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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
Now in its fourth
generation, the mighty RX100 is as much an engineering marvel
as it is one of the most
desirable compact cameras around. Previous generations
have won numerous accolades and Sony has
stuck to the same recipe.
The recipe? It's simple: take a large sensor
(1-inch in this case, slightly smaller
than a traditional DSLR
but vastly larger than the average compact cam),
a high-quality all-metal body, add a
phenomenal Carl Zeiss lens with A
f1.8 aperture, throw in
some of the best image processing hardware &
software and finally ,
impossibly include numerous extras in the pocketable
form factor (a customisable lens ring, pop
up flash, NFC, WiFi, a high-res
screen that tilts up & down) and an
excellent electronic viewfinder.
From the mark 2 to 3 was
a big jump in terms of performance.
In our review of the
mark 3, we had said: “it is small, attractive, delivers
high-quality results and suits almost anyone
with a penchant for photography.
“ The mark IV builds on
the same concept and gives you some improvements.
Visually , they are nearly identical, but
the mark 4 now includes 4k video
recording (up to 5
minutes of recording in 4k at a time), a higher resolution
LCD monitor, higher resolution EVF
(electronic viewfinder), faster continuous
shooting (because of improvements at how the
sensor handles data), faster
shutter speeds and faster & more
accurate autofocus.
When you first pick up
the camera, you realise that it's different because of
the considerable heft. Sony has packed in a
lot of technology into a fairly
small body and it feels
`dense'. There's a power toggle, zoom levershutter,
mode dial and flash release
on top. There's a collection of 5 buttons and a
rotating D-pad on the back and a small
trigger to pop up the electronic
viewfinder on the left
side. The control lens around the lens controls a
combination of shutter speed & aperture
as pre-configured. But you can
change it to control
overall exposure, ISO, white balance, switch between
creative styles or picture effects, zoom,
shutter speed, aperture or disable
it completely . The display is not touch,
but it does articulate -moving down
to allow you to take overhead shots or
perpendicular, to allow waist-level
shooting. Handily, the screen also flips up
completely for selfies
(and shooting this way
also enables a 3-second timer). Three more
things to note: popping
up the EVF starts the camera as well -and it
automatically turns off
the primary dis play when you hold it your the flash
will nev eye. Second, the flash will never
pop up and auto-fire, even in full
auto mode -this prevents the
less-than-flattering, harshly lit flash photos
in the hands of a novice. And finally, 4k
video requires that you use a class
10 micro SD card or
better. If you use a slower card, those options will not be
visible in the menu. Coming to the
performance, it is spectacular, to say the
least.Sony's recipe works efficiently and
precisely to deliver the sort of results
that will consistently wow you. The wide
f1.8 aperture combined with the
amazing sensor and optical stabilisation can
deliver super shallow depth of
field, sharp low light
photos and accurate colours. We tested it out under a
variety of conditions
and even at ISO 6400, the results are very impressive
-surpassing most mid-range DSLRs in noise
levels, accuracy and speed.
The 4k video and 1000
fps slow motion video is just icing on the cake.
The execution and
brilliance of the RX100 series has to be experienced to be
believed. The price is most obvious
deterrent for most people. Sure, it's as
expensive as two mid-range DSLRs, but this
is not a camera for someone
who is looking to buy a
bulky DSLR (or even a fiddly micro four thirds,
interchangeable lens
camera). It all boils down to this: whether you're a
complete novice, a
photography enthusiast, prosumer or an experienced
professional, the camera steps up to meet
your skill levels and rewards you
with exceptional results, every time. In
fact, the mark 4 is the world's best
compact camera in our opinion.
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hitesh bhagat
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ET9SEP15
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