Sony DSCRX10/B Cybershot 20.2 MP Digital Still Camera with 3-Inch LCD Screen

I saw the price drop on used/Amazon Warehousedeals so I jumped on the opportunity to own this camera and bought it for under $800. My expectations were not very high since this thing only has a 1inch sensor but the first few test shots simply amazed me. I took some test shots raw + jpg and compared it to my a6000 shots and they are pretty darn good for a small sensor. That zeiss lens is already sharp at F2.8 which puts my 16mm F2.8 pancake lens to shame. Focus distance is excellent @16mm focal length. In good lighting this lens can produce nice results almost comparable to my 18-105mm F4 G Lens on the a6000. I haven't tested it yet in low light situations but I would imagine this thing will struggle a bit compared to the APS-C cameras. But I bought this for my personal vacation or all-in-one camera when I don't feel like or need to be bringing $2700+ worth of gear with me. Who is this lens for? For people who want to upgrade from a small point & shoot or cell phone photography but don't want a DSLR and worry about buying many lens. For people that might end up with an entry level Canon, Nikon, Sony etc and never take the kit lens off their camera, I would just go for the Sony RX10. You're getting better picture quality + features + a weather sealed camera...more bang for the buck then lets say a Canon Rebel with an 18-135 lens or equivelent. I'm really having fun with this camera!UPDATE: 9/1/2014Still love using this camera after almost two months of use. I'm a still photographer but I started getting back into video production again after using this camera. I'm very impressed with the sharpness and detail you can get from the 1 inch sensor + zeiss lens combo. I just updated to Sony's firmware version 2.0 and video just got even better. The RX10 can now shoot in the new XAVC S codec which adds more shooting options; 60p, 30p 24p and 120p all at 50M bit rate...amazing! But be sure you have a SDXC memory card because you won't be able to use the XAVC S setting if you it's anything other than a SDXC card. Here's a budget SD card by PNY that I haven't had any problems with... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BIK04ZM/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1I also bought the Sony remote http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BIK04ZM/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1to add with my excellent lightweight but stable tripod by Manfrotto http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MKNJAC/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1combined with excellent fluid head http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EXVQJQ/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1...for my "grab-and-go" video equipment.Oh, also, the stereo mics are excellent on the RX10 but outdoors with wind, I have the Sony Microphones ...CM-XYST1M http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BJSYV4S/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1Sony ECMALST1 (with Sony ADPMAA adapter) http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ECMALST1-Compact-Stereo-Microphone/dp/B00440D7S4/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1409591061&sr=1-6&keywords=sony+microphone...and they work great.VIDEO SHOOTING TIME: This camera follows the shooting times of most DSLR still photo/video combos. I was doing some long video shoots recently and as I expected, the camera will stop recording at around 29 minutes 59 seconds or close to 30 minutes... (Not sure yet if using new codec, I was shooting AVCHD at the time) These new cameras are capable of shooting longer without overheating but I guess due to rules, regulations...standards...you know, all that BS out there...DSLR like cameras aren't allowed to record longer then 29min59seconds otherwise it would be classified as a camcorder or video camera... I read that online somewhere but can't remember the link. Anyways, the RX10 can handle video longer than my Sony a6000. My a6000 will flash the temperature "overheat" warning symbol at me at (I estimate) just a bit over 20 minutes whereas the RX10, after it cuts out before 30minutes, I can just hit record again right way to continue.Oh, by the way, for longer video shooting, I haven't been using batteries, I've been using the Sony ACPW20 AC Adaptor http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OBUJD0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1It's a bit pricey but worth every penny if you shoot long video shoots.For flash photography, I bought the Sony HVLF43M http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQI00EY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1and it's a bit bulky but it's an excellent pairing with the RX10. Great performance from this flash, it hasn't overheated on me yet but then again I don't rapid fire shoot with flash photography. But I like the TTL results that I'm getting from my shots otherwise I have no problems with the menu system when I want to shoot manual.LOW-LIGHT PERFORMANCE: My a6000 with 18-105mm F4 combo will get cleaner, high ISO results but marginally BUT that Zeiss T* coated lens on the RX10 seems to be a bit sharper than that SONY "G" lens. I wouldn't recommend it but you can get useable results even at the RX10's max ISO 12800. That BIONZ-X processor is amazing, I can see better details from the RX10 vs. my previous camera, the a99 + Minolta 28-135 F4.5 combo ...in low-light situations.Sony RX10 vs Panasonic fz1000:I have a Sony a6000 and a5000 which all use the same battery as the Sony RX10...I love the fact that I can bring one Sony BC-TRW W Series Battery Charger http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FSB749Q/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ...and I have plenty of spare batteries plus I can use my Sony TTL Flash with two of my cameras and that power adapter works with all the cameras as well. Let's say, if the RX10 used a different battery, I really think I would have considered leaning towards the Panasonic FZ1000. But then, there's the feature strengths and differences of each... the RX10 has a constant F2.8 throughout the entire zoom, the FZ1000 can shoot 4k video (though, lower quality than the GH4!) and has a great 400mm reach on the far end zoom. RX10 has better build quality, FZ1000 is plastic and larger but image results are the same if not as good as the RX10. Well, if one of those features stands out for you above the rest, go for that camera. Both are very good. I'm happy with my choice and no regrets especially the RX10 firmware update enabling the new codec..50m video bitrate ...the ability to shoot 120p...WOW!

This camera has much better IQ than the Sony a6000 paired with all standard zoom lenses, the 16-55mm kit lens, the G 18-105 and even the Zeiss 16-70 f4 - these lenses are not sharp (unless it's the issue with the a6000's sensor which I know is terrible) Even though the rx10's sensor is small compared to the a6000, the lens makes up for the small sensor. The constant 2.8 zoom is sharp wide open at all focal lengths.I usually go up to ISO 800 with the RX10 and the photos are very sharp and have fantastic image quality. If I need more light, I use a flash and I bounce the light off the ceiling or use a bounce card when I cant bounce off a wall or ceiling and for video I add light with a video light. I use the Meike mk-320 speedlight which also has a video light. It's a very small flash and is perfect for adding light without adding bulk For pro work I use off camera video lights. I don't use this camera for shooting stills professionally, after all this camera has a 1" sensor, but for pro video shoots it works very well. Sometimes I need to go up to 1600 and the images are very usuable and if you are not a pixel peeper like I am, they are actually nice, but of course, not of great quality like it is when kept under IS0 800. (For pro use, I never shoot above ISO 800. )And believe it or not, the low light IQ/high ISO is actually in the same range as the a6000 which for a crop sensor camera is absolutely horrendous high ISO capabilities . The a6300 is just a bit better, the a6500 is much better, but with a zoom lens, it is in my opinion, not worth the price it is now. I would say it's worth around $1200-1400 with an f4 standard zoom lens, not $1900+.I bought this for travel, for shooting photos and videos and for shooting pro video. If I would want to shoot mostly photos and have a smallish camera, I'd purchase the Nikon d5500 and the 17-70 f2.8-4 Sigma zooms lens. Although the Sony RX10 is pretty good, the IQ from Nikon DSLRs is much better because of the larger and better sensor. And the17 -70 f2.8-4 lens is nice and sharp. The problem with Nikon DSLRs is there's no video AF. The video IQ from Canon's crop DSLRs (and some FF too) is awful and unusable which is upsetting because it has Dual Pixel technology but despite that the video is unusable because it's extremely soft, has artifacts and terrible dynamic range in video. The RX10 with its small sensor has much better DR range for video and has no artifacts. The reason for this is because Canon crop sensor cameras have line skipping which causes the teribble video IQ . The a6000 sensor is AWFUL (the DXO ratings are ridiculously innacurate, I never visit that site anymore) terrible in low light, full of artifacts and very soft. It also has no Mic input and no headphone port. The a6300 and a6500 also don't have headphone ports and are simply not worth the price especially when paired with the standard zoom lenses that are crap for stills ( unless it's the a6000 camera with which I tried all the standard zoom lenses). And they are unreliable for longer video shooting because of the overheating, although the a6500 is said to be more reliable. The RX10 does not overheat and can be hacked for unlimited video shooting.Because of the issues with the other cameras, I bought the rx10 for traveling and I think it is an all around compromise.The Sony RX10 is excellent for videographers who can work around the clip limit time of 29 minutes. It could also be hacked for unlimited video shooting. . The 1" sensor is much better than camcorders with .5" sensors. Even camcorders with 1" sensors have mostly 2.8-4 aperture and this camera has f2.8 constant aperture! It's excellent for low light video. It doesn't overheat like the a6000 and a6300 The video AF is not as fast as the Sony a6xxx series but it's definitely usable, especially since the sensor is so small, it usually had no problem keeping up with movement during video.If you want 4k video, the RX10 Mkii has that feature.I personally think Sony would be very successful updating the RX10 series with constant f2.8 zoom lens, not like the newer versions RX10mk3 and mk4 which has a variable aperture zoom lens. A 1.5" bsi sensor for better IQ would be absolutely amazing. With a microphone and headset input, what could be better than that? Only no video length limit would make it more than amazing.I did not give five stars for this camera because the technology is old. The DR and AF are behind current camera technology. For video, I still recommend this camera over the a6000 though. For stills, I'd get a Nikon d5500. For both stills and video, I would get this camera.RX10 mk4: I don't understand where Sony is going with the RX10 mk4. Again a variable aperture lens at f4 for a 1" sensor! You are stuck with crappy pictures in most lighting situations unless you only shoot in daylight or never use the zoom. And the RX10 mk3 and mk4 are heavy dinasours because of these long range lenses. And the price of the RX10 mk4 is ridiculous for a 1" sensor camera. SONY please give RX10 mk5 the same lens as the original RX10 and mk2! If you want to update something in the camera series, update the sensor to 1.5" and better IQ and IBIS and faster AF. This would make the RX10 update an exceptional video camera and great stills camera. And keep the price tag reasonable! A 1" ensor camera should not cost more than $1300 even with all the bells and whistles .