It is not a interchangeable lens system camera but it could be a nice alternative of some mirrorless camera. The Sony RX100 has been officially announced and can be preordered now at Amazon US (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).
First preview and image sample can be seen here at Dpreview. Another preview is available at Imaging Resource. Some thoughts by Carl Garrard. Press release at ThePhoBlographer.
UPDATE: There is a first full RX100 review at Techradar and rates it with 4.5 of 5 points: “If we were assessing the camera based solely on what it is capable of outputting, it would be easy to say that this camera is near-on perfect for the target market.“
UPDATED_2: Another Full review at Imaging Resource: “As with the low-contrast crops, the high-contrast crops show the Sony RX100 besting the S100 and Nikon J1“
21 Responses
Incredibly small for the sensor size. Looks like a good Canon S100-competitor, and it beat a J1 with kit zoom for lens speed, zoom range and size! No EVF-option and a fixed LCD makes it more difficult to compare it with G1 X, G12, P7100 and other models with similar features.
true, but EVF and tiltable LCD would have increased size and weight. Sony really went true to the idea of creating a camera with the largest possible sensor in the smallest possible body, more so than they did with the NEX, and more so than Nikon did with the 1-series. Really a good job by sony, I would have never thought I’d say that 🙂
After seeing analyse by Imaging Resource, this is a ground-breaking premium compact: Truly pocketable with much larger sensor and great performance.
Again – its proven that high resolution (20 mpix) improves image quality. As D800 owner I can confirm that for the heavy end of the camera market.
Then we have price which is well above the expensive Fuji X10. On the other hand smaller, lighter and larger sensor.
It sure looks interesting. The small size is per se a hugely positive feature.
Waiting to see some serious review and comparison (and some of those excellent non photoshopped images that make you think “who cares about everything else, I want this camera”).
Yet another P&S cam. Yawn..
Why is this a “mirrorless” camera and not the other hundreds of P&S cameras aren’t???
Impressive. Most impressive.
What would be even more interesting is if Sony started to sell this sensor to other manufacturers – and they probably will, since they sell all the others.
This may be a revenge to Nikon, who probably rejected this sensor in favor of Aptina for their 1 series.
It’s a nice camera, but $450-500 seems to me to be a fair price not $650.
649.. Ouch, and while nice-seeming enough, it is actually not all that “ground breaking,” as I keep seeing so many stating in comments everywhere, for indeed almost all of the “innovations” we have seen thus far being displayed here have been implemented already by others, most notably Panasonic, Olympus and Canon. What Sony is excelling at here is bringing many of those all together into one camera and doing so with a slick “apple-like” design which somehow works here. (And I am not a huge fan of apple)
More importantly let us wait and see what sort of shot Olympus and Panasonic send over the bow, for this battle has not been won yet, these are just the opening salvos! (And I am not a fan boy mind, I would happily buy a Sony again IF they put out a WIDE angle compact similar to this (I am talking 24 MINIMUM, ideally 21-22mm) and if they kept that price a wee but in check. If it is actually made in Japan and jewel-like in craftsmanship though, I will understand and perhaps just line up like the rest for one of my own!
I know it *includes* a fast aperture lens and everything, but still, what is with companies pricing their high end compacts so expensively? Some of their own mirrorless cameras are cheaper, with bigger and better sensors. Sure, they only come with mediocre 18-55mm lenses, or in Sony’s case, sometimes the mediocre 16mm pancake, but $650? They really think it’s around the same value as their 5N?
They don’t think so, but they also know that the Nex cameras are nowhere near pocketable, with lens mounted on. With this camera you are not paying for absolute IQ or functions, but for great portability associated with an IQ far superior to the standard compact IQ. In fact it has always been this way: best compacts have always been more expensive than entry-level reflex cameras, despite the fact that even the worst reflex was a better camera from all point of view. But with cameras portability is definitively a plus, and Canon, Sony, and very soon Panasonic are willing to bet that many photogs will pay a premium for it.
I just had a thought.
Is the launch of RX100 maybe a preemptive defensive move, to take the air out of Canons imminent launch of a new mirror-less with 1″ sensor ? (*)
As I see it. The RX100 takes any such cameras main argument – being small and compact – and outdoes the competition by a wide margin. RX100 is significantly smaller than J1/V1 already. And that even with a zoom lens that has a much larger aperture than the kit zoom on J1/V1.
*: I dont know if Canon will launch a mirror-less or if it will have a 1″ sensor. I am just speculating.
I just bought the GF3x because of it compact size and image quality. If this was available and for the same price (around 500USD) I would have bought this because it seems more compact and the sensor size between 1 inch and micro 4/3 is not that big. While the size between 1/2.3 and 1 inch is big. Especially since this has a f/1.8-4.9 and the GF3X has f/3.5-5.6
don’t worry, as long as you not just buy a Nikon 1, you’re still pretty well off. The apertures of the sony and your panasonic are about the same if you take the size of the sensors in consideration. And a bigger sensor will always give better image quality. The foremost reason to get this sony is the relatively high quality it can deliver for such a small size. If I were you I’d save up for a good pancake lens for the panasonic, you’ll love it.