A lot of noise has surrounded the launch of Sony’s new compact camera, but what’s it like to actually use?
You won’t find many hands-on videos of photographers using the new Sony RX1R III because Sony decided not to give the new camera to influencers ahead of its launch. However, the physical stores have obviously received some units, and B&H Photo Video Pro Audio has taken the RX1R III for a stroll around New York to find out how it feels.
Being so similar to the Mark II, there’s not a huge amount to say beyond the intelligent autofocus, as well as a reminder that this is a remarkably small camera given that it packs a full frame sensor, and 61 megapixels at that.
At $5,100, this camera is not cheap, and you can get my thoughts on the pricing—and why it's not actually a camera—in this article.
For such a premium camera, I’m a bit disappointed by the styling, which is often the case with Sony’s designs. Physical form factors have never been a priority for the Japanese manufacturer, and while there’s certainly nothing ugly about the RX1R III, there’s nothing exceptional either. And that’s not to say that it’s stylishly understated. To me, this camera is a bit bland, and if I’m to spend over five grand on a luxury item, I want it to have something of a distinctive quality, or at the least an air of sophistication.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
4 Comments
Personally, I’ve always liked the RX1R series, that is I like the idea of owning one. As it is, I won’t be getting one as I can’t afford one - but if I had the cash the problem of deciding between a Sony RX1Riii and a Fujifilm GFX100RF would be a nice problem to have!
I have had the RX1R and the RX1RII and I liked them both a lot. I only sold them because I started to use Leica M cameras and moved away from them. The RX1RII was a great camera even if the AF was a little slow. This camera would fix that but introduce a different problem, that of camera handling as a 60 mega pixel camera whoever is using it would need to pay extra special care with there camera handling to get sharp images. So using the ISO higher and faster shutter speeds would help. As a camera movement would degrade the images. If I was still using Sony I would have one in a heartbeat as it would, be a carry everywhere use mostly anytime camera. Perfect for a street photographer who wants a small form factor. And yes it is not cheap but then again it is still cheaper than my Leica’s.
There is no doubt that it is a beautiful camera with an amazing sharp lens but it has no IBIS and a fixed rear screen and no weather sealing, plus it's way too expensive. How did he manage to get shake free images at such slow shutter speeds?
Sony will never be Leica. At $5K a trinket. They should have set it at $3K and gone after the Fuji 100V/VI user base which would have been a good way of getting Fuji users to try out the Sony eco system.
Like VW when they introduced the new Beetle. They decided to introduce and concentrate on the US market first even though there was massive interest in its home German market. By the time they got around to producing enough cars for the German market the majority of people had moved on and gone with another car.