UPDATED: A trusted source said he “heard” from Sony that they are “working” on a new RX1-X camera. He has no specs to share yet and also didn’t get an announcement timeframe. It’s yet unclear if Sony will launch the RX1-X or/and the RX100m4 on the Sony World Photo Award event on April 23.
Speculation:
This could be the first Sony FF camera featuring the new curved sensor. Sony Patents already disclosed that camera featuring a fixed 35mm f/1.8 lens. The “X” in the name could stay for the High Resolution sensor (48-50MP?). But maybe I am going to far with my dreams and the curved FF sensor is not ready yet for mass production…
That said the RX series always has been on the front of the innovation. So let’s hope Sony will indeed show us some kind of new tech with that camera!
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95 Responses
Is it too late to ask for a manual distance gauge on the lens? I would quite like it for Street Photography as well as a Walkabout.
Of course it’s not too late. If it’s being announced thursday, it’s unlikely that any develop process has happened. This post is sarcastic
This is not sarcasm, this is genuine stupidity…
I have to agree with this. I rented an RX1 for a week in Paris. No EVF was awkward but I got used to it (more or less). But lack of distance gauge prevented me from taking the exact kind of shot that I would want to take without a good viewfinder. (Yes, this would be incompatible with the existing “variable-sensitivity” focal system. Still want it.)
I’d also like to see capability for remote shutter control (or at least by wire).
Yes the first FF Curved 50 MPixels sensor, would it be eye alike photography?
Think the issue would be dynamic range and resolution rather than sensor shape.
Has anyone seriously used that stupid flash. Oh and please give us complete manual settings with overridable speed / aperture settings and mechanical focussing on the lens. A small pop up EVF would be nice but a fully tiltable screen is more important. Common Sony, this is no digital Instamatic.
+1 tiltable screen. If it had one, I would have one.
+2
It’s a dealbreaker for me.
So, if I got this right… curved sensor means not so many MP, but standard sensor could mean either the 36mp, or 45+mp right?
It seems the general belief is that if Sony innovates with a full frame curved sensor, it will be too difficult to make this first gen sensor super high resolution.
That’s how I imagined it. Thanks for clarifying that.
Curved sensor/lens combo will put 10000$ leica lenses to shame.
I hope Sony don’t ruin the RX1 with unnecessary bells and whistles. This type of camera should be as simple and robust as possible like a Leica, although not quite that basic.
Herein lies the problem faced by camera designers. You want it to be as simple and robust as possible, but then you don’t want it to be.
I have no desire to improve the image quality of the current RX1. But that auto focus though . . . I hope X means eXtra fast AF.
EVF please
I am very happy! On the basis of prior rumors, I think they either will go the curved route with a low MP count or very high with the regular sensor, delaying the curved for an RX3.
I think an EVF in the RX1 successor is realistic :)…
Tiltable display and faster AF and I’m sold.
Tiltable Screen and an EVF…and then I’d sell my RX1-R ☺
In the long mean-time, I have used a Flip-bac mirror on my RX1R for years. It does not work even half as well as a fully-articulated LCD … but it works thousands of times better than a fixed LCD at allowing the user to see the screen from above, below, and to the side. The cost is trivial. (No affiliation. Got mine from B&H.)
http://flipbac.com
I put the Sony EVF on the camera and leave it there. The only time it comes off is when I pack for travel.
awesome rumor
I hope reality will be just as awesome.
A curved sensor would be a game changer as it would allow for smaller lenses that wouldn’t need to correct for distortion. Always great innovation coming from Sony. I hope they make this an all-manual camera however and add a great EVF to it.
– 180 deg tilt screen
– pop up EVF (like hx90v and rx100m3)
– IBIS/OSS
– AF on par with a77
– internal 4k video
I’d buy it, no matter what price.
What advantages does a curved sensor theoretically provide?
Theoretically the lens can be more simple or smaller and the lens could gather more light, particularly in the edges
it gives gearheads one more hope that the gear will finally make great images w/o effort
Smaller lenses. Better sharpness along the edges because of how perfectly the lens would align with the sensor.
The RX-1 is one of the most revolutionary cameras. I’ve owned one from the beginning of it’s production, but the lack of a firmware update has made it a very frustrating camera to use. For this reason I feel previous owners should boycott the purchase of the updated version until Sony a professionally supports the RX-1.
I disagree. I don’t find the RX1 to be frustrating. Could it be better if a FW update gave it faster AF, or uncompressed ARW? Yes. But that doesn’t mean, to me, that the RX1 is a frustrating camera. Maybe you have an expectation of it and since it hasn’t lived up to it you feel it should have been better. But, when you bought it, you knew what you were buying, just like me (I have 2, one for back up) and while I would be grateful for Sony improving some features, I’m not holding my breath for it and I wouldn’t chastise the newer iteration of the RX1 because of it.
Not sure what you are trying to say? Of course everyones expectations are different, based on experience and skill level. But the fact, as an example, Sony shows a microphone as being compatible and it is not (yet compatible with the RX-1R) is in fact frustrating. Mr. Truth being a contrarian is not a basis to contradict a person’s point a view. Yes I feel it is Sony’s obligation to keep it’s still in production products up to date.
I’m frustrated at times. I’ve missed so many shots on auto-focus. Where as on my Canon 60D it never disappointed me on auto. Even my NEX-6 has been more accurate. I’m lucky I got my RX-1 for cheap….otherwise I would be enraged.
sometime , it might be issue with the camera itself . I have had 3 RX1 and now using RX1-R . focus speed and accuracy varies . there was one copy that always had back focus and focus slowly . I also found when placing original hood on , focus is slower.
There is a petition asking sony to update the firmware:
https://www.change.org/p/sony-firmware-update-for-dsc-rx1-and-rx1r
Please spread the word
The RX-1 was always a technical-demo camera. Showing new technology before it migrates into E-mount line.
Maybe Sony will do this to introduce 50 mp Sensor, so the enthusiasts will buy it to have the newest item, E-mount users know what to expect in future and A-mount users know what to dream about.
Curved sensor: It this is true, it will be unique for RX1 and we will not see it in an interchangeable lens camera.
hahaha “Amount users know what to dream about”…. truth
Could a curved sensore make shift-lenses for architecture-photography obsolete!?
In order to get straight lines one has to have the image-plane parallel to the building-surface / vertical lines… But with a curved sensor how can there be a parallel?
A tilt-shift lens wouldn’t work at all on a curved sensor as it would be impossible to make the image match the curvature of the sensor when the lens is shifted.
“In order to get straight lines one has to have the image-plane parallel to the building-surface / vertical lines… ”
That is not necessarily true. Lens design is not as trivial as that. In fact the curved sensor/lens may even have less distortion than the existing RX1.
There’s a reason my Sony card is paid off – I’m waiting for the RX1-R successor and the A7R successor. This would be awesome if it’s true, we’ll see in a few days what happens 🙂
I’m not as concerned with the curved sensor as I am for a tiltable screen, EVF, uncompressed RAW and more manual control. For the price it’ll likely be, those are my wants.
Now this is an interesting rumor , let’s dream..
– Medium format 50MP sensor
– Built-in EVF OR tiltable screen (just be fair I didn’t dream for both)
– the beautiful 35mm f/1.8 (as long as it’s a dream ! I hope for a 50mm f/1.2)
all i’m asking for
Medium format sensor AND 35mm f1.8 lens ??? 😛
Thats UWA territory. No one would buy such a camera.
Maybe a 50mm f2.8 lens and 50 MP medium format sensor. Sold for $8k.
Umm .. didn’t think about it because I didn’t own a medium format before .. I have a FF mind 🙂
ok let’s say 50mm f/2.8 and $1000 for the price ;p
Considering the price of Pentax MF 645 I’d say 8k would still be a dream..
As the sensor manufacturer, I could see Sony trying out a MF RX once their new MF sensor R&D is fully paid off through sales to Pentax, Hasselblad & Phaseone within the next couple of years. I would expect it to be a fairly large camera though and not a proper RX1 successor – just an addition. This mythical Sony RM camera could be quite a success at a price point under 4K.
In this Body? The sensor should be foldable and unfolds when the camera is turned on.
lol ,, let me dream !
I really hope a integrated (but not Pop-up) EVF and better Manual Focus implementation (remember Focus distance when powered down, Focus peaking without automatic zoom in, and it would be a dream if the Focus ring had hard stops)
would be good to introduce some WA adapter with it this time.
Anybody here tried the WA adapter of the FE-28mm lens on his rx1?
got the reply from a forum reader on dpreview:
“I tried it in store, the wide angle converter for 28/2 DOES NOT screw on RX1. The staff told me Sony added something on the mount thus it’ll not be compatible with RX1. I suppose you can hold it in place and take pictures, but I’d pass unfortunately…”
+1
Also maybe a tele-adapter.
Does anybody know if such adapters would be easier to make, or better, when implemented on a lens designed for a curved sensor?
My dream:
• Size similar to RX-1
• Faster AF (a lot faster and better in low light)
• Built–in EVF (Tiltable like the FDA-EV1MK would be awesome, if at all possible)
• 35mm/1.4
• 36mp and 50mp versions
• Screw–on 28mm and 50mm converters
RX1 is the mind blowing, “they said it couldn’t be done” technology showcase platform.
I’d like to see it go medium format, but curved sensor will be cool too.
It won’t come cheap, unfortunately. I hope it has lossless RAW and a killer, integrated EVF.
They could just invent a new sensor size somewhere between full frame and medium format. They are the people who make the best sensors, so it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility. The curved sensor could be perfectly matched to the prime lens so they wouldn’t have to increase the size of the camera. They also don’t have to worry about lens compatibility and mount size because it is fixed in place.
I think medium a medium format sensor would require too large a lens for this form factor even if the sensor was curved. They have been fairly conservative with their product updates for the second generation (rx100 mk2, A7 mk2 etc.) so I am keeping my expectations in check. I’m looking forward to the new rx100, though. I might well buy one if it is a significant upgrade on the mk3.
I don’t think they could afford the r and d for a custom size sensor for just a rx1x. Pretty much all of sony sensors are seen and will be seen in many camera bodies so they can recoup the cost of developing them.
The current one already does, if your only interest is image quality.
Yet another RX1 is coming rumor, put it next to the mythical A7000, FF A mount cameras that were supposed to drop last year as part of the “Year of the Alpha” and other unicorns.
I’ll believe it when I see it. Otherwise vaporware for the dreamers.
true. hardly any time has seen more contradictory/empty predictions and notions than the recent months. might be because of the general uncertainty of d.i. markets, or the vast pool of competitors out there, or the ever-growing dissemination of false hints and surreal wishlists and hype. might be (self critique mode: ON) we enthusiastically eat up any info we get about our beloved tech so in the end all the talk and anticipation is almost more fun than everything else. right up there with shooting the pics, of course 😉
we’ll see in 3 days, or in may at the latest, if all the fuss was actually worth it…
To be fair – an rx1 successor is likely due this year whereas Sony stated the a6000 is the replacement for both the next-6 & 7. Although Sony has reversed course on such statements in the past (“IBIS is not possible on e-mount”).
Last year was the year of the alpha – the alpha a7 & a7r shipped around the beginning of 2014, the alpha a7s shipped mid-year, the a6000 and a77 II were released and Sony finished it with the a7 II introducing a revolutionary 5 axis IBIS that works with both stills and video (mechanically). That’s quite a year by any metric for camera bodies.
I love my RX1 and the introduction of a successor or replacement makes me a little blue since, at this price point, I don’t plan on upgrading lightly. What would cause me to be tempted: (1) steadyshot inside (2) more precise manual focusing mechanism; (3) the ability to use my EVF when I have a flash or TTL cord in the hot shoe; (4) integrated GPS. Except to make headlines, I don’t think it needs anything else to be near perfect. Sometimes I wish the lens was a bit wider, but the focal length is a good compromise. It is the perfect camera for me for on the fly shots, travel photos (I leave all other cameras and lenses at home), and second camera around my neck when I am using a telephoto lens on my primary camera.
I really hope that camera doesn’t use any sensor with more resolution than 24Mpx. 24Mpx is just fine, actually, 12Mpx would be better.
If it uses the 36Mpx or 50Mpx, I don’t want to go everywhere with a tripod in order to get the sharpest pictures. Even if it uses leaf shutter, any slight vibration, movement, or the usage of slow shutter speed means blurry pictures.
The amount of blur will be the same between all levels of sensor resolutions. The difference is that with a higher mpx, you will be able to see more details (zoom in closer), and detect the smaller vibrations that you may not be able to see with a lower resolution sensor. I personally prefer lower MPX because of larger pixels for better low light performance.
You don’t need a tripod, just a slightly faster shutter speed. The minimum shutter speed required varies with the linear resolution, not total Mpx. If it bothers you that much, you can always downsample the image.
Even the A7R (mit clatter-shutter) is perfectly fine when shot >1/125th handheld.
I’m sure there are at least three other people (world wide) out there who agree with your logic.
TSY87 speaks the truth! I have a D800 and it is no more difficult to get sharp prints than lower resolution cameras. If you think about it, the blur may cover more pixels, but it still only covers the same percentage of the sensor – which is what is visible on a print of a given size. What it does make you do is be aware of shooting technique because you will start to WANT pixel level sharpness. Having said that, 36MP is not even twice the linear resolution of 12MP so you don’t even need half the shutter speed to get the same pixel level sharpness.
I think the original RX-1 camera lends itself to low-light, large aperture photography so a 36MP+ sensor would probably need to be a distinct model. The sensor from the A7s would be perfect for this application, but I imagine that the Sony marketers will force the engineers into the mandatory pixel bump. Faster AF is one thing that they must achieve, though.
the per pixel sharmpness i s non of interest for me, if I look pictures resized to “normal” size from all my cameras, from D700, D200, Fuji S5, Nex 6, Nex 7, there is none better or worse among them. In color and detail, the Fuji and the Nex cameras match perfectly. The problem with high pixeled sensors is sensitivity, and I have it just up to the troat to be limited to 400 – 800 ISO. An RX1 with a 12 mpix or even 14 – 16 mpix sensor that can shoot clean until 25000 Iso is what many of us want, nor 36 or 50 mpix. Your logic is false, and many of us will tell you that. P&S is allround shooting, not doing publicity panels for housewalls.
Who are you replying to? Read the second paragraph of my response. I suggested the 12mp sensor from the a7s if they are planning the rx1 mk2. Please read all of the comment before going on a rant. None of my logic is false. Maybe you don’t know what the word logic means? I didn’t even present an opinion that was different to yours.
As an aside; If you want reasonable sized prints, the D800 is good up to 3200, 6400 at a push – you could probably go to 12800 if you converted it to black and white because the noise is not that ugly. The other thing is that the extra resolution makes the noise much finer because each pixel is smaller.
I don’t know what decade you are in that you think that any full frame will be limited by noise past ISO 400. They don’t use CCDs any more! I would still want no more than 20mp in a camera of this type, but I just thought I should inform you of the latest innovations in imaging technology.
It is simple a tongue in cheek ‘hope’ of which I think unlikely 🙂 nothing serious
I just want two things, better autofocus and better sealing against dust on the sensor. It seems like those two things are the only things somewhat lackluster on the current model.
It is just a few days before Sony World Photo Award,
So what new camera do we expect to see in the event?
Nominated photos and the photographers who captured them
Do you think a curved sensor could mean interchangeable lenses, but retain the size of original camera? Less complex lenses are smaller, which would cancel out the extra space of the lens mount. You could have a 24mm, 35mm and 85mm lenses designed specifically for the rx1-x.
I know that it isn’t really the point of the camera, but it would be interesting. It would probably be too expensive for sony to do the R&D on 3 new lenses anyway.
NO.
while i’d absolutely love several small, fast interchangeable lenses with a curved sensor rx, i doubt it’s doable as of now. they’ll first implement the curved sensor with the standard 35mm focal length to test general benefits and market acceptance. like they tested the waters preliminarily with the kw1. to design not 1 but 3 lenses at once for the same sensor, i deem unlikely for now.
i’d much rather like them consider a zoom lens in future, like 24-70 or something, instead of interchangeable lenses, as well as ibis – i’d be happy to accept a slightly larger body for that.
It’s improbable and would be a poor business decision. However, the FE 28mm prime proves the feasibility of add-ons with electronic communication. So if the lens were to be make smaller thanks to a curved sensor, perhaps Sony would consider a wide-angle adapter and a telephoto adapter.
I was just wondering what kind of result we will have with a curved sensor. For the issues i hope Sony engineers will work to solve them otherwise they can better convert into selling matches :p
and your comment is like from a boring moralizer 😉
If this is a medium format RX, I might have to sell one of my kidneys.
Thanks for your input.
no – curved sensor has nothing to do with shift or tilt
With plain sensors the lens must take care, that the focus point on the sensor is a plane. To do so, a lens needs additional glass elements, making a lens bigger, heavier, more expensive and it consumes more light due to more glass elements. (each glass element causes reflection, letting not all light pass trough)
With a curved sensor, you get rid of the need for a such complex lens design, because an simple designed lens has a curved focal surface.
=> curved sensor
= smaller, lighter lenses
= incompatible to ALL lenses currently available because they ALL are constructed for planar sensors.
Please god yes! I held off on any small carry purchase in hopes of this…. I was tempted to buy the rx1r recently and tempted to buy a leica x …. but what would really sell me is the rx1x with built in viewfinder. I know they can do it!!
In my dreams:
• slap a big optical viewfinder on it. As large and clear as on an old Rollei 35. It would have only the simplest digital information displayed: shutter speed, aperture, and a center focus point confirmation.
• same lens.
• 36MP.
• OIS.
• tillable screen.
• Done. A killer.
Why OVF and not EVF? I would rather EVF with information overlay and WYSIWYG. You can always cover up excess info as its an EVF.
Except that it’s not really WYSIWYG. Colours, dynamic range, noise pattern – you don’t see any of those things in a (current) EVF exactly as it will appear in the captured image. And highlight and shadow warnings are based on the JPEG, not the raw file.
For me, a viewfinder serves one purpose: to make framing easier. And for that, I want to see the scene as it would appear to my naked eye, which is why I prefer an OVF, because it comes much closer to what my eyes see, than an EVF does.
I hope your dreams come true, except for the 50 mpix sensor. The 24 mpix sensor in a more improved version would be nice, even the 7S sensor could do it. Who the heck needs 36 or 50 mpix in a P&S camera and for what?
Nobody need 50 MP sensors as there are no lenses that can resolve them despite what Zeiss, Sony etc. etc. claim. There just aren’t.
50 MP is an increase of linear resolution by ~17% over 36 MP. Clearly, there are lenses (even some old ones) that have enough resolving power for the 36 MP sensors. Are you saying that all those lenses are so near their limit, that none of them can resolve an extra 17% worth of details?
Can any lenses out there resolve 24mp on an aps-c sensor?
As far as I know, no. I guess the best lenses ever made (something like the Leitz f2.8 100mm Apo Macro Elmarit R) could get fairly close – under ideal conditions (aperture, focusing distance, lighting etc.) that is (i.e. in the studio). Ever wondered why the Canon 7D MKII has a 20MP and not a 24MP sensor?
No buy from me until it is at least RX1-XXX. More Xes for the people!
That is what the testers of the April issue of German Fotomagazin and that physics professor in Spain (http://www.uned.es/personal/rosuna/resources/photography/Diffraction/Do%20sensors%20outresolve.pdf) are saying. Sorry, but we are at the limits and any increase in MP only serves one purpose, i.e. to make us replace our old cameras with new ones so the profits keep rolling in for the likes of Canon and Sony. It is technically possible to make 50MP+ FF sensors. It is not technically possible to make lenses to match them. Bad luck,
Maybe they’ll include a way to carefully frame a shot!! A tilting lcd? Anti shake? a pop up evf? Something? How’s that for cutting edge. The a7r with the 35 f2.8 is more than fine for me.
Anymore info on this?