Sony Cyber-SHOT DSC-RX10 II

Product Information

Again, the nearest rivals for the Sony RX10 IV’s feature set and performance are its similarly specified predecessors, with the Sony RX10 III being the closest by virtue of it also featuring a 25x optical zoom, which was the biggest step up from the 8.3x optical zoom RX10 and RX10 II models, with the series originating in 2013. The 4K footage is the star here. It's extremely crisp and very lifelike. The RX10 II adjusts to changes in the scene with smooth and swift adjustments to focus. The footage is very slightly cropped to the left and right of the frame, but you don't lose too much in way of wide-angle coverage. Recording handheld can be a challenge—I found that my footage was jittery when holding the camera away from my body and recording at 200mm, but the stabilization system was able to steady it properly when I held the camera to my eye. At wider angles, the stabilization system did a solid job steadying the footage.

The zoom is controlled either via the right hand courtesy of a lever encircling the power button or the left hand via a ring on the lens itself. Rear panel LCD resolution does seem to have crept up from 1,228,800 dots to 1,440,000 between Mark III and Mark IV of the RX10, not that that’s demonstrably noticeable. As an alternative compositional aid, the view through the eye-sensor equipped EVF is so life-like we can be fooled into thinking we’re looking through an optical viewfinder. Here it’s exactly the same dimensions and resolution – 2.3 million dots – as on the Mark III model. At 1040k the Lumix FZ330 / FZ300’s screen actually shares the same colour resolution as the Sony RX10 II which simply employs an additional white dot which in theory should deliver a brighter view, although in my tests the two models looked similar. The RX10 II is powered by the same NP-FW50 rechargeable Lithium Ion battery as its predecessor. On a full charge it provides enough power for 400 shots if you’re exclusively using the Electronic viewfinder or 360 with the screen. Practically speaking, you’ll likely be using both so the figure will be somewhere in between those two numbers.The biggest changes in this updated model are found in the video specifications. 4K capture is available in XAVC S format at a choice of 24, 25 or 30fps and 60Mbit/s or 100Mbit/s. Picture quality was outstanding, with crystal clear details that easily surpassed the camera’s 1080p output, even when viewing them on a 1080p screen. We noticed some compression artefacts in fast-moving 4K footage at 60Mbit/s, but considering that this bit rate far exceeds any distribution format we’re likely to see any time soon, it’s not a practical concern. When shooting inAperture Priority mode with Auto ISO switched on, the camera will opt for a shutter speed that is near or roughlythe equivalent of 'one over the (equivalent) focal length'. All in all, the RX10 is an extremely versatile camera when it comes to controls. It's easy enough to really tune it to your shooting style, which is a plus for any photographer. My major complaint is that there's no way to use the rear control pad to directly move the active autofocus point when shooting with a flexible spot area enabled. That is something you can do with the RX10 II's closest competitor, the Panasonic FZ1000.

Our resolution tests are performed at the lowest ISO setting. It's also important to look at how a sensor performs at the higher-sensitivity settings used in dim light. The FZ1000 II is on even footing with most of its competition in this regard—the 1-inch 20MP BSI CMOS sensor inside is the same Sony-made chip used by its rivals. The FZ1000 II feels quite solid in the hand, but does utilize a lot of plastic in its construction. The lens optics are housed in a metal barrel, which gives the camera a slightly more premium feel, but it's not on the same level as Sony's RX10 series, all of which feature magnesium bodies and weather protection. You can step up to the RX10 III and enjoy a longer zoom range, or, if you don't want to spend too much more, you can look at the RX10 II, which has a shorter 24-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens. Real Controls Compilation of slow motion clips filmed with the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 II; clips include 1080p at 120fps and the three HFR modes at 240, 480 and 960fps, all using the Quality Priority option which captures two seconds of action. All were filmed in low light at relatively high ISOs, so some noise is inevitably visible, especially for the faster frame rate modes. Also note that even in Quality Priority HFR, the RX10 II reduces the resolution as the frame rate increases. The 240fps mode is close to HD, but the 480 is lower and the 960 is lower still. Raw capture is also an option. Raw images hold up quite well in terms of detail through ISO 3200, though there's certainly some visible noise beyond ISO 800. Grain makes images look a bit rougher starting at ISO 6400, and increases at ISO 12800. The top setting, ISO 25600, produces very grainy results with little fine detail when viewed at maximum magnification. We've included crops from both JPG and Raw output in the slideshow that accompanies this review. There are understandably a number of restrictions when filming at these sort of speeds. First is the recording time with two options: Shoot Time Priority mode captures four seconds of action, while Quality Priority captures just two seconds. The second limitation is the quality which reduces as the frame rate increases. Set the camera to Shoot Time Priority, and the 240 / 250fps mode will capture video at 1676×566 pixels, while the 480 / 500fps and 960 / 1000fps modes record at 1136×384 and 800×270 pixels respectively. Set the camera to Quality Priority and the 240 / 250fps mode will capture video at 1824×1026 pixels, while the 480 / 500fps and 960 / 1000fps modes record at 1676×566 and 1136×384 pixels respectively. In each case, the video is up-scaled to 1080p resolution and the 16:9 shape so it’s ready to slot-into in a standard 1080 timeline.Auch finde ich den Tragegurt etwas unpraktisch, weshalb ich mir gleich einen anderen mitbestellt habe. While externally it’s clear the RX10 cameras come from the same lineage, like most new models these days, auto focus speed and accuracy is the key thing manufacturers are always looking to improve. Here one of the under-the-hood adjustments is that focusing speed is claimed to be twice as fast as on its third iteration.

The RX10 II's LCD is tilting, rather than vari-angle, but this does at least make it easier to shoot from low down. And, as in other high-end Sony cameras, it's not a touchscreen. Above: Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 Aperture priority 1/60, f2.8, 400 ISO, 36mm (200mm equivalent) The sensor also features an integrated DRAM chip to help buffer all of the information coming off it. The result is longer bursts of still images before hitting the buffer, and impressive video capture capabilities. The FZ1000 II is a speedy, responsive point-and-shoot. There is a slight delay, about 1.3 seconds, between turning it on and snapping your first shot, but it's in line with other electronic viewfinder cameras, including interchangeable lens models. Battery life isn’t quite as good as the RX10 III; it’s dropped down to a maximum 400 shots from its predecessor’s 420, but that slim difference is hardly a deal breaker.On the face of it, image quality hasn't changed much between the RX10 Mark II to the latest RX10 IV, with all three cameras sharing the same megapixel count (20.1 effective), and using the same 1.0-type EXMOR RS CMOS sensor, with all three being powered by the famed Bionz X image processing engine. i have met many amateurs with much better knowledge AS WELL AS more experience than i have in photography and related fields! so, is there anything wrong with being an amateur? Making a camera with a touchscreen that is going to be a disgusting mess that must be peered through is not my idea of photography. It's just gross.