Everytime Sony’s launched a new RX100, one can’t help but look back at its incredible origins. The Sony RX100 V’s roots date back to 2012, when the company announced a trailblazing camera, the Sony RX100 which had a 1-inch sensor packed into a camera body that can slip innocuously into your pocket, the very fi rst of its kind.
With every iteration we’d review, the lineage would hold our admiration. I was looking forward to see how impressed the RX100 V would leave me.
Features
This camera disrupts the compact camera segment with a whole host of fi rsts. It is the fi rst 1-inch sensor camera to offer a hybrid autofocus with 315 AF points, covering around 65% of the screen. It’s also the fi rst compact to offer 24fps in both JPEG and RAW at full resolution with full AF and auto exposure. Which is incredible because it’s like watching a video, except they’re all images from a 1-inch sensor compact camera. What makes it even more fun it that you can do all of this with the silent electronic shutter enabled do that your subject remains undisturbed. It also gives 4k video, oversampled from UHD 4k without pixel binning, producing stunning details and cementing its place as a video enthusiast’s go-to at an affordable, pocketable range.
What remains familiar is the 20MP 1-inch BSI-CMOS sensor, the same as its predecessor and direct competitor, the Canon PowerShot G7X Mark II. While the original RX100 came with a 28–100mm f/1.8-4.9 lens, it was changed to a faster and wider 24–70mm f/1.8- 2.8, albeit a shorter one. All of this in dimensions that remains pretty much unchanged from the RX100 III and IV. The similarly sized G7X II on the other hand offers the 100mm reach while keeping the same brighter aperture range and also has a rubber thumb grip and touchscreen both of which are sorely missed on the RX100 V.
There is, however, a much appreciated EVF with 2.35m dots, unlike the G7X II. Like the older versions of the camera, you have to pull the EVF up and out to use it and when pushed back in, it still
inexplicably shuts the camera off, wasting time in waiting for it shut down and switch it back on.
inexplicably shuts the camera off, wasting time in waiting for it shut down and switch it back on.
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| The small, discreet size and tilting LCD was perfect to get this shot, without really distracting musicians. Exposure: 1/320sec at f/3.5 (ISO 160) |
Handling
Looks wise, the V is identical to both the III and IV, without any distinguishable features or size difference apart from the numbering on the body. The same aluminum body adorns its fast innards, without, as I mentioned before, any kind of rubber grip. Although the dense body feels solid to hold, the body makes shooting slightly uncomfortable and slippery sans any grip. The 1.3m dot LCD too is fairly delicate and quite prone to attracting scratches, smudges and dust. The lack of a touchscreen is puzzling and becomes fairly problematic when focusing as you will need to click away through a menu and the dial to focus.
Its fold-in flash is small, but powerful. When using the flash at the wide end, it does tend to throw a shadow when the subject is close. And since there is no hot shoe, it could be problematic. Interestingly, you can hold it in place at a 90° and use it as a bounce flash off the ceiling. What is most appealing about using the camera is its size. Innocuous and small with a tilting LCD ensures that subjects remain unaware and you are able to capture unguarded moments with ease.
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| There is a fair amount of detail that i was able to recover from the hazy background. Exposure: 1/400sec at f/3.5 (ISO 320) |
Performance
We’ve always been impressed with the image quality of the RX100 series and the V is no exception. It remains largely the same as the IV. There’s a good amount of details that one can bring out from the RAW files and the JPEG engine is fairly good. Details are retained much better than they did in the RX100 IV. The ISO control is great too, you can set the minimum and maximum limits for the ISO range. This is also available when shooting video, which is incredibly valuable.
What is truly noteworthy about the camera is its 24fps shooting possible even with continuous AF, which is like watching a video unfold in front of you. It takes a lot of time, however, to buffer. The video powerhouse is what we called the RX100 IV and it stands even more true for the V. The camera uses UHD 4k footage and oversamples it to 4k, offering an incredible amount of detail, albeit its recording limit is only 5 minutes.
Another incredible video feature is the HFR or High Frame Rate, which captures impossibly slow motion video. When a colleague viewed footage of waves hitting the shore, they thought that it was a still image, in the beginning. The battery life remains a sore point, where I got only about 270 shots before it died out. Carry plenty of spares!
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V remains a at the top of its class. The other options lies in the Canon G7X Mark II with a 100mm lens, far better ergonomics and a price point. However, it does not have the AF capability, video offering or image quality of the RX100 V or even the RX100 IV for that matter. For video enthusiasts, the quality and control offered at this price point can be incredibly valuable, if you also consider how pocketable it is. The stills photographer looking for a fast, accurate camera with incredible control, an EVF and great image quality, for everyday and travel, one need look no further.
FINAL RATINGS
4K video, slow motion video, 24fps stills in RAW, EVF, no mic input, no hotshoe
19/20
Performance
Very Fast AF, sad battery life, good quality both in stills and video
38/40
Build Quality
Sturdy aluminum body, LCD prone to scratches and prints
13/15
Ergonomics
No touchscreen on LCD, no hand grip
17/20
Warranty & Support
Two-year warranty, limited service facilities
3/5
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