Sony has finally unveiled the RX10 V, a compact superzoom camera featuring a 24-600mm optical zoom lens and a 20.1-megapixel 1-inch sensor. The design has been redesigned from the RX10 IV from nine years ago, with a more modern look, faster speed, an updated autofocus system and much better video performance. The catch is the $2,300 price tag, which makes this camera one of the most expensive compact cameras on the market.
As before, the RX10 V offers tourists, street photographers and others incredible coverage with its 9.1-210mm (24-600mm equivalent) f2.4-4.0 lens. The 1-inch 20.1MP multi-layer sensor appears unchanged and should provide good quality images even in low light with minimal rolling shutter distortion. However, it’s disappointing that Sony hasn’t increased the resolution, especially considering the price of the camera. The new model also lacks the RX10 IV’s built-in flash.
However, the new model has a new processor that has improved burst shooting speed. It can now shoot at 30fps without blackout in electronic shutter mode, which is a nice improvement over the previous model’s 24fps shooting speed. Sony has also carried over a feature from its latest mirrorless cameras called continuous shooting speed boost, which allows you to instantly jump to maximum continuous shooting speed to capture those decisive moments.
Sony
Autofocus has also received a significant AI upgrade to match the new A7 V. Instead of people and animals like before, it can recognize faces, eyes, heads and bodies of people, birds and animals, as well as vehicles (cars, trains and planes) and insects (head and whole body). Thanks to a separate deep AI processor, it will continue to track objects even if they turn away, look down, or move erratically. AF and AE speeds have also doubled to 60fps for continuous tracking, and it now offers 575 AF points, up from 315 before, as well as 70 percent sensor coverage.
Video gets perhaps the biggest upgrade: 10-bit 4K 60fps video (All-Intra, XAVC S and XAVC HS formats), which uses the full width of the sensor without pixel binning for extra sharpness. It can be upscaled to 4K at 120fps for super slow motion with a bit of cropping, or up to 1080p at 240fps. It also supports Sony’s S-Log3 for improved dynamic range and allows you to import up to 16 LUTs to preview different “looks”. Sony has also improved the in-body stabilization so that it smoothes out videos even when you’re walking with it.
The design has been completely updated from the bulbous and boring look of the RX10 IV. It’s now sleeker and boxier to match the A7 V’s aesthetic, and has a much larger grip. It comes with a full set of manual controls, including a joystick, three control dials, a click wheel and a new dual top dial (with photo, video and S&Q switch), as well as an AF-ON button for professional AF control.
Sony
The resolution of the electronic viewfinder (EVF) and rear display has been increased to 3.69 million dots (from 2.4 million dots) and 1.62 million dots, respectively. However, the rear display only tilts and doesn’t slide out, so it’s not suitable for vlogging or selfies. Again, this is a rather unforgivable omission considering the price of the camera.
Other features include a single UHS-II SD card slot, a full-size NP-FZ100 battery that delivers up to 630 shots on a single charge, a micro HDMI (3.5mm) microphone and headphone ports, and a new high-speed USB-C port for charging and data transfer. The RX10 V now also supports live streaming at up to 4K and 30fps.
Now for the bad news if you’re interested in this new model. The RX10 V just went on pre-order for $2,300 (shipping in August), a relative bargain for a 1-inch point-and-shoot camera. However, if you can afford the price, it offers incredible zoom range, shooting speed, and video capabilities.