I was honored to be invited by Sony to hand-on the new RX100iii and a77ii. One of the lucky ones in Singapore, or the ASEAN region to test on these 2 new toys.
Well… this article is entirely on RX100iii and I will talk about my hands-on experience with RX100iii first before attaching the product images and spec at the bottom of my article.
Sony RX100 iii First Impression Hands-on
Aesthetic
One word, SMALL for my chubby hands and i was not able to get a good grip on this camera. Somemore, the surface is smooth matt, i was afraid that it will slip from my hand easily. Same as it’s previous marks, they have the option to a camera grip kit (model number AG-R2)(sold separately), the down side is… if you install the grip kit, the camera cannot fit into it’s super chio Jacket Case, so choose one.
The weight is good, and i like the build quality…
Some creative pros may like to attach continuous lights or exterior mic on Mark 2, but the Mark 3 comes with an impressive OLED Tru Finder, i’ve tested it and i LOVE it, i can’t show it to you, you have experience it yourself. Anyways, Sony said that the Mark 2 will still be in the market concurrently with the Mark 3.
RX100ii Retail Price revised from $999 to $899.00
Operation
For a P & S camera that cost more than 1k, you might expect tonnes of manual dials and knobs, like those you find in Fujiflim or Canon. The pros may feel the lack of manual controls, compared to their pro DSLR cameras.
But but but wait, I guess that Sony had added a couple of quality stuffs in this Mark 3 like…
– a wide angle ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f1.8-2.8 good quality lens, i have tested under low lighting, the noise control was good, somehow brighter… “over-exposed” at normal EV. But which is good especially taking indoor and night scenes.
– the camera allows you to capture XAVC S and mp4 video at the same time. Note: you can only capture XAVC S video with SDXC card, your usual Class 10 SD class can only allow you to take mp4.
– bend like Beckham, the Mark 3 LCD screen can now flip at 180 degree, plus a wider angle lens, you can invite more people to take selfies… photo-bombs with you. Can view better on that 3.0 inch LCD screen. Tired selfing myself… and wow… i had just captured a high image quality selfie yesterday.
– OLED Tru-Finder, i would like to emphasis again, i love it.
– Play memories camera apps – I was not able to try the “N”espresso FC because i hate Androids, so i tested with my Apple Ipad. I feel that i was kinda buggy, maybe, perhaps there were others trying as well, interference?
My views
With all those nice features Sony had installed on RX100iii, i would say that it is a good pocket size camera for everyone at any level to carry around, either you are a pro, or an entry level noob, Sony RX100iii allows you to take good night scape, low lighting pictures (good noise control), and selfies!
I wish i have the luxury of time to explore this camera to provide you a more in-depth review.
Official Launch on Mid June 2014
Retail Price at SGD $1,199.00
RX100iii Product Images and Spec…
| Model | RX100 III (DSC-RX100M3) |
Image Sensor | 1.0-type (13.2 x 8.8mm) Exmor R™ CMOS sensor, aspect ratio 3:2 (Effective resolution) Approx. 20.1 megapixels |
Image processor | BIONZ X |
Lens | ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* Lens, 10 elements in 9 groups (9 aspheric elements including AA lens) f=8.8-25.7mm / 35mm format equivalent (Still Image 3:2) f=24-70mm Maximum aperture F1.8(W)-2.8(T) |
Zoom range | Optical (still image/movie): 2.9x; Clear Image Zoom approx. 5.8x |
Screen | 7.5cm (3.0-type) (4:3) / 1,228,800 dots / Xtra Fine TFT LCD; adjusts up 180° / down 45° (approx.) |
Viewfinder | 0.39-type electronic viewfinder (OLED), 1,440,000 dots; magnification approx. 0.59x with 50mm lens at infinity, -1m-1(diopter) (35mm equiv.), retractable type |
Image stabilisation | (Still image) Optical SteadyShot (Movie) Optical SteadyShot Intelligent Active Mode, Optical type with electronic compensation, Anti Rolling type |
Focus modes | Single-shot AF (AF-S) / Continuous AF (AF-C) / Direct Manual Focus (DMF) / Manual Focus |
Focus area | Wide / Centre / Flexible spot S/M/L / Lock on AF (Wide/Center/Flexible Spot S/M/L) |
Sensitivity (still image) | Auto (ISO125-12800, selectable with upper / lower limit), 125/160/200/250/320/400/500/640/800/1000/1250/1600/2000/2500/3200/4000/5000/6400/8000/10000/12800 (Extendable to ISO80/100), Multi-Frame NR3: Auto (ISO125-12800), 200/400/800/1600/3200/6400/12800/25600 |
Continuous shooting | Speed Priority Continuous Shooting: approx. 10 fps Continuous Shooting: approx. 2.9 fps (AF-S) |
Shooting modes | Superior Auto, Intelligent Auto, Program Auto (Program shift available), Shutter Speed Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual Exposure, Scene Selection, Movie Mode(Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority, Manual Exposure), Panorama |
Picture Effect modes | Toy Camera, Pop Color, Posterization, Retro Photo, Soft High-key, Partial Color, High Contrast Monochrome, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich tone Monochrome, Miniature, Watercolor, Illustration |
Other Shooting functions | Eye AF, Face Detection, Face Registration, Smile Shutter, Quick Navi, Digital Level Gauge (pitch and roll), MR (memory recall), Single-bracketing, Cont.-bracketing, White Balance Bracketing, DRO Bracketing, MF Assist, Photo Creativity, Peaking, Zebra, Micref Level, Step Zoom, Self-portrait timer |
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