, for me and my compact hands, I can find quite a nice balance point under the lens for hand holding.

I don't know about mounting an actual Zacuto but one of the generic cheapo ones with the magnetic mount should be fine. I've got one somewhere that I used with an HX9V that I'll dig out.

[DPC]

Thanks for replying!
In the past I've mounted a Zacuto Z-Finder to a Canon S95 via the stick-on frame. The LCD screen was small enough for the frame to attach to the metal of the camera body.
This doesn't look to be the case with the RX100 and I would be reluctant to glue a frame to the LCD glass, for fear that the weight of the finder pull it out.
The other solution would be to use a Gorilla Plate and metal mounting frame (nothing attached to the LCD screen in this case) but I'm not clear as to whether the whole screen would be visible with this setup.

[kitchentable]

The cheapo generic ones are sticky backed on the frame so can probably be removed with a bit of care and chemicals at a later date.

On the HX9V you lose nothing at the sides and a slither of top and bottom but this doesn't impact what you can see of the imaging area obviously as that is letterboxed anyway.

Another advantage of the cheapo ones are that they weigh a lot less so there shouldn't be an issue of it pulling the frame off.

[VLF]

I've had the camera for 6 days now and overall I'm very impressed.
My unit, or the card are faulty and, hopefully, will be replaced tomorrow.
That aside, it's a little beast! Beats my 7D hands down in low light. Perfectly usable footage can be shot in a room lighted with three standard domestic globes in standard fittings, lap shades and all - amazing. AWB works great as well.

The problems start outdoors, where on a sunny winter's day in Australia I had to use F11 and shutter of 1/400, which at 50FPS simply doesn't work. (How many ND filters would I need to bring it back to F1.8 1/100? - frightening thought!)
In video mode the stabiliser crops the sensor switching the lens from 28 to almost 35mm. Changing the setting to "Standard" (stabiliser) introduces a negligible crop, off = no crop. So, for tripod work in wide angle turn off the stabiliser.

I have also rigged it up onto my Zacuto Gorilla plate and a ZFinder. This requires a spacer under the camera as the ZFinder mounts about 5mm too high. Without the spacer, the front wheel rubs on the Gorilla plate.
The distance between the bottom of the camera and the bottom of the wheel is a fraction of a millimetre. Once screw fixed onto the plate, the plate's rubber bulges up and the wheel starts rubbing.
The biggest problem I see (haven't played with it yet) is the location of the HDMI port.
Whoever designed it should be made to wear a paper hat of shame for the rest of their life.
Some serious surgery will be required to mount the RX100 on a tripod and hook up an external monitor.

I admire the guts of the person glueing a thread ring to the front of the lens - I wouldn't dare.
My next step will be Mad-Max'ing a rail and a filter holder with a matte flag. Probably built around my 80's Cokin holder and filers, which are still in the old camera box.

And of course, thanks for the review. It contributed to my decission to buy the RX100.

cheers
VLF

[Andrew Reid]

The camera in handheld twilight mode is completely insane in low light.

Layering 6 shots together is done so intelligently that even if you have moving crowds and traffic in the shot you don't get ghosting, just amplified signal to noise ratio and cleaner images.

These were shot handheld(!!) in extremely dark areas of Berlin in the middle of the night. Shutter was as low as 1/8 in some cases, and I was still getting pin sharp images with no tripod. In fact the images look like long exposures on a tripod, because before the RX100 that was the only way you'd be able to get shots like this, frankly.

[url="http://www.eoshd.com/comments/gallery/image/68-dsc00810/"]http://www.eoshd.com...ge/68-dsc00810/[/url]

DSC00810

Album: Sony RX100 Handheld Twilight Shots

Uploaded 08 Aug 2012 - 07:55

[DPC]

For anyone curious about the Zacuto question, here's the result of a little testing: I think the stick-on frame is a non-starter because it will fix entirely to the glass cover of the LCD. I've alreayd ripped out the one of a Canon 550D and don't want to do that again with the Sony.
With the Gorilla Plate, the finder frame, without spacer or modification, sits a little too high and to the right. You can see the whole of what you are shooting but not the aperture and shutter info below although you could probably just about guess what they are from the top part that remains visible. I think it is possible to bring up the same info using other menu functions. A small, flat spacer would probably solve this problem.
I would be very reluctant to attach anything to the lens mechanism which is clearly not made to take the supplementary weight.
I will probably end up buying an RX100 but outdoor shooting in bright light looks as if it will be a problem and, although the body's build is very good, I doubt it will withstand much hard use. Collapsable lens mechanisms are usually vulnerable and dust entering the camera can often be a problem. Some kind of matte box might be a solution, but by the time you have added that and a Zacuto finder with a spacer, you no longer have a compact camera.

[jgharding]

I went and got one of these to replace my broken (dropped in the sea) HX9v. It's exceptional: manual control plus super stablilisation and 50p, and a one-inch sensor, AND it's tiny! Customisation of functions is brilliant too.

All my wide steady shots are shot on this now, rather bothering to stick a wide on an SLR and that on a rig, which is a bloody hassle.

If you want ND, you can buy some Lee ND gel as it costs nothing for a huge roll, and you can pop it over the front using tape or blu tac, or a custom ring of some kind if you're good at that kind of thing.

The LX7 will drop a lot of points on noise on dynamic range probably with a sensor that little, but it could still be good in its own right. The aperture numbers are kinda deceptive, with a sensor that small, even the wide aperture at the long end won't give you equivalent DOF or light to the RX100...

[VLF]

[quote name='DPC' timestamp='1344415565' post='15114']
With the Gorilla Plate, the finder frame, without spacer or modification, sits a little too high and to the right.
(...)
Some kind of matte box might be a solution, but by the time you have added that and a Zacuto finder with a spacer, you no longer have a compact camera.
[/quote]

My Zfinder sits too high, with a spacer cut from an Ikea chopping board (5mm) works perfectly. I'm not finding it sitting too far to the right. With the sliding attachment moved hard to the right, if fits 100%.

Not a compact camera, but beats a 12kg Flight case!
:-)

[Kergariou]

Hello,

Thanks for your review, and congratulation for your video. A propos of this video, could you tell me which software do you use to mix all the videos
And since I am a new RX100 owner, could you explain how you managed to make the blurredness of each video, please ?

Thanks

[hoodlum]

Here is a filter adaptor for the RX100.

[url="http://www.ebay.ca/itm/300770433338?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.ca%3A80%2Fsch%2Fitems%2F%3F_nkw%3D300770433338%26_sacat%3D%26_ex_kw%3D%26_mPrRngCbx%3D1%26_udlo%3D%26_udhi%3D%26_sop%3D12%26clk_rvr_id%3D380379042717%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1"]http://www.ebay.ca/itm/300770433338?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.ca%3A80%2Fsch%2Fitems%2F%3F_nkw%3D300770433338%26_sacat%3D%26_ex_kw%3D%26_mPrRngCbx%3D1%26_udlo%3D%26_udhi%3D%26_sop%3D12%26clk_rvr_id%3D380379042717%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1[/url]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj9zisOPxxc&feature=plcp"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj9zisOPxxc&feature=plcp[/url]

[hoodlum]

MagFilter CPL has been released for RX100. ND filter is coming.

[url="http://www.carryspeed.com/products/magfilter"]http://www.carryspee...ducts/magfilter[/url]

[nickname]

here´s from dpr. try guess which is the rx100. i was beeing fair and chose raw iso 100. (every camera looks good at iso 100...)

guesses please, i swear i won´t cheat in the reveal!

[img]http://www.eoshd.com/comments/uploads/inline/20582/503d469a7fc6a_rx100raw100.jpg[/img]