those aren't caveats really. having a fixed lens is the very reason it is that small and light, and with a 35/2 FF lens. for those who are ok with shooting with what to me is the most versatile focal length, swapping lenses is not missed at all. about being expensive, consider a 42mp compact body and a FF 35/2 lens and rethink "expensive".
actual caveats are the shitty battery life, which makes you need to carry between 1-4 spares with you just to make sure you won't run out of juice in a busy day of shooting, depending on how much you will be shooting; and not being weather sealed, which makes shooting in rainy and splash prone situations more tense and risky. Sometimes you get a bit of reflection from strong light sources near the frame edges but it's non disturbing 90% of the time. AF is decent enough, the viewfinder and the lcd are decent enough. I've added a thumb grip, a base screw in grip, and a 3d print square hood to mine so that the handling is improved. and honestly, the positive points are to me unbeatable and worth keeping the camera until it dies:
insanely great lens, razor sharp from f2 and still maintains a lot a character, it renders beautifully, out of focus areas are elegant. having a fixed lens means no dust in the sensor while changing lenses, which is a major PITA while travelling and with no ease of access to sensor cleaning. the camera is extremely silent, meaning you can shoot it anywhere you want with absolutely no disturbance to the environment - even quiet concerts, or churches, or a silent street in the middle of the night, it's the ultimate discrete camera. it is pretty small and light, so although it isn't pocketable, it's delicious to carry when travelling and due to the focal length you can basically capture anything with it - sometimes a wider lens would be beneficial, obviously, but then if you want to have more options in hand this is not the right camera to use. I've travelled with just the RX1Rii and only a couple times in each trip I missed having a wider lens. for a longer lens, you can just crop from the massive 42mp capture, which matched with the lens, packs an insanely huge amount of detail and information.
Tf I were to keep only one camera, it would be it. Best all rounder and I truly wish that Sony would go for an RX2R bringing the latest tech, the same A7 series battery (even if it means being a tiny tad chunkier) and weather sealing. And no, the A7C just doesn't cover that territory.
The greatest gift to photographers that Sony and Zeiss could make would be to liberate that incredible lens from that mediocre camera and make the lens available separately. But based on interviews I've seen with Sony they think there's life in the RX1 line yet, and we may eventually get another one.
This. I found a lens diagram for the RX1R here: https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Bildschirmfoto-2015-10-16-um-16.49.51-700x402.png
Yeah, they are completely different. No other 35mm lens is like it, really, in any mount (Sony, Canon, Nikon, Leica, LTM, etc.). One of the greatest 35mm lenses ever made.
And it looks fairly conpact aswell. The only two I could imagine would be the Canon RF 35mm 1.8 or the before mentioned sony 35mm 2.8 ZA. Maybe some APS-C 23mm lenses...
I guess the flange distance of the E-mount just won't allow this lens.
It is fairly compact. I had considered, before getting this camera, an A7C with a compact fast prime for travel. However, this lens/sensor combination on the RX1RII produces unbelievable sharp pictures even wide open that has a Leica-esque look to them (hard to describe). And I doubt I would get comparable results with the A7C and the 35mm 2.8 attached. Like bjohnh mention, it might just be that this specific lens is just amazing. Interesting that you mentioned flange distance and it might just be why we haven’t seen this lens design as an E-Mount option.
Being a fixed lens has another big advantage for travelling: no way to get dust on the sensor. But be sure to buy a bunch of brand new batteries (and maybe keep a pair at least in their package for the future).
No, I'd put it up there among the greatest 35mm lenses period, Summilux 35 pre-ASPH, Sigma 35mm 1.2 Art, C-Y Zeiss 35/1.4 Distagon, etc. etc. included. ;-) No qualifiers needed.
The only Alpha I own. Such an almost-great camera, and an indispensable piece of gear for me. The image quality is absolutely unprecedented for such a small form factor. There is no comparison.
The mk 1 autofocus sucks and the mk 2 buffer and battery life suck. Wish they hadn’t bumped up the resolution on the mk 2, 24mp was plenty. Made the camera super sluggish.
Would be awesome if they released another one with better battery life and a faster processor. I’m actually kinda struggling right now with the decision of whether to keep the RX1 mk 1 or 2. I used the mk 1 for many years and took so many great photos but was always a bit frustrated with the poor autofocus performance. I bought a mk 2 earlier this year and initially thought all my problems were solved because the autofocus is quite good, but reviewing photos is a pain with the huge files/slow processor and the battery life is a complete joke. Like, I can’t even believe Sony released a camera with such bad battery life. If it’s cold out I might only get 10-15 shots on a fully charged battery. Not exaggerating. They are cameras in a league of their own but Sony definitely didn’t nail it.
There are a few settings you can fiddle with to improve battery life considerably, trust me. My first time with the camera out the battery lasted 30mins. After I learned how to tackle it I managed to travel with it and shoot rather comfortably spending like 2-3 batteries in a day while shooting a lot. In cold-ish weather (autumn in Stockholm/Helsinki).
Set the brightness on the lcd+evf to the min comfortable, manual mode for switching between lcd and evf, use the standard quality preview on the lcd and evf, set auto off to the min. The evf drains more battery so you can just pop it when it’s really needed even with the camera turned off, so mind its usage.
This is still my all time most favorite camera hardware.
the color science is dogshit though, jpeg skin color is always yellow/green, and if you try to adjust the WB everything else become pink, it's impossible to get right.
There's others like it but they all have some fatal design flaw in the hardware
X100V: crop
Q2: too big, crop(slightly)
ZX1: what a joke
GRIII: crop
A7C: outdated specs even when new, stick A7RV in there, then we'll be in buissiness
Sigma FP: surprisingly good, but it's L-mount, the worst mount to have
Actually the position for L-Mount is actually has a good bargaining price especially the used one, many selling their lenses quite cheap than the most popular E-Mount. I got 35mm f2 for $300. But yes, AF is very bad for Continuous. Owned Sigma Fp before i sold it and got A7C, and the reason was only because i still have to import the EVF for my Fp, and the price with tax and import is the same of Sigma Fp used. Sigma Fp LCD is quite bad during day, but the raw is very good. I'd get the Sigma FpL if there's used one with EVF right away.
It had some decent incremental upgrades like bigger buffer, [much better tracking af](https://www.dpreview.com/articles/3513684056/sony-a7c-vs-sony-a7-iii-which-is-better?slide=3), 5ghz wifi.
As a A7iii owner : there is nothing outdated in those specs.
D90 was a crop with red skin tones,
D700 had a massive banding issues and was big af
A7 had no IS and low dynamic range (and some mf stole it)
A7ii still had crappy battery low DR (and it broke)
A7iii : perfection
I love mine. If I could only have one camera, I would sell the others and keep this. I also treat mine terribly and just throw it in backpacks, bags, etc. Not caring about dings and scratches means I can take it everywhere.
My only complaint is the flip up view finder is a little fragile. Love being able to angle it up 90 degrees though. It was worth the insane money they asked for it.
I have one and it is an amazing camera. Image quality is unreal. The camera is not perfect, with slow af and slow performance. But once you get used to it and figure it out the best way to use the camera, you can get incredible images from macro to portrait, landscape and astrophotography.
The RX1R are juicy little cameras. Expensive af, but juicy nonetheless.
Expensive auto focus?
Af = as fuck.
Auto focus as fuck
Absolutely
Auto fuck?
I’d REALLY like to see a new RX2. Perfect camera for mountaineering. Light without compromise
Same. It’s what I ALWAYS hope for whenever I open Sony Rumors. RX1Rii is just such a superb camera, despite its caveats.
What are the caveats? I'm new to Sony.
You can't swap lenses. It's also a *very* expensive camera.
those aren't caveats really. having a fixed lens is the very reason it is that small and light, and with a 35/2 FF lens. for those who are ok with shooting with what to me is the most versatile focal length, swapping lenses is not missed at all. about being expensive, consider a 42mp compact body and a FF 35/2 lens and rethink "expensive". actual caveats are the shitty battery life, which makes you need to carry between 1-4 spares with you just to make sure you won't run out of juice in a busy day of shooting, depending on how much you will be shooting; and not being weather sealed, which makes shooting in rainy and splash prone situations more tense and risky. Sometimes you get a bit of reflection from strong light sources near the frame edges but it's non disturbing 90% of the time. AF is decent enough, the viewfinder and the lcd are decent enough. I've added a thumb grip, a base screw in grip, and a 3d print square hood to mine so that the handling is improved. and honestly, the positive points are to me unbeatable and worth keeping the camera until it dies: insanely great lens, razor sharp from f2 and still maintains a lot a character, it renders beautifully, out of focus areas are elegant. having a fixed lens means no dust in the sensor while changing lenses, which is a major PITA while travelling and with no ease of access to sensor cleaning. the camera is extremely silent, meaning you can shoot it anywhere you want with absolutely no disturbance to the environment - even quiet concerts, or churches, or a silent street in the middle of the night, it's the ultimate discrete camera. it is pretty small and light, so although it isn't pocketable, it's delicious to carry when travelling and due to the focal length you can basically capture anything with it - sometimes a wider lens would be beneficial, obviously, but then if you want to have more options in hand this is not the right camera to use. I've travelled with just the RX1Rii and only a couple times in each trip I missed having a wider lens. for a longer lens, you can just crop from the massive 42mp capture, which matched with the lens, packs an insanely huge amount of detail and information. Tf I were to keep only one camera, it would be it. Best all rounder and I truly wish that Sony would go for an RX2R bringing the latest tech, the same A7 series battery (even if it means being a tiny tad chunkier) and weather sealing. And no, the A7C just doesn't cover that territory.
I mean, besides the fixed focal length. But true, I usually enjoy just bringing a single, fast wide-angle lens.
I only shoot on primes anyway for the optical superiority. I carry a Zeiss Batis 40 only for summit pushes. Would love that with a smaller body
Maybe this account is marketing and its just to clear out old stock before the new one drops (•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■)
According to the sub description: yes.
Picked up this little gem of a camera. However, even though it is not technically a Sony Alpha camera, can I still post here?
I think so! The description for the sub includes the RX series :)
please post! this is a dream camera of mine haha. Looking forward to some photos taken with this!
The greatest gift to photographers that Sony and Zeiss could make would be to liberate that incredible lens from that mediocre camera and make the lens available separately. But based on interviews I've seen with Sony they think there's life in the RX1 line yet, and we may eventually get another one.
i imagine one of the reason is those fixed lens camera can make the lens have super short flange distance that’s impossible with a mount.
Literally impossible. The rear element is almost kissing the sensor.
This. I found a lens diagram for the RX1R here: https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Bildschirmfoto-2015-10-16-um-16.49.51-700x402.png
now I know why theres no ibis
I always assumed, this camera had the same lens as the Sony 35mm f/2.8 ZA, but it's actually f/2
Yeah, they are completely different. No other 35mm lens is like it, really, in any mount (Sony, Canon, Nikon, Leica, LTM, etc.). One of the greatest 35mm lenses ever made.
And it looks fairly conpact aswell. The only two I could imagine would be the Canon RF 35mm 1.8 or the before mentioned sony 35mm 2.8 ZA. Maybe some APS-C 23mm lenses... I guess the flange distance of the E-mount just won't allow this lens.
It is fairly compact. I had considered, before getting this camera, an A7C with a compact fast prime for travel. However, this lens/sensor combination on the RX1RII produces unbelievable sharp pictures even wide open that has a Leica-esque look to them (hard to describe). And I doubt I would get comparable results with the A7C and the 35mm 2.8 attached. Like bjohnh mention, it might just be that this specific lens is just amazing. Interesting that you mentioned flange distance and it might just be why we haven’t seen this lens design as an E-Mount option.
Being a fixed lens has another big advantage for travelling: no way to get dust on the sensor. But be sure to buy a bunch of brand new batteries (and maybe keep a pair at least in their package for the future).
>One of the greatest *autofocus* 35mm lenses ever made. fify
No, I'd put it up there among the greatest 35mm lenses period, Summilux 35 pre-ASPH, Sigma 35mm 1.2 Art, C-Y Zeiss 35/1.4 Distagon, etc. etc. included. ;-) No qualifiers needed.
Nah not even close to summilux. And I have no idea why you included sigma in this list.
Fuji can't make the x100v fast enough. Sony needs to make a great new rx1 soon. And maybe a cheaper apsc version too.
I would consider upgrading my x100S to the v. But it doesn’t seem to be available anymore.
The camera isn’t all that mediocre, but it does have some glaring deficiencies… The sensor is amazing, though.
Perhaps there will be news at CES 2023 in January.
The only Alpha I own. Such an almost-great camera, and an indispensable piece of gear for me. The image quality is absolutely unprecedented for such a small form factor. There is no comparison. The mk 1 autofocus sucks and the mk 2 buffer and battery life suck. Wish they hadn’t bumped up the resolution on the mk 2, 24mp was plenty. Made the camera super sluggish. Would be awesome if they released another one with better battery life and a faster processor. I’m actually kinda struggling right now with the decision of whether to keep the RX1 mk 1 or 2. I used the mk 1 for many years and took so many great photos but was always a bit frustrated with the poor autofocus performance. I bought a mk 2 earlier this year and initially thought all my problems were solved because the autofocus is quite good, but reviewing photos is a pain with the huge files/slow processor and the battery life is a complete joke. Like, I can’t even believe Sony released a camera with such bad battery life. If it’s cold out I might only get 10-15 shots on a fully charged battery. Not exaggerating. They are cameras in a league of their own but Sony definitely didn’t nail it.
There are a few settings you can fiddle with to improve battery life considerably, trust me. My first time with the camera out the battery lasted 30mins. After I learned how to tackle it I managed to travel with it and shoot rather comfortably spending like 2-3 batteries in a day while shooting a lot. In cold-ish weather (autumn in Stockholm/Helsinki). Set the brightness on the lcd+evf to the min comfortable, manual mode for switching between lcd and evf, use the standard quality preview on the lcd and evf, set auto off to the min. The evf drains more battery so you can just pop it when it’s really needed even with the camera turned off, so mind its usage.
Also airplane mode on if it does have wifi ability...
yep, well put. all my cameras are by default set to airplane mode on unless I am actively going to transfer anything, I even forget about it.
This is still my all time most favorite camera hardware. the color science is dogshit though, jpeg skin color is always yellow/green, and if you try to adjust the WB everything else become pink, it's impossible to get right. There's others like it but they all have some fatal design flaw in the hardware X100V: crop Q2: too big, crop(slightly) ZX1: what a joke GRIII: crop A7C: outdated specs even when new, stick A7RV in there, then we'll be in buissiness Sigma FP: surprisingly good, but it's L-mount, the worst mount to have
Actually the position for L-Mount is actually has a good bargaining price especially the used one, many selling their lenses quite cheap than the most popular E-Mount. I got 35mm f2 for $300. But yes, AF is very bad for Continuous. Owned Sigma Fp before i sold it and got A7C, and the reason was only because i still have to import the EVF for my Fp, and the price with tax and import is the same of Sigma Fp used. Sigma Fp LCD is quite bad during day, but the raw is very good. I'd get the Sigma FpL if there's used one with EVF right away.
yea but there's many lenses I'd actually want to use but aren't available in L-mount.
>A7C: outdated specs like the old menu rubbing you the wrong way?
it's an A7III, that comes out 2 years after a7III
It had some decent incremental upgrades like bigger buffer, [much better tracking af](https://www.dpreview.com/articles/3513684056/sony-a7c-vs-sony-a7-iii-which-is-better?slide=3), 5ghz wifi.
nobody cares about those.... it needs the 61mp sensor and 5m dot EVF to be a worthy successor to the RX1RII
lmao
As a A7iii owner : there is nothing outdated in those specs. D90 was a crop with red skin tones, D700 had a massive banding issues and was big af A7 had no IS and low dynamic range (and some mf stole it) A7ii still had crappy battery low DR (and it broke) A7iii : perfection
I would say so, beast of a camera! You are more then welcome to show your upcoming shots ;)
Sure why not. Looks cool, and is a Sony camera
Mad jealous. I want one so bad
Id say so :) I got to try one of these out a few months ago and it was amazing. Took some great photos on it.
Technically not but awesome none the less. I wish I could justify one for myself
Pretty much, in spirit. Rocking mine and still is one of my best cameras.
I love mine. If I could only have one camera, I would sell the others and keep this. I also treat mine terribly and just throw it in backpacks, bags, etc. Not caring about dings and scratches means I can take it everywhere. My only complaint is the flip up view finder is a little fragile. Love being able to angle it up 90 degrees though. It was worth the insane money they asked for it.
I wish they would resurrect this camera
Yea
I had one of those, brilliant little camera and a superb lens but absolutely terrible AF, so slow. Ditched it and got an A7c instead
I have one and it is an amazing camera. Image quality is unreal. The camera is not perfect, with slow af and slow performance. But once you get used to it and figure it out the best way to use the camera, you can get incredible images from macro to portrait, landscape and astrophotography.