Sony RX10 MkIV -- Six months into the mission

Jock Elliott

Hall of Famer
Location
Troy, NY
In May, 2019, I purchased the Sony RX10 MkIV. It was a big leap for me, spending nearly two kilobucks on a camera . . . a non-trivial expenditure. Would it deliver what I needed or would I find myself, a month or two later, scouring the photo review sites, looking for the Next New Thing?

I'm happy to report that the RX10 MkIV ticks virtually all the boxes of what I need in a camera:

- 24-600mm (e) reach, 1200mm with digital zoom engaged, including f/4 at the long end
- outstanding optics
- spectacularly fast autofocus
- excellent (in my view) technical image quality
- extensive video capabilities, including the ability to plug an external microphone as well as headphones to monitor audio
- fit and finish appropriate to the price
- intuitive and friendly ergonomics

The only box it doesn't check is that it isn't small -- it's about the size of a mid-range DSLR with a medium telephoto attached, so it's not my go-to camera when I'm popping out the door to run an errand.

Finally, I have one small gripe: it can be fussy to remove the memory card from its slot, particularly when my fingers are cold.

Bottom line: Is it worth it? For me, absolutely. If something happened to this one, I would buy another in a heartbeat. Would I recommend one? Wholeheartedly.

The unanticipated consequence of buying the RX10 MkIV is that for me GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) has totally disappeared. I rarely visit the photo review sites . . . what's the point?

Below are a few recent shots, some romanced with Luminar.

RX10 skies fall leaves etc 084.JPG
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RX10 skies fall leaves etc 056.JPG
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RX10 skies fall leaves etc 014B.jpg
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RX10 skies fall leaves etc 022B.jpg
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Cheers, Jock
 
We have had truly great compact cameras for nearly a decade. But I don't think I have been happy with any of the "superzoom" class until the last couple of years. For me, it's been the incorporation of the one inch sensors in the Sonys and Panasonics. Glad to hear that you've kicked the GAS.
 
In May, 2019, I purchased the Sony RX10 MkIV. It was a big leap for me, spending nearly two kilobucks on a camera . . . a non-trivial expenditure. Would it deliver what I needed or would I find myself, a month or two later, scouring the photo review sites, looking for the Next New Thing?

I'm happy to report that the RX10 MkIV ticks virtually all the boxes of what I need in a camera:

- 24-600mm (e) reach, 1200mm with digital zoom engaged, including f/4 at the long end
- outstanding optics
- spectacularly fast autofocus
- excellent (in my view) technical image quality
- extensive video capabilities, including the ability to plug an external microphone as well as headphones to monitor audio
- fit and finish appropriate to the price
- intuitive and friendly ergonomics

The only box it doesn't check is that it isn't small -- it's about the size of a mid-range DSLR with a medium telephoto attached, so it's not my go-to camera when I'm popping out the door to run an errand.

Finally, I have one small gripe: it can be fussy to remove the memory card from its slot, particularly when my fingers are cold.

Bottom line: Is it worth it? For me, absolutely. If something happened to this one, I would buy another in a heartbeat. Would I recommend one? Wholeheartedly.

The unanticipated consequence of buying the RX10 MkIV is that for me GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) has totally disappeared. I rarely visit the photo review sites . . . what's the point?

Below are a few recent shots, some romanced with Luminar.

View attachment 208817

View attachment 208818

View attachment 208819

View attachment 208820

Cheers, Jock
Love the last one, Jock, those clouds are awesome!

I have mizzled for a couple of years over the Sony but its weight would defeat me. (Never mind the Australian price, cheapest I can find is still nearly $2,000). On the other hand I have begun selling things (eg ipads) and am about to start selling cameras... so maybe at some point soon I will have sufficient to buy one and then maybe the weight wont seem so bad :)
 
Good to read that you like it so well, Jock! I'll be borrowing my mom's Mk III for a 3 month backpacking trip starting in 2 weeks (yes, she's an angel). I'm excited by the prospect of isolating lots of little details with a strongly compressed look, and I'm very curious to see whether the size and weight will hold me back.
 
Kyteflyer & bartjeej,

There's nothing can be done about the size, but I mitigate the weight by adding a couple of lengths of parachute cord to the factory strap so that I can comfortably sling the RX10 IV crossbody. That way, the weight is on the muscle between my neck and shoulder and not on my neck. I've done this with virtually all of my cameras since I "discovered" this idea a few years ago.

Here's a link to a post on this: Totally classless cross-body slider camera strap -- Mark II

My local big box store sells several yards of parachute cord for about two dollars. It doesn't look cool, but it works.

Cheers, Jock
 
Hi @Jock Elliott and the rest of the gang :)
I don't know whether this is according to the forum rules, if not, pardon me and let the moderators delete this message, but Finnish photographer Lassi Kujala has shot for years with RX10 and his work is just marvel, IMHO. For inspiration you can browse his images by camera type, sorry only in Finnish but I try to give you a hand here:


Search with 🔎 - "Etsi kameraa/linssiä" means search by camera/lens and then it should be obvious 😉, hit list is long and to see the images select text link: näytä kaikki hakutulokset and enjoy 😀

EDIT: Sorry, I meant to add, that debate has been very harsh sometimes against Lassi when he has said that Sony RX-10 is all he need for his photography and some of the photographers have argued that it can't be true :) Silly but let your eyes decide, I vote for Lassi.... 👍
 
Hi @Jock Elliott and the rest of the gang :)
I don't know whether this is according to the forum rules, if not, pardon me and let the moderators delete this message, but Finnish photographer Lassi Kujala has shot for years with RX10 and his work is just marvel, IMHO. For inspiration you can browse his images by camera type, sorry only in Finnish but I try to give you a hand here:


Search with 🔎 - "Etsi kameraa/linssiä" means search by camera/lens and then it should be obvious 😉, hit list is long and to see the images select text link: näytä kaikki hakutulokset and enjoy 😀

EDIT: Sorry, I meant to add, that debate has been very harsh sometimes against Lassi when he has said that Sony RX-10 is all he need for his photography and some of the photographers have argued that it can't be true :) Silly but let your eyes decide, I vote for Lassi.... 👍

I couldn't get the search terms to work for me, but I will certainly agree that the images on his site are beautiful, and I would be proud to have taken them.

Thanks for sharing his work.

Cheers, Jock
 
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