Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II Review

September 14, 2015 | Jack Baker | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The Sony RX10 II is a high-end bridge camera that uses a larger than normal 1-inch sensor to achieve superior image quality. The sensor itself is an upgrade over that in the original RX10, as despite being the same physical size and 20.2MP resolution, its new Exmor RS design features a stacked layout with enhanced signal processing for a claimed 5x faster image processing speed. This translates to a 16fps burst shooting speed (up from 10fps in the RX10), and 4K (3840 x 2160) video recording is now possible, along with a new a High Frame Rate, super slow motion shooting mode that captures shots at up to 1000fps. Other fresh features include a blistering 1/32000s maximum shutter speed which enables you to shoot in direct sunlight whilst also exploiting the lens’ f/2.8 maximum aperture for reduced depth of field effects. The shutter also boasts an anti-distortion capability, which combined with the boosted image processing speed, should minimise distortion when capturing very fast-moving subjects. Like the original RX10, the new model uses a fixed lens with an 8.3x optical zoom range and a constant f/2.8 aperture. Wi-Fi connectivity with NFC pairing is also carried over, but the camera’s electronic viewfinder has been upgraded to a 2.35-million-dot device. The main monitor is still tiltable, but not touch-sensitive. Top-notch build quality rounds off the RX10 II, but it also helps increase the price, which is now around £1200/$1300, making this one of the most expensive bridge cameras on the market.

Ease of Use

Externally there’s little to tell the RX10 II apart from the original RX10. Both cameras share the same 129mm x 88.1mm x 102.2mm dimensions and 813g ready-to-shoot weight. This means the RX10 II is roughly the same size as an entry-level DSLR with a small prime lens attached, and it’s actually a little heavier. That’s because, just like a professional DSLR, the RX10 II is built around a tough magnesium-alloy chassis that’s dust and moisture resistant.

There are also other features traditionally reserved for DSLRs, like a top panel backlit LCD that clearly and consistently displays current shooting settings. Next to this there’s a hotshoe mount for a flashgun or accessory, and even the shutter release button is designed to accept a traditional screw-in remote release cable. The last time I came across such a feature was on a Nikon F80 film camera, circa 2000.

Encircling the shutter release is the power lever and also the zoom rocker which can zoom the 8.3x zoom lens slowly or quickly, depending how far you turn it. The lens can also be zoomed using a DSLR-like zoom ring around the lens barrel, and though this is just another way to actuate the lens’ motorized zoom rather than being a direct mechanical control, it works precisely and with barely any lag. Behind the lens barrel zoom ring is an aperture ring, which has an accompanying switch on the bottom of the lens so you can choose whether the ring clicks into each aperture or rotates smoothly. There’s no automatic setting on the aperture ring, as the camera automatically takes control of aperture when you’re not in aperture priority or manual modes.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
Front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

The lens itself may only offer 8.3x 24-200mm-equivalent optical zoom range, but it does boast a constant f/2.8 aperture, and combined with the larger than average sensor (for a bridge camera), means you can capture shots with a fairly shallow depth of field to isolate your subject.

A pair of dials are mounted to the top of the RX10 II. On the right, within easy thumb reach, is an exposure compensation dial with +/- 3 stops of adjustment. Although the dial is located right on the corner of the camera, it’s stiff enough to prevent accidental rotation. Next to your left hand there’s a mode dial with the usual scene-detecting fully automatic mode, a programmable auto mode, aperture and shutter priority positions, and a fully manual setting. There’s also an ‘MR’ (memory recall) mode, where you can quickly access a previously-saved shooting set-up.

Next up on the mode dial is a dedicated video mode. The RX10 II is now capable of internal 4K 3840 x 2160 recording at up to 30fps for 29-minute durations, plus you can also capture 17MP stills whilst recording. 4K videos are captured in the new XAVC S recording format which provides up to a 100Mb/s data rate, and all without resorting to pixel-binning, with the result being maximised clarity with reduced jagged edges and moiré patterns.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
Rear of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

The next mode dial setting is the High Frame Rate mode where the RX10 II is able to capture super-slow motion video clips. Up to 1000fps is possible for 40x slower recording, though at a reduced resolution of 1136x384, and for only two seconds. However, that does equate to 1 minute 20 seconds of playback duration when viewing at standard PAL 25fps. Additional recording speed settings of 500fps and 250fps are available at resolutions of 1676x566 and 1824x1026 respectively. You can also shoot at the same three speed settings for four seconds instead of two, but with an approximate 30% drop in video frame resolution.

It’s all great in theory, but you’d better have the right type of SD card to record 4K video or use the High Frame Rate mode, as otherwise the RX10 II will disable these features. You’ll need to specifically use an SDXC Class 10 or UHS-I compatible memory card, as even a 95MB/s Sandisk Extreme Pro Class 10 card was rejected purely for being an SDHC card and not SDXC (it functioned perfectly well for shooting stills and HD 1080p video). Reformatting the card to the exFat file system was no help either, despite this effectively converting it to SDXC specification. The only solution was to use an authentic SDXC card, which was accepted by the camera, despite it actually being slightly slower than the SDHC Sandisk card. Hopefully a firmware update will relax these strict requirements, as ultimately it should be up to the user – not the camera – to decide whether a memory card has the necessary speed and formatting to handle high data rate recording.

The final two mode dial options include Sony’s Sweep Panorama mode, and a Scene setting containing various scene presets you can draw upon should the scene-detecting Intelligent Auto or Superior Auto modes not deliver. These modes are usually given dedicated mode dial positions on Sony’s compact cameras, but you’ll need to press the ‘Fn’ button on the RX10 II’s rear panel to display the camera’s quick-reference menu, where you can then choose between the two automatic modes. Intelligent Auto is a standard scene-detecting auto mode, whereas Superior Auto also uses trickery like capturing multiple exposures to increase dynamic range or minimise camera shake and image noise.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
Top of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

The quick reference menu accessed by the Fn button also contains typical options like ISO sensitivity, white balance and flash modes, but adds some features more often associated with DSLRs and mirrorless system cameras. You can chose between matrix, centre-weighted and spot metering options, or also dial in some flash exposure compensation. Focus area is adjustable, too, as is the amount of DRO (Dynamic Range Optimizer) that’s applied to high-contrast shots. The camera’s auto HDR feature is also customisable, with up to a 6EV exposure variation possible. Finally, there are various drive modes on offer, including a self-timer with two, five and ten-second delay options, plus the continuous shooting mode, as well as extensive bracketing options. You can choose from manual and continuous exposure bracketing with multiple exposure variation options, plus white balance and DRO bracketing.

In playback mode, the Fn button can be used to activate the camera’s Wi-Fi connectivity, letting you send a single image or multiple shots to a smartphone or tablet. NFC pairing makes establishing a connection as simple as just tapping your smart device against the camera, and once connected, a full resolution image will take roughly ten seconds to transfer via Sony’s PlayMemories Mobile app, available for Android, iOS and Windows Mobile. There’s also the option to take control of the RX10 II with your smartphone or tablet, with options to remotely control the shutter release, zoom and self-timer.

You’ll also find a pair of control wheels on the rear panel, giving quick and easy settings adjustment. The upper control wheel adjusts functions like shutter speed when in the appropriate mode, whilst the lower wheel by default switches between the various Picture Effect filters. It also doubles as a conventional 4-way D-pad, and though only the top option for changing display formats is marked, pressing the D-pad left is the default control to display ISO sensitivity options.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II in-hand

But the main points of interest on the rear panel are the monitor and EVF. The latter is a new 2.35-million-dot device which is a marked upgrade over the original RX10’s already-impressive 1.4-million-dot EVF and is a pleasure to use thanks to its accurate colour and contrast. There’s automatic eye detection to switch between the EVF and the 3-inch LCD monitor. The latter boasts a 1.23-million-dot resolution, which strangely is down on the 1.44-million-dot spec of the original RX10’s screen, but nevertheless provides excellent viewing angles with faithful colour and high contrast. Brightness is also superb, with five stages of manual adjustment, an auto mode, and a Sunny Weather setting which cranks the brightness to the max. The screen is also tiltable and able to be hinged 107 degrees up and 42 degrees down to help with low and high-angle composition, though it can’t be flipped to face forward for selfie shooting.

If you do face the front of the RX10 II, you’ll find it’s got a focus mode lever, much like you’d see on a well-specced DSLR. This enables instant switching between single and continuous autofocussing, autofocus with manual override (the lens barrel zoom ring becomes a focus ring) and full manual focussing. This type of electronically-actuated manual focussing can feel clunky on some cameras, but Sony’s implementation is slick and useful. Autofocussing is also impressive. Sony quotes a 0.09-second lock-on speed, which we found to be fairly accurate under bright light, and whilst dimmer conditions do slow things down, the RX10 II still focusses quickly and consistently and avoids focus hunting.

Last but not least is battery life, which is up from the original RX10’s 340-shot/170-minute rating to 400 shots/200 minutes, despite both cameras using the same NP-FW50 rechargeable Li-ion power pack. That’s enough to beat the Panasonic FZ1000 and Canon G3 X’s ratings of 360 and 300 respective shots-per-charge ratings. One small gripe is that you don’t get a proper docking-style battery charger with the RX10 II, as Sony instead bundles it with an AC adaptor block and USB cable, so you can’t use the camera whilst a second battery is on charge.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 20 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb.

Images from the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II immediately impress thanks to vibrant colour reproduction and good detail capture at lower sensitivity settings. Auto white balance is accurate and reliable, whilst matrix metering produces balanced exposures. The sensor's dynamic range is also very good and can be enhanced further by exploiting the camera's multi-shot HDR ability.

Image noise is well controlled up to ISO 800, but at this sensitivity grain is becoming visible when High ISO Noise Reduction is disabled. Colour speckling starts to creep in at ISO 3200, and by the maximum standard sensitivity of ISO 12800, both forms of noise are obvious, even when viewing at 25% image size. But on the upside, there's still plenty of detail in these high ISO shots. If you'd rather have cleaner images, setting High ISO Noise Reduction to Normal will dramatically reduce noise, but also smear some detail in the process. This only becomes visible at ISO6400, but it does demonstrate the limitations of the 1-inch sensor, which simply can't match the signal to noise ratio of larger APS-C designs.

There's little to find fault with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II's lens though. It's almost distortion-free throughout its focal range and is also very sharp, right into the corners of frame. You'll see some minor chromatic aberration on high-contrast boundaries, but it's nothing to worry about. The lens' f/2.8 aperture, combined with the relatively large 1-inch sensor size, also gives you the ability to shoot images with a shallow depth and attractive background bokeh blur.

Noise

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II has a standard sensitivity range between ISO 100 and 12800, selectable down to 1/3EV increments. This can be extended down to ISO 64, whilst the Multi Frame NR feature can add an ISO 25600 sensitivity by compiling multiple consecutive exposures into a single image with supposedly reduced noise levels, though this isn't available when shooting RAW or RAW+JPEG. We captured these ISO test shots with High ISO Noise Reduction set to Normal, though this can also be set to Low, or disabled completely.

JPEG Raw

ISO 64 (100% Crop)

ISO 64 (100% Crop)

iso64.jpg iso64raw.jpg
   

ISO 80 (100% Crop)

ISO 80 (100% Crop)

iso80.jpg iso80raw.jpg
   

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg
   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg
   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg
   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg
   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

iso1600.jpg iso1600raw.jpg
   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso3200.jpg iso3200raw.jpg
   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

iso6400.jpg iso6400raw.jpg
   

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

iso12800.jpg iso12800raw.jpg
   

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

 
iso25600.jpg N/A

Focal Range

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II's 8.3x zoom lens achieves a focal range of 24-200mm when converted into a 35mm camera format. Here you can see the range this gives, which is enough for most shooting scenarios. However, unlike conventional bridge cameras generally capable of over 40x magnification, you won't be able to zoom in on distant objects or animals and have them fill the frame. You do however get an f/2.8 constant aperture, which combined with the Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation, improves low light shooting by facilitating faster shutter speeds and lower ISO sensitivities.

24mm

200mm

focal_range1.jpg focal_range2.jpg

File Quality

Five quality settings are available: RAW, RAW+JPEG (Extra fine, Fine and Standard JPEG compression options), JPEG Extra fine, JPEG Fine and JPEG Standard. You can also chose to shoot at 20MP, 10MP or 5MP image sizes, and there's 4:3, 16:9 and 1:1 aspect ratio options if you don't fancy the default 3:2 ratio.

Extra Fine (11.2Mb) (100% Crop) Fine (5.89Mb) (100% Crop)
quality_extra_fine.jpg quality_fine.jpg
   
Standard (4.04Mb) (100% Crop) RAW (19.9Mb) (100% Crop)
quality_standard.jpg quality_raw.jpg

Macro

Sony quotes a 3cm minimum focussing distance for the RX10 II, and we found this to be accurate. However, at such close range, the large lens inevitable casts a shadow over your subject.

Macro

Macro (100% Crop)

macro1.jpg macro1a.jpg

Flash

Five flash settings are available: Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync and Rear Sync and Wireless. A separate menu option controls whether or not red-eye reduction is active, but even without this enabled, the camera successfully avoided red-eye in our testing. The flash itself is powerful and shows little evidence of vignetting when shooting a white surface from 1.5m with the lens set to its 24mm-equivalent focal length.

Suppressed Flash - Wide Angle (24mm)

Forced Flash - Wide Angle (24mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Suppressed Flash - Telephoto (200mm)

Forced Flash - Telephoto (200mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Forced Flash setting or the Red-Eye Correction option caused any amount of red-eye.

Forced Flash

Forced Flash (100% Crop)
flash_on.jpg flash_on1.jpg
   

Red-eye Reduction

Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

flash_redeye.jpg flash_redeye1.jpg

Night

We shot this night-time scene in three ways: Night Scene mode captured it with a long 1.6-second exposure at ISO 100, making a tripod essential. Superior Auto mode used multiple frames to reduce image noise whilst also keeping the shutter speed relatively high at 1/8th-second. Finally, we switched to shutter priority mode to manually select a one second exposure at ISO 400 which produced the most accurate colours with minimal image noise.

Night Auto

Night Auto (100% Crop)

night_auto.jpg night_auto1.jpg
   

Night Scene Mode

Night Scene Mode (100% Crop)

night_scene.jpg night_scene1.jpg
   

Night Long Exposure

Night Long Exposure (100% Crop)

night_long.jpg night_long1.jpg
   

Steadyshot

Sony's Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation system does a good job of ironing out any camera shake, although this is partly because the RX10 II's 200mm-equivalent maximum telephoto reach isn't a massively challenging focal length to hold steady. Unlike many of Sony's compact cameras, the RX10 II will also let you disable image stabilisation.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length

Shake Reduction Off (100% Crop)

Shake Reduction On (100% Crop)

1/13th / 200mm antishake1.jpg antishake1a.jpg

High Dynamic Range

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II's HDR mode can be activated automatically, or you can choose to have 1-6 stops of exposure variation, depending on how contrasty the scene you're shooting is. These samples demonstrate what 3-4 stops of variation can do. The results have greatly-enhanced highlight and shadow detail, yet also look impressively natural.

Off

On

hdr_01.jpg hdr_02.jpg
   

Off

On

hdr_03.jpg hdr_04.jpg

Picture Effects

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II contains 13 Picture Effects, some with additional sub options: Toy camera (normal, cool, warm, green, magenta), Pop color, Posterization (colour, mono), Retro photo, Soft high-key, Partial color (red, green, blue, yellow), High-contrast mono, Soft focus (low, mid, high), HDR painting (low, mid, high), Rich-tone mono, Miniature (top, middle horizontal, bottom, left, middle vertical, right), Watercolor, Illustration (low, mid, high).

Toy Camera

Pop Color

picture_effect_01.jpg picture_effect_02.jpg
   

Posterization

Retro

picture_effect_03.jpg picture_effect_04.jpg
   

Soft High-key

Partial Color (Red)

picture_effect_05.jpg picture_effect_06.jpg
   

High Contrast Mono

Soft Focus

picture_effect_07.jpg picture_effect_08.jpg
   

HDR Painting

Rich-tone Mono

picture_effect_09.jpg picture_effect_10.jpg
   

Miniature

Watercolor

picture_effect_11.jpg picture_effect_12.jpg
   

Illustration

 
picture_effect_13.jpg  

Sweep Panorama

Sony's iSweep Panorama mode gives horizontal and vertical panning options. Two horizontal widths are available: Standard (roughly 120 degrees), and Wide (180 degrees). It's a shame there's no ability to stop panning at will, but the results are almost seamlessly stitched and are consistently exposed. What's more, unlike cheaper CyberShot compacts which output panoramas at around 1080 vertical pixels, the RX10 II produces much larger images which are 1856 pixels high.

Standard
panorama1.jpg
 
Wide
panorama2.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II camera, which were all taken using the 20 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Sony RAW (ARW) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample video from the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II camera at the highest quality setting of 380x2160 pixels at 25 frames per second. Please note that this 24 second movie is 178Mb in size.

Product Images

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II / Flash Raised

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Side of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Side of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Rear of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Rear of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II / Image Displayed

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Rear of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II / Main Menu

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Rear of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II / Tilting LCD Screen

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Side of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

 

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Side of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Top of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Bottom of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

Front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
Memory Card Slot / Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II could be considered the most complete all-in-one camera on the market. Where most bridge cameras offer little more than an oversized lens, the RX10 II blends a useful zoom range with a wide aperture, a larger than average sensor, tough weather-resistant construction and a wide selection of advanced features.

Its 1-inch sensor may still be smaller those used in DSLRs and most CSCs, but it gives much-improved image quality over the 1/2.3-inch sensors in typical bridge cameras. Detail capture, colour reproduction and dynamic range are all excellent, and the latter can be improved even more with the impressive HDR feature. Noise levels at high ISO sensitivities aren’t quite as impressive, as at ISO 6400 and above, there is a slight trade-off between detail and noise, depending on the degree of noise reduction processing applied by the camera.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II excels optically thanks to its f/2.8 constant aperture, which is a feature traditionally only associated with pro DSLR zoom optics. This does mean you’ll have to make do with just 8.3x zoom, but a 200mm-equivalent focal length is enough for most situations.

Should you upgrade from the original RX10? Probably not, unless you’re desperate to record 4K video or shoot super slow motion image sequences and have a suitable SDXC card to satisfy the camera’s needlessly fussy memory card requirements. The remaining new features are fairly incremental, as whilst the faster 16fps burst shooting speed is very impressive, the 10fps rating of the original RX10 was hardly sluggish. The EVF upgrade is another welcome but not earth-shattering upgrade, and though the new 1/32000 maximum shutter speed sounds impressive on paper, it’s of little real-world use. The same also goes for the new Exmor RS sensor, which is technically amazing, but doesn’t produce significantly better image quality than the original RX10’s sensor.

But whilst the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II offers a superb blend of performance, features and build quality, all this doesn’t come cheap. At £1200/$1300, it’s currently twice the UK price of the original RX10, and 30% more in the States. The RX10 II also looks overpriced when compared to the Panasonic Lumix FZ1000, which also boasts a 1-inch sensor, 4K video recording, the same EVF resolution and a fully articulating LCD. What’s more, the FZ1000’s lens has almost double the optical zoom range of the RX10 II, and though it can’t offer a constant f/2.8 aperture, its f/2.8-f/4 aperture is still impressively large.

Ultimately, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II is a great camera that’ll satisfy photographers of all abilities. It’s also a worthy successor to the original model and offers a much more accomplished shooting experience than typical small-sensor bridge cameras. Our only major gripe is the price hike over the original RX10, which is both significant and tough to justify next to the Panasonic FZ1000, its Leica V-Lux (Typ 114) sister camera, and the Canon PowerShot G3 X, which all pack a 1-inch sensor and more optical zoom for much less money.

4 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 5
Ease-of-use 4
Image quality 4
Value for money 3.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II.

Canon PowerShot G3 X

The Canon PowerShot G3 X is a prosumer super-zoom camera with a 1-inch image sensor and 25x zoom lens. The G3 X also offers built-in wi-fi/NFC connectivity, 1080p HD video at 60fps with stereo sound, a 3.2 inch tilting touchscreen LCD, lens control ring, RAW files and a full range of manual shooting modes. Read our Canon PowerShot G3 X review to find out if this is the best superzoom camera that money can buy...

Leica V-Lux (Typ 114)

The Leica V-Lux (Typ 114) is is a new super-zoom compact camera, offering a large 1-inch image sensor with 20 megapixels, 4K video recording and a 16x zoom lens with a 25-400mm focal range. Priced at £925 / $1350, read our expert Leica V-Lux (Typ 114) review to find out if it can justify its price-tag...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000

The Lumix DMC-FZ1000 is Panasonic's new flagship super-zoom compact camera, offering a large 1-inch image sensor with 20 megapixels, 4K video recording and a 16x zoom lens with a 25-400mm focal range. Priced at £749 / $899, read our expert Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 review to find out if it can justify its price-tag...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II from around the web.

trustedreviews.com »

The Sony RX10 II is a dream camera for many. It combines great general image quality with incredible video skills, super-rapid shooting speed and a lens that offers both a wide zoom range and constant max aperture of f/2.8 throughout.
Read the full review »

techradar.com »

Like the RX10, the RX10 II is a tempting option for photographers on the move who value image quality above a huge zoom range. It's expensive compared to the competition, but it's a serious alternative to a DSLR and a few lenses.
Read the full review »

digitalversus.com »

In late 2013, Sony surprised everybody by bringing out the Cyber-Shot RX10 bridge camera. And what a bridge it was! Two years later, Sony has built on this excellent basis, and brings us the RX10 II. This time we have a new 20 Mpx 1.0-type BSI CMOS sensor (and with built-in DRAM), a doubling of the viewfinder's pixel density (2.35 million dots) and 4K video.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Size & Weight
Dimensions (W x H x D) (CIPA)
129.0 x 88.1 x 102.2 mm
Weight (CIPA)
770 g (Body only), 813 g (With battery and media)
Sensor
Sensor Type
1.0-type (13.2mm x 8.8mm) Exmor RS CMOS sensor, aspect ratio 3:2
Effective pixels
20.2MP
Lens
Lens type
ZEISS® "Vario-Sonnar T*, 14 elements in 11 groups (7 aspheric elements including AA lens)
F-number
F2.8 constant
Focal length
(f=) 35mm format equivalent; Still Image 3:2] f = 24-200 mm; [Still Image 16:9] f = 25-213 mm; [Still Image 4:3] f = 26-220 mm; [Still Image 1:1] f = 31-259 mm; [Movie 16:9] f = 26-212 mm (SteadyShot Standard), f = 29-305 mm (SteadyShot Active), f = 33-315 mm (SteadyShot Intelligent Active); [Video 4K 16:9] f = 28-233 mm (SteadyShot standard); [HFR 960 fps] f = 41-330 mm (Quality Priority), f = 59-460 mm (Shoot Time Priority); [HFR 480 fps] f = 28-233 mm (Quality Priority), f = 41-330 mm (Shoot Time Priority); [HFR 240 fps] f = 26-212 mm (Quality Priority), f = 28-233 mm (Shoot Time Priority)
ND Filter
Auto / On (3 steps) / Off
Zoom
Optical Zoom
8.3x (Optical Zoom during movie recording)
Digital Zoom (Still Image)
33x
Digital Zoom (Movie)
33x
Filter Diameter
62 mm
Stabilization
Steadyshot
Optical SteadyShot; [Still Image] Optical; [Movie] Intelligent Active Mode, Optical type with electronic compensation (Anti Rolling type)
Focus
Focus Type
Contrast detection AF
Focus Mode
Single-shot AF, Continuous AF, DMF, Manual Focus
Focus Range
AF (W: Approx. 3cm to infinity, T: Approx. 25cm to infinity)
Drive
Drive Modes
Single, Continuous shooting, Speed priority continuous shooting, Self-timer, Self-timer (cont.), Single-bracketing, Cont.-bracketing, White balance bracketing, DRO bracketing
LCD
Screen Type
7.5 cm (3.0type)(4:3) / 1,228,800 dots / Xtra Fine / TFT LCD
Adjustable Angle
Up: approx. 107 degrees; Down: approx. 42 degrees
Display Panel (On Top)
Yes
Brightness Control
Manual (5 steps)/Sunny Weather
Shutter
Shutter Speed
Shutter Speed iAuto (4"-1/3200*) / Program Auto (30"-1/3200*) / Manual Exposure (Bulb, 30"-1/3200*) / Aperture Priority (30"-1/3200*) / Shutter Priority (30"-1/3200*) *At F8 or greater aperture value. Fastest limit at F2.8 is 1/1600. Electronic Shutter iAuto (4"-1/32000) / Program Auto (30"-1/32000) / Manual Exposure (30"-1/32000) / Aperture Priority (30"-1/32000) / Shutter Priority (30"-1/32000)
White Balance
White Balance Modes
Auto;Daylight;Shade;Cloudy;Incandescent;Fluor.: Warm White;Fluor.: Cool White;Fluor.: Day White;Fluor.: Daylight;Flash;C.Temp./Filter;Custom
WB Micro Adjustment
G7-M7, A7-B7
Bracketing
Yes
Storage Media
Compatible Recording Media
Memory Stick Duo;Memory Stick PRO Duo;Memory Stick PRO Duo (High Speed);Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo;Memory Stick Micro ;Memory Stick Micro (Mark2);SD Memory Card;SDHC Memory Card(UHS-I);SDXC Memory Card(UHS-I);Stick XC-HG Duo;microSD Memory Card ;microSDHC Memory Card ;microSDXC Memory Card
Recording
Recording Format
Still Image: JPEG (DCF,Exit,MPF Baseline compliant), RAW
Colour Space (Still)
sRGB, Adobe RGB
Still Image Resolution
3:2mode:20M (5,472×3,648) / 10M (3,888×2,592) / 5M (2,736×1,824),4:3mode:18M (4,864×3,648) / 10M (3,648×2,736) / 5M (2,592×1,944) / VGA,16:9mode:17M (5,472×3,080) / 7.5M (3,648×2,056) / 4.2M (2,720×1,528),1:1mode:13M (3,648×3,648) / 6.5M (2,544×2,544) / 3.7M (1,920×1,920) ,Sweep Panorama:Wide(12,416×1,856/5,536×2,160),Standard(8,192×1,856/3,872×2,160)
Still Image Number of Recording Pixels (Image Size) During Movie
[16:9] 17M (5,472x3,080) / 7.5M (3,648x2,056) / 4.2M (2,720x1,528)
Movie Recording Mode
NTSC/PAL Selector: [PAL] mode AVCHD: 28M PS (1920 x 1080/50p) / 24M FX (1920 x 1080/50i) / 17M FH (1920 x 1080/50i) / 24M FX (1920 x 1080/25p) / 17M FH (1920 x 1080/25p), XAVC S 4K: 25p 100M (3840 x 2160/25p) / 25p 60M (3840 x 2160/25p), XAVC S HD:50p 50M (1920 x 1080/50p) / 25p 50M (1920 x 1080/25p) / 100p 100M (1920 x 1080/100p) / 100p 60M (1920 x 1080/100p), MP4: 28M (1920 x 1080/50p) / 16M (1920 x 1080/25p) / 6M (1280 x 720/25p); [NTSC] mode AVCHD: 28M PS (1920 x 1080/60p) / 24M FX (1920 x 1080/60i) / 17M FH (1920 x 1080/60i) / 24M FX (1920 x 1080/24p) / 17M FH (1920 x 1080/24p), XAVC S 4K: 30p 100M (3840 x 2160/30p) / 30p 60M (3840 x 2160/30p) / 24p 100M (3840 x 2160/24p) / 24p 60M (3840 x 2160/24p), XAVC S HD:60p 50M (1920 x 1080/60p) / 30p 50M (1920 x 1080/30p) / 24p 50M (1920 x 1080/24p) / 120p 100M (1920 x 1080/120p) / 120p 60M (1920 x 1080/120p), MP4: 28M (1920 x 1080/60p) / 16M (1920 x 1080/30p) / 6M (1280 x 720/30p)
HFR
Recording: NTSC/PAL Selector: [PAL] mode XAVC S HD:50p 50M (1,920x1,080/250fps), 50p 50M (1,920x1,080/500fps), 50p 50M (1,920x1,080/1000fps) / 25p 50M (1,920x1,080/250fps), 25p 50M (1,920x1,080/500fps), 25p 50M (1,920x1,080/1000fps) NTSC/PAL Selector: [NTSC] mode XAVC S HD:60p 50M (1,920x1,080/240fps), 60p 50M (1,920x1,080/480fps), 60p 50M (1,920x1,080/960fps) / 30p 50M (1,920x1,080/240fps), 30p 50M (1,920x1,080/480fps), 30p 50M (1,920x1,080/960fps) / 24p 50M (1,920x1,080/240fps), 24p 50M (1,920x1,080/480fps), 24p 50M (1,920x1,080/960fps) Sensor Readout Number of effective pixels: Quality Priority:240fps/250fps (1,824x1,026),480fps/500fps (1,676x566), 960fps/1000fps (1,136x384)/Shoot Time Priority: 240fps/250fps (1,676x566), 480fps/500fps (1,136x384), 960fps/1000fps (800x270)
Recording Format (Movie Audio)
XAVC S: LPCM 2ch / AVCHD: Dolby Digital (AC-3) 2ch (Dolby Digital Stereo Creator) / MP4: MPEG-4 AAC-LC 2ch
Built-in Flash
Built-in Flash Mode
Auto / Flash On / Slow Synchro / Rear Sync. / Flash Off / Wireless (with optional compliant flash)
Flash Type
Built-in, manual pop-up
Built-in Flash Range
ISO Auto: Approx. 1.0 m to 10.2 m, ISO 12800: Approx. 20.4m
Shooting
Image Processor
BIONZ X™
Shooting Mode
Intelligent Auto/Superior Auto;Program Auto;Aperture Priority;Shutter Speed Priority;Manual Exposure;MR 1,2,3;Movie Mode(Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority, Manual Exposure);HFR Mode(Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority, Manual Exposure);Panorama;Scene Selection
Continuous Shooting Speed (maximum)
Speed Priority Continuous Shooting: approx. 14 fps, Continuous Shooting: approx. 5 fps
Self-Timer
10 sec. / 5 sec. / 2 sec.
Scene Selection
Portrait;Sports Action;Macro;Landscape;Sunset;Night Scene;Handheld Twilight;Night Portrait;Anti Motion Blur
Photo Creativity
Yes
Picture Effect
Toy camera;Pop Color;Posterization;Retro Photo;Soft High-key;Partial Color;High Contrast Mono.;High Contrast Mono.
Panorama (Shooting)
Sweep Panorama
Shooting Functions
Eye AF;Face Detection;Face Registration;Still Image Recording (during movie recording);Smile shutter;Grid Line;Quick Navi;Digital Level Gauge (pitch and roll);WB Bracket;DRO Bracketing;MF Assist;Peaking;Zebra;Marker Display;Audio Level Display;Audio Out Timing;Step Zoom;Quick Zoom;TC/UB;Photographer Name & Copyright;ISO Auto Minimum Shutter Speed;PC Remote Control
Picture Profile
Off / PP1-PP7 (Black Level, Gamma (Movie, Still, Cine1-2, ITU709, ITU709 [800%], S-Log2), Black Gamma, Knee, Color Mode, Color Level, Color Phase, Color Depth, Detail, Copy, Reset)
Playback
Playback Modes
BRAVIA Sync;9/25-frame index view;Auto orientation;Slide Show;Forward/Rewind (Movie);Delete;Protect;Motion Shot Video;Beauty Effect;TRILUMINOS Colour;4K image output
Exposure
Exposure Control
Yes
Minimum Illumination (Movie)
Auto: 3.0 lux (Shutter Speed 1/30“)
Exposure Compensation
+/- 3.0EV, 1/3EV step
Light Metering Mode
Multi Pattern / Centre Weighted / Spot
ISO Sensitivity (Still Image)
Auto: (ISO 100-12800, selectable with upper/lower limit), 100 / 125 / 160 / 200 / 250 / 320 / 400 / 500 / 640 / 800 / 1000 / 1250 / 1600 / 2000 / 2500 / 3200 / 4000 / 5000 / 6400 / 8000 / 10000 / 12800 (Extendable to ISO64/80); Multi-Frame NR: Auto (ISO 100-12800), 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400 / 12800 / 25600
ISO Sensitivity (Movie)
Auto: (ISO100-12800, selectable with upper/ lower limit), 100 / 125 / 160 / 200 / 250 / 320 / 400 / 500 / 640 / 800 / 1000 / 1250 / 1600 / 2000 / 2500 / 3200 / 4000 / 5000 / 6400 / 8000 / 10000 / 12800
Power
USB Charge/USB Power Supply
Yes (Shooting, Playback)
Battery System
Rechargeable battery pack NP-FW50
Power Consumption (Camera Mode)
Approx. 2.3W with LCD monitor and approx. 2.6W with viewfinder (CIPA standard)
Battery Life
Still Images (CIPA): Monitor: Approx. 400 / Approx. 200 min., Viewfinder: Approx. 360 / Approx. 180min. ; Movies (actual shooting) Monitor: Approx. 65 min., Viewfinder: Approx. 65 min. (In [MP4 28M] mode, max. continuous shooting time is approx. 20 min. and max. file size is 4 GB.) ; Movies (continuous shooting) Monitor: Approx. 130 min., Viewfinder: Approx. 135 min. (In [MP4 28M] mode, max. continuous shooting time is approx. 20 min. and max. file size is 4 GB.)
Interface
Input and Output Terminals
Headphones, Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0), Micro HDMI, Microphone (3.5 mm Stereo minijack), Multi/Micro USB Terminal, Multi Interface Shoe
Wireless Capabilities
NFC: NFC forum Type 3 Tag compatible, One-touch remote, One-touch sharing, Wi-FI: Yes (IEEE802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz band))
What's In The Box
  • Rechargeable Battery Pack NP-FW50
  • AC Adaptor (AC-UB10C/UB10D)
  • Micro USB cable
  • Shoulder strap
  • Lens cap
  • Shoe cap
  • Lens hood
  • Eyepiece Cup
  • Instruction Manual
 
 

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