I own a Sony RX100 MKI yes, it’s almost 3 years old but does the job well, in fact 90% of the video and photography done at techjaja is thanks to this point and shoot camera made in 2012. Sony is now two stages ahead of us and early this year released the RX100 MKIII point and shoot Camera and when I got my hands on it for a short while,I couldn’t resist taking it for a spin and jot down some notes. This is the Sony RX100 MKIII Point-and -Shoot Camera Review.
So what makes this new camera better than its predecessors? Well, expected Sony added a couple of features, made improvements here and there, obviously it costs a little bit more (http://amzn.to/1pofyLe). But basically it still fits in my pocket and its better than the previous RX 100 MK I and MK II therefore in my view it still keeps the title of the best camera I can fit in my pocket. So what are the key improvements that make it better than the RX 100 MK I or MK II?
1. New view finder (eVF)
2. The LCD
3. The New Lens
1. The electronic View Finder (eVF)
This is the new addition to the camera, it pops out of the top left side of the camera when you want to use it and it shows all the same controls and information as the LCD would. So if you are shooting outside or you are in a really bright environment where you can’t quite see that already gorgeous LCD display, you can use that eye piece. It actually has a proximity sensor to turn it on and off as you bring your eye close to it. It’s really impressive, it looks good and I even wonder how Sony found space in the camera to fit this thing in the first place; but they did and its not any bigger than the last camera. One thing I don’t like about it is that when I push the view finder back in to stop using it, it turns the camera off . I kind of wished they wouldn’t do that and allow me to continue to use the camera even after I’ve popped back the eVF inside. I guess that should be an option in the settings.
2. The LCD
The current RX 100 we use here has a fixed LCD panel on the back, with no option to rotate it. The RX 100 MK II has an LCD that you rotate a little bit and move it around. But with the MK II Sony has gone all out and made an LCD that you can tilt all the way round so you can see yourself for portrait photos and videos a.k.a Selfies. It basically allow you to take photos and videos in all kinds of weird angles thanks to the display being able to flip around more than ever before.
3. The new lens
This camera has always had a great sensor with that 20 megapixel F 1.8 sensor from Sony but this MK III has a slightly wider angle, slightly faster lens. It’s still super quality Carl Zeiss glass and that’s awesome and now its the equivalent to a 24-70 mm lens that goes from F2.7 at 70 mm to F1.8 at 24mm so it’s a bit less rich you can’t get the same zoom as the MK II but has an insanely low aperture for such a wide-angle and it bests anything Sony has ever done in the past. both on paper and in practice.
Same Ol’ greatness
Also this new stuff has the MK III looking like a beast of a camera which it really is. Look at it as a Swiss army knife of pocket imagery and everything else though is really the same, which is good. As it still has that same great battery life, build quality, materials and image quality (dynamic range, sharpness color ). Lets also not forget the same great easy to understand Sony menu system and interface. The ring around the front can still be programmed to change the aperture or whatever else you want to change or focus on. That ring is pretty genius and am surprised no one else has done it yet on such a camera.
The pop up flash still exists and you can articulate it anyway you want so that you don’t have to flash directly to your subject and you can instead bounce the light off the wall or ceiling for a software fill effect. Like the MK II, the MK III also has NFC technology, so you can install that Song Play Memories app on your phone. You can tap your NFC enabled phone to the camera and transfer the photos you just took. This is a handy feature if you quickly want to share that photo you just took on social media.
Performance
The Photos and videos it takes are still awesome. Auto-focus is super fast, and the photos are consistently really sharp with nice dynamic range, pretty pleasing color reproduction just like it’s older brothers. It’s also a killer in low light since the sensor is closer to a DSLR and is bigger than other pocket cameras. And honestly, the photos you will get out of this are very similar to what you would get out of something like the Cannon NT5i.
The camera is also perfect for Vloggers (video bloggers), now am not a vlogger but if you happen to shoot a lot of front facing video or selfie portrait style video, the wider angle lens and articulating LCD that lets you see yourself is a huge plus. So if you want to have the highest quality vlogs in the business I guess this is the easy choice.
