At a glance
The Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with a constant f/2.8 aperture and 24-200mm zoom range delivers sharp clarity and bokeh.
For stunning detail, a big 1.0-type back-illuminated 20.2MP Exmor R CMOS sensor combines with the high-speed BIONZ X processor.
Focus fast and precisely with lock-on autofocus and the built-in Direct Drive SSM.
Compose each shot with confidence using the OLED Tru-Finder and a tiltable LCD screen.
Take complete control of every shot from a lightweight magnesium alloy body, with a manual control dial and aperture ring.
Performs in any situation
Leave the DSLR at home. The RX10 delivers every time. It has a large 20.2MP 1.0 type back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor and Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with a constant max f/2.8 aperture and 24-200mm zoom range. Each click ensures clarity, detail and beauty.
Why pack a DSLR with a bunch of lenses? The RX10 has every situation covered. A powerful Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens captures stunning shots in every situation. The wide constant f/2.8 aperture allows plenty of light to enter the lens for striking detail across the entire 24-200mm zoom range. You can also take detail-packed photos in the dark without dialling up the ISO speed. The multilayer T* coating reduces ghosting and flare, so even the most challenging of shots come out crystal-clear. It means you can capture different types of shots with ease. Create beautiful background defocusing, the seven high-precision aspherical blades help correct any aberrations for beautiful bokeh. Shoot pin-sharp clarity and get right up close for detailed macro shots.
Detail that comes to life
See every speckle and strand of detail come to life. The 1.0-type back-illuminated 20.2MP Exmor R CMOS sensor delivers the same level of crystal-clear clarity as the renowned RX100 II. Inside the lens, light falls directly onto receptive areas of the sensor - no wires block the path - for brighter, clearer photos. The BIONZ X image processor cuts noise levels at precise points for high-resolution images with faithful textures.
Capture the action before it's gone
An unforgettable moment can be brief - don't miss it. The built-in Direct Drive SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor) not only keeps the RX10 compact in size, but boosts focusing speed when shooting at telephoto range - stopping the lens at the precise position that you want. Lock-on autofocus tracks even the fastest subjects with the help of the speedy BIONZ X image processor.
A bigger, brighter view
Take a look through the OLED Tru-Finder- everything stays vividly clear right to the edges. With a wide-angle, uncropped 100% high-resolution view, you can capture the whole scene exactly as you see it. Direct sunlight is no problem, the LCD screen (1,229k-dot) packs each pixel closely together for extra fine detail even when you're shooting outside.
Take control and get creative
Everything you need is at your fingertips. Surrounding the lens, a smooth manual ring allows fingertip adjustment of zoom and focus. Adjust exposure with a few clicks using the aperture ring. Meanwhile, custom settings make it possible to call up frequently used shooting functions quickly on screen. For all its features, the magnesium alloy body still feels incredibly light and strong. The robust design shrugs off dust and drops of water with no problem.
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Sony have a long history of making interesting cameras and have, in recent years, produced some of the most innovative products and technologies. Not all of these developments have caught on but we've admired their pioneering spirit, even when we haven't always loved the products.
The RX10 combines aspects of two of the company's most imagination-catching cameras - the newly announced RX100 II and the near-legendary R1 from 2005. It revives the large-sensor, long-zoom concept of the R1, but utilizing the same 1"-type BSI CMOS sensor, meaning it can offer a balance of high image quality and long zoom in a sensibly sized package. In this case it means the RX10 is able to offer a 24-200mm equivalent F2.8 lens.
That relatively big sensor means the RX10 is not a small camera - it's about the height and width of a small DSLR and, though its body is slimmer than that, its 8.3x lens adds a stout, weighty bulk to the proceedings.Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 key features
- 20MP 1"-type BSI CMOS sensor (13.2 x 8.8mm)
- 24-200mm equivalent stabilized F2.8 lens
- Built-in 3-EV Neutral Density filter
- Flip-out, 1.3m dot (VGA resolution) rear LCD
- 1.14m dot OLED viewfinder
- ISO 125 - 12,800 (expandable down to ISO 80)
- Approx 10fps continuous shooting in 'Speed Priority mode'
- Wi-Fi with NFC for easier connection (with compatible devices)
Of course a lot of time has passed since the R1 was launched, so it's no surprise that the RX10 is a more capable camera - but Sony says it has added a lot over even the RX100 II launched earlier this year. By using the same Bionz X processor as the Alpha 7 and 7R, it gains more sophisticated image processing but, significantly, it also gains a built-in 3EV neutral density filter, meaning you can make use of that F2.8 maximum aperture, even in bright light.
The RX10 also becomes the first Sony to feature a 'Direct Drive SSM' focus motor, which uses piezoelectric materials to position the focus element, rather than linear motors. The company says this allows the lens to be both moved and stopped more accurately - reducing focus times. The lens also has a pretty reasonable close-focus distance, that increases from 3cm at the wide-angle end to 30cm at the other extreme (giving magnification ratio of 0.45x and 0.38x respectively).
The more powerful processor not only promises more detailed JPEGs, it also allows the camera to use every pixel to create its video, rather than having to sub-sample the sensor as most DSLRs do (the line-skipping method is a major source of moiré).
And Sony appears to have been thinking about more than just stills when it made this cameras - the RX10 offers one of the most extensive lists of features for videographers we've seen on any camera. This includes stepless aperture control, headphone and mic sockets, focus peaking, zebra exposure warning and uncompressed video output.
The only problem is likely to be trying to convince anyone to spend so much on a compact camera. Because, while it was relatively easy to make the argument that the RX100 was worth nearly twice as much as a Canon S110 (given it had a sensor three times larger) it's a little harder to explain to people why they should pay $1299 for a zoom compact - no matter how capable.
So what's the big deal?
Part of the problem with trying to explain why the RX10 costs so much (and we're not sure why it cost quite so much), is that it requires you to understand not just the equivalent focal length range and aperture, but also the effect of sensor size.
This understanding isn't helped by the use of F-numbers to describe aperture. In terms of exposure (and by definition), F2.8 = F2.8 = F2.8. However, that doesn't tell the whole story. In terms of depth-of-field and total light on the sensor (which is a major determinant of image quality), you also need to consider sensor size - otherwise the 24-200mm equivalent F2.8 lens on this camera doesn't sound any more impressive than a camera half the size or, more importantly, less than half the price.
So, while the Panasonic DMC-FZ200 at first glance looks most impressive, the equivalent aperture figures tell a very different story. Equivalent apertures tell you how the lens compares to a full frame lens with similar characteristics - much as the more familiar 'equivalent focal length' does. However, rather than telling you which lens has a comparable field-of-view, it tells you which full frame lens would provide the same control over depth-of-field and the total light hitting the sensor.
So, while it might initially appear that the Nikon Coolpix P7800 offers a comparable lens in a much smaller body (and for much less money), the RX10's actual peers are rather different.
Here you can see that the RX100 can receive around 0.7EV more light at the wide-angle end of its zoom and almost 2.7EV more at the long end of the zoom. In fact, its wide maximum aperture means it's able to receive more light than Canon's larger-sensored G1 X from around 39mm equivalent and more than a Canon DSLR with 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 from 65mm equivalent onwards. And that gives the RX10 greater control over depth-of-field and the potential
for better low light performance than any of these cameras.