Sony RX100 IV Review
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Sony RX100 IV Review[/caption]The Sony RX100 mark 4 hardly needs an introduction, after all it's the fourth generation in one of the most successful lines of popular high end pocket cameras. It still rates at 20.1MP, but the Exmor RS 1" stacked sensor design is radically new, and that sensor brings new features including 4K video recording, potentially better image quality and extreme slow motion video recording. To look at the mark 4, you'd think it was the mark 3 since the body hasn't changed. Indeed, you still get a tiny pop-up EVF (same size, but upgraded to XGA resolution), 3" rear flippable LCD and 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 equivalent zoom lens. But inside, it's an even more high tech animal.
The Sony weighs 10.5 ounces with battery and SD card, and it's as small as any of the more compact point and shoots. Unlike point and shoot cameras with even smaller sensors, the RX100 captures surprisingly high quality images and video--it's truly a marvel of technology given its size. And you'll pay dearly for that since it sells for $950, which is nearly as much as the Sony RX10 II or the first generation Sony a7 full frame ILC (body only). It has a 3x zoom lens not unlike kit zoom lenses, and those upgrading from a point and shoot might find it a bit lacking in telephoto range since cheaper pocket cameras often have longer zooms. Why the shorter zoom on such and expensive camera? Sony focused on optical quality instead with the Zeiss Sonnar T* lens. It's a remarkably sharp lens with lovely contrast and colors. Granted there's distortion, particularly at the wide end that you can see in the EVF since it shows you what the sensor sees rather than a corrected JPEG, but the camera's JPEG processing cures the barrel distortion, as does the included Capture One Express desktop software for RAW conversions.
Speaking of RAW format, the camera can shoot in both RAW and JPEG for stills and it can shoot in MP4, AVCHD as well as the higher quality XAVC-S format. The camera can shoot 4K video in XAVC-S format for clips up to 5 minutes (it's time limited to prevent camera overheating). Heat, as ever is an issue with small Sony cameras, and we did see heat warnings at the 10 to 15 minute mark when recording 1080p XAVC-S video. Sony requires a 64 gig class 10 UHS 1 card for 4K, HFR and XAVC-S recording, and the still hard to find UHS 3 standard for the highest bitrate options (100M).
We won't dwell long on the RX100's design because frankly it's barely changed over the generations. Rather than going with the retro look that's so popular with high-end mirrorless cameras these days, the RX100 is fairly modern and sleek. It's also tiny and slippery. The black metal casing has no textured coating or faux leather, and the closest thing you'll get to a grip is a hint of a rubbery thumb rest mounted on the upper right rear. The body is all metal, befitting a camera this expensive, and it feels convincingly rigid, though it's by no means meant for rough handling or splashes from the rapids as are professional dSLRs. The rear flipping LCD goes up and down but not sideways, and the hinge mechanism, like the tiny pop-up flash's may feel delicate but they hold up well with a year of use, based on our testing of past generations. The LCD can flip up for selfies, down for over the head concert shots and up so you don't have to kneel on the ground to grab that butterfly or crawling baby shot.
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Sony RX100 IV Review[/caption]Controls are simple and small; Sony has little room to work with on this 4 x 2 3/8 x 1 5/8 inch camera. There's a single metal control dial up top with the standard PASM modes, auto mode, video and the new HFR (high frame rate recording) mode. Zoom is controlled by the single ring surrounding the lens (updated with a crosshatch pattern for better grip) or via the lever in front of the shutter button. That lens ring changes based on context--in aperture priority mode it changes aperture, in shutter priority mode it changes the shutter speed. It can also be assigned to DMF (direct manual focus, aka tweaking focus after auto-focusing). The rear Fn button brings up quick settings, typical of Sony cameras, and there's a small d-pad with control wheel on the rear. There are two ports: micro USB for charging, image transfer and firmware updates and a micro HDMI out port for monitoring recording and playback to a TV. Despite some high end to pro videography features, there's no mic jack, headphone jack or hot shoe to use an external mic. Your only options are the built-in stereo mic that's good enough for recreational use or an external recorder and that you'll sync to your recorded video in Premiere, Vegas, Final Cut or the video editor of your choice
The new stacked sensor in theory allows for better image quality, or at least less noise through reduced signal loss. The RX100 II and RX100 III already have very low noise levels given the 1" sensor, so we're starting from such a high baseline that's it's hard to say that noise levels are noticeably reduced. Low light, high ISO shots are where you'll find the most noise in digital cameras, and that's already well controlled thanks to the effective BSI (backside illuminated sensor) used since the mark II. Since the Sony has a relatively larger sensor for a point and shoot (and much larger than smartphone cameras), but a tiny sensor compared to dSLRs and ILCs with APS-C and 35mm full frame sensors, noise falls in between, but is closer to the bigger sensor camp. Noise is certainly there in nighttime shots, but it's well managed. In fact, the RX100 IV's photos might fool you into thinking they were taken with a Micro Four Thirds or APS-C camera. Colors are rich and true, dynamic range is amazingly good for a camera and sensor of this size and images are extremely sharp. No, dynamic range doesn't match the larger sensor cameras, but it doesn't fall horribly short and you can bring out a good deal of shadow detail in RAW files. The RX100 continues to be a marvelous combination of miniaturization, image quality and available manual controls.
That's grand, so where does it fall behind bigger cameras with larger sensors? Depth of field control is sorely lacking, and that's simply a fact of life with a 1" sensor. A fast lens is only part of the required formula if you want strong subject isolation with background blur and pleasing bokeh--sensor size plays an equally important part. If you're a portrait photographer, artsy shooter or an object photographer, the RX100's lack of shallow depth of field may put a cramp in your photographic style. If you mostly shoot landscapes, vacation shots or sports where you want most everything in sharp focus with little background blur (if any), then this is a camera that could work for you. If you want something that's larger but still pocketable (assuming roomy pockets), then consider the Panasonic Lumix LX100. It has a Micro Four Thirds sensor (albeit lower resolution), and it allows for some pleasingly shallow depth of field and has a similar zoom range with a lower price tag.
The new sensor means faster burst shooting, and Sony claims 16.7 fps burst shooting in JPEG (lower in RAW), which is quite fast for a tiny camera. The catch is that you must use electronic rather than mechanical shutter for these fast speeds. The electronic shutter max speed is an insane 32,000th of a second. You'll also need to use Sony's speed mode that has limitations.
4K is one of the RX100 IV's top new features, made possible by the new more efficient stacked sensor. That stacked sensor also allows for full sensor readout, which should reduce rolling shutter and that annoying jello effect when panning the camera (buildings and other verticals bending when you move the camera horizontally). It certainly helps, though there's still a little jello. There's a 5 minute 4K recording limit, because heat is still the bane of small Sony cameras. The sensor gets mighty hot, and this sort of limit is also standard on smartphones that can record 4K video. When recording 1080p there is no such limit, though we did see the usual heat warnings around 8 to 15 minutes into recording. You can turn the camera off for a few minutes when you see this, or live dangerously and wait until it shuts itself off (we prefer not to live dangerously). 1080p video quality is very good, and you can now record at higher bitrates with better codecs--right up to 100Mbps XAVC-S, which is downright astounding for a tiny camera. The old AVCHD and MPEG4 are available too for those who use older video editors or slower machines to process video. Quality is indeed better at 4K, with more detail and perceived sharpness when viewing on a less than 4K display or down-converting to 1080p. Note that Sony requires a 64 gig SDXC class 10 UHS-1 card for XAVC-S recording and the harder to find and more expensive UHS-3 for 100M bitrate recording. What they have against 32 gig cards, we don't know, but the camera will say "nope" if you try to use one for these high quality formats even if it meets the required standards and speed rating.
Mirrorless cameras don't have the best battery life, in part due to the power hungry EVF and LCD, but also because manufacturers try to make the cameras as small as possible so there's less room for a beefy battery. Sony slightly downgraded the shot estimates for the mark 4, so you're looking at 280 photos per full charge. Video will eat the battery much more quickly. We suggest you buy a spare battery and an external charger. Sony includes a USB cable for image transfer and charging, but no standalone charger.
The Sony RX100 IV, like its predecessors, is a marvel of miniaturization. This is quite a powerful camera for its size and it takes photos and videos that look noticeably better than point and shoots. Of course, that comes at a price, and this is a $950 camera. Those on a budget would do well with the RX100 II (my personal favorite since you get the BSI and a hot shoe) or the RX100 III. And those who are accustomed to doing more advanced photography and desire greater control over depth of field and want a more "filmy" look should consider the very good Panasonic Lumix LX100--it's a few hundred dollars cheaper, has a larger sensor and can shoot 4K video too, though not at Sony's high bitrates. If you have an RX100 original model, I'd consider the upgrade, but if you already have the II or III, I'd hesitate to spend the money just to get a still undersized but higher resolution EVF, 5 minute 4K recording and slow motion.
Price: $949
Website: www.sony.com
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