Sony is bringing back the Superzoom RX10 with a stacked sensor and higher price

Sony is bringing back the RX10 superzoom camera after a nearly nine-year gap between models. The newly announced RX10 V retains the same 24-600mm f/2.4-4 equivalent Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 25x zoom lens. last two predecessors, but has a lot of upgrades elsewhere. The new 1-inch 20.1MP sensor is a stacked design, allowing continuous burst shooting at up to 30fps without any blackout (up from 24fps of the last generation). This is a nice improvement for a camera aimed at event, sports, and wildlife photography, but it will come at a hefty price tag of $2,299.99 when the camera launches in early August.

the RX10 IV It launched at $1,700 in 2017. To be fair to the RX10 V, the price of the new model isn’t all that far off from reality if you adjust for inflation. But what you get with the RX10 V isn’t just a sensor upgrade – the body has been revised to look like Sony’s larger Alpha mirrorless cameras. It uses the same NP-FZ100 battery found in most current A Series models, providing more than 50 percent more battery capacity.

The new RX10 V also inherits several noteworthy features and specifications from its larger Alpha cousins, such as an OLED electronic viewfinder, 4K 60p full-width video recording (4K 120p when cropped) with S-Log3 and S-Cinetone color options, and Sony’s real-time AF tracking system. Like the larger Sony Alphas, the RX10 V has 575 autofocus points and can detect subjects as well as the human form – to better locate and capture faces and eyes during fast movement. It also features the Speed ​​Boost function that first appeared on the professional A9 III, allowing you to shoot at faster burst rates for short bursts when you need it.

Since the RX10 IV came long before a large camera was used as a webcam, the RX10 V now supports live streaming at up to 4K 30p resolution over a USB-C connection (with simultaneous recording) – ideal since its video output port is still a flimsy Micro HDMI connector. While most of what’s new about the RX10 V is an upgrade over the last generation, the new model has unfortunately lost a few features: the lens no longer has a built-in ND filter and there’s no pop-up flash. Loss.

I briefly tested the RX10 V for a few days, and despite the reused lens, I came away impressed. It really feels like a Sony Alpha camera with a big telephoto zoom built in – although it’s smaller and lighter than attaching a huge lens to an Alpha full-frame mirrorless camera. I’m not a bird or nature photographer (the longest lens I personally own is the 135mm), but Sony’s excellent autofocus and non-stop burst shooting at 30 fps made it very easy to photograph birds in the trees around my backyard or macro shots of bees moving from flower to flower. There’s only so much this lens and fast imaging sensor can do. Of course, if you’re like me and used to full-frame cameras, you’ll have to lower your expectations a bit when it comes to clarity and resolution – the 1-inch type sensor is versatile, but it doesn’t hold up to the same pixel-perfect scrutiny.

The RX10 V seems to be aimed at casual shooters with deep pockets who want their camera to travel without carrying a bag full of lenses. In the years I spent behind the counter selling superzoom cameras just like it (even the original RX10), the demographic was almost always parents shooting their kids’ sporting events or looking to pick up a versatile camera on vacation. But at $2,300, that might be more for a recently retired grandma or grandpa than a couple in their 30s with a babysitting.

Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto/The Verge