Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R Mark II

      Photo Review 8.2
      -/

      In summary

      Sony’s latest ‘full-frame’ compact camera features a higher-resolution sensor, improved autofocusing, Wi-Fi with NFC, a pop-up EVF and a tilting monitor.

      Released in mid-November 2015, the Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R Mark II is a fixed-lens compact camera with capabilities that match many of Sony’s more sophisticated mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras. A successor to the DSC-RX1R, the new camera addresses some of the issues presented by its predecessors.

      While it’s hard to fault the imaging performance of the RX1R II, the asking price is a lot to pay for a compact camera with a fixed focal length lens, and there are other limitations outlined in the full review.

       

      Full review

      Released in mid-November 2015, Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R Mark II is a fixed-lens compact camera with capabilities that match many of Sony’s more sophisticated mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras. A successor to the DSC-RX1R, which we didn’t review and which itself was an update for the DSC-RX1, which we reviewed in March 2013, the new camera addresses some of the issues presented by its predecessors.  

      -

      Angled front view of the DSC-RX1R II with the EVF raised and the viewfinder eyepiece cup fitted. (Source: Sony.)

      The magnesium alloy body is very similar to the previous models and, like them, is not weatherproof. The main changes have been the replacement of the fixed monitor with a tilting screen (which is not touch-sensitive) and the addition of a built-in, high-resolution EVF. Other differences are largely internal and outlined in the table below, which also highlights   the many features common to all three cameras.

       

      Sony RX1R II

      Sony RX1R

      Sony RX1

      Sensor

      42MP BSI CMOS

      24.3-megapixel CMOS

      Processor

      BIONZ X

      BIONZ

      Low-pass filter

      Variable

      No

      Yes

      Lens

      Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f/2

      Min. focus distance

      30cm normal (20 cm in macro mode)

      AF system

      Hybrid CD/PD

      Contrast detection

      AF points

      399 for PDAF, 25 for CDAF

      25

      Metering

      1200-zone evaluative

      Exposure compensation

      +/- 5.0EV in 1/3EV steps

      +/- 3.0EV in 1/3EV steps

      Max image size

      7952 x 5304 px

      6000 x 4000 px

      Uncompressed format

      14-bit ARW.RAW (Ver. 2.3)

      Burst rate

      5 fps

      Buffer capacity

      24 JPEG, 23 RAW

      15 JPEG, 14 RAW

      14 JPEG, 12 RAW

      Video

      1080/50p

      ISO range

      100-25600

      ISO expansion

      50/64/80; 102400

      EVF

      0.39-type 2,360,000-dot OLED

      No EVF

      Monitor

      Tilting 3-inch 1,228,800-dot Xtra Fine TFT  

      Fixed 3-inch 1,228,800-dot Xtra Fine TFT

      Wi-Fi

      Yes, with NFC

      No

      Battery life (CIPA)

      220 shots/charge

      N/A

      Dimensions

      113.3 x 65.4 x 72.0 mm

      113.3 x 65.4 x 69.6 mm

      Weight (body only)

      480 grams

      453 grams

      RRP

      AU$5499

      AU$3499

      AU$3499

      If you’re planning to fork out more than $5000 for a compact, fixed lens camera, you need to be sure you’re making the right investment.

      Who’s It For?
      With its fixed prime lens and limited zoom range, despite the high resolution of its sensor, the RX1R II is ill suited to sports  and wildlife shooting, although the digital zoom functions would allow it to be used for portraiture as long as you could accept the reduction in resolution.

      The 35mm angle of view is a touch too narrow for landscape and architectural photography, although some issues could be overcome by shooting stitching shots. The in-camera Sweep Panorama modes are JPEG-only and unlikely to appeal to serious landscape shooters.

      On paper the RX1R II seems ideal for  street and reportage photography. (We’ll assess these capabilities as part of our tests.) And, although not exactly pocketable, it’s small and light enough to fit into a jacket pocket, making it easy to carry while you’re on the move.
       
      Build and Ergonomics
       Two features distinguish the body of the new camera from its predecessors: the built-in, pop-up EVF and the tilting monitor. Together they account for the small increase in the depth of the camera body and 33 gram increase in body weight. The design and control layout is otherwise unchanged, although the new camera comes with a viewfinder eyepiece cup that was not supplied with the previous models.  

      -

      Front view of the Cyber-shot RX1R II. (Source: Sony.)

      The Sonnar 35mm f/2  lens is common to all three models and described in detail in our review of the RX1. The Macro switching ring that sits between the focusing and aperture rings is unchanged, which means it’s easy to switch inadvertently into macro mode without realising you’ve done it. Sony has provided   a small icon to remind you when macro mode is engaged but it’s easily overlooked.

      -

      Top view of the Cyber-shot RX1R II. (Source: Sony.)  

      The new EVF replaces that camera’s pop-up flash and is recessed into the left hand side of the top panel, which is otherwise unchanged since the RX1. It’s based upon the finder used in the RX100 Mark IV, which we reviewed in November 2015 and has the same 2,360,000-dot resolution but will automatically edge the rear, eyepiece section outwards.   It’s raised with a lever at the upper left hand corner of the camera body, shown in the illustration below.
       

      -

      The lever for raising the EVF on the Cyber-shot RX1R II. (Source: Sony.)  

      Pushing on the top of the finder retracts the eyepiece section and returns the finder to its place within the camera body. The new EVF has higher magnification (0.74x versus 0.59x  for the RX100 Mark IV) a 19mm eyepoint and -4.0 to +3.0 of dioptre adjustment, set via a slider on the outer side of the finder.

      Sony supplies a soft rubber eyecup, which attaches to the eyepiece to exclude stray light and make it easier to use the EVF outdoors. Unfortunately, it wasn’t included in the package we received so we are unable to comment on it, although most overseas reviewers have claimed it is tricky to fit and users are required to remove it whenever the finder is lowered.

      The only change to the rear panel’s LCD monitor is the addition of a tilting support. The screen can now be tilted up through 109 degrees and down by 41 degrees. The addition of a capacitive touch-control overlay wouldn’t have added much to production costs but would likely have been welcomed by potential purchasers.
       

      -

      Angled rear view of the Cyber-shot RX1R II, showing the downward tilt of the monitor screen. (Source: Sony.)

      Otherwise, the control layout and functions of the various buttons and dials is unchanged since the RX1. Additionally, the RX1R II retains the high level of customisation provided by the original camera, the same interface ports (on the left hand side of the camera body) and the same movie record button and movie modes.

      The battery and memory card still share a compartment in the base of the camera, a normal feature of low-level cameras.  But Sony now provides a battery charger (the BC-DCX) to enable the battery to be charged outside of the camera. Charging a depleted battery takes a little more than two-and-a-half hours with the charger or a bit longer when you charge the battery in the camera via a USB cable.

      Internal Changes
       Aside from the higher-resolution sensor (covered below), the main changes introduced in the RX1R II are the variable optical low-pass filter, improvements to the autofocusing system and the addition of Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC. We’ll look at each in turn.

      The variable optical low-pass filter is a ‘first’ for Sony and broadly similar to the system developed by Pentax and introduced in the Pentax K-3. Adjustments provided in the LPF Effect setting on page 6 of the shooting menu enable photographers to select one of three anti-aliasing filtration settings: Off, Standard (the default) and Hi.

      These settings are certainly variable, although not finely controllable and we couldn’t see much difference in actual shots taken with the Standard and Hi settings although in detailed subjects you could see the Hi setting delivered slightly greater softening when images were magnified to 100%. The illustrations below show these differences.  

      -

      The original image taken at ISO 400, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
       

      -
      -

       Two crops showing the absence of moirø© in patterned areas when the low pass filter is switched off.
       

      -
      -

       Two crops showing the slight softening that occurs with the Standard low pass filter setting.
       

      We didn’t find any evidence of moirø© in the test shots we took, even though we tried hard to find subjects that might cause it. For most types of subjects you can safely leave the filter set to Off, thereby ensuring the sharpest possible images or, if you’re photographing subjects with finely-striped patterns, choose between the Standard and Hi settings, being aware the latter will soften the image a little more.

      Improvements to the autofocusing system have been substantial and include the introduction of 399 phase-detection  points to the previous cameras’ 25-point contrast-detection systems. The system is essentially identical to the one used in the α7R Mark II, which introduced the 42.4-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor now used in the RX1R II.

      The α7R Mark II’s AF modes are duplicated in the compact camera, including subject tracking, face detection and Eye-AF with both single and continuous AF modes.  Lock-on AF is also available and users can set the size of the area for acquiring focus initially. The camera will set the widest lens aperture then stop down while tracking. In lower light levels this can result in failures to maintain focusing.

      Manual focusing is ‘by wire’ (electronically driven), with little or no tactile feedback. There are only two distance markings on the lens (normal and macro positions), making zone focusing difficult. No indicator is displayed in the EVF or on the monitor screen to show the focused distance and warn you when you’ve left the camera on the macro setting when you’re shooting landscapes or portraits.

      Also ported across from the α7R Mark II (and its predecessor the α7R) is built-in Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC.   Both functions require the free PlayMemories Mobile app to be installed on the smart device to which the camera will be connected.  

      Users can transfer both JPEG images and MP4 movie clips but not ARW.RAW files or AVCHD and XAVC S movie clips. The PlayMemories Mobile app lets you choose whether to downsample images to be transferred to 2-megapixel or VGA size. Since the original 42-megapixel files are too large for online use and take about 10 seconds to copy via Wi-Fi it makes sense to select a smaller file size.

      If you want to control  aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings from a smart device or set the AF point via touch control you’ll need to download and install the Smart Remote app from Sony’s website. This is one of a number of apps that can extend the capabilities of the camera, some free and others (including a time-lapse app) cost up to US$10.  

      Downloading and using apps can drain battery power in an already limited battery. In addition, many apps are JPEG-only and over-ride existing camera settings, which can be frustrating and disappointing if you set the camera up for RAW+JPEG shooting and wind up without the raw files.

      Sensor and Image Processing
       As noted above, theRX1R II’s sensor is essentially the same as the back-side-illuminated (BSI) CMOS  chip used in the α7R Mark II  and covered in detail in our review of that camera, which was published in December 2015. The same BIONZ X image processor, which delivers 16-bit processing and 14-bit ARW.RAW files, is used in both cameras.

      Not only does this sensor provide more scope for frame cropping (a necessity when you have a 35mm prime lens fixed to the camera), it also has a significantly wider dynamic range than non-BSI sensors. This advantage extends through the supported ISO range.  

      ISO sensitivity covers the same range as the α7R II’s, with native sensitivities ranging between ISO 100 and ISO 25600 and extensions down to ISO 50 and up to ISO 102400 for still shots only. Continuous shooting speeds are also the same as the α7R II’s, with a top rate of five frames/second. The maximum buffer capacity is the same at 24 Large/Fine JPEGs, 23 compressed raw files, 10 uncompressed  raw files or 22 RAW+JPEG pairs.

      Unlike the α7R II, the RX1R II doesn’t offer an APS-C crop option, although it provides a wider range of aspect ratio settings covering the normal 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratios plus 4:3 and 1:1, with three image sizes available for each. Three compression ratios are available for JPEG files and ARW.RAW files can be recorded with or without compression and as RAW+JPEG pairs.  

      Movie recording is not up to the α7R II’s standards and 4K recording is not available. The RX1R II retains the same 1080/50p limitations as other RX1-series cameras, although it adds the proprietary XAVC S recording mode, which is capable of capturing clips at HD (720p) resolution with a frame rate of 100 fps. You need an SDXC card to support this mode.

      Digital SteadyShot image stabilisation is available when recording movie clips. (It crops the frame to some degree, depending on how much correction is required.) Face detection is also supported, although not Eye-AF.  

      Playback and Software
       Playback modes are almost the same as in the previous RX-series cameras and include the usual single and index (9 or 25 thumbnails) and zoom functions (magnification depends on the original image size). Slideshow playback is supported, as are the panorama scrolling, auto orientation, protect and delete functions. The 4K still image playback function outputs still images at 3840 x 2160-pixel resolution to an HDMI-connected, 4K-compatible TV set.

      Interestingly, the large files captured by the RX1R II take longer to appear in playback mode, particularly when you record uncompressed raw files. Buffer clearing also take longer when burst sequences have been recorded.

      No software was supplied with the review camera but you can download the latest version of Sony’s  Image Data Converter for processing raw files from any of Sony’s regional websites. Raw files from the camera can be converted with Adobe Camera Raw 9.3 and Lightroom 6.3   (or later).

      The latest versions of Sony’s PlayMemories suite can be downloaded from http://www.sony.net/Products/playmemories/en.html?fm=ap, while the (relatively) comprehensive Help Guide is available at http://helpguide.sony.net/dsc/1550/v1/en/index.html. The printed Instruction Manual supplied with the camera is pretty basic and not up to the standards we would expect from such an expensive camera. Neither is the online Help Guide, which is difficult to navigate and lacks a lot of essential information.

      Performance  
       The review camera delivered images that were highly detailed with a natural colour balance when shooting in the default Standard Creative Style mode.  This was confirmed by our Imatest tests, which showed colour accuracy to be very good in both JPEG and converted ARW.RAW files, which were converted into 16-bit TIFF format with the latest version of Adobe Camera Raw. JPEG saturation was well controlled.

      For most of our test shots we left the DRO (Dynamic Range Optimiser) on the Auto setting, where performed the useful role of controlling contrast in subjects with wide brightness ranges. While it only works on JPEGs, the effects of this control in the auto setting are fairly subtle, as is the associated Auto HDR function, which addresses wide brightness range scenes by recording multiple exposures. The illustrations below show the effects of the auto settings in both modes.

       

      -

      These three shots of the same scene show (from left) the DRO function switched off, the DRO function set on Auto and the Auto HDR function engaged. Note the blurring in the moving figures in the Auto HDR photo.

      Manual controls are available for both settings, the DRO mode providing five selectable levels and the HDR mode with six. In each case we found the highest levels produced unnatural-looking results.

      Imatest showed the review camera fell a little short of meeting expectations for JPEG files but matched expectations with raw files. This is similar to the results we obtained for the α7R Mark II  and no mean feat for a camera with 42.2-megapixel resolution.

      The graph of our Imatest results across the camera’s ISO sensitivity range is also similar to the results we obtained from the α7R Mark II, although resolution began to decline from ISO 3200 on. The results of our Imatest tests are shown in the graph below.

      -

      Low light performance was as good as we found with the α7R Mark II and shots captured at settings from ISO 50 to ISO 3200 has no evidence of significant noise, plenty of detail and natural-looking  colours. Noise was barely visible at ISO 6400 and only just discernible at ISO 12800.

      From that point, images became progressively more granular although, interestingly, there was very little loss of colour at the highest sensitivity setting and the resulting images would be usable for printing at small output sizes.

      The lens was sharpest two thirds of a stop down from maximum aperture and maintained high resolution until diffraction began to take effect around f/8. We noticed slight edge and corner softening at wider aperture settings, but this lessened gradually as the lens was stopped down. The graph below shows the result of our Imatest tests.

      -

       
       Like most Sony cameras, the RX1R II corrects chromatic aberrations and distortions by default. Turning off these corrections, which we did for our tests, showed the inherent lateral chromatic aberration level is mainly within the ‘negligible’ band, extending into the ‘low’ band at the widest and narrowest aperture settings as shown in the graph of our Imatest results below. The red line marks the boundary between ‘negligible’ and ‘low’ CA.

      -

       
       Auto white balance performance was similar to the RX1.  Shots taken under incandescent lighting retained a slight orange cast but the camera delivered close-to-neutral colours with fluorescent light. For both lighting types, the pre-sets over-corrected colours, with slight over-correction for fluorescent lighting and  the addition of a strong blue cast with tungsten lights. Manual measurement delivered a neutral colour balance and plenty of in-camera adjustments are provided for tweaking images as you shoot.

      Backlit subjects were handled quite well, although we did find traces of veiling flare in subjects with strong contre-jour lighting. The DOR settings went some way towards addressing this problem, after which it was easy to restore contrast at the editing stage, particularly with raw files.

      Autofocusing speeds have improved noticeably since the RX1, particularly in Live View mode, where the phase-detection system boosts both speed and accuracy, particularly when focus tracking was engaged. Low-light autofocusing presented no problems unless subjects had extremely low contrast.

      Focusing while recording video clips was also greatly improved. Unfortunately, close-up focusing is still tricky as the shutter will trigger when anything in the frame registers as sharp, which means you can take a shot at f/2 and think the closest part of the subject is in focus only to discover on playback that the lens has focused on something behind it.  

      This is particularly problematic when using the EVF as the displayed image is so small. Magnification of the image via Manual Focus Assist is only available in the Manual Focus or Direct Manual Focus shooting modes for still images. It’s not available when shooting movies.

      The fixed 35mm focal length and limited close-focusing capabilities   restrict this camera’s ability to record engaging video clips. In addition, engaging the   SteadyShot (digital) stabilisation reduces the camera’s field of view slightly. The stabilisation system was very effective.

      Better autofocusing meant the quality of movie clips was better than we obtained with the RX1. Most of the clips we recorded were sharp with accurate colour reproduction and few distortions, although the frames were cropped both vertically (for the 16:9 aspect ratio) and to a small degree in the horizontal dimension.

      Interestingly, we couldn’t see much difference between clips captured in the three recording formats beyond the basic frame sizes and frame rates. And even then, differences were barely perceptible.

      The quality of soundtracks was good enough for amateur use and, as with the RTX1, we found no obvious intrusions from operational noises. The wind cut filter did a good job of suppressing the slight wind noise we encountered.

      Battery life is generally poor; we found even the CIPA-rated estimate of 220 shots/charge was optimistic. Real world experience suggests you could knock up to 20 frames off expectations, which is barely enough for a full day’s shooting. It takes almost three hours to recharge a fully depleted battery, although you can still use the camera while it’s connected to the charger if power is being supplied from the mains.

      Our timing tests were carried out with a Lexar Professional 64GB SDXC UHS-II card with a transfer speed of 300MB/second. This card is designed to support 4K video recording and is required for recording XAVC S movie clips.

      The review camera powered-up in approximately 1.5 seconds, which was similar to the time taken for the RX1. Capture lag averaged 0.3 seconds, reducing to less than 0.1 seconds with   pre-focusing.   Shot-to-shot times averaged 0.75 seconds, a slight improvement on the RX1, which is noteworthy given the difference in their resolutions.

      There’s no indicator lamp to show images are being processed so we were forced to rely upon the time taken for the viewfinder image to return to showing the subject. On this basis, it took 2.8 seconds to process a JPEG file or a single uncompressed ARW.RAW file and 3.1 seconds for each RAW+JPEG pair.

      In the normal burst mode, we recorded a burst of 20 Large/Extra Fine JPEG frames in 6.3 seconds, which is equivalent to just over three frames/second. It took a little more than 30 seconds to process this burst, the accuracy of our timing being compromised because we had to base our timing on how long it took for the camera to stop posting ‘busy’ messages when we pressed the playback button.

      With bursts of uncompressed ARW.RAW files and RAW+JPEG pairs the capture rate slowed after 10 frames, which were recorded in three seconds. It took 20 seconds to process a burst of 10 raw files and 23 seconds for a burst of 10 RAW+JPEG pairs.

      In the Speed-priority burst mode, the camera recorded 24 Large/Extra Fine JPEG frames in 4.2 seconds, which is slightly faster than the specified five fps rate. It also took 31 seconds to process this burst.  Changing to uncompressed ARW.RAW file capture caused the buffer memory to fill after 10 frames had been recorded in 1.6 seconds. RAW+JPEG pairs also filled the buffer with 10 frames, which were recorded in 1.6 seconds.  Processing times were similar to those we clocked for the normal burst mode.

      Conclusion
       While it’s hard to fault the imaging performance of the RX1R II, almost $5,500 is a lot to pay for a compact camera with a fixed focal length lens, regardless of its sensor size and resolution. And, frankly, how many photographers actually NEED 42-megapixel resolution, given the facts that most photos are shared online, where low resolution can be advantageous and, even if they are printed, few are enlarged above A2 size (the limit for semi-pro desktop printers). We regularly print 16-megapixel images at A2 size from raw files and can see no urgent need for higher resolution provided files aren’t cropped.

      But regardless of whether you have that much money to invest in a camera, if street photography is your ‘thing’, the RX1R II has other limitations. The Leica Q, its main competitor, is more expensive still but, having used both cameras for street photography, we found it a much better camera to use than the RX1R II.

      While neither camera is perfect, the Leica’s ergonomics are superior, its menu system is easier to navigate, its external controls are better positioned and easier to operate and it’s a lot more fun to take pictures with. In our tests we found the number of satisfying, print-worthy shots from the Leica was much greater than we obtained with the Sony camera.

      The Leica Q’s lens has a wider angle of view and it comes with a lens hood (an optional accessory for the RX1 series). Zoom control is much easier because the digital frame selector switch is managed electronically so you don’t need to dive into the menu to change settings.  (In both cameras, zooming only crops the JPEG files; raw files are captured at full frame size and resolution.)

      Sensor-shift stabilisation is built into the Q but only electronic stabilisation is provided for the RX1R II and it only works with movie mode. The Leica Q provides both mechanical and electronic shutters, with a top speed of 1/2000 second for the former and 1/16,000 second with the latter. The RX1R II’s mechanical-only shutter has a top speed of 1/4000 second. Neither includes a built-in flash.

      We found the Q’s relatively large EVF much more comfortable to use than the tiny one on the RX1R II and the Q’s touch-screen monitor was handy for both ‘sly’ shooting and operating some camera controls. The RX1R II has almost double the resolution of the 24-megapixel Q but the Q has double its burst speed. However, the image quality from the Q’s sensor and lens is more than good enough to support enlargement to A2 size, even when frames are cropped through zooming. And at least you can see the cropped area in the Leica’s EVF, whereas you can’t with the RX1R II.

      Neither camera could be classed as truly pocketable, although both will fit into a jacket pocket and both are inconspicuous to use out in the streets. Both cameras have similar movie recording capabilities and neither offers much for video enthusiasts.

      Both pack their batteries and memory cards in a single compartment accessed via the base plate, a distinctly down-market strategy reminiscent of cheap digicams. (It’s hard to justify the inconvenience of this at either camera’s price point.)

      Even though the RX1R II has been on sale for at least six months, not much discounting has occurred so far (which probably means Sony doesn’t expect the camera to sell in high volumes). The lowest price we found in a Google search of local resellers was around AU$4200 (equivalent to about US$3235 at the exchange rate that applied when this review was posted), although most prices ranged between AU$4600 and AU$5200 (US$3540-$4005). With an average US price of $3298, we wouldn’t recommend buying the RX1R II off-shore since the shipping and insurance costs would probably put the cost close to (or above) the current local prices ““ and your purchase wouldn’t be covered by Australian consumer protection laws.  

       

      SPECS

       Image sensor: 35.9 x 24.0 mm Exmor R CMOS  sensor with 43.6 million photosites (42.4 megapixels  effective)
       Image processor: BIONZ X
       A/D processing: 14-bit
       Lens: Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f/2  (35mm in 35 mm format), 8 elements in 7 groups (3 aspherical elements including AA lens), 9 aperture blades, 49 mm filters
       Zoom ratio: 1x optical, up to 2x Clear Image Zoom or 4x digital at full resolution (6.2x  at 18M, 8x at 11M with reduced resolution)
       Image formats: Stills – JPEG  (DCF / Exif 2.3), ARW.RAW (v. 2.3), RAW+JPEG; Movies – XAVC S, AVCHD (v.2.0), MP4
       Image Sizes: Stills – 3:2 aspect: 7952 x 5304, 5168 x 3448, 3984 x 2656; 4:3 aspect: 7072 x 5304, 4592 x 3448), 3536 x 2656; 16:9 aspect: 7952 x 4472, 5168 x 2912, 3984 x 2240; 1:1 aspect: 5296 x 5296, 3440 x 3440, 2656 x 2656; Sweep Panorama: Standard – 3872 x 2160 / 8192 x 1856, Wide – 5536 x 2160 / 12,416 x 1856); Movies – XAVC S: 1920 x 1080 at 50p/25p, 1280 x 720 at 100p; AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 at 50p/50i/25p, MP4: 1920 x 1080 at 50p/25p, 1280 x 720at 25p  
       Shutter speed range: 30 to 1/4000 seconds plus Bulb
       Self-timer: 10 sec., 5 sec.  or 2 sec. delays plsu 3 or 5 consecutive shots with 10 sec. 5 sec. or 2 sec. delay selectable; Bracketing shots with 10 sec. 5 sec. or 2 sec. delay selectable
       Image Stabilisation: Electronic type (for movies)
       Exposure Compensation: +/-5.0 EV (in 1/3 EV steps) for stills: +/-2.0 EV for movies
       Bracketing: Exposure Bracketing, White Balance Bracketing, DRO Bracketing, Flash Bracketing, LPF bracketing
       Focus system/range: Fast Hybrid AF(phase-detection AF/contrast-detection AF) with   AF-S, AF-C, DMF and manual modes; Eye AF, Lock-on AF, Face Detection, Face Registration, Smile shutter modes; range: 30 cm to infinity; macro 20 to 35 cm
       Focus area selection: Wide (399 points for phase-detection AF / 25 points for contrast-detection AF), Centre, Flexible Spot (S/M/L), Expand Flexible Spot, Lock-on AF (Wide / Centre, Flexible Spot [S/M/L], Expand Flexible Spot)
       Exposure metering/control: 1200-zone evaluative metering with Multi Pattern, Centre Weighted  and Spot modes
       Shooting modes: AUTO (Intelligent Auto / Superior Auto), Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority, Manual Exposure, MR (Memory Recall) 1,2,3, Movie Mode (Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority, Manual Exposure), Panorama, Scene Selection (Portrait, Sports Action, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Handheld Twilight, Night Portrait, Anti Motion Blur)
       Shooting aids: Smart Teleconverter (approx. 1.4x / 2x), Grid Line, Quick Navi, Digital Level Gauge (pitch and roll), MF Assist, Peaking, Zebra, Marker Display, Auto Object Framing
       In-camera effects: Toy camera, Pop Colour, Posterisation, Retro Photo, Soft High-key, Partial Colour, High Contrast Mono., Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Richtone Monochrome, Miniature, Watercolour, Illustration, [Movie] Toy camera, Pop Colour, Posterisation, Retro Photo, Soft High-key, Partial Colour, High Contrast Mono.
       Creative Style modes: Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Clear, Deep, Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Autumn Leaves, Black & White, Sepia, Style Box
       Number of Recognised Scenes: Still Image – Superior Auto: 44, Intelligent Auto: 33; Movie – 33
       ISO range: Auto (ISO 100-102400), ISO 100-25600 selectable in 1/3 EV steps; Expansion to ISO 50 and ISO 102400 available  
       White balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent (x3), Daylight, Flash, Colour Temperature, Filter, Custom; WB adjustments: G7 to M7 (57 steps), A7 to B7 (29 steps)
       Colour space: sRGB, Adobe RGB
       Flash modes/range (ISO auto): Flash Off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Wireless (with optional compliant flash)
       Sequence shooting: Max. 5 frames/second
       Buffer memory depth (based on tests): JPEGs, raw files, RAW+JPEG
       Storage Media: Memory Stick PRO Duo or SD, SDHC, SDXC memory cards
       Viewfinder: 0.39-type electronic viewfinder (OLED) with 2,359,296 dots, 100% coverage, 0,74x magnification, approx 19 mm eyepoint, dioptre adjustment of -4.0 to +3.0 dpt
       LCD monitor: Tilting 3-inch Xtra Fine TFT LCD with 1,228,800 dots, 4:3 aspect ratio
       Interface terminals/communications: Multi/Micro USB Terminal, Micro HDMI, Microphone (3.5 mm Stereo minijack), Multi Interface Shoe
       Communications: Wi-Fi  (IEEE802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz band)) plus NFC forum Type 3 Tag compatible, One-touch remote, One-touch sharing
       Playback functions: Single (with or without shooting information, RGB histogram & highlight/shadow warning), 9/25-frame index view, Enlarged display mode, Auto Orientation, Slide Show, Panorama scrolling, Auto Review (10sec./5sec./2sec./off), Forward / Rewind (Movie), Delete, Protect, 4K still image playback
       Power supply: NP-BX1 rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack; CIPA rated for approx. 220 shots / approx. 110 min. movie recording per charge
       Dimensions (wxhxd): 113.3 x 65.4 x 72.0 mm
       Weight: Approx. 480 grams (without battery and memory card)

      Sony Australia  www.sony.com.au  

       

      TESTS

       Based on JPEG files:

      -
      -
      -
      -
      -

       
       Based on uncompressed ARW.RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw:

      -
      -
      -
      -
      -

       

      SAMPLES

      -

       
       Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.

      -

       
      Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
       

      -

      35mm  focal length; ISO 125, 1/200 second at f/8.
       

      -

      Clear Image Zoom;ISO 125, 1/250 second at f/5.6.

      -

       
      Digital zoom;ISO 125, 1/500 second at f/5.6.    

      -

      30-second exposure at ISO 50, at f/2.    

      -

      30-second exposure at ISO 100 at f/2.5.
       

      -

      10-second exposure at ISO 1600 at f/5.

      -

       
      6-second exposure at ISO 6400 at f/7.1.

      -

       
      4-second exposure at ISO 12800 at f/8.
       

      -

      2.5-second exposure at ISO 25600 at f/10.
       

      -

      2.5-second exposure at ISO 51200 at f/14.  

      -

      1.6-second exposure at ISO 102400 at f/16.

       

      -

      Close-up at f/2; 1/250 second at ISO 100.

      -

       
      Close-up at f/4; 1/100 second at ISO 200.
       

      -

      Close-up at f/16; 1/100 second at ISO 2500.

      -

       
      ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/6.3.

      -

       
       Crop from the above image enlarged to 100% showing a faint magenta fringe along the edge of the building.
       

      -

      Slight veiling flare in contre-jour lighting; ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/5.6.  

      -

       
      Strong backlighting; ISO 400, 1/100 second at f/4.

      -

       
      ISO 200, 1/100 second at f/2.8.
       

      -

      ISO 400, 1/250 second at f/5.

      -

       
      ISO 200, 1/20 second at f/10.
       

      -

      ISO 400, 1/160 second at f/9.

      -

       
      ISO 400, 1/60 second at f/10.

      -

       
      ISO 800, 1/125 second at f/7.1.

      -

       
      ISO 4000, 1/100 second at f/7.1.

      -

       
      ISO 5000, 1/100 second at f/5.6.    

      -

      ISO 100, 1/200 second at f/4.

      -

       
      ISO 80, 1/60 second at f/3.5.  

      -

      Still frame from XAVC S HD  1080p video clip; 50p 50Mbps.

      -

       
       Still frame from XAVC S HD 1080p video clip; 25p 50Mbps.

      -

       
       Still frame from XAVC S HD 1080p video clip; 100p 50Mbps.
       

      -

       Still frame from AVCHD Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 50i at 24Mbps.
       

      -

       Still frame from AVCHD Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 50i at 17Mbps.

      -

       
       Still frame from AVCHD Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 50p at 28Mbps.
       

      -

       Still frame from AVCHD Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 25p at   24Mbps.

      -

       
       Still frame from AVCHD Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 25p at 17Mbps.
       

      -

       Still frame from MP4 Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 50p 28Mbps.
       

      -

       Still frame from MP4 Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 25p 16Mbps.

      -

       
       Still frame from MP4 HD (1280 x 720) video clip; 25p at 6Mbps.
       

      Rating

      RRP: AU$5499; US$3299

      • Build: 9.0
      • Ease of use: 8.1
      • Autofocusing: 8.8
      • Image quality JPEG: 8.8
      • Image quality:  RAW: 9.0
      • Video quality: 8.5

      Buy