Sony RX0

[joosttx]

This Sony camera/thingy is checking a lot of boxes for me. They are compact, super durable and great pictures quality. I am assuming great picture quality. Can someone in the know tell how this camera performance compares to the RX100 models. I don’t care about video or viewfinders. Thanks, much appreciated

[maunahaole]

Your camera game is already pretty much past the rest of us as it is.

[robin3mj]

I was intrigued for a minute too, but it seems like a waste of that sensor size to only shoot at f4, seems to have some other limitations/disappointments per some reviews I've read. Not to mention they're starting a new action camera ecosystems (mounts, etc) from scratch when GoPro has had years to ramp that up.

I thought it might be something fun for my older kid to play around with as well as provide another angle for unique vacation shots, but I'm going to give it a year and think about it. A $200 Oly/Nikon 'tough' camera or an older model GoPro would probably be best for those situations anyway.

[j44ke]

It is an interesting camera. I think Sony really envisioned this as a blogger camera (not an un-serious business these days - you should see the equipment some bloggers use and their budgets to go with that) or as a component in a larger multi-camera VR movie or 3-D image camera system. Drone photography probably. I know it has no dedicated still image button, just one button that you switch back and forth between still and video. So I wouldn't be surprised if the capture method for still image was actually more of a frame capture process, because I think videography is the primary function. Not sure if that means still images would suffer, but that's been the case in the past with frame capture still images. I don't know enough about the current technology though - maybe there is no difference at all now. Dimensions are small but not compact - 2.32 x 1.61 x 1.18″. But the durability seems like a nice advantage, especially given your one-handed photographer. No telescoping lens snoot either or racking in and out to focus so the camera doesn't pick up lens noise during movies.

I wouldn't worry too much about the f4.0. With a projected ISO range up to 12,800, you should be able to get plenty of good shots at f4.0. Just set it on auto-ISO.

I'd find some place that has them in stock and see if they will let you put an SD card in it and snap a few stills.

[j44ke]

Here are some photos from the RX0 on Flickr:

Flickr

A few more. Post-processing on some of these is ridiculous.

Flickr

[spopepro]

It may also be worth noting that it appears they de-rated the sensor. The rx100 has a similar sensor at 20mp. This one is 15mp at the same physical size, which should reduce noise in low light and fast shutter situations.

I think the biggest issue will be the ultra-wide prime lens. It's 7mm-30mm effective depending on crop size*. This can result in serious distortion, especially in landscapes. That can be fixed by taking a smaller crop (sacrificing resolution) or by some trick processing (GoPros 5 and 6 have this onboard). You'll definitely want to try it before buying it. Or at least get it from somewhere with a generous return policy.

It's worth a go. If they had this a year ago, I'd have grabbed it over the GoPro probably. That said, the part of the GoPro I've been most surprised with has been still image quality. I expected trash, and it's been OK to great depending on conditions. We took our rx100 and the GoPro on a kayak expedition in the san juans. Ended up with 10 frames on the rx100, only about 30min of video total, and about 250 stills on the GoPro. It's nice to have something you can always leave out and at the ready, and the sony is probably better.


*can we all just switch to field of view already? With all the sensor and crop sizes, focal length is nearly meaningless, and is pretty much never the actual focal length in the first place. Grumble grumble...

[joosttx]

Here are some photos from the RX0 on Flickr:

Flickr

A few more. Post-processing on some of these is ridiculous.

Flickr

Thanks Jorn and Spopepro. I think I am going to pass on this camera. Really appreciate the input.

[jumphigher]

I honestly wasnt blown away by the video shown in those demo vids - which shows you how incredible video and still shots are these days. It's really cool that something can be made in such a tiny size that takes high quality video, but I think better images can be produced with something slightly larger. I'm not bashing it - dont get me wrong, but it's definitely not something I would buy, unless 2nd hand at a substantial savings.