Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 large sensor compact camera leaked!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

More details here:

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-full-rx100-leak/

It seems to use a 1" sensor like in the Nikon 1 system.

[kalniel]

'Large' is somewhat relative here - it's (CX) closer in size to other compact sensors than to crop DSLR sensors.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Se..._-_updated.svg

[g8ina]

MMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, infrared mod

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Preview:

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/sony-dsc-rx100/

Review:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...ony-rx100A.HTM

[DeludedGuy]

They will have to price this at £300 and under for it to do well...

[sleepyhead]

From memory, this camera was released for 64,000 yen...which equates to around 500 quid. If memory serves me correctly, the DP review of the camera talked about how it only had auto-focus in video mode. I can tell you that you can have manual focus when video recording. It's a pretty good camera using the same menu system as the a77 (range of cameras), but there is a slight "haloing" effect (I don't know the technical term) at f1.8. It goes away the further you stop it and it's gone at around f2.5/f2.8.
Two kickers for me though. The HDMI port is next to the tripod mount point and it doesn't hae a hot shoe for an external mic...

[Terbinator]

Whats the consensus on the lesser model own form this - it goes for around £300?

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/dsc-h-...roductBenefits

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Whats the consensus on the lesser model own form this - it goes for around £300?

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/dsc-h-...roductBenefits

It has a significantly smaller 1/2.3" sensor. However,the range is impressive for a camera of its size though. Image quality at lower ISOs looks fine AFAIK. This is a bigger camera but seems to get reasonable reviews:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-coolpix-p510

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/ni...a-review-18761

It suprisingly compact for a camera with a 24-1000MM zoom and is around the same price as the Sony.

The best bridge camera is probably the Fuji X-S1. Its not that small and not cheap,but I was really suprised when I handled it in the shop. The viewfinder is impressive for a bridge camera and even the autofocus seemed OK for the class of camera. The only issue is that it costs around £500.

[Terbinator]

It has a significantly smaller 1/2.3" sensor. However,the range is impressive for a camera of its size though. Image quality at lower ISOs looks fine AFAIK. This is a bigger camera but seems to get reasonable reviews:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-coolpix-p510

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/ni...a-review-18761

It suprisingly compact for a camera with a 24-1000MM zoom and is around the same price as the Sony.

The best bridge camera is probably the Fuji X-S1. Its not that small and not cheap,but I was really suprised when I handled it in the shop. The viewfinder is impressive for a bridge camera and even the autofocus seemed OK for the class of camera. The only issue is that it costs around £500.

'Bridge' being a middle-ground between compacts and full-on DSLR's?

Ideally i didn't really want to be looking for anything bigger than a compact as I'm going to be lugging it around with me for a month around Europe. Admittedly, i read the review of the RX100 and assumed quality filter down reasonably as it seems quite well received.

Price is the other issue as well. ~£250 i can probably stomach given i want some decent pictures from my travels but £450+ for the RX100 and onwards is out of my price range, both literally and psychologically.

[kalniel]

The alternative I'd consider going for is a compact sensor camera, but with a bright and sharp lens so that you don't need the higher ISO performance of a larger sensor as often. Something like the Olympus XZ-1 would be ideal, especially as it's around £250 now.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

'Bridge' being a middle-ground between compacts and full-on DSLR's?

Ideally i didn't really want to be looking for anything bigger than a compact as I'm going to be lugging it around with me for a month around Europe. Admittedly, i read the review of the RX100 and assumed quality filter down reasonably as it seems quite well received.

Price is the other issue as well. ~£250 i can probably stomach given i want some decent pictures from my travels but £450+ for the RX100 and onwards is out of my price range, both literally and psychologically.

The bridge cameras are not that large or heavy TBH. Even the Fuji which is the biggest and heaviest of the current crop is under 1KG.

However,I would consider the Nikon - have a play around with one in Jessops. I was pleasantly suprised and the 24-1000MM lens is actually reasonably sharp(you might need some additional support for the upper end of the zoom in anything but bright sunshine).

If you do want better low light performance,then something like the Olympus Kalniel suggested or the Canon S95 I have,would be better choices. However,you will have a more restrictive zoom range to use in better light.

Having said that,one chap I know has one of the earlier Panasonic TZ zooms with the 25-300MM (35MM equivalent) lens. I was rather impressed by the snapshots he did - I looked at the A4 prints and they looked great. The Pansonic cameras are known to be noiser,but the pictures are quite pleasing to the eye.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I had a quick peruse through the pocket superzoom cameras. I have tried to find as many of the newer ones which start at 24MM or 25MM to at least 350MM.

Canon PowerShot SX260 HS/Canon PowerShot SX240 HS

25-500MM lens

Seems to reasonable good,although some reviews say it is soft at 100% it seems:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/cano...rshot-sx260-hs

http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/equ...hs-review.html

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Ca...0_HS_SX260_HS/

Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR/Fujifilm FinePix F750EXR

25-500MM lens

Sharp lens,but noisey:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/fujifi...-Camera_review

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/con...era-Review.htm

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406079,00.asp

Nikon Coolpix S9300

25-450MM lens

Seems to be soft and noisey:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/ni...x_s9300-review

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/ni...-19543#Verdict

Nikon Coolpix S9100

25-450MM lens

Good image quality but noise reduction heavy handed:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/ni...x_s9100-review

http://www.trustedreviews.com/nikon-...-Camera_review

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 (Lumix DMC-TZ30)

24-480MM

Noisey:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pana...20-tz30-review

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/cam...1072895/review

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 (Lumix DMC-TZ25)

24-384MM lens

Seems to have a good balance of noise and sharpness:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pana...-dmc-zs15-tz25

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Pa...DMC_ZS15_TZ25/

http://www.photographyblog.com/revie...c_tz25_review/

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V

25-500MM lens

Good image quality but images can appear smudged at 100% it seems:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/sony/dsc_hx20v-review

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/cam...articleContent

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/so...47#Performance

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V

24-384MM lens

Good image quality but images can appear smudged at 100% it seems:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q311...oomgrouptest/8

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/co...meras?page=0,6

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/cam...1057487/review

http://www.trustedreviews.com/Sony-C...-Camera_review

At least from what I gather the Canon PowerShot SX260 HS/Canon PowerShot SX240 HS or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 (Lumix DMC-TZ25) seem to be the best bets IMHO,although YMMV. The Pansonic seems to have the slight edge for me even with the smaller zoom range and probably has the best image quality overall. However,it cannot shoot RAW if that is important for you.

[Terbinator]

In terms of quality, is the mains step up between these and standard compacts when it comes to zoomed in shots?

[kalniel]

In terms of quality, is the mains step up between these and standard compacts when it comes to zoomed in shots?

There is no step up in quality per se - you're talking about shots vs no shots, ie you're gaining an additional ability that a non-ultra zoom camera doesn't have. You pay for that elsewhere of course, but it's always a trade off and if you need the zoom then you need the zoom.

[Terbinator]

There is no step up in quality per se - you're talking about shots vs no shots, ie you're gaining an additional ability that a non-ultra zoom camera doesn't have. You pay for that elsewhere of course, but it's always a trade off and if you need the zoom then you need the zoom.

Sorry that was what i was trying to get at. I was sort of expecting that the cameras with the better zoom would have upgraded internals as well as lens meaning 'non-zoom' shots would benefit as well - but is that not the case?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Sorry that was what i was trying to get at. I was sort of expecting that the cameras with the better zoom would have upgraded internals as well as lens meaning 'non-zoom' shots would benefit as well - but is that not the case?

The higher end compacts will tend to have better lenses, irrespective of zoom range, when compared to the el-cheapo ranges due to better quality materials and more advanced lens designs. However,when looking at higher end compacts,the prosumer ones like the Olympus XZ-1 and Canon S95 will have better lenses than the high end superzooms,as they are designed purely for better image quality than a larger range,and will also have larger starting apertures which are better for photography in lower light. They are also designed for more tweaking too as they have easier access to settings.

However,I suspect for your purposes one of the higher end pocket superzooms would be a good choice.

The TZ25 is around £200:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-DM...1849321&sr=1-1

The SX240 is under £250:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Powers...1849291&sr=1-1

The SX260 adds other features like GPS which might drain battery life.

The Nikon P510 is just above £300.

The Olympus,Kalniel talked about is around £260:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-XZ-1...1849576&sr=1-3

It does get good reviews:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/OlympusXZ1