GADGET GIZMO REVIEW..................... Sony CyberShot RX10

GADGET GIZMO REVIEW Sony CyberShot RX10  PRICE 84,990 That Sony’s new RX10 is a ‘bridge-style’ camera is evident when you first see it. It also looks and feels decidedly premium with a weather-sealed mag-alloy body, superb ergonomics & all the bells & whistles you could possibly ask for. Like many bridge cameras, it has DSLR-like styling with a fixed lens. The difference here is that the lens is a Carl Zeiss unit with a maximum f2.8 aperture throughout the 24-200mm (8.3x) zoom range. Obviously, the excellent 1-inch backlit CMOS sensor (taken from the highly-rated Sony RX100 II) will deliver those results here too, with the added advantage of the zoom. If we started listing out all the features and controls that the RX10 has, we’d need the entire page. Notably, weliked the secondary LCD (with backlight), the excellent electronic viewfinder, the customisable nature of the buttons and the built in electronic levels. The camera also includes NFC and WiFi — with Sony’s PlayMemories app, you can control the camera (with a remote live view) using your phone/tablet. The video results are especially spectacular thanks to the new processor & some new sensor technologies. The biggest hurdle for the RX10 will be the price. We’re the first to admit that the RX10 offers a unique proposition: a large sensor in a compact body with a fast (but non removable) superzoom lens. Sony is probably trying to fill a niche — people who don’t want the complexities of a digital SLR but still want something reasonably compact with highquality results. The problem is, there are loads of cheaper options. For instance, Sony’s own NEX series of cameras ( 31,990 onwards) offer larger APS-C sensors with interchangeable lenses. Sony’s RX100 II ( 42,990) offers the same 1-inch CMOS sensor as the RX10 but with a smaller lens. Or you could get Canon’s EOS M ( 34,995, with 18-55mm lens). While the RX10 is great in its own right, our preference remains a DSLR with a single, do-it-all lens. SPECIFICATIONS   20,1 MP, 1-inch CMOS, Bionz X processor, Carl Zeiss 24-200mm f2.8 lens, OLED viewfinder, magnesium alloy casing, flash, WiFi, NFC, 1080p video, micro HDMI, 1080mAh battery, 813 grams Excellent results (esp. video), WiFi (remote shooting), secondary LCD, fast f2.8 superzoom lens, build quality Expensive, fixed lens, numerous DSLR options with larger sensors available for a lesser price HITESH RAJ BHAGAT ET131230