RX1R III First Impressions and Question to Others

[murmeltier]

RX1R III arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather is rubbish, so no usable shots yet (will follow).

Impressions so far:

The good

• Build quality is top-notch 9.5/10, except for the buttons, see below.
• Size and weight is great, probably the main selling point.
• Autofocus is superb, the camera easily finds the subject in the scene and focus goes directly to the eye. It works every single time. Which is great if you have a high caffeinated dog.
• The lens is also great, at least for my taste. It's not the sharpest lens wide open, but the look is great. Focus is also surprisingly fast.
• The viewfinder is also quite acceptable for the size of the camera. It's a bit small, but I wonder what people expect given the size of the camera.

The bad

• The battery came completely drained which is a bit weird. Makes you wonder how many months ago the thing was assembled. But it charged quite quickly and holds the voltage, so the battery itself seems to be fine.
• The different buttons seems to have different strokes, for example the AF-ON button can be pressed deeper in than the other ones. Is this just my copy or have others noticed this as well? Is this a Sony design thing? The buttons are generally a bit mushy and nothing to write home about.
• The accessories are really a bit disappointing. The camera strap is not very inspiring and they not even included an USB-C cable. But we all have enough cables and camera straps I guess...

The ugly

• This is my first Sony camera ever and man that menu system is a pain, especially compared to Canon and others. No idea who came up with that orange overlay font. On the positive side, most things can be changed once and there is no need for menu diving during shooting.

 

[Matt2134]

• The lens is also great, at least for my taste. It's not the sharpest lens wide open, but the look is great. Focus is also surprisingly fast.

I think this would be a bit disappointing if I had just dropped 5k on one - if you have any full size examples I'd love to see them.

Enjoy your new camera, I imagine it will be a lot of fun.

 

[elliottnewcomb]

The ugly

• This is my first Sony camera ever and man that menu system is a pain, especially compared to Canon and others. No idea who came up with that orange overlay font. On the positive side, most things can be changed once and there is no need for menu diving during shooting.

So many of us hated the huge menu at 1st, then you set up your 12 item Fn Menu and the camera becomes easy, changing your chosen settings readily, even shot to shot.

Fn Button is the KEY to using any RX Camera
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3856052

Eventually, after a horrible Oly menu with many things lost in sub-menus, I came to appreciate that there is a separate line for nearly everything.

 

[ishwanu]

This is my first Sony camera ever and man that menu system is a pain, especially compared to Canon and others.

I've been reading complaints about Sony's menus for nearly 20 years. They've been changed several times over that period - and this camera presumably has one of the latest - but apparently still not what some users want. Makes me wonder how I manage with the ones from 2011-2016.

 

[Kevin94]

I have mostly the same experience. Buttons don't have the greatest feedback except the AF-On button, but i got used to it. Accidental button presses or accidentally turning the camera on in the bag are pretty much impossible.

The lens is ok wide open, but not comparable to any newer lens. Sharpness is pretty good for me but chromatic aberrations are strong at F2. Stopped down to F2.8 I can see big improvements in chromatic aberration.

The build quality is really good (except the door for the ports on the left). It feels like a solid block when you pick it up, no rattling or anything.

Autofocus is accurate and fast. You can hear the lens movements, but it doesn't miss. Also the Eye AF works great for me so far.

One thing that is slightly annoying is the shutter delay when you shoot in AF-C and anything other than F2, due to the lens opening up when you track something, and then having to close down when you want to take the shot. I would hope for an ability to select whether to track wide open or at the aperture I set.

I will definitely be keeping the camera for a long time, since it is small and light. Might be my most used camera in the future, but it does feel overpriced still for the weaknesses it has.

 

[SafariBob]

This is my first Sony camera ever and man that menu system is a pain, especially compared to Canon and others.

I've been reading complaints about Sony's menus for nearly 20 years. They've been changed several times over that period - and this camera presumably has one of the latest - but apparently still not what some users want. Makes me wonder how I manage with the ones from 2011-2016.

lol.

I would agree that the nex era menus were dire.

 

[SafariBob]

RX1R III arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather is rubbish, so no usable shots yet (will follow).

Impressions so far:

The good

• Build quality is top-notch 9.5/10, except for the buttons, see below

the build quality does seem better than previous iterations.

• Size and weight is great, probably the main selling point.

Yes. but it's mightily thick.

• Autofocus is superb, the camera easily finds the subject in the scene and focus goes directly to the eye. It works every single time. Which is great if you have a high caffeinated dog.

maybe cut back on the lattes

• The lens is also great, at least for my taste. It's not the sharpest lens wide open, but the look is great. Focus is also surprisingly fast.

It's a great look, I have noticed, for fairly close up portraits, which is something I never used mine for. its not the best for sharpness, particularly off centre, I agree.

• The viewfinder is also quite acceptable for the size of the camera. It's a bit small, but I wonder what people expect given the size of the camera.

It's nice that they have an integrated, non-pop up viewfinder now.

The bad

• The battery came completely drained which is a bit weird. Makes you wonder how many months ago the thing was assembled. But it charged quite quickly and holds the voltage, so the battery itself seems to be fine.

probably an old battery. Doubt the camera is that old.

• The different buttons seems to have different strokes, for example the AF-ON button can be pressed deeper in than the other ones. Is this just my copy or have others noticed this as well? Is this a Sony design thing? The buttons are generally a bit mushy and nothing to write home about.
• The accessories are really a bit disappointing. The camera strap is not very inspiring and they not even included an USB-C cable. But we all have enough cables and camera straps I guess...

Still metal lens cover I guess. I do wish they'd drop in a nicer leather strap and half case.

The ugly

• This is my first Sony camera ever and man that menu system is a pain, especially compared to Canon and others. No idea who came up with that orange overlay font. On the positive side, most things can be changed once and there is no need for menu diving during shooting.

- I think the color coded menu is good. Not quite Nikon / Canon, but still good. the main drawback is all the useless menu options. It's gotten to the point where I'd rather shoot full auto for fear I have forgotten to unset some weird setting.

IMO, the greatest weakness of the camera is them dropping the popup flash, which sort of killed the main attraction of the camera, Andy Warhol style debauchery party shots. Personally, I think I would have preferred a tri Elmar style stabilized lens, perhaps 28-60 ish. Or that they just give the A7C series some wegovy.

 

[landshark]

RX1R III arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather is rubbish, so no usable shots yet (will follow).

Impressions so far:

The good

• Build quality is top-notch 9.5/10, except for the buttons, see below

the build quality does seem better than previous iterations.

• Size and weight is great, probably the main selling point.

Yes. but it's mightily thick.

• Autofocus is superb, the camera easily finds the subject in the scene and focus goes directly to the eye. It works every single time. Which is great if you have a high caffeinated dog.

maybe cut back on the lattes

• The lens is also great, at least for my taste. It's not the sharpest lens wide open, but the look is great. Focus is also surprisingly fast.

It's a great look, I have noticed, for fairly close up portraits, which is something I never used mine for. its not the best for sharpness, particularly off centre, I agree.

• The viewfinder is also quite acceptable for the size of the camera. It's a bit small, but I wonder what people expect given the size of the camera.

It's nice that they have an integrated, non-pop up viewfinder now.

The bad

• The battery came completely drained which is a bit weird. Makes you wonder how many months ago the thing was assembled. But it charged quite quickly and holds the voltage, so the battery itself seems to be fine.

probably an old battery. Doubt the camera is that old.

• The different buttons seems to have different strokes, for example the AF-ON button can be pressed deeper in than the other ones. Is this just my copy or have others noticed this as well? Is this a Sony design thing? The buttons are generally a bit mushy and nothing to write home about.
• The accessories are really a bit disappointing. The camera strap is not very inspiring and they not even included an USB-C cable. But we all have enough cables and camera straps I guess...

Still metal lens cover I guess. I do wish they'd drop in a nicer leather strap and half case.

The ugly

• This is my first Sony camera ever and man that menu system is a pain, especially compared to Canon and others. No idea who came up with that orange overlay font. On the positive side, most things can be changed once and there is no need for menu diving during shooting.

- I think the color coded menu is good. Not quite Nikon / Canon, but still good. the main drawback is all the useless menu options. It's gotten to the point where I'd rather shoot full auto for fear I have forgotten to unset some weird setting.

IMO, the greatest weakness of the camera is them dropping the popup flash, which sort of killed the main attraction of the camera, Andy Warhol style debauchery party shots. Personally, I think I would have preferred a tri Elmar style stabilized lens, perhaps 28-60 ish. Or that they just give the A7C series some wegovy.

The RX1 because of the pop up flash had no built in viewfinder, one had to use the external one. There are a number of small flashes one can mount, prefer having a viewfinder.

Mine is arriving in a couple of days, curious to compare it to my RX1RII

 

[Digital Nigel]

RX1R III arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather is rubbish, so no usable shots yet (will follow).

Impressions so far:

The good

• Build quality is top-notch 9.5/10, except for the buttons, see below

the build quality does seem better than previous iterations.

• Size and weight is great, probably the main selling point.

Yes. but it's mightily thick.

• Autofocus is superb, the camera easily finds the subject in the scene and focus goes directly to the eye. It works every single time. Which is great if you have a high caffeinated dog.

maybe cut back on the lattes

• The lens is also great, at least for my taste. It's not the sharpest lens wide open, but the look is great. Focus is also surprisingly fast.

It's a great look, I have noticed, for fairly close up portraits, which is something I never used mine for. its not the best for sharpness, particularly off centre, I agree.

• The viewfinder is also quite acceptable for the size of the camera. It's a bit small, but I wonder what people expect given the size of the camera.

It's nice that they have an integrated, non-pop up viewfinder now.

The bad

• The battery came completely drained which is a bit weird. Makes you wonder how many months ago the thing was assembled. But it charged quite quickly and holds the voltage, so the battery itself seems to be fine.

probably an old battery. Doubt the camera is that old.

• The different buttons seems to have different strokes, for example the AF-ON button can be pressed deeper in than the other ones. Is this just my copy or have others noticed this as well? Is this a Sony design thing? The buttons are generally a bit mushy and nothing to write home about.
• The accessories are really a bit disappointing. The camera strap is not very inspiring and they not even included an USB-C cable. But we all have enough cables and camera straps I guess...

Still metal lens cover I guess. I do wish they'd drop in a nicer leather strap and half case.

The ugly

• This is my first Sony camera ever and man that menu system is a pain, especially compared to Canon and others. No idea who came up with that orange overlay font. On the positive side, most things can be changed once and there is no need for menu diving during shooting.

- I think the color coded menu is good. Not quite Nikon / Canon, but still good. the main drawback is all the useless menu options. It's gotten to the point where I'd rather shoot full auto for fear I have forgotten to unset some weird setting.

IMO, the greatest weakness of the camera is them dropping the popup flash, which sort of killed the main attraction of the camera, Andy Warhol style debauchery party shots. Personally, I think I would have preferred a tri Elmar style stabilized lens, perhaps 28-60 ish. Or that they just give the A7C series some wegovy.

The RX1 because of the pop up flash had no built in viewfinder, one had to use the external one. There are a number of small flashes one can mount, prefer having a viewfinder.

Mine is arriving in a couple of days, curious to compare it to my RX1RII

The funny thing is that the much smaller RX100s have a pop-up flash, EVF and a double-hinged rear screen.

 

[landshark]

RX1R III arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather is rubbish, so no usable shots yet (will follow).

Impressions so far:

The good

• Build quality is top-notch 9.5/10, except for the buttons, see below

the build quality does seem better than previous iterations.

• Size and weight is great, probably the main selling point.

Yes. but it's mightily thick.

• Autofocus is superb, the camera easily finds the subject in the scene and focus goes directly to the eye. It works every single time. Which is great if you have a high caffeinated dog.

maybe cut back on the lattes

• The lens is also great, at least for my taste. It's not the sharpest lens wide open, but the look is great. Focus is also surprisingly fast.

It's a great look, I have noticed, for fairly close up portraits, which is something I never used mine for. its not the best for sharpness, particularly off centre, I agree.

• The viewfinder is also quite acceptable for the size of the camera. It's a bit small, but I wonder what people expect given the size of the camera.

It's nice that they have an integrated, non-pop up viewfinder now.

The bad

• The battery came completely drained which is a bit weird. Makes you wonder how many months ago the thing was assembled. But it charged quite quickly and holds the voltage, so the battery itself seems to be fine.

probably an old battery. Doubt the camera is that old.

• The different buttons seems to have different strokes, for example the AF-ON button can be pressed deeper in than the other ones. Is this just my copy or have others noticed this as well? Is this a Sony design thing? The buttons are generally a bit mushy and nothing to write home about.
• The accessories are really a bit disappointing. The camera strap is not very inspiring and they not even included an USB-C cable. But we all have enough cables and camera straps I guess...

Still metal lens cover I guess. I do wish they'd drop in a nicer leather strap and half case.

The ugly

• This is my first Sony camera ever and man that menu system is a pain, especially compared to Canon and others. No idea who came up with that orange overlay font. On the positive side, most things can be changed once and there is no need for menu diving during shooting.

- I think the color coded menu is good. Not quite Nikon / Canon, but still good. the main drawback is all the useless menu options. It's gotten to the point where I'd rather shoot full auto for fear I have forgotten to unset some weird setting.

IMO, the greatest weakness of the camera is them dropping the popup flash, which sort of killed the main attraction of the camera, Andy Warhol style debauchery party shots. Personally, I think I would have preferred a tri Elmar style stabilized lens, perhaps 28-60 ish. Or that they just give the A7C series some wegovy.

The RX1 because of the pop up flash had no built in viewfinder, one had to use the external one. There are a number of small flashes one can mount, prefer having a viewfinder.

Mine is arriving in a couple of days, curious to compare it to my RX1RII

The funny thing is that the much smaller RX100s have a pop-up flash, EVF and a double-hinged rear screen.

The RX1000s also do not have a full size sensor and corresponding lens

 

[SafariBob]

RX1R III arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather is rubbish, so no usable shots yet (will follow).

Impressions so far:

The good

• Build quality is top-notch 9.5/10, except for the buttons, see below

the build quality does seem better than previous iterations.

• Size and weight is great, probably the main selling point.

Yes. but it's mightily thick.

• Autofocus is superb, the camera easily finds the subject in the scene and focus goes directly to the eye. It works every single time. Which is great if you have a high caffeinated dog.

maybe cut back on the lattes

• The lens is also great, at least for my taste. It's not the sharpest lens wide open, but the look is great. Focus is also surprisingly fast.

It's a great look, I have noticed, for fairly close up portraits, which is something I never used mine for. its not the best for sharpness, particularly off centre, I agree.

• The viewfinder is also quite acceptable for the size of the camera. It's a bit small, but I wonder what people expect given the size of the camera.

It's nice that they have an integrated, non-pop up viewfinder now.

The bad

• The battery came completely drained which is a bit weird. Makes you wonder how many months ago the thing was assembled. But it charged quite quickly and holds the voltage, so the battery itself seems to be fine.

probably an old battery. Doubt the camera is that old.

• The different buttons seems to have different strokes, for example the AF-ON button can be pressed deeper in than the other ones. Is this just my copy or have others noticed this as well? Is this a Sony design thing? The buttons are generally a bit mushy and nothing to write home about.
• The accessories are really a bit disappointing. The camera strap is not very inspiring and they not even included an USB-C cable. But we all have enough cables and camera straps I guess...

Still metal lens cover I guess. I do wish they'd drop in a nicer leather strap and half case.

The ugly

• This is my first Sony camera ever and man that menu system is a pain, especially compared to Canon and others. No idea who came up with that orange overlay font. On the positive side, most things can be changed once and there is no need for menu diving during shooting.

- I think the color coded menu is good. Not quite Nikon / Canon, but still good. the main drawback is all the useless menu options. It's gotten to the point where I'd rather shoot full auto for fear I have forgotten to unset some weird setting.

IMO, the greatest weakness of the camera is them dropping the popup flash, which sort of killed the main attraction of the camera, Andy Warhol style debauchery party shots. Personally, I think I would have preferred a tri Elmar style stabilized lens, perhaps 28-60 ish. Or that they just give the A7C series some wegovy.

The RX1 because of the pop up flash had no built in viewfinder, one had to use the external one. There are a number of small flashes one can mount, prefer having a viewfinder.

Mine is arriving in a couple of days, curious to compare it to my RX1RII

The funny thing is that the much smaller RX100s have a pop-up flash, EVF and a double-hinged rear screen.

exactly.

 

[Dak on cam]

RX1R III arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather is rubbish, so no usable shots yet (will follow).

Impressions so far:

[...]

The bad

[...]

• The different buttons seems to have different strokes, for example the AF-ON button can be pressed deeper in than the other ones. Is this just my copy or have others noticed this as well? Is this a Sony design thing? The buttons are generally a bit mushy and nothing to write home about.

This has been my complaint when the DSC-H1 was replaced with two successor models, with the "high-end" one being the DSC-H5 (year 2006 or similar).

Prominent buttons with a definite "click" were replaced with rubberized things without tangible tactical feedback. When I selected an "Ebay camera" for a friend of mine, I gave her the older DSC-H1 because it just handled and felt better.

Now we are talking about a comparatively affordable superzoom with the DSC-H1, and likely the buttons felt quite cheaper than those on the RX10M3: this is just anecdotal to show that such items make a difference in whether one considers something worthy to have (or in this case, give a friend).

But for a camera with a $5k price tag, saving a few cents at the cost of anybody raising this issue in a review feels like a bad business decision. It's just not a place for cutting corners.

 

[SafariBob]

RX1R III arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather is rubbish, so no usable shots yet (will follow).

Impressions so far:

[...]

The bad

[...]

• The different buttons seems to have different strokes, for example the AF-ON button can be pressed deeper in than the other ones. Is this just my copy or have others noticed this as well? Is this a Sony design thing? The buttons are generally a bit mushy and nothing to write home about.

This has been my complaint when the DSC-H1 was replaced with two successor models, with the "high-end" one being the DSC-H5 (year 2006 or similar).

Prominent buttons with a definite "click" were replaced with rubberized things without tangible tactical feedback. When I selected an "Ebay camera" for a friend of mine, I gave her the older DSC-H1 because it just handled and felt better.

Now we are talking about a comparatively affordable superzoom with the DSC-H1, and likely the buttons felt quite cheaper than those on the RX10M3: this is just anecdotal to show that such items make a difference in whether one considers something worthy to have (or in this case, give a friend).

But for a camera with a $5k price tag, saving a few cents at the cost of anybody raising this issue in a review feels like a bad business decision. It's just not a place for cutting corners.

 

[Digital Nigel]

RX1R III arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather is rubbish, so no usable shots yet (will follow).

Impressions so far:

The good

• Build quality is top-notch 9.5/10, except for the buttons, see below

the build quality does seem better than previous iterations.

• Size and weight is great, probably the main selling point.

Yes. but it's mightily thick.

• Autofocus is superb, the camera easily finds the subject in the scene and focus goes directly to the eye. It works every single time. Which is great if you have a high caffeinated dog.

maybe cut back on the lattes

• The lens is also great, at least for my taste. It's not the sharpest lens wide open, but the look is great. Focus is also surprisingly fast.

It's a great look, I have noticed, for fairly close up portraits, which is something I never used mine for. its not the best for sharpness, particularly off centre, I agree.

• The viewfinder is also quite acceptable for the size of the camera. It's a bit small, but I wonder what people expect given the size of the camera.

It's nice that they have an integrated, non-pop up viewfinder now.

The bad

• The battery came completely drained which is a bit weird. Makes you wonder how many months ago the thing was assembled. But it charged quite quickly and holds the voltage, so the battery itself seems to be fine.

probably an old battery. Doubt the camera is that old.

• The different buttons seems to have different strokes, for example the AF-ON button can be pressed deeper in than the other ones. Is this just my copy or have others noticed this as well? Is this a Sony design thing? The buttons are generally a bit mushy and nothing to write home about.
• The accessories are really a bit disappointing. The camera strap is not very inspiring and they not even included an USB-C cable. But we all have enough cables and camera straps I guess...

Still metal lens cover I guess. I do wish they'd drop in a nicer leather strap and half case.

The ugly

• This is my first Sony camera ever and man that menu system is a pain, especially compared to Canon and others. No idea who came up with that orange overlay font. On the positive side, most things can be changed once and there is no need for menu diving during shooting.

- I think the color coded menu is good. Not quite Nikon / Canon, but still good. the main drawback is all the useless menu options. It's gotten to the point where I'd rather shoot full auto for fear I have forgotten to unset some weird setting.

IMO, the greatest weakness of the camera is them dropping the popup flash, which sort of killed the main attraction of the camera, Andy Warhol style debauchery party shots. Personally, I think I would have preferred a tri Elmar style stabilized lens, perhaps 28-60 ish. Or that they just give the A7C series some wegovy.

The RX1 because of the pop up flash had no built in viewfinder, one had to use the external one. There are a number of small flashes one can mount, prefer having a viewfinder.

Mine is arriving in a couple of days, curious to compare it to my RX1RII

The funny thing is that the much smaller RX100s have a pop-up flash, EVF and a double-hinged rear screen.

The RX1000s also do not have a full size sensor and corresponding lens

They’re both very compromised cameras. I prefer the RX100’s set of compromises.

 

[The Lamentable Lens]

The funny thing is that the much smaller RX100s have a pop-up flash, EVF and a double-hinged rear screen.

The RX1000s also do not have a full size sensor and corresponding lens

At the risk of putting too fine a point on it:

 

[Digital Nigel]

The funny thing is that the much smaller RX100s have a pop-up flash, EVF and a double-hinged rear screen.

The RX1000s also do not have a full size sensor and corresponding lens

At the risk of putting too fine a point on it:

Yes, I know. I have both sensors in my cameras. And, guess what — the small sensor cameras get used a lot more than the large sensor cameras.

 

[The Lamentable Lens]

The funny thing is that the much smaller RX100s have a pop-up flash, EVF and a double-hinged rear screen.

The RX1000s also do not have a full size sensor and corresponding lens

At the risk of putting too fine a point on it:

Yes, I know. I have both sensors in my cameras. And, guess what — the small sensor cameras get used a lot more than the large sensor cameras.

That’s great—seriously. The less size and weight you need to lug around, the better. My RX100 is likely going to be the next camera headed to MPB. It’s an impressive little powerhouse of a camera, but I just don’t use it much these days.

In any event, you can count me among those who are disappointed that the RX1Riii lacks a tilting LCD, especially because that’s a step backward from the Mark II. That and the lack of weather-sealing are the only real misses for me.

 

[architekt_1]

Not quite Nikon / Canon, but still good.

I recently added Nikon Zf to my kit, and Nikon's menu system to me is a lot more convoluted then current Sony system. Although Zf is still a nice camera to have in the kit though.

 

[Dak on cam]

Not quite Nikon / Canon, but still good.

I recently added Nikon Zf to my kit, and Nikon's menu system to me is a lot more convoluted then current Sony system. Although Zf is still a nice camera to have in the kit though.

Not having had either, I feel like the Nikon Df ticks the "Retro" moniker a bit better because of its autofocus motor (which the FTZ adapter does not have) that allows for using a lot of AF lenses "like intended". Admittedly, once you get into AF-S domain, having IBIS breathes new life into lenses, particularly tele ones. And it also helps with purely manual lenses. But the in-between seems also important.

 

[Richard Butler]

The funny thing is that the much smaller RX100s have a pop-up flash, EVF and a double-hinged rear screen.

The RX1000s also do not have a full size sensor and corresponding lens

At the risk of putting too fine a point on it:

That diagram misrepresents the size difference, as those boxes aren't proportional to the (correct) dimensions stated.

For a start, that full-frame sensor is roughly 4:3, instead of 3:2, but also the Type 1 sensor should be smaller than that.

If you compare the areas of the two rectangles, the smaller one is 15% larger than it should be. If you're using the width of the larger rectangle as your reference point, the smaller rectangle is 28% larger than it should be.

Richard - DPReview.com