The Sony RX1 was a huge freaking deal when it first came out in 2012. It cost thousands and thousands of dollars and was the world’s smallest digital full frame camera at the time. Suffice to say, amateur photographers could not use this camera.
But, it’s been almost a decade and the Sony RX1 is finally in a more reasonable price range for photographers who might not have a huge budget for a new-to-them camera. The problem is deciding whether its features are worth its price in 2021.
In this Sony RX1 review, I’m going to walk you through the Sony RX1 design, all of the Sony RX1 features, and I’ll ultimately let you decide whether this camera is worth the risk so many years later.
Sony RX1 Specs
A lot of the Sony RX1 specs have remained pleasantly modern even after all this time. The camera features a 24MP sensor, which is paired with a Carl Zeiss Sonnar 35mm f/2 lens. Even though it was created a decade ago, it is still really small for a digital full frame camera.
It weighs just over 17 ounces and is almost able to fit into your pocket.
It obviously can’t shoot 4K video, but it can shoot Full HD video at up to 60p.
It features an ISO range of 100-25,600, which rivals far more modern cameras.
Depending upon what you’re planning on using this camera for, its screen may be a little bit debilitating, since it is fixed. However, its screen size of 3” and its screen resolution of 1.22m-dots still seem like pretty modern options.
The Sony RX1 does come with a built-in flash and it features a 5fps burst mode. While this burst mode isn’t going to be enough for sports photographers or wildlife photographers, it is definitely sufficient for portrait or event photographers.
Other Sony RX1 Specs Include:
- 24MP sensor
- ISO range of 100-25,600
- 5fps burst mode
- Full HD video capabilities at up to 60p
- Fixed 35mm equiv. lens
- 25-point AF system
- Built-in flash
- 3” LCD screen with 1.22m-dots
- 17.6 oz
- 270-shot battery life
Sony RX1 Body & Design
The Sony RX1 measures 4.5” x 2.6” x 2.8” and weighs 17.6 oz. So, you can easily fit it into your coat pocket for on the go shooting.
It is made out of magnesium alloy, which means that the camera feels really sturdy in your hand while maintaining a light weight. The thumb rest and grip is made out of a rubber material.
The camera comes with a movie mode button, a 4-way control dial on the rear of the camera, a mode dial, and a shutter button.
The built-in flash that I mentioned above is a pop-up flash.
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Sony RX1 Build & Handling
The most disappointing thing about the Sony RX1 build is the fact that the camera isn’t environmentally sealed. For someone who does an awful lot of shooting outside, I hate to see cameras that aren’t built for people like me.
However, since the camera is so lightweight and small, it is uber comfortable to carry around all day. Since it was built for professionals, it also comes with an incredible amount of customization. It would be a crime against humanity to not use manual mode when operating the Sony RX1.
The most important part of the Sony RX1 handling is its battery life. It can shoot up to 270-shots on one charge without dying. This is a little disappointing for me because the camera doesn’t come with any features that take a lot of power, like an EVF.
Sony RX1 Video Performance
Pretty much no camera that is a decade old is going to have an excellent video performance because the features just aren’t present. And, as you can see by the Sony RX1 video performance test by TheCameraStoreTV above, the Sony RX1 is no different.
Since it was such a huge deal when it first came out, I wouldn’t necessarily say that its video specs are wildly out of date, because it can still shoot Full HD video at 60p for up to a half hour at a time, but it doesn’t feature 4K or focus peaking. If you are planning to shoot video in manual focus mode with the Sony RX1 on a regular basis, then you should also know that the focus distance indicator doesn’t work when you are in movie mode, making it a huge pain to focus it at all.
Another way that the Sony RX1 is out of date is that the autofocus tracking just kind of sucks. It can’t keep up with moving objects.
Sony RX1 Price
The Sony RX1 price is nothing like it used to be. Since this camera came out in 2012, it is nearly a decade old (which is pretty ancient when it comes to camera technology). Though the Sony RX1 was nearly $3,000 when it first came out, it has since been discontinued and the price on used Sony RX1 bodies continues to plummet.
You should be able to find a Sony RX1 for under $1,000 pretty easily. But, you do need to make sure that you’re shopping somewhere reliable because you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars for this camera and then have it be completely useless to you.
In an effort to aid your search, I found a few Sony RX1 bodies on MPB. Both of the ones that are currently up (as of the publishing of this article) are in good condition, which means that they will have some cosmetic signs of use, but that all of the important parts of the camera are working beautifully. They are both $764.
If you do opt to buy your used Sony RX1 on MPB, then you can rest assured that the camera will do exactly what you need it to and if it doesn’t, you can send it back to MPB for a full refund.