Sony DSC RX1
Price: Rs 1,80,000
Specs: 24.7MP Exmor R CMOS Sensor, f=35mm, 1/4000, ISO25600, 1080p, SD card
It didn't last long, but the two days that I got to test the Sony DSC-RX1 were ones in which I felt that my prowess with the camera had gone up several notches. Of course, it did not have anything to do with an actual augmentation of my talents. It is just the way a great camera makes you feel.
The RX1 is not just any camera. It is as big, or as small, as a premium compact with the small difference that this is a full frame camera with a sensor four times larger than what you can hope to find in other cameras this size. It is also a camera which has a single 35mm F2 still lens, which means there is no zoom here. However, the full-frame sensor means you can shoot a picture and crop the part that you intended to zoom into. In fact, when you use the manual focus the LCD shows the central part of the picture and how it will show in full zoom. And that is the detail you get in the end pictures.
The Carl Zeiss T* Sonnar lens has an eight leaf shutter which gives superb defocused backgrounds. But it has to be the low-light performance that really sets this camera apart. Yes, it has a ISO 25600 if needed, but even as slower speeds the low light pictures were well detailed and devoid of noise. We tried some images with just a candle light and the results speak for themselves. If that is not sufficient, you can use the strange Wall-E like pop-up flash.
You have a mode dial, and exposure dial along with the aperture ring on the lens. Along with menu button, there is an Fn and C button to change the setting as you compose frames. It is quite easy once you either customise the buttons to your preference or get the hang of what does what.
All this means the wow factor of the final results is second to no DSLR that we have tested so far. But then this is no DSLR, even though it is built and feels like any profession full frame camera. Try portraits, landscapes or macro the results will be stunning all the time. There are very few cameras with which you get this degree of confidence. But yes, you need to know your way around this camera unless you want to stick to the Full Auto or Scene modes.
This camera does not have the issues that we faced with the Fujifilm X100S as far as low light is concerned. For, this one can click even in ISO 50. The subtle shadow plays that you often miss out on compact cameras and depth of fields associated with larger bodies are all prominent with the RX1.
There is also 1080p video that is broadcast quality at 50fps. If you have a certain setting in the manual mode, you can click record to shoot video with the same parameters and this is a great feature for any camera.
This is undoubtedly the best premium compact that money can buy, though we do not recommend this for amateurs. But then you need lot of money to buy this black beauty. It costs as much as a Full Frame DSLR, maybe a few grant more. That is the only flaw with this camera. But if you can afford it, it is worth every penny.
Rating: 4.5/5
Bag it or junk it: Nothing better, if you can afford it.
