Photoprice Canada leaked two pictures of the new Sony RX1 compact Full Frame camera with Carl Zeiss 35mm f/2.0 fixed(!) lens. It is the big (and expensive) brother of the RX100 compact camera. Price should be close to $3000. But…there is one big but….Sony would have killed Leica and Fuji if that would have been an interchangeable lens camera. What the heck is Sony waiting for?
90 Responses
oh this is unexpected!
What is unexpected (and wonderful) is what looks to be the addition of a threaded shutter release! No more proprietary connectors. 6$ will buy you the cable you need and it will work with other cameras.
nothing wrong with a fixed lens, especially at 35mm (or equivalent), the Fuji X100 has done wonderfully with that.
however, what’s obviously lacking a good viewfinder (even if EVF). if it had that, and everything else checks out well, I’d pay $3k.
It shares the new “smart” hot shoe with the also upcoming NEX-6 and A99, so you can provably put an EVF there (I guess that will be a given for the NEX).
NEX-6 will have its EVF built-in.
Looks nice, but no way would I pay $3000 for a camera that is mostly equivalent to an X100 for almost 3x as much. They are both f/2 so this is effectively 1 stop larger aperture from the larger sensor, but still, that is a lot for 1 stop. I hope they have the price off by a factor of 2.
Price close to $3000? Where is the source for that?
I really doubt it will be priced that high — higher even then A99. I expect under $2000
If Sony can do a fixed lense FF, there’ll be an interchangeable one and I’ll wait for that!
Very unexpected. Close to $3000 is a bit much; a street price of around $2500 is probably more reasonable if you consider that the NEX-7 + 24/1.8 is $2300 and the A99 body only is $2800. Sure it is missing a bunch of stuff that the A99 has, the EVF being the most important one, but you can’t buy a cheaper digital fullframe camera with a fast 35mm prime than that. Anyway, I expect you can attach an optional EVF – I hope so at least.
That said, Sony may have projected it to be a low volume seller; hence, the price of just below $3000. I’m not in the market for a FF + 35mm prime (fixed or interchangeable) so I’ll sit this one out, but there are probably quite a few Henri Cartier-Bresson wannabes out there (no offence) who would buy it.
Exciting times!
Wow! This is gonna be a hit!
No viewfinder… Too bad!!! I think they just bet close to a great product!
I always think : Who are exactly those engineers who invented the new cameras? They seem to be very different from me…
What is the point of this camera?
Subject isolation? At 35mm f2, I don’t think so.
Is it about ISO performance? I don’t think so.
If I were a Sony shareholder, I would be concerned right about now.
Making photos, I would say.
I have to agree that it’s hard to discern the target market for this camera. If this were a 50mm f1.4 it would be more appealing to me that 35mm f2. Just can’t quite throw the background out enough, which is why I’d want a full frame sensor in the first place.
It’s a Full-frame sensor.. 35mm F2.0 will have pretty decent subject isolation, but for-light, expect 3 stops lower noise than GH2
Sony camera division is pretty profitable. They lost money on TVs and mobile phone. Sony shareholders would be pretty happy to see this
Some L nuts will buy it and sell it after a few months.
I will wait for the interchangeable lens version. Not interested in RX1,10,100,1000- no P&S cam for me.
Let me add this- if this shows up, I will not buy any of the APS-C sensored NEX’ either. It would be obvious that a FF interchangeable mirrorless is on the horizon.
It’s a P&S because of the fixed lens? What a “narrow” view!
A pro level system camera with 0 options to expand. Perhaps that sounds better?
Whatever one calls it, I am not spending any of my cash.
Camera for the 007, not more.
Looks like a pretty lousy photoshop mock-up to me.
If this is true than great, but it looks like a fake. Aperture Control and exposure comp dial… But no shutter dial? Far from logical….
The upcoming Fuji X-E1 with the coming X-23mm f1.4 lens will cost about 1600$
(Fuji) 1.5x APS-C + f1.4 23mm
(Sony) 1.0x FF + f2 35mm
it will have:
-interchangeable lenses (which are on leica build quality)
-same subject isolation than this one above
-lighter
-smaller
-for almost half the price…
Sony! You have shown many good Ideas in consumer-electronics for the last 30years now. But you have no Idea how to bring that to a finished product without major flaws. Ever!
Fixed lens with focal length? What a waste of a great camera.
Haters are gonna hate, but I don’t care. This is the camera I’ve been waiting for. A compact body with a FF sensor for tremendous IQ and depth of field control. Too bad it’s so expensive.
I would gladly pay $1,500 for a 35mm F2 Zeiss in Sony’s whatever mount (the Distagon costs ~$1,200 in F mount) and then maybe $2000 for a Sony full frame mirrorless interchangeable lens body in that mount. But I’m not going to pay $3,000 for a camera with that nice lens built in. They’ve missed the point of nice lenses: buy once and use for years as you upgrade and change camera bodies. If this rumor is true I think it’s a misstep for Sony. (Fuji’s x100 works because it’s at a much more accessible price point.)
Given the lack of native lenses for the NEX series and now the mutilation of this Zeiss lens permanently fused to a camera that doesn’t even have a built-in viewfinder, I really think Sony doesn’t understand how most photographers think. It’s a bummer because I like their cameras, but they need to get their lens game sorted out before I start buying their stuff.
3000? Sorry, that makes the XPro1 really affordable. Also, the X2 is starting to look more attractive again. Sony couldn’t have done a better job to promote Fuji and Leica.
The full frame sensor on a fixed lens camera is not going to make a difference for buyers. Low light performance of even the E-M5 is more than what most professionals need and nobody but a professional will spend 3000 bucks on this toy anyway.
Mmmm… The rx1 was a rumor in 2009 already. It was supposed to be an aps-c digicam back then…
THE POINT OF THIS CAMERA IS THE FORMFACTOR, SIZE, THIS IS THE DIGITAL STYLUS EPIC, SMALL WITH PURE SENSOR POWER,
CLOSE FOCUSING MAKES IT A BEAUTY FOR ALL KINDS OF PURPOSES, NOTICE HOW BIG THE LENS (W49 FILTER) LOOK IS THE BODY MUST BE SMALLISH, ALMOST POCKETABLE
“3000? Sorry, that makes the XPro1 really affordable. Also, the X2 is starting to look more attractive again. Sony couldn’t have done a better job to promote Fuji and Leica.”
Only in your fantasy. Even at $3000, RX1 is going to be very popular. A full-frame Zeiss lens cost that much even if you want to put the lens on your D800.
But I am still hoping the price would be lower. $3000 is just a rumor for now.
I won’t buy it, even at 2000$. Comon! No VF, fixed lens… expensive. Fuji done it well, Sony don’t.
$3000,- ??? Must have a upscaled Sigma SD1 sensor, lol.
Can someone do a mockup size comparison based on the hot shoe size? Would be great to see how it looks next to a Sony RX100 and Fuji X100 or something like that.
Bravo Sony. I figured someone at some point would do exactly this (a ff 35mm fixed lens “compact”) but wasn’t expecting it so soon. Sony is really pushing hard on the mirrorless development, and seems willing to take risks and produce products with a bold concept. I like that.
Does this camera have evf? Given the target market (prosumers) and the supposed price tag, anything other than a built in evf would be a fail…
I wish sony luck with this product. At 3k its just going to be affordable for a niche market, but this product marks a milestone as it is…particularly if the performance is as good as the rx100 in terms of usability, af, simplicity, etc.
First you all whine for somebody to make this camera the. You complain about the price when they make it.
I think it won’t be that expensive, i really hope.
but knowing than canon and nikon are going to make some cheap full frame dslr, like D600 and 6D, sony would do a big mistake a this price.
Sony RX100, 600€
Sony RX1, 1500 should be the maximum.
The reason it is a fixed lens has to do with the light bending / compensation
EA
The reason it is a fixed lens has to do with the light bending / compensation.
If it were easy it would already have been done.
EA
Well, still not worth to buy. $3000 ?? no evf? no way to buy. prefer to buy x-e1 than this. done some great pic with my x100 and my a77 in worth price and vf. but this? don’t think so.
tEvery user has different styles and taste. To me, this RX1 is not my tatse. For full frame, I would prefer a coming Nikon D600, but for hi-end compact, I will buy E-M5 or NEX7.
Finally, it’s coming, good sign! waiting for FF interchangeable lens mirrorless system.
This camera is Fail on arrival.
No interchangeable lenses, idiotic decision. No EVF, and a ridiculous price on top of all that? No thanks. Pass, this time around.
According to SAR, there will be both EVF and optical viewfinders as accessories.
Accessories? No EVF? ILC? Options only?? Don’t joke with me! What about these features being an integral part of the camera, rather then an after thought? …. More realistically stated, these are excuses to extract more money from the ignorant public. If one wants an EVF, buy it in a model as an integral part of the design…. NOT, as an afterthought and excues to extract more money from one’s wallet as an after thought.
It’s one major reason why I went for NEX-7 rather then 3 or 5. Well…. ignorance continues to prevail. (not a personal problem however)
What a joke.. Who wants a big full frame camera with fixed lens?
If then new generation of fuji x100 has got the xpro1 sensor and slightly enhanced lens, what kind of a photographer might prefer this sony? Sorry, sony is not leica, which excludes rich self-image liking people. What else does it offer? Smaller Dof? How many people will it be sitnificant for? High iso? Irrelevant. And x100 has got a viewfinder, which makes the price difference bigger.
Nice try, sony, make it 2000 usd and you might be succesfull. Maybe.
Ps: for landscape and generally kinda tripod work… Sigma dp1 again a better buy…
Two add-on I would like to see in the future for this RX1:
1) TOP-QUALITY wide/tele conversion lenses.
2) Optional grip.
Its not overpriced considering:
1. Full frame D600/A99 sensor thats likely to be the best on the market atm
2. 35 f2 lenses such as the ones from zeiss/leica generally are extremely good -> possibility of screw on adaptors for different focal lengths
3. Minaturisation costs
4. An xpro1 user would dream of getting the same resolution/shallow DOF out of their camera.
However why this wasn’t made as a NEX confuses me. It would have required minimal tinkering to make a full frame NEX like this, considering the flange back, etc. A ff NEX would be slightly larger than this with the same lens.
“kill leica”? Why bother, Leica is no threat to anyone. Leica is as big as a farmers hen house.Leica can barely scrape by year after year.
As for te price, good luck to Sony trying to sell that thing in this recession.Stupidly small,overpriced and unnecessary.
$2700
Funny how people judge a camera without testing it, even funnier when the damn camera is not even officially announced, and there are no tests done anywhere that they can check.
But oh well let stupid be stupid.
The issue with the interchangeable lens… the e mount lenses cannot cover the 35mm image circle, and A mount lenses have a long rear flange that would hit the sensor, so a new lens mount would have to be devised for a FF mirrorless, unless they do what pentax did and make a deeper body to accomodate the deeper lens flange. but that camera obviously would NOT look like this.
I say if they make another one with a high quality fixed zoom of moderate range, and fast aperture, it would be acceptable for around $3000
Agree with Edward! Make a 5x zoom and please let me get to f11 because we love deep depth of field is this possible? make it possible! they dont want to make the perfect camera which would be an even bigger sensor, compact, can close down the aperture to f16 excellent optics and makes pictures from digital… have that film look. if they do this they wont have to keep inventing new cameras..its a game it seems also i would love to be able to attach my Leica r 28-90 2.8 lens onto the best body out there..they need to make adaptors for all lenses someone pls reply to my wishes