It used to be that smaller cameras with huge zoom lenses couldn’t perform as well as their larger cousins, but that has been slowly changing and with the introduction of the original Sony RX10, it almost became a moot point.
Now in it’s third iteration, the Sony RX10 series continues to improve upon its already impressive capabilities by more than tripling its optical zoom reach from the original 8x f/2.8 24-200mm to 25x f/2.4 – f/4 24-600mm (f/4 at full zoom) on the “III”.
As with all long lenses, the need for stabilization is imperative, so it’s a good thing that Sony’s latest image stabilization system built in. This system is equivalent to a 4.5-stop -faster shutter speed, and prevents camera blur to help ensure smooth, stable framing and shooting.
Like the previous version, the “III” features a 20.1 Megapixel 1.0-type stacked CMOS sensor. The sensor is back-illuminated which enhances light collection efficiency and will reduce noise in shots at up to ISO 12800. Processing and pixel circuit sections are stacked separately for more speedy, extensive signal processing.
The DRAM memory chip attached on the back of the sensor, boosts signal capacity & readout speed and aids in supporting super slow motion recording, Anti-Distortion Shutter and various other functions.
The RX10 III can capture 4K video with full-pixel readout without pixel binning, and offers high-bit-rate (up to 100Mbps) XAVC S* format to ensure high-quality movies with minimal noise from compression.
Slow-motion video can be captured at up to 960 frames per second (40X slow-mo).
The RX10 III supports various movie functions that are typically found on devices for professional use, including:
In terms of price and features, the RX10 III is suited more towards advanced shooters looking for a slightly more portable and all-inclusive alternative to a DSLR.