They did what no one else has done.
Stuffed a huge sensor in a small camera that can fit in your front pocket.
No one researches new cameras like I do. No one, because what I do on this blog makes me appreciate what a large sensor and super fast Carl Zeiss 1.8 lens in a camera body that can fit in your front pocket can produce.
How many times have I told you the best camera is the one you have with you? A large DSLR that you don’t lug around with you because it is just too cumbersome is USELESS TO YOU if you decide to not bring it along with you. But now there is no tradeoff. they put that huge DSLR sensor into a camera that can fit in your pocket. #Boom!
This is the camera I’ve been screaming that camera makers should make and that people WOULD pay up for. Something that would deliver excellent results in a small form factor.
I resigned myself last year to chalking it up to it not being possible because I figured I couldn’t be the only person that wants to be able to carry around a camera THIS CAPABLE IN LOW LIGHT in their front pocket.
NOT AROUND YOUR NECK, NOT HANHING OFF A STRAP OVER YOUR SHOULDER!
IN YOUR FRONT POCKET TUCKED AWAY FOR THE MOMENT SOMETHING AWESOME HAPPENS AND YOU WANT TO CAPTURE IT IN AWESOME DETAIL.
THIS IS THE CAMERA. DON’T THINK- JUST BUY IT.
It’s a premium constructed, premium picture quality Hi Def Video Monster in a small form factor.
They took what was really good about the Canon Powershot series S95 and S100 which are both very good cameras and blew it out with a sensor that is over double the size of those two cameras which are good performers in their own right but the RX100 crushes them in terms of performance.
NO ONE HAS DONE THIS BEFORE. IT IS NOTHING SHORT OF REVOLUTIONARY.
Here it is-
and the reviews-
First of all the RX100 sales success never stops. It still sells more than any other mirrorless or DSRL or High end compact camera at Amazon US (Click here to see the ranking) and slowly climbing the rankings at Amazon UK and Amazon Germany too. So let’s take a look at some of the most recent new tests:
The well know filmmaker and blogger Philip Bloom usually tests heavy and expensive video stuff only but he could not resists to take a look at the Sony RX100 too: “This is aVERY small camera with a crap load of stuff in it and it does most of it, from what I have so far, very well. The best pocket camera I have used to date, beating my beloved Canon S100.” You can see some videos on his website (one of them I embedded on top of this post).
An enthusiastic review has been posted by the guys from The Verge (Click here): “Sony’s RX100 is nothing short of the best all-around compact camera I’ve ever seen. Where mirrorless cameras made waves by downsizing DSLR-quality photos into a package you could throw into your coat, the RX100 does the same for your jeans. It’s really no exaggeration to say that it produces images roughly on par with an average DSLR and kit lens combination, making this a revolutionary camera that means you’ll always be in a situation where you can take genuinely high quality pictures.”
You can buy it herehttp://astore.amazon.com/gmap-20/detail/B00889ST2G
Good Morning Gloucester 
This is great news Joey. About a year and a half ago, I bought a Nikon P7000 from B&H for $360. It was a great intro to a new medium for me (still and video http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=334105463344053). I can’t believe the quality of that 720p video on my 27″ iMac, which folks from Michigan just saw full screen and were blown away. I believe I sent that video to you: Dancing Queens of the Sidewalk Bazaar. Anyhow, I’ll wait and see if you like this camera if you buy it, and if Nikon comes out with something similar. I’ve got all the best film camera lenses that Nikon ever made, and would love to use them on a really good digital camera body. I really appreciate your camera tech posts!
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Joey,
You’re right. This appears to be a super camera. The sensor size is very impressive and all of the reviews I have read are positive. However, I thought folks might be interested in a less expensive,slightly larger but still pocketable alternative.
The Panasonic LX7’s sensor is substantially smaller than that of the RX100, but Panasonic says it’s “smarter.” Early comparisons indicate that the LX7 has lower noise levels at higher ISOs and it’s maximum aperture of f 1.4 (compared to 1.8 for the RX100) allows shooting in almost all dim light situations. Even with its zoom at full focal length, the aperture is maintained at f 2.3 compared to the RX100’s f4.9 at maximum zoom.
The Rx 100 sells at about $650.00 while the LX7 goes for about $500.
for more info see:
http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/cameras-and-camcorders/cameras/compact-cameras/panasonic-lx7-1089288/review/page:1#articleContent
Personally, I’m not in the market for a pocketable camera. I need something with more heft and larger controls to accommodate my klutzy hands, but each of these exciting cameras break new ground and I love watching the technology evolve.
I’m saving my $ for a compact, monochrome only, affordable superstar. The recently announced Leica M Monchrome doesn’t quite fit the bill at $7,000 PLUS $8,000 for a 50mm lens.
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I prefer the colors from the Sony and the internal mic for video on the Sony but that may not make a difference to others.
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Joey;
Got mine Aug 18th… I shoot with a Canon 60D, with all L series lenses and the Sony RX100 comes in at a close 2nd. Shot some Still life’s while sitting Wednie Demouths Gallery last week… Available Light at ISO 125 and the results were remarkable… My apologies to all that were assaulted by my continuous praise of this incredible camera… We ought to have a GMG RX100 Shoot Off…
What’a ya say ?
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Joey;
I screwed up posting a comment about the RX100… was a lot of verbiage wasted… The upshot was, that the RX100 is, as you say, REMARKABLE ! We ought to have an RX100 Photo contest.
The RX100 against all the other pedestrian wanna be’s… What’a ya say ?
Charlie C.
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Wait is this Charlie Caroll shooting with THE RX100?
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Yeah it’s me… Here are some Test Shots I took last week… the Images loose a lot of their character when compressed for viewing on the Web… very annoying… The Originals are Vivid and have amazing detail… High ISO, low light… NO NOISE !
I love it !
Here’s the Link… http://seasquared.viewbook.com/rx100-images
Charlie
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Charlie do you have any online examples of stuff you’ve shot with the RX100?
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Yeah, a good camera is important. But much more significant is the photographer’s eye. A really good photographer doesn’t think about the camera much, like a writer does not dwell upon the pen. He or she looks thru the viewfinder and sees the image as a final print, framed, posted, or published. Ansel Adams called this “Previsualization.” When I look through a camera viewfinder, film or digital, I’m seeing things that should be cropped out or physically removed before taking the shot. And force of habit has made me crop images in-camera. So you’re visualizing the finished product during the picture taking process. Ansel knew his stuff in this department.
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I wonder what the Writer would prefer though… A sharp Pencil or a Crayon…
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