Price: $3,235
Ratings: 4.5/5
Video
Oh yes, the RX1 captures video as well -
Full HD at that, at limited speed variations - but it does a fairly good job at
it. With the aperture ring control being on the lens, along with the focus
ring, it's quite a nifty benefit for videographers - especially those who love
capturing videos on the go and bulky messy equipment is not an option
The
Sony RX 1
First impressions
What do you get when you mix the features
of a DSLR camera with a sharp lens onto a premium compact camera with a
full-frame 35mm sensor? A superb piece of shooting gadgetry in the form of the
Sony RX 1, of course. People who still remember using compact shaped 35mm full
frame film cameras never must've imagined a digital avatar coming up so soon.
But, Sony has created one and I can't wait to start shooting with it. It looks
extremely well built and the premium materials used give off a shine that
screams class.
What
do you get when you mix the features of a DSLR camera with a sharp lens onto a
premium compact camera with a full-frame 35mm sensor?
Review
Right from the moment I picked up the RX 1,
I knew this is a rather unique product - meant only for the enthusiast with
deep pockets. After all, at $3,235, not everyone will be able to afford this
camera - not to mention its equally expensive accessories as well. The (Axed)
35mm Carl Zeiss lens also houses the ring to control aperture, not to mention
macro and general focus ring as well. Both of these are buttery smooth and work
perfectly well, without a hint of accidental changes. There is no viewfinder of
any kind, so you have to dependent on the 3" LCD screen which is quite
sharp, but not really good in very bright conditions. There is a standard
hot-shoe on top, where you can possibly have an external optical viewfinder. To
its left is a pop-out flash and to the right is the mode dial, shutter button
and exposure compensation dial. There is also a really tiny custom button which
lets you adjust ISO in default settings. On the back, the dials are laid out
exactly how you'd want them. Enough of the camera itself, let me tell you how
it performs. Quite frankly, the Car Zeiss lens performs extremely well - the
images are sharp, crisp and extremely rich in details. Even when the aperture
is wide open at 2.0, there is no vignetting and no chromatic aberrations. At
least outdoors there isn't any on any image I took, indoors - there was a
little color noise creeping in at higher ISO's, but still the images were tack
sharp. I personally dislike using flash, and unfortunately Sony has not given
the same adjustable flash that we saw and loved in the RX 100 - but it does a
decent job when required. Color reproduction and white balance is particularly
impressive in the RX1, even with macro. However, the macro AF seemed a bit
restricted, something that nature lovers might have to deal with - especially
since you can't change the focal length, nor the lens itself. All in all, the
camera feels bloody good in your hand - AF is quick, ISO performance is quite
good too, and drive mode will give you about 5fps (max, 'speed priority
continuous' mode) of burst rate. The more I loved it, the quicker I realized
its biggest shortcoming - the average battery life. It really drains out
quickly for you to fully enjoy a great shooting experience, and what's worse -
charges only via USB!
All
in all, the camera feels bloody good in your hand. -
AF is quick, ISO performance is quite good too, and drive mode will give you
about 5fps (max, 'speed priority continuous' mode) of burst rate.
Verdict
Sony has a game-changer in its stable, no
longer satisfied with only good video recording it's coming out with great
mirror-less cameras and even bigger cams with full frame sensor goodness and excellent
performance. The RX1 will lose out because of its high pricing and expensive
accessories, but this might be a stepping stone for the Japanese from which
they can build an array of amazingly brilliant cameras with great features -
and at a great price too!
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Specifications
·
24.3MP Exmor CMOS sensor
·
Carl Zeiss Sonnar T 35mm F2 prime lens
·
3.0 inch TFT LCD, 1228800 dots
·
Full HD video recording
·
f/2.0 - f/22 Aperture range
·
100 - 25,600 ISO Range
·
Approx. 453g weight (body only)
·
SD, SDHC, SDXC, Micro SD, Micro SDHC support
·
Memory Stick Micro, Memory Stick Micro (Mark2)
support as well
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