Tag: point-and-shoot

Review – Sony RX0
Introduction
At first glance, you might mistake it for an action camera like GoPro. If you are looking for a better action camera alternative to your GoPro, the Sony RX0 is not the one. Sony RX0 is the first camera that features a 1-inch sensor in such a compact size. The sensor is the same as the Sony RX100 series thus we could expect Sony RX0 would give a similar stunning still image output. Let’s check it out how it performs in real life!
Sony RX0
Key Specification
- 15.3 MP (effective pixels) 1.0 inch stacked CMOS sensor with DRAM chip
- Super slow motion recording up to 960fps/1000fps in NTSC/PAL mode
- Duralumin camera body with waterproof up to 10m (IPX8 equivalent), shockproof up to 2m, crushproof up to 200kgf/2000N
- Zeiss Tessar T* 24mm F4 lens
- 1.5 inches 230K dots TFT LCD screen
- Dimension 59.0 x 40.5 x 29.8 mm (2 3/8 in. × 1 5/8 in. × 1 3/16 in.), weigh 110g
- Up to 16fps continuous shooting (exposure and AF locked at the first shot)
- Up to 1/32000 second anti-distortion shutter
- 25 points contrast-detection AF
- ISO 125 to ISO 12800
- Built-in Wifi and Bluetooth
- Multi-sync camera control via handphones (with PlayMemories install, up to 50 cameras) or Sony camera control box (CCB-WD1, up to 100 cameras), this setup is used to create bullet-time effect video
- 1080/60p internal XAVCS recording
- S-log2 picture profile available
- 4K 30p 4:2:2 10 bit recording via HDMI clean output to an external recorder, e.g., Atomos (recording details obtained from Atomos RX 0 page )
- Micro USB port, Micro HDMI port, and 3.5mm microphone stereo mini-jack
Pros & Cons
Compact and robust built
Waterproof up to 10m!
Still image quality is great, similar as other Sony RX100 cameras
Half-press shutter for focusing
The camera power up pretty fast
Buttons are responsive and provide good feedback
USB power support during shooting
Micro HDMI 4:2:2 10 bit clean output for 4K video recording
3.5mm stereo microphone jack
no internal stabilization (neither optical nor digital)
fixed F4 aperture
slowest shutter speed at 1/4 second
no level indicator
minimum focus distance at 50 cm
no built-in timelapse
no touch screen
the menu is not optimized for such a small screen
120p/100p video recording is only available in 1280×720, not 1920×1080
Camera overheating (less than 20 minutes of video recording) in room temperature, when ‘Auto Power Off Temperature’ set to ‘Standard’;
Body and Design
Sony RX0 is made of duralumin which gives a rock-solid premium feel. It is waterproof (10 m under the water with an IPX8 rating), 2 m shockproof, and crushproof up to 2000N.
Sony RX0 – Front View
Sony RX0 features a fixed F4 Zeiss Tessar 24 mm lens with the Zeiss T* coating. In front of it is the protecting glass panel and two microphones ports.
Sony RX0 – Top View
On top of the RX0 is a power button and a shutter button. The shutter button allows half-press for focusing, which is impressive for such a mini camera. There is a small microphone in between the buttons.
Sony RX0 – Left View
The left side has a blue Zeiss badge and a hole for the wrist strap.
Sony RX0 – Right View
The right side is the battery compartment. The latch is tight, and the compartment door bounces up vigorously when released.
Sony RX0 – Back View
The back has a 1.5-inch LCD screen with a few buttons. The left arrow and dot buttons are customizable. The buttons have good tactile feedback with adequate spacing in between. However, you might have difficulty pressing the buttons if you are wearing thick gloves.
The Ports
On the left side, there is a removable compartment door for extra ports. The compartment door uses the same latch mechanism as the battery compartment. However, it attaches to the camera body with a tiny plastic string. You only need a bit of strength to pull it out, and you will see the ports residing inside.
Sony RX0 – Ports Compartment
There is a micro-SD slot, a micro-HDMI port, a micro-USB port, and a 3.5 mm microphone jack! It is surprising to see the microphone jack on such a mini Sony RX0. Even its larger Sony RX100 VI brother also does not offer the microphone jack.
The micro-SD card slot does not have any dummy-proof insertion. Please take note that the micro-SD card chips shall be facing to the LCD screen.
Sony RX0 – External Cable Protector
You can mount a protector to the ports compartment if you connect any cable to the external device. It prevents the cable from accidentally being pulled and damages the camera.
Sony RX0 – Bottom View
The bottom offers a standard 1/4-inch metal tripod mount hole. It is not something common on a compact camera like this. Thumbs up for the Sony RX0!
Although Sony RX0 is barely a wireless earpiece box size, it is packed with a surprising number of useful ports, buttons, and an LCD screen. The single-piece duralumin body has a smooth, cold, and rigid feel but is light in weight. It seems built to last and withhold the rough use in the tough environment.
Camera Performance
ISO Performance
Raw
I crop the RAW samples for ISO comparison as shown below.
ISO125
ISO200
ISO400
ISO800
ISO1600
ISO3200
ISO6400
ISO12800
The ISO125 to ISO800 shots are clean and clear. ISO1600 and ISO3200 shots are noisier but still retain a good amount of details. ISO6400 shot starts to show color noise, but the details still retain well. ISO12800 color noise is pretty significant and has lost quite an amount of details.
JPEG
As shown below, I crop the straight out of camera (OOC) JPEG samples for ISO comparison.
ISO125
ISO200
ISO400
ISO800
ISO1600
ISO3200
ISO6400
ISO12800
The ISO125 to ISO800 shots are clean and clear. ISO1600 and ISO3200 shots are noisier but still retain a good amount of details. ISO6400 shot is barely usable, and the ISO12800 OOC is quite soft and lost most of the details in the shots.
Let’s see some high ISO shots (ISO2000 or above) below. I apply noise reduction in the Capture One 21 Pro with minor adjustments (e.g., exposure adjustments, cropping, etc.)
I’m happy with the high ISO shot quality after applying the noise reduction in post-processing. It is definitely not comparable to any latest-generation APS-C camera. However, if you are satisfied with the Sony RX100 outputs, you will not be disappointed with the Sony RX0 shots.
AF Performance
The Sony RX0 provides single-shot AF and manual focus when shooting still. The Sony RX0 AF performance reminds me of the Sony RX100 IV, the 25 contrast detection only AF points, 16 fps with AF and AE locked on first shot.
I take the shots below in a cafe, which is a pretty dark environment.
Generally, Sony RX0 focuses pretty fast and accurately in good lighting. However, the AF performance at night is hit-or-miss.
When doing video recording, only “preset focus” and “manual focus” are available. In preset focus mode, you may activate the ‘Near’ option to focus anything from 0.5 m to 1 m. Otherwise, Sony RX0 will focus on anything beyond 1 m.
Dynamic Range
The dynamic range of the Sony RX0 15.3 MP Exmor RS sensor is impressively good at 12.4 EV although it is a 1-inch sensor only.
To enjoy the high dynamic range, we have to shoot in RAW. Let’s check out the dynamic range comparison between the RAW and JPEG from the two sample sets below.
JPEG Edited
RAW Edited
JPEG Edited
RAW Edited
Sony RX0 RAW files preserve an amazing amount of details in both the highlight and shadow areas. As shown above, I can dramatically pull back the overexposed highlight details and bring up the shadow details from the RAW files.
Lens Performance
Sharpness
Full Size Sample Image
Sony RX0 only has one aperture at F4. It means there is no optimal sharpness at any specific aperture. I crop the center and bottom-left areas to test the sharpness.
Center
Center Sharpness
The center area is sharp and shows a significant amount of details.
Corner
Corner Sharpness
The corner sharpness is good too.
Overall, Sony RX0 offers good sharpness from corner to corner. Due to the 1-inch sensor size, the DoF is depth enough to cover foreground and background without losing the sharpness.
Chromatic Aberration
Full Size Sample Image
I crop the center and the top-right corner high contrast area to examine the CA handling.
Center
Center CA
Sony RX0 controls the CA nicely in the center area. No visible CA is spotted.
Corner
Corner CA
There is noticable purple and magenta CA in the corner area. Luckily, we can fix it in post-processing easily.
Distortion
Before Correction
After Correction
The barrel distortion is significant. Turn on the distortion compensation in the camera could correct it properly.
Flare and Ghosting
Sony RX0 Zeiss T* coating controls the flare pretty well. There is no irritating flare across the frame.
Shooting Experiences
The Sony RX0 is the smallest and most compact 1-inch sensor camera I have ever seen and used. The build is rock solid, and it’s so compact and convenient to bring along anytime, anywhere!
Using the Sony RX0 in a restaurant keeps me low-profile. It is quick to take out, take a few snapshots, and put it back into my bag. However, I wish it could reduce the minimum focus distance from 50 cm to somewhere like 20 cm or even closer. 50 cm is somehow an awkward distance for food photography.
Now talk about some shortfalls of the Sony RX0. The first thing I want to highlight is the slowest shutter speed of 1/4 second. Why is there such a limitation on the slowest shutter speed imposed on the Sony RX0?
It eliminates the possibility of long exposure photography, which is a pity for such a gem!
The Sony RX0 does not support any stabilizing, neither optical nor digital. It is almost impossible to get stable video recording footage without the gimbal. The video recording in the standard ‘Auto Power Off Temperature’ mode results in overheating within 20 minutes in an air-conditioned room. Changing the settings to ‘High’ would get over 1 hour of filming time before the battery is drained.
A camera with such a compact size is a perfect candidate for time-lapse photography. Unfortunately, Sony RX0 does not natively support timelapse options like its 3rd generation a7 brothers or the new Sony RX100 VI. What a waste!
I enjoy shooting using the Sony RX0. It became one of my daily cameras without any hesitation.
Bottom Line
Sony RX0 is a creative, capable, and compact mini camera. It packs a similar image quality sensor as the Sony RX100 series in a much smaller and solid camera body.
However, the compact body restricts its capabilities, like the 50 cm minimum focus distance, overheating, and lack of image stabilization. Besides, some features might be enhanced through future firmware updates, e.g., the timelapse function and the longer shutter speed.
Overall, it is a powerful tiny camera with a big room for improvement. Is it a replacement for GoPro? No, Sony RX0 is targeting a different area. It is a solid-built mini camera with excellent image quality, allowing you to use it in unusual places that a normal camera cannot achieve, such as a glass with water, a washing machine, a tank, etc.
That’s all for the Sony RX0 review. I hope you enjoy it and happy shooting!
5 Aug 2020
Review – Sony RX100 V
Introduction
Sony RX100 V
The RX100 series is well-known for its 1-inch image sensor, high-quality fixed Zeiss zoom lens, and numerous features packed in a well-built compact body since it was first introduced in 2012. In 2016, the fifth-generation Sony RX100 V was introduced with incredible AF and buffer size and improved over the predecessors. Let’s have a look at it now!
(more…)
11 Jun 2017
Review – Sony RX1R II
Introduction
In 2012, Sony announced the original Sony RX1 and RX1R- a surprisingly small form factor compact full-frame camera. Technically, Sony RX1R is a Sony RX1 without an AA (anti-alias) filter. Both of them come with an outstanding Zeiss Sonnar F2 fixed lens and output impressive images from the 24 MP sensor. (You may read my review for the original RX1R here). Although the original Sony RX1R gives impressive output, it still has a lot of room for improvement. After three years of waiting, Sony finally announced the successor – the Sony RX1R II.
(more…)
1 Aug 2016
Photography Tips: 5 Consideration Before Buying a Camera
Photography starts by getting yourself a camera and taking the shots. Regardless you are using a phone camera, point-and-shoot, mirrorless, or DSLR, a camera that is always with you is the best camera. Nowadays, the camera has become more and more common and cheaper in the market. If you are new to the camera market, buying a camera is always a headache problem.
Leica, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, and many other brands are now in the market. Each of them has its good and bad. That’s the reason that people always confuse – which camera brand is better? Which camera performs better? So, will you get the answer from this post? No, I’m not going to tell you which camera is the best or which brand is the most preferable, but I will give you some guides to assist you in listing out your criteria yourself.
1. Budget
Photography isn’t cheap entertainment. It isn’t something like, oh, it is just buying a camera, and that’s it. No, when you are serious in photography, you may want more than just a camera.
You will think you need an extra battery, a faster memory card, and maybe a tripod? If you bought a point and shoot initially, you may start looking for an APS-C or even a full-frame camera when you become a more advanced photographer. Once you get a better camera, you will look further for a better lens, and it will be the beginning to cost you an arm and a leg (or even more than that).
So never spend your entire budget on a camera. Keeping some spare money is always a wise action. Check the prices of the extra battery, external charger, memory card, tripod, camera bag, and so on, then deduct those costs from your budget. The leftover will be your “actual budget” for your camera.
2. Purpose
What is your purpose in buying a new camera? First camera? Replacement? Backup?
Travel Light
If you want a camera to shoot during your traveling or journey, a lightweight camera like point-and-shoot or mirrorless may be your choice. Because you have to enjoy your travel, a light camera allows you to carry a whole day without much effort or tiredness.
Enthusiast
If you are an enthusiast, choose a micro four-third or APS-C camera with interchangeable-lens capability. You have the joy of exploring different lenses, especially the prime lens (you may love it or hate it), and having more user controls in the aperture, shutter speed, exposure, and DOF (Depth of View), etc.
Going for Business
If you run a business, it is recommended to use a full-frame camera, either a mirrorless or DSLR. Let’s imagine, if you go to a photography shop to take a portrait or hire an event photographer (wedding, sport, etc.), then what do you feel when you see the photographer use a point-and-shoot or handphone to do the job? Yea, you got the feel, right? A black square-ish big camera always gives people a “wow”, this photographer is a professional!
Backup
When you are going to buy a backup camera, I guess that you are likely shooting some severe events that you couldn’t afford for any loss of a moment. At this stage, get yourself the same model camera, or at least the same brand camera that utilizes the same lens mount. By then, you will save tons of money by sharing the lenses and boosting your efficiency during the shooting, as both your primary and backup cameras are using identical/similar settings.
So please be clear with yourself otherwise you might regret that why you get something doesn’t fit your purpose.
3. RAW Capable
RAW format is a handy and recommended image format. Almost all the mirrorless and DSLR are RAW-capable. However, if you intend to buy a PAS (point and shoot), it is better to choose the RAW-capable one. You may not understand the advantages of using RAW yet, but a RAW-capable camera is always a good-to-go. You will appreciate that you bought a RAW-capable camera when you need it or just realized how powerful it is.
As compared above, the sky is overexposed. I adjust the highlight and exposure settings in post-processing. The JPEG photo overexposed area is dead-white, while the RAW photo overexposed area still preserves the color and sky details.
4. After-Sale Services
How convenient are you able to reach the service center? How long the service maintenance take? You definitely won’t want to ship your camera/travel for a few hours to send your camera for service and wait for a month or two to get it back (if you purchased from another country). So check with your local retailer about the warranty and service, like how long does the maintenance take or is there any service charge. Knowing more about the after-sale services before buying the camera will keep your money safe in your wallet.
5. User Review
You can get a lot of user reviews from Amazon, BHPhoto, and other websites. These user reviews are very helpful to assist you in understanding more about the camera in a broader manner which you might never know before you own the camera. Besides, reviews from some personal or professional camera sites provide good technical analysis data and more accurate/real-life sample shots or even compare your “wishlist” camera. Read those reviews to narrow down the choices, keep in mind those reviews about your “final choice”, and then try it out at the retail shop.
Bottom Line
Want to know more about which kind of camera suit you the best? A point-and-shoot? a mirrorless? Or a DSLR? Then stay tuned, and you may find it out from my coming posts: 5 Reasons to Own a point-and-shoot, 5 Reasons to Own a Mirrorless, and 5 Reasons to Own a DSLR. Hopefully, the points mentioned above will help you in buying a camera that fits your needs.
Thanks for your reading and I hope you like it =)
29 Mar 2014