About the Sony Cyber-shot® DSC-RX100
Meanwhile, at the county fair
Meanwhile, at the county fair
I don't know if you've ever seen 10 Jack Russell terriers in full sprint. In county fair season around our Crutchfield HQ region, you can sometimes witness them racing around hay bales for fun and prizes. They're so fast that unless you're looking hard they'll be streaky blurs in front of your eyes.
So what does this have to do with the Sony Cyber-shot® DSC-RX100? Well, once upon a time I tried to take pictures of an event like this with a typical point-and-shoot. Predictably, I documented streaky blurs. If I'd had the high-speed autofocusing DSC-RX100 in my shirt pocket that day I'd have taken home high-resolution, 10 frames-per-second continuous action shots that would have brought home the pure fun and excitement of a classic American summer moment.
Best in show
The RX100 is a rare breed. It's got the convenience of a point-and-shoot for sure. But it's got features that you don't normally see in a camera this compact. The biggest eye-opener is a 1" Exmor CMOS sensor, which is almost two and a third times as large as most of the other sensors in the compact camera class. In combination with its light-sensitive Carl Zeiss® Vario-Sonnar T* f/1.8 - 4.9 lens, this camera is capable of taking vibrant, detailed pictures and video that will rival what you'd expect from a bigger, more expensive DSLR rig. Even in low light.
It's all in the details
The lens has a 3.6X zoom range, so you don't have to be right next to your subject to get the framing you'd like. A control ring on the lens gives you access to intuitive manual adjustments. 1080/60p videos and 20.2-megapixel stills enjoy the benefits of DSLR-like program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and full manual modes (P/A/S/M). Plus, unlike most other cameras in its class, the RX100 will capture still shots in RAW mode, so you have extra information with which to pull the best possible image from your files.
Ready in moments
Tech features aside, you'll enjoy the pure spontaneous experience of having this camera available 24/7. As mentioned before, it fits in a jacket pocket. The ultra-high, 1229k-dot resolution WhiteMagic LCD display is specifically designed to be viewable in bright daylight. And the aluminum body is sleek, easy to handle, and tough.
Specifications:
- 20.2-megapixel effective recording
- large 1" (13.2 x 8.8mm) CMOS sensor makes for low noise and exceptional sensitivity
- light sensitive f/1.8-4.9, 3.6X optical zoom lens (7.2X with Clear Image interpolation)
- records photos and video onto optional SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards, and Memory Stick® PRO Duo media
- 10 frames-per-second continuous image capture at full 20.2-megapixel resolution
- ultra-high resolution 3" LCD screen (1,229,000 dots) has superior visibility in bright daylight
- delivers 1080/60 progressive frames-per-second HD video
- simultaneously records 1080/60p and 17-megapixel still shots
- 35mm equivalent lens focal length: 29-105mm (16:9 still mode)
Special Features:
- Superior Auto and P/A/S/M modes for both video and stills accommodate any skill level
- Optical SteadyShot® image stabilization for shake-free videos even while walking
- saves pictures as both JPEGs and RAW files
- advanced Exmor® 1" CMOS sensor for sharp photos even in low light
- manual focus assist via a "peaking" display that detects in-focus edges
- face detection controls focus and exposure for accurate portraits
- built-in flash
- digital level gauge to allow easier leveling of the camera
- scene recognition chooses the appropriate scene mode based on your subject and shooting environment
- Photo Creativity functions include: Picture Effect, Background Defocus, Color, Brightness, and Vividness
- multi-frame noise reduction shoots multiple images and layers them to produce a single noise-free image
- Intelligent Scene Recognition Mode detects 33 different types of scenes for photos and 44 scenes for movies, and then selects the appropriate camera settings
Connections and Dimensions:
- micro HDMI output (HDMI cable not included)
- high-speed micro USB interface
- 4"W x 2-3/8"H x 1-7/16"D
- weight (without battery or memory): 7.5 oz.
- warranty: 1 year
Supplied Accessories:
- rechargeable lithium ion battery (NP-BX1)
- AC adapter
- micro USB cable
- wrist strap (with shoulder strap adaptor)
- MFR # DSCRX100/B
What's in the box:
Sony Cyber-shot® DSC-RX100 owner's manual
- Digital camera (black)
- NP-BX1 Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (3.6V / 4.5 Wh / 1240 mAh)
- AC-UD11 AC Adapter (DC output: 5V / 1500mA)
- 40" USB cable (Type A USB on one end and micro USB on the other end)
- Wrist strap
- 2 Strap adapters (for optional shoulder strap)
- Instruction Manual (Eng/Span)
- Warranty Sheet
- Online Product Registration sheet
- PlayMemories Home sheet
- Accessories brochure
Customer reviews for Sony Cyber-shot® DSC-RX100
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More details on the Sony Cyber-shot® DSC-RX100
Features & specs
General | ||
---|---|---|
LCD Screen Size | 3" | |
Adjustable-angle LCD | No | |
Wi-Fi | No | |
Touchscreen | No | |
Waterproof | No | |
GPS-enabled | No | |
Lens 35mm Equivalent | 28-100mm | |
Optical Zoom | 3.6x | |
Digital Zoom | 2x | |
Filter Diameter | N/A | |
Manual Focusing | Yes | |
Manual Exposure | Yes | |
Built-in Flash | Yes | |
HDMI Output | Micro | |
Memory | ||
Internal Memory | None | |
Memory Stick | PRO Duo, Pro-HG Duo | |
CFexpress Cards | No | |
CompactFlash Cards | No | |
SD Cards | SD, SDHC, SDXC | |
XQD Cards | No | |
Image | ||
Sensor Size | 1" | |
Megapixels | 20.2 | |
Image Stabilization | Optical | |
Highest Resolution | 5472 x 3648 | |
4K Video | No | |
Video Resolution | 1920 x 1080/60p | |
Dimensions | ||
Width (inches) | 4-1/16 | |
Height (inches) | 2-3/8 | |
Depth (inches) | 1-7/16 | |
Weight With Battery (ounces) | 8.5 | |
Warranty | ||
Parts Warranty | 1 Year | |
Labor Warranty | 1 Year |
Product Research
Recording Features
Playback Features
Battery Information
Connections
Supplied Software
Recording Features
3" LCD Screen: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 digital camera has a 3.0" Xtra Fine LCD TruBlack screen with 1,228,800 dots. The LCD brightness control can be set to Auto, Manual (-2 to +2), or Sunny Weather (appropriate for shooting outdoors). The camera has no separate viewfinder.
Recording Media: The camera is compatible with the following recording media: Memory Stick Duo (still images only), Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark 2 only for movie recording), Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo, SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards (Class 4 or higher).
Image Recording Formats: The camera records still images in JPEG (with Fine and Standard compression), RAW (unprocessed), and JPEG+RAW formats (images from both formats created at the same time). Moving images can be recorded in AVCHD format (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) with Dolby Digital 2ch audio or MPEG-4 with AAC stereo audio.
Image Sensor: For optimal image quality, the camera uses a large 13.2 x 8.8mm (1") color Exmor CMOS image sensor with approximately 20.9-million total pixels and 20.2-million effective pixels.
Lens: The camera is equipped with a bright Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* (T-star) 3.6x zoom lens. It has a focal length of 28-100mm (35mm equivalent) for recording still images, 29-105mm for recording 16:9 movies, and 36-128mm for 4:3 movies (when SteadyShot is set to Standard). The aperture range is F1.8-11.0 (W) and F4.9-11.0 (T).
Clear Image/Digital Zoom: In addition to the 3.6x optical zoom, you can reach higher zoom scales by engaging the Clear Image Zoom or the Digital Zoom, or both. The amount of zoom depends upon the image size as follows:
Image Size | Optical Zoom | Digital Zoom (includes 3.6x Optical Zoom) | Clear Image Zoom | Maximum Zoom Scale |
---|---|---|---|---|
L: 20M | 3.6x | 3.6x | 7.2x | 14x |
M: 10M | 3.6x | 5.1x | 10x | 20x |
S: 5M | 3.6x | 7.2x | 14x | 28x |
Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode: Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode can provide blur-free movies, even while walking. Camera-shake compensation using Optical SteadyShot/Active Mode has been improved with the addition of new electronic image stabilization. This makes it easier to obtain sharp movies, even when zooming in unsteady situations.
Still Image Sizes: When recording digital still images, the DSC-RX100 allows you to choose from the following image sizes and aspect ratios:
3:2 | 16:9 | 4:3 | 1:1 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Large | 5472 x 3648 | 5472 x 3080 | 2864 x 3648 | 3648 x 3648 |
Medium | 3888 x 2592 | 3648 x 2056 | 3648 x 2736 | 2544 x 2544 |
Small | 2736 x 1824 | 2720 x 1528 | 2592 x 1944 640 x 480 | 1920 x 1920 |
Sweep Panorama: You can record multiple images while moving the camera in an arc, either horizontally or vertically. You can choose the direction to pan the camera while taking the images. These images can be compiled into a single panoramic image, and played back on a 3D TV. The available image sizes include:
- Standard:
- Vertical: 3872 x 2160
- Horizontal: 8192 x 1856
- Wide:
- Vertical: 5536 x 2160
- Horizontal: 12416 x 1856
Recording Movies: Besides recording still images, you can also record movies in AVCHD or MPEG-4 formats. Available image sizes and movie quality include:
Movie Format/Quality | Average Bit-rate | Image Size |
---|---|---|
AVC HD PS | 28 Mbps | 1920 x 1080/60p |
AVC HD FX | 24 Mbps | 1920 x 1080/60i |
AVC HD FH | 17 Mbps | 1920 x 1080/60i |
MP4 12M | 12 Mbps | 1440 x 1080/30fps |
MP4 VGA 3M | 3 Mbps | 640 x 480/30fps |
Dual Recording: When recording a movie, you can also take a still image at the same time. When the movie recording is set to other than VGA 3M, the large images are 17M, while the small images are 4.2M. At VGA 3M, you can record a 13M Large image or a 3.2M Small image. Dual Recording is not available when recording 60p 28M (PS) movies.
Customizable Function Button: The camera features a Function button that allows you to assign up to 7 functions for quick access. Assignable functions include: Exposure Comp, ISO, White Balance, DRO/Auto HDR, Picture Effect, Focus Mode, Autofocus Area, Drive Mode, Metering Mode, Flash Mode, Flash Compensation, Creative Style, Soft Skin Effect, Image Quality, Image Size, Smile/Face Detect, and Aspect Ratio. During playback, you can press the Function button to change the orientation of the photo on the display.
Memory Recall: The Memory Recall mode can memorize up to three groups of the user's preferred settings. Settings include zoom magnification, white balance, exposure compensation, date, and grid lines. This enables you to quickly switch the settings at the right moment.
Drive Modes: The camera offers multiple Drive Modes. In addition to single image shooting, you can choose from the following:
- Continuous Shooting: The camera shoots continuous images while you press and hold down the shutter release.
- Speed Priority Continuous: Shoots full 20.2 megapixel images continuously at up to 10 frames per second while you press and hold the shutter release button.
- Self-Timer: You can set the Self-Timer mode to a 10-second or 2-second delay so you can be in the picture.
- Self-Portrait: A Self-Portrait Timer mode will capture the image 2 seconds after the face of one or two persons is detected.
- Self-Timer Continuous: The Self-Timer Continuous shooting mode takes continuous frames after a 10 second delay. You can choose the number of frames from 3 or 5.
- Bracket Continuous: The Bracket Continuous mode lets you shoot a series of 3 images, each with a different exposure setting--one at normal exposure, one under exposed, and one over exposed. You can select two different step values: 0.3 EV or 0.7 EV.
- Bracket WB: The Bracket WB mode shoots three images, each with different degrees of brightness according to the selected settings of white balance, color temperature, and color filter. You can choose the a low or high bracket deviation value.
Auto Focus Areas: You can select from the following auto focusing areas:
- Multi AF: The camera focuses in all ranges of the finder frame automatically. When you press the shutter button halfway, a green frame is displayed around the area that is in focus.
- Center AF: The camera focuses on a subject in the center of the frame. By pressing the shutter release halfway, you can lock the focus on your subject and recompose your shot with the subject off center.
- Flexible Spot AF: The camera focuses on a very small area that can be moved around the frame to the desired point on the screen.
Tracking Focus: If you are trying to photograph a moving subject, you can use the tracking focus feature to keep the subject in focus as it moves around the frame. If Face Detection and tracking focus are used at the same time, the camera will track a selected face if it is registered with the camera.
AF Illuminator: The AF (auto focus) Illuminator briefly provides fill light to focus more easily on a subject in dark surroundings. You can set the AF Illuminator to Auto or Off.
Face Detection: Face Detection technology detects up to eight individual faces and controls flash, focus, exposure, and white balance to deliver accurate, natural skin tones with reduced red-eye. It can also give priority to children or adults. You can also select and register an individual's face to be given priority.
Smile Shutter Mode: The Smile Shutter technology automatically detects and captures a smiling face. Simply activate by pressing the Smile Shutter button and the camera will capture a smile the moment it happens. You can adjust the degree of Smile Detection Sensitivity as desired.
Scene Recognition: Scene Recognition mode automatically detects eight different types of scenes and selects the appropriate camera settings: Portrait, Baby, Night Portrait, Night Scene, Backlight Portrait, Backlight, Landscape, Spotlight, Low Brightness, and Macro. You can select from Auto or Advanced Scene Recognition modes.
Shooting Modes: Using the top-mounted Mode Dial, you can select from the following shooting modes:
- Intelligent Auto Mode (iAuto): Allows you to shoot still images with the settings adjusted automatically.
- Superior Auto Mode (iAuto+): Allows you to shoot still images with higher quality than with Intelligent Auto mode.
- Program Auto: Allows you to shoot with the exposure adjusted automatically (both the shutter speed and aperture value). You can also select various settings using the menu.
- Aperture Priority: You can shoot still images after adjusting the aperture setting manually. The camera will determine the shutter speed.
- Shutter Priority: You can shoot still images after adjusting the shutter speed manually. The camera will determine the aperture setting.
- Manual Exposure: You can set the exposure manually. The shutter speed can be set between 1/2000 and 8 seconds. The aperture (F value) can be set between F1.8 and F11 (Wide Angle) or between F4.9 and F11 (Telephoto).
- Memory Recall: You can set and store often-used modes and numeric settings for recall at a later time.
- Movie Mode: Allows you to record Full HD AVCHD or MPEG-4 movies with stereo audio.
- Sweep Shooting: Multiple images are shot while the camera is moving, and these images are compiled into a single panoramic image.
- Scene Selection Modes: You can choose from the following Scene Selection modes: Portrait, Anti-Motion Blur, Sports Action, Pet, Gourmet, Macro, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Hand-held Twilight, Night Portrait, Fireworks, and High Sensitivity.
Exposure Compensation: Besides auto exposure, you can adjust the exposure from +3.0EV to -3.0EV in 1/3 stop increments.
Built-In Flash: The camera's built-in flash features a range of 11-3/4" to 56' 1-3/4" with the zoom set to wide and 1' 9-1/2" to 20' 8" with the zoom set to telephoto. The flash settings include:
- Autoflash: the flash automatically strobes when the surroundings are dark or when there is backlight
- Fill Flash: the flash strobes with every shot
- Slow Sync: the flash is used regardless of the amount of ambient light, but the shutter speed is slower under dark conditions, allowing you to clearly shoot a background that is out of the flash-lit area
- Rear Sync: the flash operates before exposure is completed every time your trigger the shutter
- Off: the flash does not operate
Red-eye Reduction: The flash pre-strobes before shooting to reduce the red-eye phenomenon. You can set to Auto (when Face Detection is activated), On, or Off.
Metering Modes: You can select Spot, Center-weighted, or Multi-pattern Metering. Spot metering lets you adjust the exposure to the subject, even when the subject is a backlit or when there is strong contrast between the subject and the background. Center-weighted metering measures the center of the image and determines the exposure based on the brightness of the subject. When multi-pattern metering is used, the image is divided into multiple regions and metering is performed in each region. The camera judges the subject position and background brightness, and determines a well-balanced exposure.
White Balance: When the white balance is set to auto, the white balance is set automatically in response to the condition of the subject, and the overall color balance is adjusted. When shooting under special lighting conditions, you can select the settings manually. When using flash, you can select the flash white balance mode. The white balance can also be set to Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent (warm white), Fluorescent (cool white), Fluorescent (day white), Fluorescent (daylight), Color Temperature/Filter, Custom (adjust white balance depending on the light source) or Custom Set (memorizes the basic white color which will be used).
Grid Lines: The cameras on-screen grid lines make it easy to set a subject's horizontal and vertical position. You can choose from three grid line overlays: Rule of 3rds, Square, and Diagonal + Square.
Histogram: A histogram is a graph showing the brightness of an image. The graph display indicates a bright image when skewed to the right side, and a dark image when skewed to the left side.
In-camera Guide: An on-screen function guide text/icon display makes it easy to learn the camera functions that give you greater creative freedom to adjust photo settings. The function guide can be turned on or off as desired.
Strap: The camera includes a wrist strap and two adapters that allow you to attach an optional shoulder strap.
Playback Features
Folder View Modes: The Sony DSC-RX100's View Mode allows you to select your recorded images and movies by sorting them into three folders: Still, MP4, and AVCHD.
Index View: In addition to viewing images one-by-one in full screen, you can view multiple images at once in the index view mode. The index feature lets you to display a total of 4 (2 x 2) or 9 (3 x 3) images at once.
Slide Show: The Slide Show function lets you play back images one after the other. You can select from the following slide show effects (Simple, Nostalgic, Stylish, or Active). The interval between the pictures can be adjusted, allowing you to choose 1, 3, 5, and 10 seconds. When repeat is selected, the images are replayed in a continuous loop.
Playback Zoom: You can enlarge a recorded still image up to 8x the size of the original image. Once the image is zoomed, you can pan left to right and up or down through the image.
Rotating Images: Recorded images can be rotated 360-degrees in 90-degree increments on the camera's LCD screen.
Picture Effect: You can add effects to images to make them look like a watercolor or illustration. The original image as well as the retouched image can be saved.
Deleting/Protecting Images: You can delete a selected image, or you can delete all the unprotected images at once. In order to avoid accidentally deleting of an image, it can be protected.
Print Mark: You can place a print mark on still images recorded with this camera. This mark is convenient when you have images printed at a shop that conforms to the DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) standard.
Battery Information
Battery Information: The DSC-RX100 is powered by the supplied NP-BX1 Lithium-ion rechargeable battery. Using the supplied AC-UD11 AC adapter, the battery can be fully charged in the camera in approximately 155 minutes. Under normal operating conditions, the battery has the following capacity:
Function | Battery Life | Number of Images |
---|---|---|
Recording Still Images | Approx. 165 min | Approx. 330 images |
Viewing Still Images | Approx. 250 min | Approx. 5000 images |
Recording Movies | Approx. 80 min | --- |
Internal Battery: The camera has an internal rechargeable battery for maintaining the date and time and other settings regardless of whether the power is on or off. The battery is continually charged as long as you are using the camera. If the camera isn't used for about a month, the internal battery can become discharged. The camera can still be used with a discharged internal battery, however, the date and time will not be shown. The internal battery can be fully recharged in approximately 24 hours with the power off and a charged battery pack is in the camera.
Connections
HDMI: The RX100 has a micro-HDMI (Type D) output on the bottom of the camera for connecting the camera to an HDTV. A micro-HDMI-to-HDMI cable is required to make the connection. If you are connecting to a Sony Bravia TV with Bravia Sync, you can control the camera using the TV's remote control. A 3D-capable TV is required for viewing 3D Panorama Sweep images.
Micro USB : The camera features a single micro USB jack on the bottom of the camera for connecting the supplied USB cable for downloading your photos to your computer or printer, or charging the battery in the camera. The interface is USB 2.0 High Speed compatible.
Supplied Software
PlayMemories Home: The DSC-RX100 has built-in PlayMemories Home software that can be installed on your computer when you connect the camera via USB. With the PlayMemories Home software you can:
- Import and display images recorded on the camera.
- View images in your computer by organizing them by shooting date on a calendar.
- Correct still images (red-eye correction, etc.) print, send images by email, and change shooting date/time.
- Save and print images with the shooting date inserted.
- Create a disc from AVCHD movies imported to a computer.
Image Data Converter: Image Data Converter software is required to process images recorded in RAW format. It is not included with the camera, but can be downloaded to your computer, using a URL printed in the manual. Image Data Converter is compatible with Windows and Mac. Functions available when using Image Data Converter include:
- Edit RAW images using multiple correction functions, such as tone curve or sharpness.
- Adjust images using white balance, aperture, and Creative Style, etc.
- Save displayed and edited still images to your computer.
- Display and compare the RAW/JPEG images shot with the camera.
- Rank images in five levels.
- Set the color label.
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A little on the pricey side but I really like the camera. Lots of features in a relatively small package. It's definitely a point and shoot on steriods.
Clayton H from Chicago, IL