{"id":7689,"date":"2015-10-21T20:04:19","date_gmt":"2015-10-21T18:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.littlebigtravelingcamera.com\/?p=7689"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:38:48","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T18:38:48","slug":"about-a-camera-thoughts-about-sonys-rx100-cameras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.littlebigtravelingcamera.com\/?p=7689","title":{"rendered":"About a Camera – Thoughts about Sony’s RX100 cameras"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DSC00544\"<\/a>SONY DSC-RX100 (10.4mm, f\/1.8, 1\/500 sec, ISO125)
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About three years ago I bought the Sony RX100. I sold it after just one year because the camera didn’t work for me. Now I consider to buy one again.<\/p>\n

I’m a gear head but usually I think twice before I buy a new camera. I check out everything I can find on the internet and than I go to a store and try it out. So it is rare that I buy a camera and sell it after such a short time.<\/p>\n

But let me clarify one thing first:\u00a0I think that the Sony RX100 is a master piece. Sony packed so much technology into such a small package. That is impressive and until today no other manufacturer has managed it. I wrote an extensive, three part review here three years ago. Here is part 3 including my conclusion.<\/a>\u00a0So why do I want to buy it again? The main reason is simple: I want a super compact camera that I can take with me when I ride my bike. A camera that I have with me even if I don’t plan to take pictures. My Ricoh GR would be an option but especially for landscape shots I would love to have the flexibility of a zoom.<\/p>\n

\"DSC00538\"<\/a>SONY DSC-RX100 (10.4mm, f\/1.8, 1\/500 sec, ISO125)
<\/span> \"DSC00545\"<\/a>SONY DSC-RX100 (10.4mm, f\/1.8, 1\/400 sec, ISO125)
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Today there are four versions of the camera! I think that is a smart strategy from Sony as it allows potential customers to get an older version in order to save a lot of money.<\/p>\n

Especially the first version of the RX100 has a very attractive price today and\u00a0the mkII can be had rather cheap too but there is a reason. The mkII was only a minor update, the real change came with version number 3. It introduced a better, much brighter and wider lens. A 24-70\/f1.8-2.8 instead of the 28-100\/f1.8-4.9. I didn’t like the old lens because of the very slow aperture of f4.9 on its long end which forces you to use higher ISO values when shooting portraits. I also would have loved that the lens starts at\u00a024mm instead of 28mm. Seems that I was not the only one and so Sony changed the lens!<\/p>\n

Another thing I didn’t like was the lack of a viewfinder. I know that the RX100\u00a0is extremely small but a viewfinder is an essential thing as it not only helps in bright light but also helps to reduce camera shake in low light. You can hold a camera much more steady if you press it against your face. Guess what: Since mk III there is a small EVF that pops out of the camera.<\/p>\n

\"DSC00546\"<\/a>SONY DSC-RX100 (10.4mm, f\/1.8, 1\/500 sec, ISO125)
<\/span> \"DSC00547\"<\/a>SONY DSC-RX100 (10.4mm, f\/1.8, 1\/500 sec, ISO125)
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Sony improved the lens, added a pop out-EVF and tilt screen so what did they improve on the\u00a0latest version, the RX100 mkIV? They mainly added 4k video and improved AF performance. I’m not a video guy and fast AF is not the most important feature for me so it seems that I can buy the mkIII now and save a lot of money.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately it is not that simple. Sony added one feature that helps to avoid a lot of the frustration I had with the original RX100. They finally gave us a good Auto-ISO menu that let us adjust the lowest shutter speed manually and even better allows us\u00a0fine-tune\u00a0the 1\/focal length = shutter speed calculation. My biggest frustration with the RX100 was that I had a lot of slightly blurred shots in low light only because the camera selected a shutter speed of 1\/30s when in Auto-ISO mode. The only chance to avoid that was to change to shutter priority and select 1\/60s manually but then the camera shot at f1.8 in low light. The problem here was that the lens isn’t very sharp wide open. So just because Sony missed to give the camera a better Auto-ISO menu the most capable compact camera in low light sucked in low light!<\/p>\n

But Sony was not the only one. My Fuji X-Pro 1 was just the same. The big difference is that Fuji later addressed that in a firmware update. But not Sony. They prefer to sell you a new camera.<\/p>\n

So here I’m. I want a small camera with a zoom lens that has a bigger sensor plus built-in EVF. No need for 4k video or video at all. Seems that the Sony RX100 mkIII ticks all the boxes for me but then there is zero chance that Sony offers a firmware update to address the Auto – ISO problem. That leaves me with three options:<\/p>\n