Sony DSCRX10/B Cybershot 20.2 MP Digital Still Camera with 3-Inch LCD Screen

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This is the second DSCRX-10 I have ordered. We have always used Nikon & Cannon DSLRs in the past, but the lenses always weigh more than the camera and when traveling internationally it is a pain to lug around and change. This gives a good range of focus with an incredible lens which is a large part of the cost of the camera. I can not go on enough about its capabilities in low to mixed light along with its ability to take multiple frames per second. I took pictures in the salt mines in Poland last month and the blood moon eclipse in Florida this weekend. With its 20 megapixel ability, it gave me some great shots suitable for large prints without losing pixels. I can also create a Warhol effect with the camera instead of the software after the fact. We are not professionals, but own multiple cameras and lens and this is a pleasure to travel with and is my camera of choice. I would recommend the "Photographers Guide to the Sony DSC-RX10" by Alexander S. White as a guide. It is probably the best I have used.

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I really enjoy using super zoom/bridge cameras. They take wonderful images and video in good lighting but are very poor in low light. I wondered if a premium bridge camera like the Sony RX10 with its 1 inch sensor could take better images and video than my current FZ200 bridge camera with a tiny sensor. For my test, I bought a used model from Amazon warehouse deals. Upon first handling the camera, I was amazed by the outstanding quality, feel and handling of the camera. The RX10, while heavier than my other bridge cameras was much lighter than any dSLR type camera I have used. The size is slightly larger than the typical bridge camera but smaller than a dSLR. It seemed perfectly sized for holding a camera securely. The camera feels solidly built with lots of buttons and dials for quick change of settings. The OLED EVF is one of the best I have seen in a camera. Just about every setting can be viewed in the EVF and the images appear almost as good as an optical viewfinder, perhaps even better because you can see what the sensor sees. The EVF has a sensor that detects your eye so that the bright LCD screen in back shifts automatically to the EVF. The image and video quality surpassed my other bridge cameras by a wide margin. I had considered purchasing the new Panasonic FZ1000 that was announced but not yet available and had ordered it from Amazon but after one week my order for the FZ1000 was cancelled. I love using the Sony RX10 and did not want part with it. To my amazement, my camera came with a 30/90 day warranty and Sony offered an extended warranty (3 yr) for under $50 which is a great deal considering the camera was not new. Sony support is excellent so far. Company support is very important should you have issues with your camera. Whats special about the Sony RX10 thats sets it apart from the typical bridge camera. (FZ1000 is excluded because it has very similar but several different capabilities) (Read below about new Firmware 2 update that closes the gap in video.) 1. The large 1 inch sensor captures considerably more detail and allows good low light images up to 3200 ISO. It uses the same sensor as the RX100, II and iii which are rated highly. 2. Constant F2.8 lens is equivalent to a 24-200 dSLR type lens. Outstanding Zeiss designed quality lens. Extends up to 400 dSLR equivalent 3. Magnesium Frame on front and top of camera makes camera very strong and durable. There is plenty of plastic but the metal support makes it light but very strong. 4. Outstanding OLED EVF which is bright; displays lots of information or none if desired. The EVF is much larger than typical bridge EVF so you get to see more of the image. 5. Fast focusing even in low light. The camera uses a Direct Drive SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor) which speeds up focusing. Included light assist when needed. 6. F stops start with F2.8 and goes up to F16 in 1/3 increments. Can be set for smooth or click settings on lens. The competition only goes to F8 which is an issue in bright light. 7. Pop UP Flash illuminates a large room and works well. Minimal red eye. Useful for fill flash. ADP-MAA Adapter allows use of any Sony Flash (not included) is not an advantage 8. LCD display on top adds additional info, useful when camera is on a tripod. Button on top activates the illuminated display. Nice to have but unimportant. 9. Separate control wheel for image compensation on top. Allows exposure compensation from -3 to +3 in 1/3 increments. Its very easy to reach and use. 10. All buttons seem perfectly spaced, very easy to reach and activate. Finger placement seems perfect. 11. Most controls can have different functions set for them. There are two custom settings and the camera has many scene settings. 12. A perfect feel and great handling, excellent grip, easy to hold in one hand and not too heavy. 13. Macro functions work well and focus is very easy to obtain. Image is magnified to check focus. The MF switch is placed near bottom of lens. 14. Camera is perfect for video with inputs for mike and a headphone jack. This makes it perfect for video recording. Great sound display. 15. Micro HDMI allows direct connection to display source for viewing video or images. 16. Wi-Fi enabled for limited control of some shooting functions and uploading images and video. It also includes NFC for connection to smartphone or Tablet. 17. Bright 3 inch 1.3 MP LCD display is easily viewable in bright light. Can articulate up or down only. Its great for shooting overhead or Low to the ground. 18. Good Battery life. Battery life is shone in percent left in number form and works with unbranded batteries. 19. Lens hood is included. Standard 62 lens size easily fits lens protector or polarizer filters. 20. Remote control through old fashioned opening on top of shutter? Old shutter release cables work fine. Wireless and wired remote control possible. 21. Power zoom is slow but steady and quiet for video. See disadvantages 22. Quick menu is very easy to navigate. If you own an RX100, this camera is a snap to operate. 23. Excellent images up to 3200 ISO with a little loss of detail but it is usable and great in low light. 24. AVCHD with multiple settings MP4 recording too and both allow HD video.New 60P with faster bit rates than the Panasonic GH3 25. Weather resistant but not weather sealed but covers are well sealed and solid construction. Separate SD slot. 26. Camera has level for horizon control and levels for controlling audio in video scenes. Easily viewed. 27. Mechanical shutter and an Electronic shutter setting makes camera silent, no audible sound in video. Electronic shutter works up to maximum ISO. 28. Excellent image stabilization. Allows sharp images at slower shutter speed and smooth video. 29. Built in Neutral Density filter works up to 3 stops It works great in bright light and low F stop images. 30. High speed burst possible at lower MP 31. Overall construction quality and feature set you expect in a premium camera. 32. Sony customer support, easy to reach and will support problems. 33. New lower pricing at under $1000 makes this camera a great value for what you get. It still seems pricey but good glass is expensive and you get the camera thrown in. 34. Thank Panasonic for their new FZ1000 which made Sony re-price the $1300 RX10, to the great value that it is today at just under $1000. Its even a better buy used considering the warranty Sony will provide for their cameras. Call first to verify availability! 35. The RX10 is a perfect do everything travel camera. Its best to buy and carry extra batteries and separate charger too. 36. UPDATE 9/30/14 New Firmware version 2.0 adds significant faster bitrates and the new Sony XAVC S Codecs. This newer codec is a subset of MP4 and significantly improves AVCHD with mind blowing bit rates. It supports 4K video which is not included with the update. From Wiki: XAVC S supports resolutions up to 3840 × 2160, uses MP4 as the container format, and uses either AAC or LPCM for the audio. Software that will support XAVC-s include Adobe Creative Suite 6, Avid, Final Cut Pro X, Grass Valleys EDIUS Pro 7, Quantel, Rovi MainConcept SDK, and Sony Vegas Pro 12 To better understand XAVC-s be sure to check Wikipedia and Sony has an excellent PDF explaining this complex codec. What is included is: Xavc S 120 FPS 60P at 50 mbs, 60P at 50 mbs, 30P at 50mbs, 24P at 50mbs AVCHD 60P at 28 mbs and 24P at 24 mbs MP4 1440 by 1080P at 12 mbs, not 4k but higher resolution at a slower bit rate Bottom line for Sony RX10 video users is significantly improved video that was excellent before and now exceeds some cameras that a few years back were pro video cameras. Videos taken at the new high bit rate and codecs will appear even more silky smooth. There is a big catch, you need the fastest SD cards to use the faster codecs. the very minimum is 50 plus mbs card. You can still use you "fast yesterday" SD cards for all images and the lower bit rate videos. Recording at 120P when processed at 24P will produce beautiful smooth slow motion. This is another new feature to equal the FZ competition. Customers asked Sony for even better video using faster bit rates and Sony delivered it in a big way. No 4K video yet. 4K video produces so much heat it can damage a plastic camera if used for very long videos. The metal frame on the RX10 could dissipate the enormous heat from 4K video but it may require extra processing power and firmware space not available in the RX10. If its possible, we could see it in V3.0 or in Sonys next version of the RX10 if it chooses to continue this great camera series. Whats not so great? No camera is perfect and the RX10 has room for lots of improvement. Sony Delivered some with new Firmware 2 1. Camera is not weather sealed or weather proofed at all. Its well constructed but not moisture or dust proof. You need to treat this camera like any other. Avoid rain and if wet dry before using it again. 2. The Lens is extremely heavy, lots of beautiful glass and when fully extended it wobbles if you are moving quickly you notice the movement. I am unaware of lens movement except while moving. 3. Sony uses a proprietary flash connection that requires an adapter for many Sony Flashes and another for non-Sony flashes. Sony flashes are good but expensive. 4. LCD Display screen is sharp and movable but just for up and down shots, no swivel screen that allows selfies. 5. SD slot is quite narrow. To remove SD card, you need to grab edges to remove. Some people complain about this. Its a little annoying but you get used to it. 6. Supplied charger requires charging the battery in the camera. Solution: Buy Wasabi charger and batteries. They work fine in camera. 7. AVCHD and MP4, no MOV like GH3 or 4K video like FZ1000 or GH4 if thats important to you. 8. Limited remote control and wireless capability. Its there but not comprehensive. 9. You can add filters but not change lenses. WYSIWYG. However you do get a premium lens. 10. Camera is close to the size of a small dSLR or MFT but lighter, is not pocket able at all. 11. Supplied strap is too narrow to wear comfortably all day. Replace with wider one that will make camera feel comfortable using all day. Optech has a wide strap with cushion. Another good choice is a hand grip. 12. HDMI output is a micro HDMI slot which works well but is not considered as reliable as mini HDMI slot found on FZ70 and GH3. Please note that the weather resistant design is just marketing hype for quality camera. I wouldnt expose the RX10 to rain, dust or very moist conditions because the zoom lens is vulnerable. No camera with a built-in lens can be made water sealed unless the lens is fully enclosed in a housing. The camera could be used in a very light mist or rain if covered and the camera is allowed to fully dry before use again. Wet circuity will fry if turned on when wet and is not covered in any warranty except if drop and spill coverage is purchased. A disposable womans shower cap provides emergency protection and is easy to carry. Update...Since I purchased the RX10, I purchased a Panasonic GH3 and Panasonic GX7 which are micro four third cameras with a larger sensor than the RX10. I also bought a super wide angle zoom lens, which is amazing and some prime lens to go with these cameras. Unfortunately as great as the RX10 is it has limitations because of the fixed zoom lens These other cameras along with the excellent lenses produce a wider range of images and more versatile video. The GH3 has outstanding video and video options and the GX7 is small and light weight and both are rugged cameras, perfect for travel. The RX10 does amazing well when comparing images and video with these other great cameras with highly rated lenses. The RX10 is a little heavier then these MFT models. The RX10 remains the most complete camera and I find it the most fun to use. It is the first camera I grab for the quick photo. Its definitely a must bring camera for travel photography. I bought the RX10 initially to try out but found it matched the performance of my better cameras with kit lenses and was a real joy to use. Its now is a favorite camera because it works great, is relatively light in weight and easy to use. Its perfect for travel and it is a great value for what it offers. Is the Sony RX10 better than the Panasonic FZ1000, yes and no; yes if you want a better quality fixed zoom camera and no if you want 4K video and the slightly longer zoom on the FZ1000. RX100i, ii, and iii users will find the camera although quite different, extremely easy to use. Im glad I bought the RX10 and after nine months of heavy use, It is still a favorite camera. If you appreciate an easy to use quality camera that takes equally great images and video this camera can be perfect choice for travel and family images. There are a lot of great camera choices out there to explore, for many this could be the perfect choice.

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What a great camera. I found no discernible difference between the photos taken with this camera and much higher priced cameras. The lens is worth more than the price of the camera. To many features to list here. The manual that you can download from Sony is not good. Do yourself a favor and purchase the book "Photographers Guide to the Sony Dsc-Rx10" along with the camera. This book covers the cameras features while giving practical advice on how and when to use each feature.

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Sony is a company of tradition, its products to me have always been respected, the Sony RX10 is an excellent camera, despite the RX10 II and RX10 III models being more sophisticated, this Model RX10 continues in front of many Other Models and Brands, The RX10 has the best price now, $ 800.00 Dolares, the features that this camera offers is within my expectations, especially that I have this camera for the use of videos, the quality of video in 1080P is sensational, it is almost A 4K image, because most cameras that offer 4K are priced much more expensive and mostly offer 4k 30fps, for me the important thing about video would be 4K 60fps, but this is only found in cameras of more than $ 2,000.00 Dollars, Good Work Sony, and Thanks to Amazon for providing quality products and fast delivery.

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Very, very nice camera. It works for those of us who just want to point and click and it would also be nice for those who want to play with all the buttons and stuff to take special pictures. It is just on the edge of being too heavy and not compact enough but makes up for this with really nice pictures especially when in poor lighting,

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I have been looking and looking for a camera that could take great daytime and nighttime shots indoors. This is the camera. I am not a camera buff so I cant go into all the technical details but I can say that this camera is easy to use, takes wonderful indoor and outdoor photos, is very easy to hold in my right hand and has a good viewing screen in back. I would recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for those qualities in a camera. Oh yes, as a note, I have not yet had to use the flash for the nighttime indoor photos.

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Forget what they say about the RX10 not being a real DSLR. Of course it is not, an equivalent full DSLR with such a long range zoom at 2.8 FIXED would cost six times more!. What you should realize, however, is that you can do 95% of what a true DSLR can do and probably have a better video capabilities. I shot about 1000 pictures and the percentage of "keepers" is far beyond what I was achieving with my pro gear (Nikon DSLR). You simply cant get a better camera for the same money, period.

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Wow, love this camera. Ive had an RX100 the past two years and had spent the past eight months debating next step. I considered several of the new-gen mirrorless DSLRs but really had weight and size on my mind (this camera is mainly for backpacking). Finally settled on the RX10. LOVE it. Ergonomics are great -- it handles very well and one-hands easily. Zoom range is extremely useful. Fast Zeiss lens offers great image quality. One-inch sensor is more than adequate unless youre really into pixel-peeping. EVF is very good, and tilt-out LCD screen excellent. I suppose the Sony interface is a little less than ideal, but Im used to it so am not having a problem. And I agree with some reviewers that aperture ring can be balky. Minor nitpicks. I cant address video because that is not of concern to me. Overall, I would be hard-pressed to imagine a better camera for travel, stock photography, even "pro"-level stuff. I used to shoot professionally -- on film -- and find the RX10 really captures the flexibility and excellent image quality my SLRs and multiple lenses used to do. Highly recommend this camera...although in digital space something newer and better is bound to pop up soon.

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The price of this compact camera seems to me to be totally worth it considering its larger sensor size and its wide maximum aperture. As well as the fact of its ability for video rather than just stills. Because it appears to me that Sony also considered the Video crowd as well as the Stills crowd in that video was not just an afterthought like a lot of other compacts. And this camera, for me, comes as close as I can get to Sonys R1 compact from a few years ago but without the high price. As well as the RX100M2 (which I also have) but with a longer zoom range. So I suppose you can say that this camera combines a lot of the qualities as the R1 and the RX100M2. And this camera has the same processor as Sonys A7 which I have been also considering but may wait now for a future upgrade to that A7 full-frame light-weight camera. I have been a longtime fan of Nikon DSLRs and own their 5100 and 7100. But I am slowly shifting my interests to Sonys full-frame and lighterweight cameras. I have been also a consumer of Sonys compact cameras since their F-828 which I still have and love. I dont think you can go wrong with this camera especially since Sony has a lot of experience with single-lens compact cameras and so they make a very good dependable product. Finally, in closing, digital camera author, Gary Friedman, just announced within the past week that he will be coming out with a book about the RX10 during the 2nd quarter of 2014. He originally mentioned that though the camera was a very capable camera, their didnt seem to be that much interest in a book. But that has since changed so I am looking forward to that book.

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I saw the price drop on used/Amazon Warehousedeals so I jumped on the opportunity to own this camera and bought it for under $800. My expectations were not very high since this thing only has a 1inch sensor but the first few test shots simply amazed me. I took some test shots raw + jpg and compared it to my a6000 shots and they are pretty darn good for a small sensor. That zeiss lens is already sharp at F2.8 which puts my 16mm F2.8 pancake lens to shame. Focus distance is excellent @16mm focal length. In good lighting this lens can produce nice results almost comparable to my 18-105mm F4 G Lens on the a6000. I havent tested it yet in low light situations but I would imagine this thing will struggle a bit compared to the APS-C cameras. But I bought this for my personal vacation or all-in-one camera when I dont feel like or need to be bringing $2700+ worth of gear with me. Who is this lens for? For people who want to upgrade from a small point & shoot or cell phone photography but dont want a DSLR and worry about buying many lens. For people that might end up with an entry level Canon, Nikon, Sony etc and never take the kit lens off their camera, I would just go for the Sony RX10. Youre getting better picture quality + features + a weather sealed camera...more bang for the buck then lets say a Canon Rebel with an 18-135 lens or equivelent. Im really having fun with this camera! UPDATE: 9/1/2014 Still love using this camera after almost two months of use. Im a still photographer but I started getting back into video production again after using this camera. Im very impressed with the sharpness and detail you can get from the 1 inch sensor + zeiss lens combo. I just updated to Sonys firmware version 2.0 and video just got even better. The RX10 can now shoot in the new XAVC S codec which adds more shooting options; 60p, 30p 24p and 120p all at 50M bit rate...amazing! But be sure you have a SDXC memory card because you wont be able to use the XAVC S setting if you its anything other than a SDXC card. Heres a budget SD card by PNY that I havent had any problems with... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BIK04ZM/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I also bought the Sony remote http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BIK04ZM/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 to add with my excellent lightweight but stable tripod by Manfrotto http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MKNJAC/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 combined with excellent fluid head http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EXVQJQ/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ...for my "grab-and-go" video equipment. Oh, also, the stereo mics are excellent on the RX10 but outdoors with wind, I have the Sony Microphones ... CM-XYST1M http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BJSYV4S/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Sony ECMALST1 (with Sony ADPMAA adapter) http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ECMALST1-Compact-Stereo-Microphone/dp/B00440D7S4/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1409591061&sr=1-6&keywords=sony+microphone ...and they work great. VIDEO SHOOTING TIME: This camera follows the shooting times of most DSLR still photo/video combos. I was doing some long video shoots recently and as I expected, the camera will stop recording at around 29 minutes 59 seconds or close to 30 minutes... (Not sure yet if using new codec, I was shooting AVCHD at the time) These new cameras are capable of shooting longer without overheating but I guess due to rules, regulations...standards...you know, all that BS out there...DSLR like cameras arent allowed to record longer then 29min59seconds otherwise it would be classified as a camcorder or video camera... I read that online somewhere but cant remember the link. Anyways, the RX10 can handle video longer than my Sony a6000. My a6000 will flash the temperature "overheat" warning symbol at me at (I estimate) just a bit over 20 minutes whereas the RX10, after it cuts out before 30minutes, I can just hit record again right way to continue. Oh, by the way, for longer video shooting, I havent been using batteries, Ive been using the Sony ACPW20 AC Adaptor http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OBUJD0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Its a bit pricey but worth every penny if you shoot long video shoots. For flash photography, I bought the Sony HVLF43M http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQI00EY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and its a bit bulky but its an excellent pairing with the RX10. Great performance from this flash, it hasnt overheated on me yet but then again I dont rapid fire shoot with flash photography. But I like the TTL results that Im getting from my shots otherwise I have no problems with the menu system when I want to shoot manual. LOW-LIGHT PERFORMANCE: My a6000 with 18-105mm F4 combo will get cleaner, high ISO results but marginally BUT that Zeiss T* coated lens on the RX10 seems to be a bit sharper than that SONY "G" lens. I wouldnt recommend it but you can get useable results even at the RX10s max ISO 12800. That BIONZ-X processor is amazing, I can see better details from the RX10 vs. my previous camera, the a99 + Minolta 28-135 F4.5 combo ...in low-light situations. Sony RX10 vs Panasonic fz1000: I have a Sony a6000 and a5000 which all use the same battery as the Sony RX10...I love the fact that I can bring one Sony BC-TRW W Series Battery Charger http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FSB749Q/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ...and I have plenty of spare batteries plus I can use my Sony TTL Flash with two of my cameras and that power adapter works with all the cameras as well. Lets say, if the RX10 used a different battery, I really think I would have considered leaning towards the Panasonic FZ1000. But then, theres the feature strengths and differences of each... the RX10 has a constant F2.8 throughout the entire zoom, the FZ1000 can shoot 4k video (though, lower quality than the GH4!) and has a great 400mm reach on the far end zoom. RX10 has better build quality, FZ1000 is plastic and larger but image results are the same if not as good as the RX10. Well, if one of those features stands out for you above the rest, go for that camera. Both are very good. Im happy with my choice and no regrets especially the RX10 firmware update enabling the new codec..50m video bitrate ...the ability to shoot 120p...WOW!

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