Sony HXR-NX100 Full HD NXCAM Camcorder

The camera I’m evaluating here is the initial variation of the RX1, released ultimately of 2012. Practically five years old at the time of composing, the spec sheet still holds up well by today’s criteria– full size 24-megapixel CMOS sensing units are nothing to sneeze at even though we’re virtually in 2018. Many present design electronic cameras still utilize a similar pixel count.

The RX1 was prohibitively pricey at the time of it’s release. No wonder as it was the smallest full structure camera ever before released. Even with the (little yet sufficient) battery inserted, it suggestions the scales at a hair under 500grams. As far as I recognize, this still makes it the globe’s smallest full-frame camera. And also back then with top-notch specifications too. As a matter of fact, the size and weight are still really excellent by today’s criterion. As far as I recognize, the RX1 is still the worlds smallest full style camera.

The RX1 was been successful by the RX1R II in 2015. A version that bumped the resolution approximately 42 megapixels, and added a pop-up viewfinder, better autofocus and a variable low-pass filter that permits the customer to change its stamina between shots. The reason I went for the less expensive design was the rate– The RX1R II is still painfully pricey, with a price virtually three times that of the previous design. The difference of about 120 000 VS 300 000 JPY at the time of acquisition for previously owned copies in excellent problem at credible stores in Tokyo. As I don’t see neither camera qualifies as good enough by itself for my specialist use, it was difficult for me to validate the expense of the more recent design, although in knowledge perhaps I need to have …

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I added the RX1 to my toolbox initially of 2017. And also after investing the excellent part of a year shooting with it I really feel qualified enough to write an evaluation of it. As it’s still readily available new, at the very least here in Japan, there may be people still people around interested in just how it accumulates five years after its original release.

And also indeed, there are indeed lots of points that truly makes the RX1 stand out. Most significantly– The image high quality. It’s excellent enough for everything I shoot, even by today’s criteria, consisting of really demanding customers like stock image agencies.

This camera was originally valued at around 300 000 yen (around USD $3000) and it really feels like it. It’s not truly on the same level with other high-end electronic cameras, like the Leica Q, however it’s a clear action up from Sony’s minimal electronic cameras, consisting of the original A7.

Various other users have grumbled over huge sample variant on this camera. My copy has actually performed well, however I would certainly recommend you to attempt before you acquire, and to do so at a store that approve returns if you can. Below in Japan, couple of stores do, however rather we typically get 6 months guarantee even on made use of gear, something that offsets it, I think.

I took the camera on a journey to the Italian Riviera previously this year. My full-size Nikon Equipment was left behind in Tokyo, making this camera was my daily chauffeur for regarding one week. And also did I point out that the leaf shutter in the lens also makes it basically quiet, and triggers no shutter-shock to boot, allowing for sharp shots hand-held even at slower shutter speeds than a DSLR.

The RX1 has one major defect, that drove me insane to the degree I ended up getting rid of the camera not as well lengthy ago. That was not in a favorable method … Both electronic cameras are seriously lacking in the automobile emphasis department. What’s even worse, the camera commonly mis-focused as well, putting the aircraft of emphasis either simply behind or in front of my desired subjects.

Among couple of shots when the camera really took care of to toenail emphasis, despite difficult illumination problems. In this image you can also see several of the cromatic abberration that shows up in severe comparison problems (note the purple nuance in the sun-lit rocks). This is very easy to remove in post however I chose to leave it in simply to show how poor it enters a worst-case circumstance (ie, not that poor).
Among couple of shots when the camera really took care of to toenail emphasis, despite difficult illumination problems. In this image you can also see several of the cromatic abberration that shows up in severe comparison problems (note the purple nuance in the sun-lit rocks). This is very easy to remove in post however I chose to leave it in simply to show how poor it enters a worst-case circumstance (ie, not that poor).

So to conclude: I got the RX1 because I hoped it would certainly bump up the technical level of my “every day photos”, and turn it approximately a level good enough for specialist use, like for stock digital photography. And also indeed, the camera did indeed deliver on that particular. When everything works out this little camera delivers image high quality that no other sub-500-gram camera can exceed (with exemption of the RX1R mk II).

Regrettably, when an electronic camera offers me so lots of missed shots as the RX1, I discovered it being as well flawed to keep. Your result may really well be different– If you just shoot landscapes or other static subjects, this is still an electronic camera worth considering. My pick for a portable full-frame camera today would possibly be either the RXIR II– I haven’t attempted it, however because it shares the AF sensor with the A7r II, it must be excellent enough.

Undependable autofocus makes it virtually uncommon if you shoot anything that moves
Somewhat sluggish in general operation
Difficult food selection system
Sony is one of couple of camera manufacturers that doesn’t make electronic cameras marketed on the Japanese market multi-lingual. It’s Japanese just if you acquire it over here, and their “abroad designs” command a hefty premium.

The initial small camera I made use of that promised big-camera high quality in a compact-camera size was the Sigma DP1 virtually a full decade ago, the initial small camera flaunting a APS-C sensor, in a bundle that was unbelievably small for its time. As far as I recognize, the RX1 is still the worlds smallest full style camera.

That’s a lot to hold with simply a pincher hold on leatherette, and it gets hard to do in wet, icy, or wet problems, or with certain kinds of gloves on. Sony does sell a much as well pricey TGA-1 thumb hold for the camera (US$ 250), which assists, however I don’t assume that’s the ideal option.

As I noted in my testimonial of the RX100 designs, Sony has actually discovered a brand-new UI that’s a little bit DSLR-like and really uncomplicated. Indeed, moving from the food selections and controls of the RX1 to the RX100 and back is like utilizing to highly relevant electronic cameras. If you do a menu dip, you’ll discover a logically organized system with understandable names that’s very easy enough to navigate. As a Nikon guy, I still have to get made use of to not pushing the ideal side of the Instructions pad to enter a menu item (you have to press the facility switch on the Sonys), which slows me down a little bit, however Sony themselves correspond, so I can’t complain. This is one of the joys of attempting to move back and forth between manufacturer’s systems: you’ll discover these cognitive dissonances to reduce you down; which is one reason I advise you to stay with one manufacturer or one more where possible.

The click-stopped aperture ring is a nice touch, and it runs in third-stop intervals from f/2 to f/22. The command dial at the top back can work the shutter speeds for you, so those that like the retro type controls for the Big 3 can operate in Manual direct exposure mode and utilize three wonderful dials to establish all but the ISO for direct exposure. The default is that the small switch to the right of the shutter release on the top plate can be made use of to establish ISO with a dial, so it isn’t far away from retro.

Overall, controlling most points in shooting is uncomplicated and doesn’t call for food selection dipping. Plus, once again, you have the capacity to appoint points to five switches (three of those are Instructions Pad switches, which would certainly enable you to establish the RX1 to the very same thing as any other small camera you may be utilizing). All the controls are accuracy, have solid snap-to settings where essential, and really wonderful feeling to the rotations. Lens emphasis is fly-by-wire, however the ring is smooth and the motion is well regulated.

There are some points that aren’t as lovable as they need to be on the RX1. To begin with, the macro setting for the lens is ideal in advance next to the emphasis ring. Despite the different feeling, greater than as soon as I missed getting the ideal ring when I wanted to utilize it. That was especially true when I had the camera approximately my face utilizing the EVF.

Meanwhile, the LCD isn’t tiltable. If you aren’t utilizing the EVF, you’re rather much in the “small salute” mode, where you hold the (heavy) camera just right out from you.

The hot footwear has the digital links for the optional EVM1K EVF (US$ 450), and I really such as the camera/EVF combination a lot. The EVF can turn approximately 90 ° up, so this partially resolves the fixed LCD problem, at the very least for low angle shooting. Remarkably, Sony charges more for an ordinary old optical viewfinder (V1K made by Zeiss for US$ 600).

Hands-on emphasis has some emphasis aids that are helpful, starting with a range range in the viewfinder (or LCD) and either a 5.9 x or 11.7 x magnification of the central area. You can change for how long the camera stays in magnified view, and you can also have the camera show emphasis peaking (however just in magnified view). These points work okay on the back LCD, better on the EVF (which has more resolution).

Lens: in a word: Zeiss. Strong central intensity, even wide open, with corners that don’t slip down a lot. The facility is possibly sharpest at f/4, the edge at f/5.6, so f/4, f/5.6, and f/8 are possibly the apertures you intend to keep in the direction of, especially if you get the RX1r design without the AA filter. As I’m seeing an increasing number of commonly, the other specifications aren’t just as good as the intensity. That’s possibly because everybody now thinks that you can simply “repair” those points in software. Well, you can, however you shed a bit of resolution in doing so. There’s no free lunch.

Vignetting in raw data is rather high at f/2, nearing 2 stops at the corners, though the central area that doesn’t vignette is reasonably large. By f/4 the lens is well behaved in vignetting, with just the severe corners getting any recognizable decrease.

Chromatic Aberration is rather well regulated, and often tends to be of the cyan/red type. I haven’t truly seen any examples where I seem like I have to correct it though. It’s simply not infringing upon sufficient pixels to be problematic.

The lens has really visible barrel distortion of around 2%, and it gets worse at close emphasis (e.g. macro). Regrettably, this isn’t straight barrel distortion. It’s not rather mustache distortion, either. To my eye, it resembles tipped barrel distortion, where as you move better from the facility you hit points where the “curve” gets stronger. If direct distortion troubles you, you’ll intend to see to it you have a software program device that is designed especially for this lens.

Emphasis: And also here’s our initial huge problem. Emphasis is compact-camera like, and not suitable for moving subjects. Emphasis also struggles in low light with low comparison subjects. Fortunately is that this is a 35mm lens, so you might simply Area Emphasis and shoot. The hand-operated emphasis controls come into play here, as does the DOF of a 35mm lens versus a more-normal 50mm lens. Yes, this camera can be made use of as a street shooter, however you’ll require to take a little bit more control and count less on the autofocus than with a few other electronic cameras would certainly make you do.

Resolution and Dynamic Variety: The 24mp Sony sensor is currently well established. Also the previous versions made use of by Sony were rather excellent, however we’ve also seen just how well the more present versions carry out on D3x and D610 bodies to call a few.

I need to explain that Sony isn’t providing you the raw worths off the sensor. They prepare in some vignetting improvement, however they also utilize a fascinating form of compression that can shed some data, as well. Truthfully, I haven’t seen any data where I’m bothered by either, however simply note that you’re a little further from the real raw data the sensor accumulated than you assume.

Moving from the food selections and controls of the RX1 to the RX100 and back is like utilizing to highly relevant electronic cameras. Plus, once again, you have the capacity to appoint points to five switches (three of those are Instructions Pad switches, which would certainly enable you to establish the RX1 to the very same thing as any other small camera you may be utilizing). That was especially true when I had the camera up to my face utilizing the EVF.

You can change just how lengthy the camera remains in magnified view, and you can also have the camera show emphasis peaking (however just in magnified view). Yes, this camera can be made use of as a street shooter, however you’ll require to take a little bit more control and count less on the autofocus than with some other electronic cameras would certainly make you do.|That hasn’t stopped Sony’s RX100 line of small point-and-shoot electronic cameras from being extremely preferred. The new RX100 Mark VI, which sets you back $1,199.99, sets that huge sensor with an 8.3 x optical zoom lens that has method more reach than you might ever before get from your phone.

High-end pocket electronic cameras like the Sony RX100 VI are the perfect mix between mirrorless and point-and-shoot. They let you catch detailed image and video better than you can get with your phone, and after that you can transfer those outcomes to your phone for publishing to social media sites.

However is the $1,200 cost for the RX100 VI method expensive of an asking rate for a point-and-shoot camera? When it involves the portability and performance the RX100 VI has, it’s surprisingly worth it.

My initial reaction to holding the RX100 is that it’s little. It’s thicker any present smart device, of course, however its total footprint is minimal enough that it can fit in a lot of jean pockets. The construct high quality of the RX100’s steel framework is sturdy and trusted, however there’s no shock-resistance or waterproofing. You still have to take care of it.

Also, the RX100 VI does not have any kind of hold– rubber, faux-leather, or otherwise– which can make it slippery to hold. However Sony offsets this by making the camera light-weight (it’s simply two-thirds of an extra pound), so while there are those that may assume the RX100 VI is a very miniature mirrorless camera, it still is simply a souped-up point-and-shoot.

There are a great deal of switches on the RX100– especially for a point-and-shoot, so discovering them all and tailoring the ones you’ll require most will take some practice using it in the field.

The fact that you can utilize the RX100 like you would certainly an interchangeable mirrorless camera (like the Sony Alpha A7 electronic cameras I reviewed) implies it can substitute circumstances where an interchangeable lens camera is as well showy, heavy, or can’t even be made use of securely. It’s ideal for travel, as you don’t have to bring a bunch of lenses or stress over a pricey camera gear attracting unwanted focus.

Compared to an entry-level mirrorless camera, like Sony’s own a5100 that sets you back $450 with a package lens, there are trade-offs however also a few advantages in the RX100’s support. The RX100 VI’s lengthy zoom lens offers you the reach of several lenses in one. It’s also more user-friendly, is much smaller, and has an integrated viewfinder. Nevertheless, the a5100 has a larger sensor, better low-light performance, and costs less than half the RX100 VI’s asking rate.

Shooting video in 4K or 1080p still leads to crisp, clear, and smooth footage with precise shade reproduction. White balance properly changes from bright to dimly lit scenes, however if you desire the very best outcomes, you need to utilize the RX100’s flatter shade account so you can color-correct the remainder in post-production.

The RX100 also has optical stabilization to smooth panning and adjustments in elevation when you’re recording. It also does a decent job maintaining stills from turning out blurry, however of course this gets harder if you’re focused on an away subject.

There is a critical noninclusion for the RX100 VI: a microphone/ earphone port. It’s a fascinating style decision by Sony because consisting of a mic port would certainly put the RX100 VI’s video capabilities on the same level with the mirrorless Sony Alpha electronic cameras, and make it an awesome vlogging camera. It’s unfavorable.

It’s a pity that the only sound recording option is the average-sounding integrated stereo mic, because you can flip the display approximately deal with towards you to utilize in selfie mode. Sony also augments the RX100’s articulating display by immediately utilizing face discovery if you point it towards you, after that establishes a three-second timer once you click the shutter switch. It’s uncomplicated and a simple method for exercising your selfie angles.

Yes, however it has its constraints: the RX100 doesn’t have as bright a lens when compared to last year’s brighter Mark V lens (f/1.8 vs. f/2.8). It’s a trade-off Sony had to make for the zoom lens, which is far longer than on earlier versions of the RX100. On the flip side, the RX100 VI thrives in well-lit environments whether it’s outdoors or inside your home.

Sony has actually squeezed in enough of a basic kit (zoom lens, a viewfinder, 4K, and flash) to yield strong shooting performance shooting landscapes or subjects. Also if you’re simply a laid-back digital photographer and this point-and-shoot is your only camera besides your smart device, the RX100 VI has enough flexibility to shoot landscapes, subjects, or practically anything else. Having 315 autofocus points with a 200mm zoom lens always yields a much better, sharper image than your phone’s camera and lens arrangement can muster up, duration.

Just like your phone, you’ll have to keep tabs on the RX100’s small battery. The battery costs using the microUSB port, and lasts around 250 shots before requiring a cost, or simply a hr of video recording. You need to certainly acquire an extra battery if you intend to utilize the RX100 VI all day, because it certainly will not last with an active day of shooting.

Sony also includes the PlayMemories Mobile app for the RX100 on iphone and Android, so wirelessly transferring photos (using Bluetooth, NFC, or Wi-Fi) to your phone works in a pinch. I state in a pinch because the PlayMemories app really feels dated and is in alarming need of a redesign, however the fundamental image transfer features do operate at a decent pace for simply a few photos.

The Sony RX100 VI is a helpful and extremely beneficial camera. If you’re a vacationer and don’t intend to bring an electronic camera bag full of lenses, flashes, and audio devices, after that it’s a small however effective choice. The $1,200 cost may make you scoff at it, however the performance is well past what you can get with your phone.

The RX100 VI is a Goldilocks camera that hits the sweet-spot between portability and capacity. It’s small enough to go generally almost everywhere, however still offers better photographic and video capabilities compared to your phone. Nevertheless, shocks can come in small bundles.

In each situation, you can conserve a substantial amount over purchasing a brand-new, off-the-shelf camera (this also holds true for lenses, flashes, and a few other accessories.) What are the differences and advantages and disadvantages of each?

On paper, it has really excellent specifications. A full-frame CMOS sensor that creates. 42MP photos. A set 35mm f/2.0 Carl Zeiss lens. It’s overflowing with features and. modern technologies a lot of to list here. And also it’s all involved a bundle that. can fit in a layer pocket.

However here’s the kicker: it’s valued at $3900. That’s a number that’s difficult to. overlook, and it’s difficult not to judge a portable camera because rate variety or. any camera, for that issue without really high assumptions.

I’ve been firing with it for a month approximately. The camera is packed with specifications on. paper far a lot of for me to evaluate every attribute here however here’s just how it. performed in real-world shooting. And also if you’re trying to find high-resolution. One of the specifying features of this camera is its size. For such a small. package it includes some truly excellent capabilities.

It has a 42.4 huge pixel full-frame CMOS sensor with a variable low-pass filter. The lens is a 35mm f/2 Carl Zeiss lens. And also it has integrated image stabilization. All of it amounts to fantastic image high quality of the kind you expect from a high-end. DSLR.

Sony image sensing units are among the very best in business, and the one they’ve placed. in this camera is among their absolute best.

It reveals. There’s truly very little I can fault in terms of image high quality. The. combination of sensor and lens works extremely well indeed in a large range of. illumination problems.

At that rate you can fill up flash memory card really rapidly, so you can also dial. down the image size, with a bunch of steps down to a 7.1 huge pixel size.

You can shoot RAW or RAW + JPEG, with a selection of high quality setups for the JPEGs. in the RAW + JPEG option.

In practice, I discovered the photos up with at the very least ISO 25,600 to be. extremely excellent. Also at ISO 3200 there’s truly no recognizable noise to. speak of. If you truly press points approximately the ceiling, there’s absolutely. noise and the shade and tone integrity drops off rather a lot, however if it’s the. difference between getting a shot or otherwise, even the photos at 102,400 are really. functional.