Professionals
- Full-frame, 60.2-megapixel sensor
- Quick, sharp Zeiss lens
- Very compact
Cons
- The worth
- Yikes, the value
- See above
- Additionally, no picture stabilization
The Sony RX1R III (aka the DSC-RX1RM3) is a compact, fixed-lens digicam with a secret: a full-frame, 60.2 megapixel sensor. Often large, high-res picture sensors solely are available in large, interchangeable lens our bodies. The RX1R III is nearer in dimension to compact cameras just like the Ricoh GR IV and Panasonic Z99, each of which have smaller picture sensors and decrease decision.
Utilizing the RX1R III appears like utilizing another point-and-shoot digicam. You need to use it on full auto to get spectacular outcomes direct from the digicam, or dial down into the settings to get the precise aesthetic you need. Image high quality is spectacular, far past what’s attainable with any telephone and most different compact cameras.
The RX1R III’s largest downside, when you can name it that, is the value. At $5,100 it is way more costly than extra versatile mirrorless cameras and far more than smaller, extra compact cameras. It is an actual oddball of a product however for a really particular individual it could be good.
Sony RX1R III
| Picture decision | 60.2 MP (9,504×6,336) |
|---|---|
| Video decision | 4K30 |
| Sensor dimension | Full body (35.7×23.8mm) |
| Lens | 35mm f/2 |
| Picture stabilization | Digital |
| Display sort | 2.95-inch LCD touchscreen, mounted |
| Storage | SD |
| Weight | 498g (1.1lbs) |
| App | iOS/Android |
The RX1R III is smaller but heavier than you’d count on. Most photos make it look like it is a small mirrorless digicam, however that is positively extra point-and-shoot sized. Its steel physique (magnesium) feels fairly strong. All the varied dials have a satisfying click on to them. Even the lens cap feels weighty and substantial. This appears like a premium digicam, which is nice as a result of it’s. The scale and weight do not make for a very snug digicam to carry, however I by no means felt like I used to be going to drop it.
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The lens barrel has three rings. The outermost is for guide focus, the center allows a macro-focusing mode (as shut as 0.2m/7.9in), and the innermost ring is for aperture. That is overridden in modes that routinely set it. On high of the physique there are dials for mode and publicity, plus one in every of 3 user-programmable buttons. The “multi interface shoe” on high has a digital audio interface.
The touchscreen, sadly, does not pivot or tilt out, a helpful function many cheaper cameras have. There’s an OLED viewfinder that routinely prompts if you deliver the digicam near your face. It is contrasty and detailed. Along with the opposite programmable buttons, there is a scroll wheel, which makes navigating the various menus fairly straightforward.
One notable function that is surprisingly lacking is picture stabilization. Many different cameras use optical or sensor stabilization to assist cut back picture blur when capturing hand-held with lengthy shutter speeds. That it is lacking right here, particularly for the value, is odd. The quick lens and nice picture sensor carry out fairly effectively collectively, so I suppose Sony did not assume it was vital. Nonetheless, it is a unusual factor to lack in 2025 and past.
Additionally a bit unusual are the mediocre video capabilities. Sony clearly intends this digicam for pictures, not video. Whereas 4K30 is “high-quality” in that it is higher than HD, there are a lot of extra inexpensive cameras that may do much more. Even your telephone can probably do 4K60. With a big “zoomed in” crop issue and solely marginally-effective digital picture stabilization (greater than what pictures get, to be truthful) you in all probability would not need to shoot a lot video with it anyway.
Sony’s Creators’ App related to my Pixel 9 Professional on the primary attempt. This is without doubt one of the higher digicam apps I’ve used, letting you management the digicam, charge and choose photographs and movies to obtain or add to the cloud, delete undesirable photographs in bulk, save settings to the telephone or cloud. The distant digicam management, with a dwell view, helps you to modify the digicam’s varied settings.
Usability and photograph high quality
All pictures on this part are unedited apart from some cropping.
Regardless of the value and spectacular specs, the RX1R III works identical to another compact fixed-lens digicam. There’s an Auto mode that does a superb job setting publicity and shutter velocity to the scene. The autofocus works shortly and well. If you wish to dial in any particular settings, there are a number of dials proper close to your fingers to take action.
On the left is the photograph as taken. On the fitting is a full HD (1,920×1,080) crop.
Having a 60.2-megapixel sensor is wild. My large Canon R6 makes do with “simply” 20.1, and my Fujifilm X100VI has what I assumed was a formidable 40.2. Decision is only one side of picture high quality, and when you’re posting on social media, even 20.1 megapixels is a lot. Nevertheless, the additional decision is not nearly added element however how a lot you possibly can crop a picture. You primarily do not want a telephoto lens when capturing with the RX1R III. You’ll be able to crop up to now into a picture that it seems such as you’ve acquired an enormous zoom lens, regardless that it is a mounted 35mm.
The 35mm Zeiss lens is implausible. At f2, it presents some spectacular light-gathering efficiency and a few beautiful clean bokeh. It is also sharp and creates pleasing starbursts when stopped down and capturing right into a vivid mild supply just like the solar. The close-focusing mode, plus the excessive decision, helps you to seize impressively shut macro photographs.
On the fitting is a full HD (1,920×1,080) crop of the left picture.
That decision does include a draw back: large file sizes. JPEGs are about 14 megabytes and their accompanying uncooked recordsdata are round 64MB. These recordsdata switch pretty shortly to your telephone nevertheless it’s price retaining in thoughts when you shoot so much. Massive SD playing cards and an additional exhausting drive are a should, as is an honest laptop to course of them with out bogging down. Then once more, for the kind of folks I think about have an interest within the RX1R, they probably have already got all of that.
My solely actual criticism is the ergonomics. It is a heavy digicam for its dimension, and there is not any thumb relaxation and solely the smallest of entrance grips on your fingers. It makes the RX1R just a little awkward to carry, particularly for any size of time. There are many aftermarket equipment to handle this problem, so this is not an issue per se, simply one thing to remember. And to be clear, this can be a small digicam that is lighter than lots of its high-end contemporaries. The Leica Q3, for instance, which makes use of the identical picture sensor, is nearly 50% heavier.
Largely, although, the RX1R is a versatile and forgiving digicam. It feels very straightforward to take very high-quality, great-looking pictures in a wide range of lighting conditions. The sensor’s excessive dynamic vary helps you to expose for highlights and get impressively low-noise shadows you possibly can brighten in publish. Colours are deep and lifelike. It is all very confidence-inspiring that you’ll get some nice pictures with minimal fuss. Or, if you wish to fuss, get one thing particular.
$84.72 per megapixel
The RX1R III is, as I’ve stated already, wild. In the event you take worth out of the equation, it is a sensible little digicam: nice lens, spectacular sensor, small dimension and simple to make use of. That is the actual world, nonetheless, so worth must be part of the equation… I suppose? I imply, does a Porsche driver care that their Boxster is dearer than a Mazda MX-5 however equally enjoyable? Are there folks wanting to avoid wasting up for months to get the RX1R III? I’ve to imagine an enormous proportion of individuals seeking to purchase this digicam already produce other cameras, and $5,100 is not an enormous deal.
Does the RX1R III provide sufficient efficiency to justify its vital premium over different compact cameras? For most individuals, no. You could possibly purchase the smaller, easily-pocketable Ricoh GR IV and the quirky Fujifilm X100VI and nonetheless have the funds for to fly to Japan and use them each for 2 weeks. There are small, full-frame mirrorless cameras that may do all the pieces the RX1R III and extra for lots much less cash. That appears past the purpose of this digicam, although.
The Ricoh GR IV and the Sony RX1R III.
There are, nonetheless, individuals who need and/or want greater than what the Ricoh and Fuji and their APS-C-sized sensors can present. In my thoughts, the RX1R III could be good for knowledgeable photographer, particularly somebody who shoots weddings and occasions, who needs one thing quick and simple that may match the standard of their large, primary cameras. Some extent-and-shoot digicam with a fantastic lens and sensor that creates photographs you possibly can’t inform have been taken by a point-and-shoot digicam. So for these folks, or I suppose anybody who does not flinch on the thought of a $5,100 gadget, the RX1R III is spectacular and matches right into a tiny area of interest all its personal.
