Sony Cyber-SHOT DSC-RX1 Sony - Review 🏆

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 is a compact, yet powerful, camera that packs a full-frame sensor into a pocketable body. It features a fixed 35mm f/2 Zeiss lens and 24MP resolution, making it a versatile all-rounder for street, documentary, portrait and landscape photography.

Despite its small size, the RX1 delivers impressive image quality on par with much larger DSLRs. The large sensor enables excellent low-light performance up to ISO 25600, while the sharp Zeiss lens produces images with superb detail and clarity. A dedicated aperture ring provides intuitive manual controls reminiscent of traditional rangefinder cameras.

Other key features include a bright 3-inch rear LCD, snappy autofocus, full HD video recording, and manual exposure controls. The RX1 lacks a built-in viewfinder but has a multi-interface shoe to add an optional EVF. Overall, it offers an unrivaled combination of power and portability.

Design and Build Quality

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 features a stylish and compact design, perfect for street photography. The camera body is made of magnesium alloy which provides durability while keeping the weight down. The DSC-RX1 weighs just 482g and measures 113 x 65 x 70 mm, making it easy to carry around all day for shooting.

Despite its small size, the DSC-RX1 feels solid and substantial in hand. The dials and buttons have a premium, sturdy feel. The camera is comfortable to hold and operate thanks to its ergonomic grip and thoughtful button placement. The smooth matte black finish looks sophisticated yet understated. Overall, the DSC-RX1 combines a durable and high-end design in a conveniently compact body.

Image Quality

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 features a full-frame 24.3MP CMOS sensor, which delivers stunning image quality and excellent low light performance. The high resolution sensor is able to capture intricate details and textures, making images look incredibly sharp with vibrant colors.

The sensor has a native ISO range of 100-25,600, which can be expanded to 50-102,400. This wide sensitivity range allows the RX1 to shoot crisp, low noise images in dimly lit situations where many other cameras struggle. Even at high ISO levels, noise is well-controlled and images remain very usable.

Dynamic range is also impressive thanks to the full-frame sensor. The RX1 captures a wide tonal range from the deepest shadows to brightest highlights, retaining plenty of detail in both extremes. This gives you more flexibility in post-processing to recover shadows and highlights if needed.

Overall, the image quality from the RX1's full-frame sensor is truly exceptional. The combination of high resolution, great high ISO performance, and wide dynamic range produces images with stunning clarity, color, and detail even in challenging lighting conditions. It's one of the best sensors available today in a compact camera.

Autofocus and Speed

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 features a 35mm full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor and BIONZ image processor, allowing for fast and accurate autofocus performance. The camera has several focus modes including Multi, Center, and Flexible Spot, giving photographers flexibility for different shooting scenarios.

In terms of speed, the autofocus is able to lock onto subjects quickly thanks to the fast processing. It can focus in just 0.13 seconds in bright light conditions. This makes it well-suited for street, documentary, and candid photography where you need to capture fleeting moments. The autofocus also works well in low light conditions up to EV2, acquiring focus accurately even in dim interiors and night scenes.

Overall, the autofocus system is both fast and accurate. The phase detection pixels on the image sensor allow for reliable focusing across the frame. This makes the RX1 well-suited for a variety of genres including street, portrait, landscape and more. The fast autofocus allows you to capture decisive moments with precision.

Video Capabilities

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 has decent video capabilities for a compact camera. It can shoot full HD 1080p video at 60 fps and 24 fps. There is also an option to shoot 720p HD video.

The RX1 uses the AVCHD codec which allows for high quality full HD videos. Videos are sharp with good color reproduction. The footage has low noise levels even when shooting in low light conditions.

A useful feature is the ability to adjust manual controls like shutter speed and aperture when recording video. This allows you to adjust exposure and depth of field to suit your creative needs. The RX1 also has built-in stereo microphones that capture decent audio quality.

Overall, the video capabilities of the RX1 are quite good for a compact camera. The full manual control over exposure is handy and allows you to shoot high quality cinematic looking footage. While there are some limitations like no microphone input, the RX1 produces nice looking HD videos.

ISO Range

The Sony RX1 has a native ISO range of 100-25,600, which can be expanded to 50-102,400. This allows you to shoot in very low light conditions.

Image quality at low ISOs is excellent, with crisp details and low noise. As you increase the ISO, noise starts becoming more apparent but is very well controlled. Up to ISO 3200, noise is minimal and image quality remains high. At ISO 6400, some fine grain appears but images are still very usable. ISO 12,800 and 25,600 show more visible noise and loss of finer details, but are acceptable depending on your output needs. At the highest expanded ISO settings, noise is quite heavy but can produce decent results in extremely dark environments.

The RX1 performs admirably at high ISOs thanks to its full-frame sensor and powerful BIONZ image processor. Noise is well-managed, making this camera suitable for available light photography. The high maximum ISO capabilities expand your shooting envelope for night photography and indoor events.

Lens Performance

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 is equipped with a 35mm f/2.0 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* lens, which provides a classic wide-angle field of view that's well-suited for street photography and landscapes. With a bright maximum aperture of f/2.0, the lens is able to produce a shallow depth of field for artistic background blur.

The lens utilizes an advanced optical design with 8 elements in 7 groups, including 3 aspherical elements to minimize aberrations. Images are incredibly sharp from corner to corner, even when shooting wide open at f/2.0. Distortion is also very well controlled - there is minimal barrel distortion which can easily be corrected in post if needed.

The 9 blade circular aperture diaphragm allows for beautifully rounded bokeh when shooting at wider apertures. Out of focus highlights are smooth and pleasing. Overall the lens produces excellent image quality and is a perfect match for the full frame 24MP sensor.

Features and Controls

The Sony RX1 has an impressive array of features and manual controls that will appeal to photography enthusiasts and professionals. It offers full manual exposure controls with aperture and shutter speed dials on top of the camera. This allows you to quickly adjust settings and gives the RX1 a retro feel.

For shooting modes, you get the standards like Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual. There are also fun modes like Sweep Panorama, which stitches images together for dramatic wide views. The RX1 has a well-designed menu system that is easy to navigate. Important settings like ISO, white balance, and drive mode have dedicated external buttons so you can access them quickly without menu diving.

In terms of customizability, the RX1 has 3 customizable buttons that can be assigned to settings you use frequently. The rear control wheel can also be set to control different parameters like shutter speed or ISO. Overall, the physical controls and menus are well-thought-out on the RX1. The camera gives you quick access to the settings serious photographers need, while still including special effect modes and conveniences.

Battery Life

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 is equipped with a rechargeable NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery that provides enough power for around 270 shots per charge based on CIPA standards. This is lower than average battery life compared to other compact cameras, but understandable given the large full-frame sensor which requires more power.

The battery itself is charged via the included AC adapter or through a USB connection. Sony does not provide an official battery life rating in terms of hours of video recording, but users report around 1 hour of continuous 1080p recording is possible on a full charge.

Overall the battery life is quite limited and you'll want to bring a spare battery or two if planning to shoot all day or record a lot of video footage in one session. The battery also drains faster when using features like the LCD display, flash, and higher ISO settings. But the ability to recharge via USB is very handy for topping up the battery on the go if an outlet isn't available.

Pros and Cons

The Sony Cyber-SHOT DSC-RX1 is a powerful full frame compact camera with impressive image quality and performance, but also has some notable downsides.

Pros:

• Excellent full frame image sensor delivers superb image quality with high resolution, dynamic range and low noise
• Bright f/2 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm prime lens produces sharp images with beautiful bokeh
• Fast and accurate autofocus, especially in good light
• Solid build quality with metal alloy body feels sturdy and durable
• Manual controls and customizability for experienced photographers
• Good high ISO performance up to 25600
• Shoots full HD video at 60fps with manual controls
• Compact size makes it highly portable for a full frame camera

Cons:

• Very expensive, over £2000 retail price
• Fixed 35mm lens lacks flexibility of interchangeable lenses
• Mediocre battery life of only 220-270 shots per charge
• No built-in viewfinder, only optional external one
• Autofocus can struggle in low light conditions
• No image stabilization so requires steady hands for sharp shots
• No flash hot shoe limits lighting options
• Lack of touchscreen or articulating LCD screen