Sony’s RX-100 VI is at the very tip of the spear when it comes premium compact point-and-shoot cameras. It boasts all the bells and whistles you can get from such a small device such as a best-in-class zoom lens, electronic viewfinder, and advanced 4K video capabilities. It doesn’t come without its shortcomings though like, first and foremost, its unheard of price. Coupled with a few other minor failings such as the lack of a microphone port and lack of an ND filter, this exquisite camera deserves a good looking over before coughing up the asking price.
Specs
• 20.1MP 1” Exmor RS CMOS sensor
• 3” tilting touchscreen
• High-resolution electronic Viewfinder
• 315-point phase-detect
• 4K video capabilities
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
Key Spec
The 24-200mm with f/1.8-4.5 Zeiss lens is the featured spec in this camera as it improves greatly on the previous RX-100 models that featured 24-70mm lenses. This makes the RX-100 VI a much more adaptable camera that can take wide-angle shots and close-ups with extreme ease.
Having such an impressive zoom lens might make you worry about camera shake but the Sony has thought about that first and installed a SteadyShot image stabilization scheme that gives superior balance even when the lens is fully extended. This means that you can shoot fully zoomed in at 1/30 sec instead of the usual 1/250 sec.
Who It’s For
The overall package of this compact camera makes it an excellent travel shooter. It’s small and light that makes it perfect for making the most of your luggage restrictions so you can bring more items on trips. Furthermore, the exceptional zoom range lens makes the RX-100 VI an extremely versatile camera for whatever shooting requirement that you might have. Considering that the image quality that the camera produces comes close to what DSLR shooters are capable of, the prospect of bringing a separate lens for close-ups and a different lens for landscape photography and videography has become something of a chore.
All of these features make the RX-100 an excellent value proposition for content creators who need a camera that’s capable of shooting both landscapes and close-ups with uncompromised image quality. The tilting touchscreen adds further value to content creators who dabble in vlogging for perfect framing even when shooting selfies.
Caveats for this Otherwise Excellent Video Camera
Perhaps the most important reason to look another way for your next camera purchase is the price. For the $1,200 asking price for the RX-100 VI, you can buy a Canon D80 DSLR camera, both the wide angle and zoom lenses, a decent tripod, and a remote shutter button and still have some leftovers. The use case scenarios of these items are also more varied compared to just having the RX-100 VI. In essence, buyers are going to have to decide whether their need for portability is worth the premium that they have to pay for the RX-100 VI considering the cheaper price and dynamism of the DSLR combos.
The lack of an audio port is also a huge consideration because despite having a decent built-in microphone that’s sufficient for indoor use, the outdoor background noise cancellation on any of these built-in mics are just never adequate. This greatly diminishes its appeal to serious content creators and vloggers who intend to shoot outdoors.
Verdict
There are tons of opportunities both for professional and personal growth in content creation right now that makes investing in a great camera such an important decision. The RX-100 VI is truly a contender at grabbing the top spot in the compact camera market. However, its price might be more than what is required even for serious content creators and vloggers. Coupled with the caveat of being unable to support a professional-grade audio equipment, the camera leaves a lot to be desired.
However, there’s a number of photographers and enthusiasts who believe that the best camera for you is the one that you carry around with you; and the portability of the RX-100 VI lets this camera have to potential to be the one that you always have on you. It’s a nimble little shooter that you can take out from wherever you store it in your bag and be ready to shoot in less than a blink of an eye and have a great stable shot.
At the end of the day, the RX-100 VI lives up to its highly successful predecessors as one of the best cameras for people who just need high-quality stills and videos at an extremely portable form-factor. The excellent zoom feature and the tilting screen makes it a highly adaptable camera for various shooting circumstances. This portability and versatility, however, comes at a premium and the all-important audio port. All of these make the shooter an outstanding but imperfect travel camera.
Specs
• 20.1MP 1” Exmor RS CMOS sensor
• 3” tilting touchscreen
• High-resolution electronic Viewfinder
• 315-point phase-detect
• 4K video capabilities
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
Key Spec
The 24-200mm with f/1.8-4.5 Zeiss lens is the featured spec in this camera as it improves greatly on the previous RX-100 models that featured 24-70mm lenses. This makes the RX-100 VI a much more adaptable camera that can take wide-angle shots and close-ups with extreme ease.
Having such an impressive zoom lens might make you worry about camera shake but the Sony has thought about that first and installed a SteadyShot image stabilization scheme that gives superior balance even when the lens is fully extended. This means that you can shoot fully zoomed in at 1/30 sec instead of the usual 1/250 sec.
Who It’s For
The overall package of this compact camera makes it an excellent travel shooter. It’s small and light that makes it perfect for making the most of your luggage restrictions so you can bring more items on trips. Furthermore, the exceptional zoom range lens makes the RX-100 VI an extremely versatile camera for whatever shooting requirement that you might have. Considering that the image quality that the camera produces comes close to what DSLR shooters are capable of, the prospect of bringing a separate lens for close-ups and a different lens for landscape photography and videography has become something of a chore.
All of these features make the RX-100 an excellent value proposition for content creators who need a camera that’s capable of shooting both landscapes and close-ups with uncompromised image quality. The tilting touchscreen adds further value to content creators who dabble in vlogging for perfect framing even when shooting selfies.
Caveats for this Otherwise Excellent Video Camera
Perhaps the most important reason to look another way for your next camera purchase is the price. For the $1,200 asking price for the RX-100 VI, you can buy a Canon D80 DSLR camera, both the wide angle and zoom lenses, a decent tripod, and a remote shutter button and still have some leftovers. The use case scenarios of these items are also more varied compared to just having the RX-100 VI. In essence, buyers are going to have to decide whether their need for portability is worth the premium that they have to pay for the RX-100 VI considering the cheaper price and dynamism of the DSLR combos.
The lack of an audio port is also a huge consideration because despite having a decent built-in microphone that’s sufficient for indoor use, the outdoor background noise cancellation on any of these built-in mics are just never adequate. This greatly diminishes its appeal to serious content creators and vloggers who intend to shoot outdoors.
Verdict
There are tons of opportunities both for professional and personal growth in content creation right now that makes investing in a great camera such an important decision. The RX-100 VI is truly a contender at grabbing the top spot in the compact camera market. However, its price might be more than what is required even for serious content creators and vloggers. Coupled with the caveat of being unable to support a professional-grade audio equipment, the camera leaves a lot to be desired.
However, there’s a number of photographers and enthusiasts who believe that the best camera for you is the one that you carry around with you; and the portability of the RX-100 VI lets this camera have to potential to be the one that you always have on you. It’s a nimble little shooter that you can take out from wherever you store it in your bag and be ready to shoot in less than a blink of an eye and have a great stable shot.
At the end of the day, the RX-100 VI lives up to its highly successful predecessors as one of the best cameras for people who just need high-quality stills and videos at an extremely portable form-factor. The excellent zoom feature and the tilting screen makes it a highly adaptable camera for various shooting circumstances. This portability and versatility, however, comes at a premium and the all-important audio port. All of these make the shooter an outstanding but imperfect travel camera.