Sony Cyber-SHOT DSC-RX10 Sony - Review 🏆

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 is a high-end bridge camera released in November 2013. It's targeted at advanced amateur and professional photographers looking for a versatile all-in-one camera. With a 1-inch sensor, 24-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens, and excellent video capabilities, the RX10 combines the image quality and versatility of an interchangeable lens camera with the convenience of a fixed lens.

At the time of its release, the RX10 had a retail price of around £700-800, placing it in the premium point-and-shoot and entry-level DSLR range. It's designed to appeal to photographers who want great optics and manual controls without the need to change lenses. The RX10 occupies an interesting niche between basic point-and-shoot cameras and more complex mirrorless and DSLR kits.

Design & Build

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 has a robust, weather sealed body made of magnesium alloy. It measures 5.13 x 3.52 x 4.12 inches and weighs 1.79 pounds, giving it a nice heft and premium feel in the hand. The camera is designed for comfortable handling, with a deep grip that allows secure holding.

The layout of controls is intuitive, with key shooting modes and functions readily accessible. There are dedicated rings around the lens for zoom and aperture/shutter speed adjustment. The top plate houses the main mode dial, exposure compensation dial, shutter button and on/off switch. On the rear is a 3-inch tilting LCD as well as buttons for playback, menu and various shooting modes. The RX10 is sealed against dust and moisture, making it suitable for outdoor photography in inclement weather. Overall the build quality is excellent with a solid, durable construction.

Image Sensor & Processor

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 features a 1-inch type Exmor R CMOS sensor with 20.2 effective megapixels. This is a fairly large sensor for a compact camera, providing good light gathering capabilities and improved image quality compared to smaller sensor sizes.

The sensor utilizes Sony's advanced BIONZ X image processor which allows for fast continuous shooting up to 10 fps, as well as full HD video recording. The BIONZ X processor delivers excellent noise reduction, reproducing fine details and textures, while also reducing image noise in low light.

Together, the 1-inch sensor and BIONZ X processor enable the RX10 to capture high resolution still images and full HD 1080p video, even in challenging lighting conditions. The large sensor size contributes to excellent dynamic range and improved low light performance.

Lens

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 features a high-quality Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with a 24-200mm (35mm equivalent) focal length range and a bright f/2.8 constant maximum aperture. This provides great versatility for wide-angle landscapes to tight portraits and telephoto shots.

The lens has a 8.3x optical zoom range, covering wide to telephoto perspectives. At the 24mm wide end, it offers an extremely wide field of view and perspective. Zooming in to 200mm allows you to get much closer to distant subjects. The long 8.3x zoom range lets you tackle just about any scene.

With a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the entire zoom range, the lens can maintain fast shutter speeds even in low light conditions. This allows for excellent low light performance and beautiful background defocus effects. The bright f/2.8 aperture also helps keep ISO sensitivity down for cleaner images.

To combat camera shake and enable blur-free handheld shooting, the lens incorporates a highly effective optical SteadyShot image stabilization system. This provides up to 4.5 stops of stabilization, letting you shoot at slower shutter speeds and keep images sharp.

For quick, precise autofocus performance, the lens utilizes a smooth Direct Drive SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor) system along with an advanced focusing algorithm. This results in fast, accurate focusing even for moving subjects. It also enables quiet AF operation for video recording.

Overall, the lens offers excellent optical quality and versatility in a compact weather-sealed design ideal for a high-end bridge camera like the RX10. It provides a great balance of wide-angle coverage, telephoto reach, fast aperture, effective stabilization and quick focusing.

Video Capabilities

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 is capable of shooting high-quality video in addition to still images. It offers full HD 1080p video recording at 60 frames per second. You can also shoot in 24p cinematic mode.

For codecs, the RX10 supports AVCHD version 2.0 as well as MP4. The AVCHD format produces excellent quality while the MP4 format is more convenient for sharing online and on mobile devices.

On the audio side, the RX10 records in linear PCM stereo. You have the option to record audio either from the built-in stereo microphone or with an optional external microphone for more professional results. The audio quality from the built-in mic is quite good but an external mic is recommended if you plan to record a lot of video.

Overall the video capabilities of the RX10 are strong. The ability to record full HD 1080p at 60fps provides a lot of flexibility for capturing smooth, high quality footage.

Connectivity & Ports

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III offers a good range of connectivity options. For wired connectivity, it has micro USB 2.0 and micro HDMI ports. The micro USB port can be used for charging and data transfer, while the micro HDMI port allows you to output video and images to an external monitor or TV.

For wireless connectivity, the RX10 III has built-in WiFi and NFC. The WiFi allows you to wirelessly transfer photos to your smartphone or tablet using the free Sony PlayMemories app. NFC provides a quick and easy connection between the camera and compatible mobile devices. Simply tap the two devices together to pair them.

The camera also has Bluetooth connectivity, which provides a constant connection between the camera and your mobile device. This allows for features like remote camera control and image transfer even when the camera is turned off.

Overall, the Sony RX10 III offers a versatile set of wired and wireless connectivity options. The inclusion of WiFi, NFC, and Bluetooth make sharing photos on social media or backing up your shots very convenient.

Battery Life

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 is powered by a high-capacity NP-FW50 rechargeable lithium-ion battery. This battery delivers an impressive battery life, allowing up to 420 shots per charge based on CIPA standards.

One major advantage of the RX10 is the ability to charge the battery in-camera via USB. This means you can charge the battery by simply connecting the camera to a computer, USB power adapter, or portable power bank using a micro USB cable. The in-camera charging offers a convenient way to top up the battery while on the go if you don't have the dedicated charger with you.

The RX10 also comes with an AC adapter and dedicated battery charger which allows you to charge the battery outside of the camera body. With the external charger, charging time from empty to full capacity takes approximately 150 minutes. Having the external charger is useful for charging a spare battery while you’re out shooting with the camera.

Overall, the long-lasting battery life and flexible charging options of the RX10 allow you to shoot for extended periods without worrying about running out of power. The battery delivers enough juice on a full charge for a full day of casual shooting and the charging flexibility is a nice bonus.

Features & Performance

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 has impressive features and delivers excellent performance for its class. Some highlights:

Shooting Speeds

The RX10 can shoot continuously at up to 10 frames per second, which is very fast for a camera with a 1-inch sensor. This makes it great for action photography. The buffer depth is also generous - you can capture up to 133 JPEG images or 48 raw files before the burst rate slows down.

ISO Range

The native ISO range is 125-12,800, which can be expanded to 64-25,600. Image quality is very good through ISO 3200, with some noise and loss of detail becoming noticeable at the higher settings. Overall, the RX10 handles high ISOs well for its sensor size.

Autofocus System

Sony equipped the RX10 with a 25-point contrast-detect AF system with face detection and tracking capabilities. It covers a broad area of the frame. Autofocus is snappy and accurate in good light, though speed drops a bit in very low light. The RX10 lacks phase detect pixels on the sensor, but the AF system is still responsive enough for most scenarios.

Overall, the RX10 delivers speedy performance, great high ISO quality, and fast, reliable autofocus - making it a very capable all-around performer.

Pros & Cons

The Sony Cyber-SHOT DSC-RX10 has many strengths but also some drawbacks to consider.

Pros: - Excellent image and video quality from the large 1" sensor and Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens. - Versatile 24-200mm equivalent zoom range covers wide angle to telephoto. - Fast autofocus and shooting speeds up to 10 fps.
- Useful features like a tilting LCD screen, good EVF, WiFi/NFC. - Weather-sealed magnesium alloy body. - Impressive close-up macro shooting capabilities.

Cons: - Relatively large and heavy for this class of camera. - High price tag compared to smaller sensor superzoom models.
- Lens is dim at the telephoto end with f/2.8 maximum aperture. - No touchscreen capabilities. - Mediocre battery life.

The RX10 delivers excellent optics, image quality, speed and features in a robust body. But it is bulky and expensive for a fixed lens camera. Overall an outstanding performer but best suited for those needing the versatile zoom range and pro-level handling.

Conclusion

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 is an excellent all-in-one camera for enthusiasts and pros looking for top-notch image quality and video recording capabilities. It combines a versatile 24-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens with a large 1-inch sensor to deliver stunning photos and 4K video.

The camera's premium build quality with weather-sealing, fast autofocus, impressive image stabilization, and plethora of controls and customization options make it a joy to use. The ability to shoot high-quality 4K and super slow motion video up to 960fps sets it apart from other fixed lens cameras.

For travel, events, and everyday shooting, the RX10 hits a sweet spot between size, zoom range, features and image quality. It provides the convenience of one do-it-all camera versus having to carry multiple lenses. Low light performance is also excellent thanks to the large sensor and bright lens.

Some downsides are the high price point, lack of touchscreen, and relatively short 8.3x zoom range compared to smaller sensor superzooms. But overall, the RX10 delivers pro-level performance and output in a fixed lens body ideal for enthusiasts and pros looking for top-notch photos and videos without the hassle of interchangeable lenses. It earns our strong recommendation.