It’s fair to say the compact camera market is not in its best days. The iPhone and other Android devices have certainly contributed a great deal to this huge decline. But nevertheless, it’s not a category that’s going to die anytime soon. After all, you can’t put a full frame sensor on a smartphone just yet. However you can on a tiny compact that’s designed not for competing with smartphones but with pro DSLRs. Enter the Sony Cyber-Shot RX1 RII.
This is a camera that will have even the most skeptical photographers going “wow”. Sony has made a tradition of surprising the camera market with innovative designs and astonishing technological advancements. I remember dreaming about a fully functional full frame compact camera ever since the original Canon 5D came out. Well, this is it.
The camera is almost small enough to fit in your pocket, yet it’s build like it can be used to attack a bear. It has a lightweight sculpted metal body that really makes the camera feel like it was made to last.
The lens is superb fixed ZEISS Sonnar T* 35mm f/2 that was created specifically for this camera and to bring out maximum resolution.
Here’s a quick look at the specs:
- 42MP full frame BSI CMOS sensor
- 35mm f/2 fixed lens
- 3” articulated screen
- ISO range 50-102400
- 1080p video
- Wi-Fi
- 25 focusing points
- BIONZ X Image processing
- Variable low pass filter
Yes, impressive for any camera.
It is actually closely related to the Sony A7RII having the same sensor and image processing unit. If you know the A7RII, you’re familiar with its jaw-dropping image quality. The RX1 RII shares it.
Undoubtedly one of the hottest features of this little beast is the variable low-pass filter. In the past few years, we’ve seen camera manufacturers introduce twin versions of essentially the same camera, one without an AA filter and one without it.
The RX1 RII lets you choose exactly how much moiré you want in your photos. You can set it at full strength to combat moiré aggressively or you can turn it off for more detail. I can honestly say I hope to see this in other cameras in the future.
Apart from the huge resolution, the superb lens and the variable-low pass filtering the camera has an exciting pop-up viewfinder. It has 100% coverage and a generous resolution of 2,359,226 dots and it’s a joy to use.
One thing that will definitely be appreciated by pretentious users is the 14-bit uncompressed RAW format that ensures maximum image quality, tonal gradation and dynamic range.
Who is this camera for? Street photographers and anyone who likes to work discreetly will love it.
It’s also probably the best travel camera you can find and although a fixed lens might seem limiting, the 35mm focal length is actually the most versatile.
It’s actually a technological dream come true for many and I can’t really find any good reasons, perhaps other than price not to buy it.
Click here for more details about the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC RX1 RII