SONY Cyber-shot RX100M4 REVIEW (EN)

SONY Cyber-shot RX100IV

"On the pareto-boundary of portability and image quality"

RX100 series is first introduced in 2012 as a permium compact camera. The RX100 had 1"-type sensor (larger than most of compact cameras at that time) and relatively fast zoom lens and was pocket size. The RX100 was very impressive in terms of image quality and had been a big success in the market. This camera is the latest model of RX100 series (Not now, but this review was written in Jan. 2016). Let's see the details of RX100M4.

Specifications

Image Sensor	1"-type (13.2mm x 8.8mm) Exmor RS stacked CMOS
Image Processor	BIONZ X
Resolution	20.1MP (5472 x 3648)
Continuous Shooting	16fps (AF/AE lock)
Video	4K UHD 30fps (100Mbps), FHD 120fps (100Mbps)
High Frame Rate	240/480/960fps (2sec for quality priority)
Lens	ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T*
Focal length	24 - 70mm (35mm equivalent, crop factor: 2.72)
Shutter Speed	30s - 1/32,000s (with electronic shutter)
Minimum distance	5cm (f=24mm) to 30cm (f=70mm)
Maximum Aperture	F1.8 (Wide) to F2.8 (Tele)
ND filter	Yes, built in. (3 stop)
Display	3" 4:3 Xtra Fine TFT (1.23M dots)
Flip/Tilt	Up: 180 deg. Down: 45 deg.
Viewfinder	0.4" XGA OLED (2.34M dots, 100% coverage)
Charging	micro USB (chargeable during shooting)
Dimensions	101.6 x 58.1 x 41 mm
Weight	298g

Compared to its predecessor, nothing changes in exterior although EVF resolution and charging is improved. Main improvement is the sensor with high capability. Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor built DRAM memory brings the following key features:

• Full-Pixel Readout 4K 100Mbps XAVCS Video 
• FHD 120fps 100Mbps XAVCS Video
• HFR Video up to 40x slow motion (240/480/960)
• Electronic shutter up to 1/32,000s without rolling effect
• 16fps continuous shooting

These are very impressive functions for compact camera. 

Package and Design

Design is same to its predecessor RX100M3 except labeling. Many things in the small body. Resolution of pop-up EVF is improved to 2.34M dots.

TFT LCD display supports 180 deg filp for selfie as well as high and low angle. Built-in flash can be bound by fingers. EVF pop-up lever and NFC tag are located left-side.

Additional leather skin and metal grip is good for the camera. These are provided as serial registration gifts from SONY Korea.

Image Quality

In fact, the image quality is not comparable to FF or APS-C with good lens. However, it is comparable to those with bundle zoom lens (such as 18-55, 28-70). We can see enough resolution for various purposes.

Sharpness in 70mm is slightly degraded compared to 24mm, but it also shows acceptable degree of sharpness. At 70mm, maximum aperture is increased to f/2.8 so that it may lead high ISO sensitivity.

High ISO performance of 1"-type cameras is definitely behind larger sensor camera. For web-use (1000px resize), I think ISO 3200 is also acceptable if needed. However, I set that auto ISO up to ISO 1600 and rarely used ISO 3200. Instead of using high ISO, it is better to take in low ISO reliance on bright lens and optical steady shot.   

This is taken with an external flash by built-in flash fire. Image resolution is much better with external lighting. 

Video Quality

By using full-pixel readout, RX100M4 provides exceptional sharpness even in video capture. In spite of the small 1"-type sensor, its video quality is better than most of large cameras. Here's few footages in Youtube I'd taken.

 This 4K clip at Okinawa Aquarium. Really impressive site.
 My bro practicing back filp (Few cuts are from Galaxy S6)
Mogul run at phoenixpark, FHD 120fps

Conclusions

Overall, RX100M4 is the best camera in its class (1"-type). It has essentials of camera such as a nice lens and pop-up EVF and its new sensor supports great video features such as full-pixel readout video and super slow motion up to 40x. High speed continuous shooting and 1/32,000s e-shutter make the camera impressive. In addition, it is still pocket-sized. I can recommend this camera to anyone who wants a pocket-sized camera.

Pros :)

+ Relatively sharp and well balanced ZEISS zoom lens

+ High speed Exmor RS stacked sensor

+ Dynamic range in RAW files

+ E-shutter without rolling effect

+ 4K video with excellent sharpness

+ Small, but useful and clear EVF

+ Compactness

+ Good for selfie

Cons:)

- 1"-type sensor has fundamental limitations about image quality

- Sharpness at 70mm is slightly lower than at 24mm.

- 4K recording time limitation due to fever (5min)

- Little noise during zooming

- No touch display (Please!)

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