RX100vi - Time to adopt after having been an A99 lover ?

[Marc Pecquet]

For years now, I've always had the top of the line Minolta, Minolta-Konica and now Sony gear in my 35lb bag... But now that I am twice the age of the weight of my bag, it may be time to change (although I did purchanse a > than $2000 Sony/Zeiss A mount lens last month !). Oh, and I forgot to mention the tri-pod I carry as well on a shoulder sling... 

I shoot between 8,000 and 10,000 frames (RAW) a year and use Capture One software, mostly during trips around the world in remote places (Southern Ethiopia, North-Western Myanmar, Bhoutan...) and on car race tracks (Le Mans Classic, etc); I also publish books on Blurb. So, without being a pro, I am a serious amateur.

Of course, I won't give up the A mount in one go. BUT, it is probably time to learn to travel "lighter". The RX100vi kind of hit my imagination... Could this be the camera my back has been asking me to adopt ? 

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS / RECOMMENDATIONS ?

[LiveShots]

Reading the specifications of this camera it seems more appealing to travelers than vloggers. I can certainly see the appeal of something so small that it can fit in a pants pocket and yet has a versatile zoom range. They say the best camera is the one that you have with you, because any camera is better than none.

I use the A9 and love it but I don't have it with me all the time, something like the RX100 may fit the bill though I will wait a while to see a wider variety of sample shots before I make up my mind… I've also been leaning towards the RX1R especially if they bring out a medium format version.

This may be a Christmas present to myself… now of course if Sony bring out some more FF lens then all bets are off…?

[fotomarc]

Will a 1in sensor have the quality you’re after is the question? I was looking at the RX10 IV earlier this year for a similar reason. What do you do with your 10,000+ images you take? How big do you print? Are you shooting in low light? That’s where the big format comes ahead. I ended up just getting a 55mm lens for my A7RIII. For the times I don’t want to carry a big bag of lenses. If they drop the price on the RX10 or improve it further I may change my mind.

[sixzeiss]

The RX100vi is certainly interesting, I'm also considering one (against a Fuji 100F) for taking on vacation. I've been very happy with the images from the first generation RX100, however, the thing to keep in mind is that the camera is _small_ and than can make it difficult to use. RX1 has the same advantage/disadvantage with regards to size.

In the case that it is too small, the RX10 is quite similar and with larger and more robust housing.

 

Edited June 14, 2018 by sixzeiss

[Guest Jaf-Photo]

The RX100 series has a weakness compared with other brands: the lenses. Sony's compact lenses are high in distortion, low in resolution and have harsh bokeh.

If you are used to high quality A-mount lenses, you must be ready to accept a much lower quality from the RX100.

The alternative, which I went for, is to buy into the Sony A6xxx APS-C system. There you'll get a much smaller and lighter system than A99 without compromising image quality too much.

When I travel I only bring full format cameras if I am doing a lot of portraits or serious landscapes. For all other uses APS-C is good enough.

Edited June 15, 2018 by Jaf-Photo

[Marc Pecquet]

Thanks for you comments; Jaf's I found particularly pertinent... I'm still pretty robust for a 70 + geezer, so I think I'll order a new A99ii...

 

Edited June 16, 2018 by Marc Pecquet

[Guest Jaf-Photo]

Good idea. The A99II is fast, versatile and brings out even more performance from the great A-mount lenses. It's a joy to shoot and to look at the photos afterwards. The body itself is quite light, so if you pair it with some of the Minolta AF lenses it's quite compact.

[holmes4]

I have traveled with an RX100ii for several years, and while it hasn't been my primary camera, I find it takes excellent photos for something that fits in my pocket. I will take this when I am going somewhere I'd feel too conspicuous with a larger camera. It's also the camera I hand to my wife if she is going off separately and wants to take photos.

While I'd appreciate some of the features of the newer model, it's not worth another $1000 to me.

[Guest Jaf-Photo]

A good way to decide is to download some raw files and play around with them. I did so for RX100 Mk I-V. The performance is not very impressive when you disable all the image corrections. In practical terms, I don't think the RX100 series has much of an advantage over a good cell phone camera. And I don't like those.