Quick Thoughts from my Second RX10IV Rental

[BrentSchumer]

So I rented an RX10IV again and again and find it both great and frustrating:

Pros
+Having 600mm equivalent at your fingertips is quite fun for picking out details or grabbing distant action.
+Especially when you can zoom out to 24mm equivalent without swapping lenses!
+Especially when the entire package costs less than say an APSC body + 18-400mm lens. With better quality.
+This camera has the best grip of anything that Sony is currently selling.
+The only non-FF Sony camera with good physical controls.
+A big ol' buffer and small file size encourage action shooting.
+The only Sony I've used where the touchpad doesn't fight my nose for control (I'm a leftie).

Cons
-Image quality drops off a cliff if you need to raise ISO or pull up shadows in post (compared to larger sensors).
-Which means that indoor shots, shady shots, and evening shots are often unacceptable. For example, I found myself pulling out my phone with night sight to take infinitely better dusk pictures.
-This camera cries out for Sony's new real-time tracking AF or a joystick.
-EVF eyecup offers zero light protection and can't be swapped out for a rubber version like most other Sony cameras.
-Pictures can sometimes look "flat" as if they're lacking microcontrast or some sort of special sauce.
-Power zoom is awkward.
-No touch in menus or settings.
-No way to orient the LCD towards the shooter.

It really feels like the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of cameras. In good light you'll be wondering why you bother to lug around interchangeable lenses, while in poor light it feel massively constrained. I can definitely see buying or renting an RX10 for travel if I visit a locale where both vistas and wildlife will be mixed together (e.g., I really wish I brought one to Iceland last year).

I would be very interested in an RX10V with:
+Real-time tracking.
+3.7MM-dot EVF
+Blackout-free EVF from the RX100VII
+4K60 video
+Touch in menus and settings
+"Flippy" LCD
+UHS-II card slot for quick buffer clears
+Pop-off EVF cover to allow for aftermarket covers like the A6XXX or A7X series.

These changes would require little hardware revision and refresh the camera to be quite a powerful hybrid option in 2020.

 

[sybersitizen]

Pros
+The only non-FF Sony camera with good physical controls.

I guess you're excluding A-mount APS-C. Some would probably say even E-mount APS-C models have good physical controls, but I don't use E-mount.

 

[BrentSchumer]

Pros
+The only non-FF Sony camera with good physical controls.

I guess you're excluding A-mount APS-C. Some would probably say even E-mount APS-C models have good physical controls, but I don't use E-mount.

I come from APSC E mount and disagree. There are only two dials (vs 3 + EC on the RX10), and both dials are for your thumb. The layout is also nicer on the RX10 series.

 

[sybersitizen]

Pros
+The only non-FF Sony camera with good physical controls.

I guess you're excluding A-mount APS-C. Some would probably say even E-mount APS-C models have good physical controls, but I don't use E-mount.

I come from APSC E mount and disagree.

I'm not sure anyone could disagree that some would probably say even E-mount APS-C models have good physical controls. I'm assuming that some would probably say that, but I understand you would disagree with them.

There are only two dials (vs 3 + EC on the RX10), and both dials are for your thumb. The layout is also nicer on the RX10 series.

 

[Anders_K]

My quick thoughts: no camera is a jack of all trades, and it seems you don't have much use for the strengths of the camera eg wildlife shooting.

If you enjoy long zoomers, there are much cheaper options, Nikon P950 for example. Or a Panasonic FZ300 just for fun, but still one of the best bang-for-buck small sensor bridge cameras.

Similar considerations go for low-light photography...

 

[BrentSchumer]

My quick thoughts: no camera is a jack of all trades, and it seems you don't have much use for the strengths of the camera eg wildlife shooting.

If you enjoy long zoomers, there are much cheaper options, Nikon P950 for example. Or a Panasonic FZ300 just for fun, but still one of the best bang-for-buck small sensor bridge cameras.

Similar considerations go for low-light photography...

it depends. If I was going on a trip to a bright place with wildlife, it would be an excellent solution. It's also really good bang for the buck, even if it's not perfect.

I think I'm going to sit on my RX100VI and see what Sony releases soon (A7IV, RX10V, etc).

 

[Anders_K]

My quick thoughts: no camera is a jack of all trades, and it seems you don't have much use for the strengths of the camera eg wildlife shooting.

If you enjoy long zoomers, there are much cheaper options, Nikon P950 for example. Or a Panasonic FZ300 just for fun, but still one of the best bang-for-buck small sensor bridge cameras.

Similar considerations go for low-light photography...

it depends. If I was going on a trip to a bright place with wildlife, it would be an excellent solution. It's also really good bang for the buck, even if it's not perfect.

I think I'm going to sit on my RX100VI and see what Sony releases soon (A7IV, RX10V, etc).

Seems wise. The RX100VI is expensive enough to deserve some attention, even if in reality it lags behind some over-enthusiastic reviews - it is still a marvellous little beast (I own one myself).

 

[BrentSchumer]

My quick thoughts: no camera is a jack of all trades, and it seems you don't have much use for the strengths of the camera eg wildlife shooting.

If you enjoy long zoomers, there are much cheaper options, Nikon P950 for example. Or a Panasonic FZ300 just for fun, but still one of the best bang-for-buck small sensor bridge cameras.

Similar considerations go for low-light photography...

it depends. If I was going on a trip to a bright place with wildlife, it would be an excellent solution. It's also really good bang for the buck, even if it's not perfect.

I think I'm going to sit on my RX100VI and see what Sony releases soon (A7IV, RX10V, etc).

Seems wise. The RX100VI is expensive enough to deserve some attention, even if in reality it lags behind some over-enthusiastic reviews - it is still a marvellous little beast (I own one myself).

I nabbed a used copy with minor defects for $560, which felt about right. Wouldn't want to pay the new price. Honestly, I feel like the RX100VI is more or less enough for daytime travel already, but it doesn't let me scratch certain itches like macro or wildlife.