Sony New guy here....RX1 bliss tomorrow!

rpavich

Veteran
Whoa what a ride.

First off; I have to confess...I'm a pixel peeper with a raging 100% magnification addiction. I cannot STAND a soft image when it wasn't intended....I HATE that "blotchy" look when you zoom in and know that the pixels are bunched up like raisins in a box.

I LOVE detail so real that you just stare in amazement.

So...that brings me to my ride.

I started shooting with a consumer DSLR a few years ago...it was ok but I soon realized the meaning of "kit lens" and "softness"

I dumped that and bought a Canon 5DII...and that was an improvement. I got rid of the kit lenses and bought all really good primes....legendary primes. And I was happy.


Early this year I traded up to a Canon 5DIII....awesome image quality...such a nice camera; but with a battery grip it was a hernia inducing behemoth.

So...I scaled down, I got a Fuji X100S and really liked it a lot until I realized that it had just so so to good image quality...and so the hunt for pixel peeping bliss began again.

And here I am...and the pinnacle (in this price range) of pixel peeping heaven...with the RX1.

I know it's insanely expensive but if I try and get something cheaper that's "almost as good" I'll always know that there was something better out there that wasn't THAT much more expensive that I passed by and settled for a cheaper alternative.

It would gnaw at me and I'd never be able to sleep.

So...I wait for the big brown truck....
 
welcome to the forum. If I knew you better, I might ask how you thought the X100s image quality was even in the neighborhood of so-so. I see shots taken with that camera every day that blow my mind (and purely for the IQ sometimes....regardless of the quality of the image). But everyone has a different set of parameters. I'll be interested in hearing your reaction to the RX1.
 
Welcome to SC

Congratulations on joining the RX1 team. I, for one, consider this the best 35mm FF sensor combo under the sun.

I came through a similar way as you did. Contax first (645, NX, N1, RTS III, RTS II, G2) then Nikon D2x, Canon 5D2...etc.

I tried the X100s and the X Pro 1 and while the IQ is very good, I wasn't a fan of the drawing of the X trans sensor. Now, that was a while back (last year) when the X Pro 1 just came out. RAW developers for X Trans files were two or three and they were all a bit ....underwhelming. So, my NEX 7 and 5n served me well until I switched from the 7 to the RX1. What I never, ever, got around to understand is why Fuji inflated their ISO's by half a stop just to look good on paper. To me that is a blatant insult and the people that ignore it are fooling themselves.

Yes it is a great machine but it deserves patience. By the sounds of it, this is your first Sony. If so, you need to take a bit of serious time customizing the camera to your needs and wants. There are 4(?) customizable buttons. You can pretty much access anything important through these, so you don't have to to touch the menus ever again except for formatting the card.

The AF will be a surprise at the beginning, I imagine. Coming from a Contax G2, it works very similar to it. Learn how it works (it needs contrast) and use it wisely. For many nights I shot my partner while watching films and shooting other low light stuff in the house to get a real sense of the AF capabilities. Once you learn them, though, there is pretty much little you can't focus on. Remember this.

The IQ, however, is monumental. The lens draws beautifully. The sensor delivers in spades. The user friendliness is up to test. I love it, some others not so much. I recommend getting the EVF. It will be a blessing to have it many times, even if you are ok with shooting with your arms extended.

Word of warning. The camera is half the weight of your 5Ds without lens. It feels very light and holding it steady is a bit trickier if you are fully used to SLRs at slow shutter speeds (EVF helps here) so when you do shoot, mind your shooting technique.

This camera needs fine tuning for you to make the very most out of it.

Enjoy
 
Welcome, and congrats to the RX1. It`s an amazing camera, pumping out unmatched IQ (ok until iso 200 the DP Merrill is champ). I still have a Fuji XE-1 but am also of the opinion that its IQ is overhyped and somehow do not really bond with it. My favorites are the Nikon A, Sony RX1 and Sigma DP2/3 Merrill with the A, RX1 and DP3M usually in my travel bag. These three easily pushed a M9 with Leica glass aside and into the closet, they are so good.
 
welcome to the forum. If I knew you better, I might ask how you thought the X100s image quality was even in the neighborhood of so-so. I see shots taken with that camera every day that blow my mind (and purely for the IQ sometimes....regardless of the quality of the image). But everyone has a different set of parameters. I'll be interested in hearing your reaction to the RX1.

Well...I didn't want to totally rag on that camera but here is a more accurate statement: it was HARD to get razor sharp shots out of it. I HAVE...but it took a LOT of effort...stopping down, flash, etc.

It's not an inherently sharp camera.

I didn't want to offend anyone in the other post but truthfully, if that camera took tack sharp shots at 5 feet wide open....I wouldn't be here.
 
Welcome to SC

Congratulations on joining the RX1 team. I, for one, consider this the best 35mm FF sensor combo under the sun.

I came through a similar way as you did. Contax first (645, NX, N1, RTS III, RTS II, G2) then Nikon D2x, Canon 5D2...etc.

I tried the X100s and the X Pro 1 and while the IQ is very good, I wasn't a fan of the drawing of the X trans sensor. Now, that was a while back (last year) when the X Pro 1 just came out. RAW developers for X Trans files were two or three and they were all a bit ....underwhelming. So, my NEX 7 and 5n served me well until I switched from the 7 to the RX1. What I never, ever, got around to understand is why Fuji inflated their ISO's by half a stop just to look good on paper. To me that is a blatant insult and the people that ignore it are fooling themselves.

Yes it is a great machine but it deserves patience. By the sounds of it, this is your first Sony. If so, you need to take a bit of serious time customizing the camera to your needs and wants. There are 4(?) customizable buttons. You can pretty much access anything important through these, so you don't have to to touch the menus ever again except for formatting the card.

The AF will be a surprise at the beginning, I imagine. Coming from a Contax G2, it works very similar to it. Learn how it works (it needs contrast) and use it wisely. For many nights I shot my partner while watching films and shooting other low light stuff in the house to get a real sense of the AF capabilities. Once you learn them, though, there is pretty much little you can't focus on. Remember this.

The IQ, however, is monumental. The lens draws beautifully. The sensor delivers in spades. The user friendliness is up to test. I love it, some others not so much. I recommend getting the EVF. It will be a blessing to have it many times, even if you are ok with shooting with your arms extended.

Word of warning. The camera is half the weight of your 5Ds without lens. It feels very light and holding it steady is a bit trickier if you are fully used to SLRs at slow shutter speeds (EVF helps here) so when you do shoot, mind your shooting technique.

This camera needs fine tuning for you to make the very most out of it.

Enjoy
Thanks for the help.
I did get the EVF, I thought that I could always return it if I didn't like it but from the reports I've read, people said to get it. I LIKE sticking my eye into a viewfinder :) I'm not an LCD sort of person.
 
Welcome, and congrats to the RX1. It`s an amazing camera, pumping out unmatched IQ (ok until iso 200 the DP Merrill is champ). I still have a Fuji XE-1 but am also of the opinion that its IQ is overhyped and somehow do not really bond with it. My favorites are the Nikon A, Sony RX1 and Sigma DP2/3 Merrill with the A, RX1 and DP3M usually in my travel bag. These three easily pushed a M9 with Leica glass aside and into the closet, they are so good.

Wow...interesting. I've never heard of a Nikon A, or a Sigma DP2...there must be a whole world of Non-DSLR's that I've never thought about.

I don't know if the IQ is overhyped...but just possibly viewed in a different way. If you see screen images and never check them out carefully, they look great, but they fall apart upon close inspection.

Does that make sense?

The deal breaker came after owning the X100s for a day or two and I had a friend (whom I've taken a LOT of "4 feet away head shots" of with my 50 1.2L, and my 135mm f/2L) say "take a picture of me!" and I did and when I went to crop and send them to her from Lightroom, I noticed that the quality wasn't that great across the board.

So I went to her office and took a few more and only got them to the "if you don't pixel peep, they look good" stage but that just bugged me.

I stumbled on this camera through a google search for "X100's alternatives" or something. Once I saw the images up close, once I saw the reviews...I knew that there was no hype about the IQ...it was real.
 
Wow...interesting. I've never heard of a Nikon A, or a Sigma DP2...there must be a whole world of Non-DSLR's that I've never thought about.

Yeah, there are. And tack sharp resolution is the thing with some of them, and other image quality attributes are the thing with others. If resolution is your be all, end all, then the RX1 is a fine camera, but why not get an RX1-R instead? It's the same camera but without a low pass filter, so it'll give more detail at the same price. And the Sigma DP(1, 2, or 3)M series cameras blow the doors off of the RX1 when jt comes to pixel level sharpness and clarity - the caveat being they're only good in good light. But they're also a LOT less costly - you can get all three for less than the cost of the RX1. The Nikon A and Ricoh GR also did away with their low pass filters, so they're also very sharp and fit in a pants pocket, but they're 16mp APS sensor based cameras, so not AS crazy sharp as the higher res RX1 or Sigma DP cameras. But as good as most APS based DSLRs, albeit at a single focal length. There's a lot out there if you're just moving away from DSLRs that's worth checking out. Including the Fuji X-Trans if pixel level detail weren't your holy grail, but it sounds like it is. The RX1 is a great camera, but it's not the only great small camera - not by a long shot...

-Ray
 
Yeah, there are. And tack sharp resolution is the thing with some of them, and other image quality attributes are the thing with others. If resolution is your be all, end all, then the RX1 is a fine camera, but why not get an RX1-R instead? It's the same camera but without a low pass filter, so it'll give more detail at the same price. And the Sigma DP(1, 2, or 3)M series cameras blow the doors off of the RX1 when jt comes to pixel level sharpness and clarity - the caveat being they're only good in good light. But they're also a LOT less costly - you can get all three for less than the cost of the RX1. The Nikon A and Ricoh GR also did away with their low pass filters, so they're also very sharp and fit in a pants pocket, but they're 16mp APS sensor based cameras, so not AS crazy sharp as the higher res RX1 or Sigma DP cameras. But as good as most APS based DSLRs, albeit at a single focal length. There's a lot out there if you're just moving away from DSLRs that's worth checking out. Including the Fuji X-Trans if pixel level detail weren't your holy grail, but it sounds like it is. The RX1 is a great camera, but it's not the only great small camera - not by a long shot...

-Ray

Wow...interesting.

I guess I should have added...I like low light performance also....my 5DIII was my baby. :)

But...with this thing being so expensive, I'll investigate the other alternatives this month too and see where i can settle. I sold enough DSLR gear to pay for it and i don't mind paying for it if this is the one...but I don't want to find out that there were something that had the same IQ, almost the same file size, and just about as good in low light for half price :)

Does that describe the RX100?
 
Oh man!...I'm still at work!! arggg....2.5 hours to go!

The wait is killing me...and then I have to charge the battery when it gets here!

There is no justice.
 
Sometimes they have just a tiny bit of charge in them from the mfg.. and then you can turn it on for moments. Mere moments but you can turn it on!
 
You're gonna want to buy a charger and some extra batteries ASAP. It'll go through 'em and its a PIA to charge with the camera. But PLEASE don't buy the accessories from Sony! We can't be rewarding companies for this nickel and dime BS. Not including a freaking charger with a $2800 camera should never be rewarded...

-Ray
 
You're gonna want to buy a charger and some extra batteries ASAP. It'll go through 'em and its a PIA to charge with the camera. But PLEASE don't buy the accessories from Sony! We can't be rewarding companies for this nickel and dime BS. Not including a freaking charger with a $2800 camera should never be rewarded...

-Ray

I did. I got the package from Adorama. For the same price as camera alone I got the backpack bag, 16GB Extreme SD card, Battery chargera and I can't remember what else. And I bought an extra battery.
 
You're gonna want to buy a charger and some extra batteries ASAP. It'll go through 'em and its a PIA to charge with the camera. But PLEASE don't buy the accessories from Sony! We can't be rewarding companies for this nickel and dime BS. Not including a freaking charger with a $2800 camera should never be rewarded...

-Ray

Agreed. There are batteries and chargers recommended on Steve Huff's page - bought the charger and 3 batteries for the price of one sony battery. They all work perfectly.
 
Back
Top