Sony RX100 VI Sony - Review 🏆

The Sony RX100 VI is the latest iteration in Sony's acclaimed RX100 series of advanced compact cameras. First introduced in 2012, the RX100 line aims to deliver DSLR-like image quality and advanced features in a highly portable form factor.

The original RX100 was groundbreaking, packing a relatively large 1-inch image sensor into a compact body with a fast zoom lens. Subsequent models added enhancements like a pop-up electronic viewfinder, faster burst shooting, and 4K video.

The RX100 VI represents the 6th generation of this popular camera series. It retains the key hallmarks like a 1-inch sensor and Zeiss zoom lens, while pushing the zoom range out to a versatile 24-200mm equivalent. The RX100 VI also debuts Sony's latest BIONZ X image processor and front-end LSI, enabling lightning-fast autofocus and continuous shooting up to 24fps with AF/AE tracking.

Overall, the RX100 VI offers an unrivaled combination of portability, image quality, speed and video capabilities. It's designed to be the only camera enthusiasts need for everyday shooting, travel photography, and casual videography. While refinements have added some complexity, the interface and controls aim to provide ample manual control in a compact form factor.

Design and Handling

The Sony RX100 VI is a sleek and compact camera that easily fits in your pocket. Despite its small size, it feels well-built and sturdy. The body is constructed from aluminum alloy and has a nice textured grip, allowing you to securely hold the camera with one hand.

The body measures 4.0 x 2.3 x 1.7 inches and weighs only 10.6 ounces. The smooth contours and flat front surface allow it to easily slip in and out of your pocket.

The control layout is intuitive and designed for one-handed operation. The mode dial sits on top of the camera, allowing you to quickly switch between different modes like auto, manual, shutter priority, and more. On the back is a multi-selector wheel that lets you navigate menus and settings. There's also a customizable control ring around the lens to change exposure settings.

The buttons are on the smaller side but have a nice click to them. Important shooting settings like drive mode, flash settings, and exposure compensation each have their own dedicated button for quick access. Despite the compact size, the camera doesn't feel cramped and the controls are well-placed.

For those seeking a slightly larger option with excellent autofocus performance, the Sony Alpha 6100 is an outstanding choice. This mirrorless camera features a 24.2MP sensor and 11 frames per second burst shooting. It's designed for both novice and experienced photographers, with a user-friendly interface and lightweight build, making it ideal for travel and everyday use.

Image Sensor and Processor

The Sony RX100 VI features a large 1-inch type stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor paired with an upgraded BIONZ X image processor. This combination allows the camera to achieve impressive image quality with excellent detail, dynamic range, and low noise levels even in low light conditions.

The 20.1 megapixel sensor utilizes a stacked design that places the memory layer directly beneath the photo diodes. This allows for much faster readout speeds and enables features like continuous shooting at 24 fps with autofocus and auto exposure.

The BIONZ X processor is significantly upgraded over previous versions and enables the RX100 VI to achieve lightning fast AF acquisition in as little as 0.03 seconds. It also allows for 4K video recording, high frame rate shooting up to 960 fps, and 14-bit RAW output for maximum image detail.

Together, the 1-inch sensor and BIONZ X processor make the RX100 VI capable of incredible image quality and performance that goes beyond what was possible in compact cameras of the past. The large sensor size gives photographs excellent dynamic range and ability to capture shallow depth of field.

In addition to the RX100 VI, the Sony Alpha 6600 offers an impressive APS-C sensor with 24.2 megapixels, providing exceptional low-light performance and beautiful images. It features fast hybrid autofocus and continuous shooting at up to 11 fps, making it ideal for capturing fast-moving subjects. With 4K video capabilities and a sturdy build, the Alpha 6600 is perfect for both photography enthusiasts and professionals seeking versatility.

Lens

The Sony RX100 VI features an impressive 24-200mm equivalent zoom lens with a variable maximum aperture of f/2.8-4.5. This provides an extremely versatile focal range in a pocketable camera, from wide-angle to telephoto. With the wide 24mm equivalent focal length, you can capture expansive landscapes and architecture. At 200mm, the telephoto reach allows you to get much closer to distant subjects and capture stunning portrait shots with beautiful background blur.

The lens incorporates premium Zeiss optics, including extra-low dispersion and aspherical elements, which help to reduce chromatic aberrations and distortion for sharp, color-accurate images. The fast f/2.8 maximum aperture at the wide end enables good low light performance and allows for selective focus effects with creamy bokeh. While the aperture narrows to f/4.5 at the telephoto end, it is still respectable for this zoom range in such a compact body. Overall, the lens provides exceptional image quality across the frame in a highly versatile package.

Features and Controls

The Sony RX100 VI offers an impressive array of features and controls, making it a versatile compact camera for a wide range of shooting situations.

Focusing Modes

For focusing, the RX100 VI provides a range of modes including Wide, Center, Flexible Spot, Expand Flexible Spot, and Lock-on AF which tracks moving subjects. The fast hybrid AF system utilizes both phase and contrast detection for rapid autofocus speeds.

Burst Shooting

The RX100 VI can shoot at astonishing speeds up to 24 fps with full autofocus and auto exposure tracking, ensuring you can reliably capture fast action. This makes it a great choice for sports, wildlife and other active subjects.

Bracketing

The camera offers AE bracketing up to +/- 3EV in 1/3 or 2/3 EV increments, useful for high dynamic range scenes. It also provides white balance bracketing up to +/- 3 steps and DRO bracketing with Low, Medium and High settings.

Panorama

Sweep Panorama mode makes capturing panoramic landscape shots easy. Simply pan the camera and it will stitch together a high resolution panoramic image up to 360 degrees.

Timelapse

Interval shooting mode allows creating in-camera 4K timelapse movies. You can set the interval and number of shots and the camera will automatically compile them into a timelapse for smooth, accelerated action.

Video

The Sony RX100 VI is equipped with impressive video capabilities, making it a great choice for videography. It can record 4K video at 30fps and 24fps with full pixel readout and no pixel binning. This results in very detailed, sharp 4K footage.

For high-speed recording, the RX100 VI can shoot HD video at up to 960fps. This allows you to capture super slow motion video for dramatic effect. At 960fps, you can stretch a second of real time into nearly 40 seconds of slow motion video. The camera also offers 120fps recording at 1080p resolution for 5x slow motion.

The RX100 VI uses the XAVC S codec for high bitrates up to 100Mbps, ensuring professional-level video quality. It also supports the S-Log2 gamma profile which preserves more dynamic range for greater flexibility in post-production grading and color correction. Overall the video features make the RX100 VI a great hybrid camera for both stills and video.

Viewfinder and Display

The Sony RX100 VI features both a pop-up electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a tilting LCD touchscreen, giving you flexibility for composing shots.

The EVF pops up with the flick of a switch and provides a high resolution OLED Tru-Finder with 2.36 million dots. It's a bright, crisp viewfinder that makes composing shots a pleasure. The 0.59x magnification (35mm equivalent) allows you to see all the fine details. There are options for both auto and manual brightness control as well.

As for the LCD, it tilts up 180 degrees and down 90 degrees, great for composing shots from high and low angles. The 3-inch screen has 921k dots, resulting in a very sharp and vivid display. Touch focus and touch shutter functions allow you to simply tap on the screen to select your focal point. Overall the EVF and LCD provide excellent tools for composing and capturing images.

Connectivity and Battery

The Sony RX100 VI offers robust connectivity options, making it easy to wirelessly transfer images or control the camera remotely. It has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to pair the camera with a smartphone or tablet. Once paired, you can use Sony's Imaging Edge Mobile app to remotely trigger the shutter, adjust camera settings, and transfer images over Wi-Fi. NFC is also built-in, providing a quick one-touch connection with compatible mobile devices.

For wired connectivity, the RX100 VI has a micro USB 2.0 port that can be used to charge the battery or transfer data. The battery itself is rated for up to 240 shots per charge, which is decent but could be better. Considering the compact size of the camera, battery life is limited. If you plan to shoot all day, carrying a spare battery is recommended.

Overall, the wireless connectivity options are versatile for both remote shooting and easy photo transfers. Battery life is perhaps the only weak spot, but the USB charging helps make it easy to top up when needed.

Photo and Video Quality

The Sony RX100 VI delivers superb image quality for its class thanks to its 20.1MP 1-inch Exmor RS CMOS sensor and BIONZ X image processor. The sensor is able to capture excellent levels of detail with minimal noise, and the fast processor enables quick continuous shooting up to 24fps with AF/AE tracking.

JPEGs straight out of the camera show pleasing colors and exposure. RAW files retain plenty of flexibility for post-processing white balance, shadows and highlights. The RX100 VI has a sensitivity range of ISO 125-12800, which can be expanded to ISO 80-25600. Noise is very well controlled up to ISO 1600, with only a slight reduction in detail. At ISO 3200 and 6400, noise becomes more visible but images are still very usable. At ISO 12800 and 25600, noise and reduction of fine details become more apparent but may be acceptable depending on the situation.

Dynamic range is quite good for a compact camera. The auto HDR mode helps boost dynamic range in high contrast scenes. There are also manual settings to adjust highlights, shadows and Creative Styles like Vivid, Portrait and Landscape. While not at the level of larger sensor cameras, the RX100 VI provides enough latitude for most situations.

Overall the RX100 VI delivers outstanding image quality for a pocketable compact camera. The combination of sensor, processor and lens results in photos and 4K video that will satisfy enthusiasts and pros looking for impressive results from a highly portable camera.

Conclusion

The Sony RX100 VI is an impressive premium compact camera that packs a wealth of features into a pocketable body. It stands out for its combination of a 1-inch 20MP sensor, 24-200mm equivalent Zeiss zoom lens, and 4K video recording.

The fast f/2.8-4.5 lens provides a very versatile zoom range in a compact form factor. Autofocus and continuous shooting performance are excellent, making the RX100 VI a great choice for action photography. The flip-up touchscreen LCD provides flexibility for composing shots at difficult angles. Overall image quality is very good for a compact camera.

On the downside, the menu system can be confusing and take time to learn. The short zoom range means you may need to crop images more often. Low light performance is just average, so this isn't the best choice for night photography. There's no built-in viewfinder or hot shoe either.

At around €1200, the RX100 VI commands a premium price. But for photographers who want DSLR-like performance and versatility in a pocket camera, the RX100 VI delivers impressive imaging capabilities. It's a versatile all-rounder suitable for travel, street, action, and video shooting. Overall, the RX100 VI lives up to its billing as an advanced compact camera.