photo:sonyrx1
Sony RX1 fixed lens full frame with leaf shutter
introduction
introduced Sept 2012
this camera is the 1st full frame compact digital
in essence it is somewhat like a large version of a Sony NEX 5R but with a Sony SLR A99 sensor (without phase detect sites) and a fixed 35mm lens
new ISO-standard flash hotshoe doing away with the old Minolta legacy hotshoe at last!
24mp 14-bit RAW sensor, 5fps burst
ISO 100-25,600
fixed Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f/2.0 OIS lens with:
quiet leaf shutter 30sec - 1/2000th sec
9-bladed circular aperture
macro switching ring allows focus to 20cm
3“ fixed LCD screen
popup flash
flash sync up to 1/2000th sec
magnified MF Assist function plus Peaking option
memory recall (MR) mode is accessible via the mode dial so photographers can store and instantly recall up to three sets of camera settings
13 Creative Styles
ISO settings as high as 102400 can be achieved using Multi Frame Noise Reduction
Auto HDR and D-Range Optimizer, bracket shooting (Exposure, DRO or White Balance) and Auto HDR shooting modes, and a Digital Level Gauge
Pixel Super Resolution digital zoom technology, which allows for magnification of image size without sacrificing pixel count. This results in far higher quality results than are achievable with conventional digital zoom.
1920×1080 MPEG-4 or AVCHD HD video at 60p/50p (28Mbps quality) or 25p/24pfps (24Mbps quality) with stereo mic
multi-interface hotshoe provides options such as:
high-quality OLED XGA OLED Tru-Finder™ EVF (model FDA-EV1MK) which allows for even greater manual focusing precision ($600)
external optical viewfinder featuring Carl Zeiss optics (model FDA-V1K) ($450)
113 x 65 x 70 mm (4.45 x 2.56 x 2.76”), 482 g (1.06 lb / 17.00 oz)
RRP ~$2,800
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compromises
no inbuilt viewfinder
no in-body stabilisation like on a Alpha camera
no phase detect AF
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the live view feed has a lot of moire and aliasing
the peaking function of the camera bafflingly only works when in magnified focus assist
no interchangeable lenses
focus-by-wire lens is not great for the street photographers who may be the main target of such a camera, this group would often prefer zone focusing with focus scale and DOF scales
when the sensor technology becomes outdated in 5 years, you cannot re-use the $800-1000 lens you paid for
it would have been more versatile with an f/1.4 lens in terms of low light and shallow DOF capabilities
1/2000th shutter speed limit may create issues in bright sunlight requiring the use of an ND filter at f/2.0
video modes give poor output compared to contemporary cameras
the short lens flange distance for a full frame sensor may mean issues with image quality to the periphery - we will have to wait and see how they have dealt with this.
full frame interchangeable lens camera price competition:
Sony A7 mirrorless $1699 body only
Leica M9 with Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ~$9,000 but no live view, no AF, no IS, no video recording
Canon 5D Mark III ($3,500) with EF 35mm f/1.4 lens $1,329 shallow DOF but noisy mirror, no fast CD-AF, no OIS or leaf shutter
Nikon D600 with Nikkor 35mm F/1.4G ($1,649) shallow DOF but noisy mirror, no fast CD-AF, no OIS or leaf shutter
another alternative is a
Micro Four Thirds system with the 17mm f/1.8 lens - cheaper, smaller, faster AF, more versatile but this will give 1.5 stops less capability at gaining shallow
depth of field (DOF) and no leaf shutter
reviews
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has trouble focusing in low light situation
no C-AF
No Flash Sync Port When Using the EVF
level of image quality produced by this camera is no less than extraordinary
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lens tests
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1EV vignetting wide open corrected in camera
0.7% barrel distortion reduced to 0.1% in camera
wide open, corners are a little soft with some lateral CA but very good for a full frame lens
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photo/sonyrx1.txt · Last modified: 2015/10/26 20:43 by gary1