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Just posted: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R Preview with studio and real-world samples

Jun 27, 2013 at 04:19:20 GMT

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Just posted: Sony Cyber-shot DSCRX1R hands-on preview. We've had a few days to try out Sony's new Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R, the sister camera to the RX1. The only difference between these two full-frame enthusiast cameras is that the RX1R lacks the anti-aliasing feature of the original RX1. We've created a hands-on preview of the RX1R, including a gallery of real-world samples and some preliminary studio tests, to give you an idea of how the new camera performs.

Click to read our hands-on preview of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R

PREVIEW FULL-FRAME RX1R SONY

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R Compact Camera●

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Sony DSCRX1R/B 24MP Compact System Cyber-Shot Digital Still Camera with 3-Inch LCD Screen (Black)	$2,798.00
Sony DSCRX1R/B 24MP Compact System Cyber-Shot Digital Still Camera with 3-Inch LCD Screen (Black)	$2,798.00
Sony DSC-RX1/B Cyber-shot Full-frame Digital Camera	$2,798.00
Focus Camera Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100M2/B RX100M2 RX100M II RX100MII 20.2MP Wi-Fi Digital Camera with F1.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T Lens and Full HD 1080p Video at 60fps + Sony 64GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card + Wasabi NP-BX1 Battery Pack + Sony Camera Case + Micro HDMI Cable + Focus Multi Memory Card Wallet	$748.00
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100M2/B RX100M2 RX100M II RX100MII 20.2MP Wi-Fi Digital Camera Bundle with Sony 32GB Memory Card + Wasabi Power Replacement Battery for Sony DSC-RX1 + Sony Black Carrying Case + Wrist Grip Strap + Camera Accessories	$768.00
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100M2/B RX100M2 RX100M II RX100MII 20.2MP Wi-Fi Digital Camera Bundle with Sony 32GB Memory Card + All-in-One Card Reader + Sony Black Carrying Case + Wrist Grip Strap + Camera Accessories	$748.00
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 II Wi-Fi Digital Camera (Black) with 64GB Card + Battery & Charger + Case + Flash + Tripod + Accessory Kit	$799.95
Sony Cyber-shot Digital Camera RX1R RX1R/B RX1 DSC-RX1R/B 64GB Electronic...	$3,149.00
Sony Cyber-shot Digital Camera RX1R RX1R/B RX1 DSC-RX1R/B 32GB Deluxe Kit	$2,899.00
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 II Wi-Fi Digital Camera (Black) with 32GB Card + Case + Battery & Charger + Tripod + HDMI Cable + Accessory Kit	$749.95
Sony Cyber-shot Digital Camera RX1R RX1R/B RX1 DSC-RX1R/B 64GB Optical...	$3,297.00

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Comments

Total comments: 92

I don't find that there is such a big difference between the two in contrast and sharpness - just a bit if you pixel-peep - but I'm not sure it's worthy of a second model, at the expense of occasional moiré.

and I do agree with others, that a tilting screen isn't too much to ask for at this price point. (actually, they should throw in the viewfinder, and a bicycle, and a tablet too!) lol

2 upvotes

When will Sony release a version with interchangeable lenses?

2 upvotes

I agree... but are you kidding? that would have a devastating effect on some of their other camera sales.

2 upvotes

I'm sorry. But I'm just not seeing it. Viewed through the samples and I don't see anything that my a900 with Mino 35/2 can't do just as well if not better.

Sony won't impress me until they start using their own 36mp sensor inside their own cameras. On the comparison page, this new RX can't even keep up with the D600. Kind of sad really, considering they could bring so much more to the table.

And really, it's starting to bother me that they charge so much for a lens shade. Approaching arrogance with such extortion. Wish they'd put more effort into partnering with 3rd parties for flash and smart radio slaves. Kind of a joke to have such a dismal flash system in 2013.

2 upvotes

They've been at it since the first "Walkman", don't you remember?

0 upvotes

The layout of RX1 is even better than Nex series. I hope Sony would make the lense interchangeable for the next RX series model.

0 upvotes

Do you know of measurements showing the normal focus equivalent of the eye?

35mm distorts all images, everything seems farther away. It's a camera for narcissists :-)

0 upvotes

Has it got intervallometer??

0 upvotes

Looks good; add a fully articulating screen, I'll get it asap .

1 upvote

Disappointing to see another short development cycle on luxury electronics. (Not that you can really call dropping a filter 'development').

Comment edited 18 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

laugh at people acting like little children and attack people who don't like repeat product and say truth about it. funny how brand make people stupid. Sony not only existing camera and not better camera. RX1R and RX100 II are repeat product and not new innovation from last camera. no filter is innovation? bsi by 1/3 improvement is innovation? maybe for people with Sony psychosis.

3 upvotes

Not every generation of model needs entirely new camera body with new features. RX100 II adds new sensor, wifi, NFC, hotshoe, and tilt LCD, while maintaining the same pocket size.

As for RX1R, Sony isn't even claiming it's a new model that replaces the old model It's the same camera with missing AA filter for landscape photographers.

2 upvotes

I'm with ET2. Don't like it? Don't buy it. I've bought it, and am pretty excited about it - some of us just love technology, and elegant and intelligent use of it :)

0 upvotes

I sooooo cannot afford this camera that it's hearbreaking.

1 upvote

Still a great feat of engineering with some nice IQ, just like the first model.

But at that price point, I'd have trouble living with the various performance issues (AF in particular). It would have been nice if Sony had fixed those with the new model. Maybe next time?

3 upvotes

And high price point is always what hurts Sony.

1 upvote

I don't mind high prices as long as it's balanced to final output and usability. Here, they are not. Arrogantly pitiful.

0 upvotes

This is certainly a pocketable camera in that after buying it you will have plenty of room for it inside your pocket.

What is the point of being pocketable when Sony wants to charge as much as one pays for some studio heavyweights?

Sure photographers want their pocket cameras to take top shots, but I suspect those who are prepared to pay 3000 for a camera, don't care much if their camera fits into their pocket.

It is a piece of Sony jewelry.

0 upvotes

I wish I could afford at least the first model... :(

0 upvotes

Just buy a Fujifilm XE1 - good lenses now and more to come, and a great inbuilt EVF. Light & very easy to take anywhere - I do all day every day. Why pay so much more for this still limited Sony? Fujifilm have it nailed already with so much more usability for less outlay.

3 upvotes

Perhaos people want a camera with better high iso performance, and more control of DOF, than the XE1 can offer? And perhaps 35mm is a focal length some people find very useful.

I like the XE1 a lot. I shot with it a fair bit. But when I wanted a second small camera in my kit, the RX! could not be beat.

1 upvote

More control of DOF - not much. Even on FF you have to be pretty close to your subject to get thin DOF with a 35mm lens.

I would say "just buy a Fuji X100S" and enjoy the beautiful OVF and a camera you can carry in a loose pocket.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 7 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

It's noticable enough when shooting close up mug shots, I can tell you that for sure. I've own a NEX 7 with a gaffle of lenses and RX1, and I can tell the difference.

To each their own. I like the x100s, too. It IS a beautiful camera.

I enjoy the ISO performance of the RX1 more than any other feature.

0 upvotes

There will soon be 35/1.4 (equivalent) lens for the X system from Fuji - so the DOF will be very similar to Sony 35/2.0

1 upvote

Another Viewfinder-less wave it about in-front of your face like a phone wannabe!.
No thanks.

10 upvotes

Except for the fact that it takes both an OVF and a 2.4m dot OLED EVF via the multi connector. So you don't have to wave it about if you don't want to.

1 upvote

At this price level the optional external EVF should come for free. I would rather go with a Fuji X100S.

2 upvotes

look sony, what REALLY is on everyone's mind is when are we gonna have this camera with interchangeable lenses???

guys/gals: if agreed 'like' this and let's send sony this message

i so wish the photo world would have it's own steve jobs!! everything is soooo incremental, sony please make something truly, insanely great! just make it happen already!!!

5 upvotes

Steve Jobs gave the photo world the iPhone...

0 upvotes

Preordered one from B&H today.

2 upvotes

So?

2 upvotes

So you are an a-hole

2 upvotes

There is very little point in confining yourself to an expensive fixed lens camera and limited functionality just to gain the marginal advantage FF provides over a 1.5x crop sensor.

4 upvotes

Marginal?
There is a pretty large gap with respect to DOF control and OOF background blur between the two. High ISO in the RX1 is significantly better than most 1.5x crops as well. The Fuji cameras might some close until aruond 1600. My RX1 can make some pretty clean files at 6400 that no 1.5x crop can touch.

2 upvotes

Too much hype about 6400+ ISOs....the vast majority of shots taken by most people don't require it...it's just another spec for forum heads to clash over. My ONLY Point here is that using the self-timer or a tripod would yield better night shots at FAR less $$$. To each his own, though. I live these Sony rx cams...I have the rx100, but shooting handheld in the dark isn't worth the cost of FF for most.

0 upvotes

I rather not carry a tripod. I just needed a good point and shoot that I can throw in my wife's purse :)

0 upvotes

Some over the top posts here. You don't have to be rich or pay "$1000 for a dinner" to buy this camera. The price isn't for every budget but that is how it is with many things. Come on.

8 upvotes

Finally... the end of the AA filter.

The AA filter was always an amateurish fix for a real problem.

The AA filter era will go down as a black spot in the history of cameras... an embarrassment for the engineers who thought of it and used it.

Medium format cameras never had this absurd filter... rightfully so.

3 upvotes

Really, you should do some more research before making wild claims. Many MF cameras had AA filters, but some had the option of being able to remove it when required.

The need for AA filters diminishes as resolution increases since it becomes less and less likely that you can get interference between the much smaller sensor pixels and repetitive naturally occurring patterns on the subject. Current high end MF cameras have huge resolution 60-80MP and there is no need for AA filters, but even the D800E can show moire and for cameras with relatively low pixel count, you can easily get interference from many patterns in nature.

3 upvotes

As I said above... alaising is a real problem.

"Fixing" the problem by bluring the image was never a good solution.

Removing the filter increases image quality.

2 upvotes

What would have been your solution?

1 upvote

Going but not gone. I can recall lengthy posts from engineers giving mathematical explanations of the terrible things that would happen without a blurring filter. Still, I think the only reason this happened is because, like Adobe, the camera manufacturers ran out of new features to add. Prediction: Infrared capability (with a disclaimer about unpredictable results) will be the next feature.

1 upvote

> "Fixing" the problem by bluring the image was never a good solution.

AA filter is a bad thing to solve a worse problem.

1 upvote

great idea but for the price i wonder if i could find a used Leica...

1 upvote

Good luck finding one cheap with that lens ;)

5 upvotes

What, an m9?
m9 sensor is junk compared to this one.
Lower noise in iso 3200 with the RX1, vs iso 800 with the m9.

6 upvotes

I just can't understand the price, especially when you add in an EVF.......what is the target market ?

Nice camera ......but where I come from 3 k will get you two Oly Em-5 & 12-50mm kits .

2 upvotes

target market: premium *pocketable* camera

5 upvotes

Target market?

1) Adroit connoisseurs,
2) The well-to-do, or
3) The spendthrift camera junkie who somehow hasn't already exhausted his cash, credit limits, or pawnable assets. "Must have. Must have," he mutters, trembling, in a cold sweat.

RX is the perfect Rx for each group.

7 upvotes

Oly Em-5 IQ does not even compete wrt iq, where I come from.

11 upvotes

It's a great camera, everybody would want to have it, so the market is only limited by price. It's targeted to folks who don't hesitate paying $1000 for a dinner. There are actually plenty of those.

3 upvotes

They forgot the viewfinder.

18 upvotes

disappointing news. Sony nothing new to offer. same camera like last time.

7 upvotes

Wonderful little camera though. I wouldn't be dissaponted to have one.

Comment edited 51 seconds after posting

12 upvotes

wonderful if don't have old RX100. I think buy RX100 better for less because of no much different.

2 upvotes

Sure you have the right thread?
The RX1 / RX1R is very different to the RX100.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 3 minutes after posting

4 upvotes

The RX100 is nothing like the RX1

1 upvote

So hot-shoe, tiltable LCD, optional EVF port, no AA-filter, and a new BSI CMOS sensor are "nothing new"?

Wow. Sony addressed virtually all of the user requested upgrades (i.e., hot-shoe, EVF port, articulated LCD) and Sony users are not happy. Scratches head.

7 upvotes

jennyrae isn't a "Sony user". He/she owns is a Samsung user

2 upvotes

People should just enjoy the fact these cameras exist. Yes they are priced beyond any reasonable person wallet and not the most practical solution for almost every photographer but enjoy that sony made this.

11 upvotes

How/why? How can one enjoy a camera they can't afford to own?

I give Sony credit for making the phone but I don't take delight in knowing it exists. My hope is that they make something similar with an APS-C sensor that actually closes flat... runs on Android 4.0 and has a phone. Even at $1000 that makes sense.

4 upvotes

I enjoy the fact that I do not need this camera for my work, and that there is so much choice out there, that you can reach that quality the Sony RX1 delivers (lower priced) with more options and most importantly can be used with the same joy.

And yes I know...it is not an RX1R which is mentioned on the cameras' I have to use, but I enjoy as well that 'I' do not care about that.

It's a wonderful camera, do not understand me wrong.

3 upvotes

because it shows that there is a market for this type of camera, and if the trend is consistent, the FF pocketable camera will become less cost prohibitive, over time. though, i doubt it will ever fall into the 'easily affordable' category.

9 upvotes

Most of the things I enjoy in life I don't own. I will consider adding this to the list.

2 upvotes

Anyone recall prices of digicams 10years ago.
In three years FF digital mirrorless will be around £1500.

5 upvotes

1999: 12.000 DM (6000€) for a 2.7MP-camera. (Nikon D1)

2012: 6000€ for the D4

One could say nothing had changed, but the D4 is very much better than the D1, obviously.

1 upvote

Produce a really tiny FF camera...

Sans all the features...

Create modular add-ons worth a fortune, to increase the specs and features...

...and voila!

A big chunky DSLR-like bulky steroid dripping fully featured add-on junky!

Cha-Ching!

3 upvotes

Forgetting the size aspect for the moment, the sort of money this camera is going for I would get a Canon 5D3. Having used the 5D3 for a while now and seen what the real world results that one can get, then I can live with its size and with carrying it around.

This really needs to be a whole lot cheaper, or are Sony the new Leica? :)

1 upvote

"This really needs to be a whole lot cheaper, or are Sony the new Leica? "

I beg to differ. If this was by Leica, it would be nearly double the price. And at $2800, Sony obviously knows by the success of the RX1 that $2800 is not too steep of an asking price. Keep in mind that this camera comes with a nice Zeiss lens too, which is also not cheap.

11 upvotes

People always forget the lens, or use a turd of a lens.

Canon 5D3: $2800
Canon 35L: $1400

Total: $4200.

Keep in mind that the Sony is significantly more portable, and Zeiss lenses >>> Canon L.

20 upvotes

and then try sticking your 5d3 into your coat pocket. Well done for totally missing the point of this camera.

Comment edited 23 seconds after posting

18 upvotes

These days, I don't carry around a camera the size of a 5D3 unless I'm being paid to do it. Plus, carrying around a 5D3, you stick out like a sore thumb. Not so with the RX1. It's just a completely different experience, and I can easily see how some people would be willing to pay the money to have the RX1's shooting experience. It's just a different value proposition.

10 upvotes

Exactly. It sucks that it's so expensive but I respect and understand what Sony wanted to accomplish. They just need an APS-C bridge camera between the RX100 and RX1. I'm thinking, RX10?

6 upvotes

A pinch of salt for those who claim Zeiss > Canon L. There's Carl Zeiss glass maid in Jena Germany and there's Zeiss sticker glued to the glass made in Japan.

2 upvotes

Olgierd
And your point is what? that made in Japan Zeiss is still better than that made in Japan Canon

2 upvotes

The Canon 35L is one stop faster at f/1.4; the RX1 lens is 35mm, f/2, so one could instead compare to
- Canon 6D ($1900) with Canon 35/2 ($289)
or
- Nikon D600 ($2000) with Nikon 35/2 ($360)

2 upvotes

Boerseuntjie: No. But my old Sony F505 (that I've bought more than decade ago) used CZ glass (which wasn't bad for 5mpix camera) not necessarily mean it was better than Canon's equivalent used on their cameras at that time.
So, making a statement that all CZ are better than Canon, Nikon, Olympus is simply foolish.

0 upvotes

Personally, I have a 5D2. To me, the 5D3 doesn't add a lot of value to my kit. I'll pass and wait for Canon to release something to rival the resolution of the D800.

Meanwhile, I bought the RX1 after owning a NEX7 for some time and enjoying the size. And, I love it. The RX1 raw files are smashing.

3 upvotes

The Zeiss lens from this camera performs noticebly better at f2 than the Canon L 35 f1.4.

3 upvotes

The RX1 is my 'always with me' camera and is truly remarkable with files as good as my D600 (and nearly as good as my D800E). But the RX1 without AA filter should have been there at launch and I very much hope that Sony offer existing owners an upgrade path (sensor swap) at reasonable cost.

2 upvotes

thought my eyes was playing tricks
or you double posted

hahahaha

0 upvotes

No viewfinder, next candidate please.

8 upvotes

You are mistaken. The RX1 has a fantastic viewfinder. Actually there are 2 different viewfinders (optical and OLED).

0 upvotes

How many people to spend that money to get this sort of cameras?

1 upvote

A lot more than you think. :-)

8 upvotes

What exactly do you mean by "this sort of camera?" If you mean a compact jewel with a spectacular lens and amazing IQ, then the RX1 is worth what Sony charges for it, and they seem to have quite a few buyers, including many who shoot with top of the line Leicas, Nikons and Canons. Some of those same folks are dumping their other gear and using the RX1 almost exclusively. Whether removing the already weak AA filter is worthwhile is for each individual buyer to decide. Personally, I find my RX1 to be about as sharp as I would want it to be.

10 upvotes

I would buy it if it had a 20mm lens with similar IQ. I would then fund it by selling my 6D & 20mm lens.

0 upvotes

People would spend this money just on the lens, if it were good enough.

3 upvotes

Shoot with this baby and the memory of price paid goes right out the window. RX1 is my favorite camera in >50 years of photography.

11 upvotes

Plenty.

1 upvote

Truly? I don't see any significant difference in Raw. I would say in some part of picture is RX1 even better on high ISO than RX1R. Is it worth upgrade? I don't think so.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Yes - not worth it IF you already have the RX1.

But, if you don't, then now there is a choice - just like with the Nikon D800 / 800E

4 upvotes

Total comments: 92

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