Sony RX10 mkIII

[Ken Ross]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

Thx a lot Ken for this info, my rx10 mark 1 takes about 13 seconds from 200mm to 24mm which is almost useless and has been the cause of frustration and missed shots, even with this shortcoming and with the small jitters in the image when shooting handheld and at 200mm it was one of my main camera's used at weddings last year.

When I look at your zoom shot it also looks there are no small jitters in the image at full tele when shooting handheld, have you noticed these mini vibrations on a big screen? This would indicate they also have improved the stabilization.

Noa, I do find it much improved over the prior RX models. About the only frustration I've ever had with my A6300, is the jitters at long focal lengths. That was one of the major motivations for buying the RX10III.

It's definitely more stable, even when watching on my 75" UHD screen. It's not 100% stable, but it's certainly better than the OIS in my 18-200 lens.

[Ken Ross]

Originally Posted by Peter Roy

When the RX10 mkIII is in video mode does the autofocus behave the same as the autofocus on camcorder. Yes I know it sounds like a stupid question however my last attempt with video was with my old Nikon DSLR which needed the shutter button pressed to change focus. I live in the Canadian Arctic and I am a couple thousand kilometers away from a camera store so laying my hands on cameras before buying is impossible. I have been a photographer for many many years and I am now wanting to attempt video once again.

My eyes are getting older so auto focus is really important in choosing a new camera. I am considering the RX 10 mkII and the Sony AX53 for mostly nature and wildlife photography/video.

Thanks in advance... living in a very remote location I find this forum to be a big help and it is where I get a lot of my camera information.

Peter, it does behave like a camcorder in that sense. The AF is continuous and adjusts quite quickly to changes in subjects or subject distance. At the extreme end of the telephoto, 600mm, response is a bit slower, but still certainly acceptible.

[Dylan Couper]

Did I read correctly that this does 960fps at 1080???
Is that actual 1080 or some sort of half SD resolution scaled up to a 1080 output?

[Wacharapong Chiowanich]

Scaled up, not looking very good at that frame rate but usable for, let's say 720p or 480p viewing.

[Dave Blackhurst]

When testing the AX53, it was good, but ultimately the 1" class sensors are just sharper.... so for me, the RX10M3 makes sense, and will fit with the other RX's and AX100. The new generation sensor seems to be better than the 1st gen one, never really sat down to try to get an exact comparison.

Yep, the RX10M3 will be heavier, but still lighter than a comparable DSLR, I have the RX100M4 if I need small and light, and probably will keep the RX10M2 around as a backup or when weight is a factor. Odds are good that my trusty old HX300 will be retired, the bottom line being image quality, presuming that the optics and 1200mm zoom (+digital) will cover most anything in the "extreme zoom" department..

I don't know if the jitters I got with the AX53 I was testing were a glitch, they seemed to be intermittent (maybe just got a bad sample?), but long zooms are ALWAYS going to be tough to stabilize. It is encouraging that it looks like Sony fine tuned the lens with the M3 to smooth it out.

On another note, is the fast/slow zoom setting still in the menus? I know that allows the M2 to zoom at full speed while recording, rather than being locked into the slow setting.

[Noa Put]

I don't know if the jitters I got with the AX53 I was testing were a glitch, they seemed to be intermittent (maybe just got a bad sample?), but long zooms are ALWAYS going to be tough to stabilize.

That's interesting to hear, my cx730 which has the same type of stabilization does not display jitter, even at full zoom, the image might "float" around a bit but never seen the kind of jitter my rx10 is displaying at longer focal lengths.

[Ken Ross]

Originally Posted by Dave Blackhurst

When testing the AX53, it was good, but ultimately the 1" class sensors are just sharper.... so for me, the RX10M3 makes sense, and will fit with the other RX's and AX100. The new generation sensor seems to be better than the 1st gen one, never really sat down to try to get an exact comparison.

Yep, the RX10M3 will be heavier, but still lighter than a comparable DSLR, I have the RX100M4 if I need small and light, and probably will keep the RX10M2 around as a backup or when weight is a factor. Odds are good that my trusty old HX300 will be retired, the bottom line being image quality, presuming that the optics and 1200mm zoom (+digital) will cover most anything in the "extreme zoom" department..

I don't know if the jitters I got with the AX53 I was testing were a glitch, they seemed to be intermittent (maybe just got a bad sample?), but long zooms are ALWAYS going to be tough to stabilize. It is encouraging that it looks like Sony fine tuned the lens with the M3 to smooth it out.

On another note, is the fast/slow zoom setting still in the menus? I know that allows the M2 to zoom at full speed while recording, rather than being locked into the slow setting.

Dave, I had done a few more tests this morning and I must say the lens on the RX10III is an absolute stunner. I was always very impressed with the sharpness of the Sony 18-200 lens (silver edition) when used for video on my A6300, jitters aside, but the RX10III lens is every bit its equal and then some. It's razor sharp at any focal length.

I noticed this morning in one shot, there is actually a bit less flare in the RX lens than the 18-200 lens, and the 18-200 was very well controlled for flare.

As for jitters, I'd say the OIS in the RX10III is at least 50% better than the OIS in my 18-200/A6300. Even if you're talking about the A7RII with its IBIS, when in video mode, the IBIS defaults to the OIS of any OIS attached lens. So if you're using an OIS lens, you can't take advantage of the A7RII's IBIS.

The more I use the RX10III, the more impressed I am. Even the weight becomes much less an issue because of the ergonomics of the camera. As you say, it's certainly a lot lighter than most DSLRs. I really find it very pleasurable to hold and use.

For those looking for a pocket camera, this sure isn't it, but I'm sure many of us dislike the ergonomics of tiny cameras. I never really 'enjoyed' using any of the RX100 series. The LX100 was better, because it was a bit larger, but still not 'pleasurable' IMO.

[Richard D. George]

Ken:

To be clear - the new version III does or does not have internal ND?

[Dave Blackhurst]

I don't have the camera in hand, but I'm fairly sure it would still have the ND filter internally, as it's siblings do?

@Noa - it was an intermittent thing, and frankly it might just be I'm more wobbly than I used to be. In the end I liked the AX53, and overall the BOSS was pretty good MOST of the time... but the image was still a "small chip", and I felt that the 1" class sensor cameras I have were enough better that it would bug me... with the RX10M3 coming up, I decided that should be the camera to go with. I'm used to adding a grip, a monopod, or some other mechanical stabilization, it's not ideal, but it's workable.

@Ken - the RX100 series is certainly a tiny camera, I've always added a grip, currently I'm using one I found on ebay that adds the grip AND increases the height of the camera (plate that screws onto the bottom, still has a tripod socket and all). Sometimes "slightly bigger" is not a "bad" thing! That little added heft and grip makes the RX100 usable, plus I have an underwater shell for it as well... The RX100 series has it's place, I find I grab it when I don't want to drag something bigger along, and want good image quality.

[David Dixon]

Dave, what kinds of grips do you use on the RX10 (any series - I have the mk 1) and the RX100 (may get one)????

Thanks!

[Ken Ross]

Originally Posted by Richard D. George

Ken:

To be clear - the new version III does or does not have internal ND?

No, unfortunately Sony deleted the ND filter. I'm assuming this had something to do with the lens design and the room needed for the filter. So I need to buy a ND filter to fit that big piece of glass. :)

Originally Posted by Dave Blackhurst

I don't have the camera in hand, but I'm fairly sure it would still have the ND filter internally, as it's siblings do?

@Noa - it was an intermittent thing, and frankly it might just be I'm more wobbly than I used to be. In the end I liked the AX53, and overall the BOSS was pretty good MOST of the time... but the image was still a "small chip", and I felt that the 1" class sensor cameras I have were enough better that it would bug me... with the RX10M3 coming up, I decided that should be the camera to go with. I'm used to adding a grip, a monopod, or some other mechanical stabilization, it's not ideal, but it's workable.

@Ken - the RX100 series is certainly a tiny camera, I've always added a grip, currently I'm using one I found on ebay that adds the grip AND increases the height of the camera (plate that screws onto the bottom, still has a tripod socket and all). Sometimes "slightly bigger" is not a "bad" thing! That little added heft and grip makes the RX100 usable, plus I have an underwater shell for it as well... The RX100 series has it's place, I find I grab it when I don't want to drag something bigger along, and want good image quality.

Great idea Dave. I couldn't agree more, 'slightly bigger' can be 'much better'. ;)

[Dave Blackhurst]

The ND would typically be internal in front of the sensor.... seems like a very odd omission, or did it just get buried in the menu system somewhere where it's nearly impossible to find? Sometimes it's like a crazy easter egg hunt!

I'll have to see if the grip I'm using for the M4 is still being sold, it was one of those import custom solid aluminum things - if I can find it I'll post a link! The other handy device I use is a Stratos brand folding flash bracket, which makes a lot of difference - sort of turns a still camera into a mini fig rig, helps a lot when hand holding!

[Dave Blackhurst]

If you search sony rx100 grip on ebay, you find a "few" options, the one I've got is the whatfoto WAG RX100, also saw some called "LIMS" and a couple unlabelled, but same thing (typical HK/china product!), Looked like around $35, I think I got a better price by buying a couple (as I usually have a current model and "last years" RX100 sitting around!). I've got a similar phenolic grip as well, part of a "lot" of stuff I bought on ebay... but I like the metal one the best of anything I've tried, and it is easy to take off if I want the underwater shell for shooting in dust, dirt, etc!

[Dylan Couper]

Originally Posted by Wacharapong Chiowanich

Scaled up, not looking very good at that frame rate but usable for, let's say 720p or 480p viewing.

Thought that was too good to be true. :)
What would you say would be the highest speed you could shoot at and still get get usable 1080? 240fps?

[Greg Boston]

To be fair Dylan, a lot of cameras drop the resolution when overcranking to avoid overheating the sensor. That, and the rest of the electronics being able to keep up with such high data rates would increase the cost if full resolution was in play.

I see from the product highlights that you have a choice of higher quality at 960fps for 2 seconds duration, or max time priority of 4 seconds at lower quality.

Still, with a frame rate that fast, one should be able to capture a really brief event, such as the time it takes YOU to down a shot of tequila. ;)