Sony Shooter's RX100 review at f8 blog

My wallet REALLY hates your review.

That was a very very informative review. Thanks a bunch Don. I was wondering about the exact points you touched upon about the RX100.
 
great user interface review. I'm not a street shooter, but I was still able to glean a LOT from this piece. And thanks especially for the bold in this... "(Sony, please read and understand this. I am not an engineer but I am a photographer and this camera needs this feature to be taken seriously). "

I would assume designers and engineers would work with photographers when designing a camera, but year after year that assumption is proven wrong.
 
Nice article, even if you don't own an RX100. Those are handy tricks (at least for me) to get the hyperfocal distance set. Unfortunately, the only AF/MF switch on the Q is in the main menu and I can't figure a way to assign it to anything.:confused:
 
Thanks a lot for all that very practical and sound information :) and hoping quircks will be adressed in future models by sony or others.
 
I should note that I've raised more than my share of quirks/dislikes with this camera (which I repeated in the comments to Don's post) but I should re-iterate that I ONLY find them a problem or an issue at all when I'm attempting to shoot on the street using zone or hyperfocal shooting. Which is something I do a lot so it matter a lot to me, but for most users who aren't into that type of photography its a fine camera that I'm happy shooting with for any other type of photography. For MY specific wants and needs, I'll probably replace it when one of the other makers comes out with something with equal IQ and an interface more to my liking. But if I didn't do what I do or if I was just less picky, I'd be perfectly happy with this camera...

-Ray
 
Ray, you have some good ideas on the UI. I am trying the MF/AFS in the center with the left doing ISO. It works but my thumb has a wicked sense of humor. It hits that center sometimes and then I loose HD. Of the MF/AFS is on the left and you hit the center, at least you get a visual warning...better then no HD focus.

The DMF I won't use because I loose the control ring function.

How do you find no Auto ISO? Bothers me as I like to do M mode.
 
I don't use auto ISO when I'm shooting on the street Don. I use it when I'm just out shooting scenic or abstract stuff where, all other things being equal, I'd rather err on the side of better IQ and auto-ISO tends to do that well. But for street shooting, I really like to stay on top of all of the variables. I rarely trust auto-ISO to keep the shutter speed high enough except on the GXR where I could set it as high as 1/250. The X100 only went to 1/125. The X-Pro doesn't have an adjustable minimum and I don't believe the RX100 does either. The OMD does but its sort of hidden in the flash settings somewhere. I don't tend to use full manual mode because I care about a very specific aperture but I'm much more flexible about shutter speeds as long as its fast enough. So I just monitor shutter speeds in the light I'm shooting in and adjust ISO as needed, which I rarely have to do very often. I like being able to switch between auto and manual ISO quickly though so if I'm out doing a day of mixed shooting (which I usually do - mix in architectural shots and other stuff with my street stuff) I can switch to auto easily for the non-street and then back to manual ISO for street stuff. This was the key thing that drove me slightly crazy with the X100 - switching between auto and manual ISO required multiple steps in a couple of different menus - it felt like an acto of Congress, which doesn't act. The XPro, OMD, GRD, and RX100 all have all ISO settings on a single menu, as god intended!

You're right about DMF killing the zoom function on the front ring. Not a problem for me but understandably a deal killer for you...

Lots of effective ways to skin a cat...

-Ray
 
Ray, I am using M mode. So, I feel the exposure at say...1/25 f8. That's what I want for DOF and movement. The camera will set ISO to finish the equation. As far as IQ goes I would never own a camera I didnt trust. For the GRD 4 that's about 1600 and the RX100 I would trust to 3200.

I have been called a pixel butcher but don't know why.
 
I've been accused of "overcooking" my stuff, probably because I do. I can't help it if that's the way I like it! But it STILL MATTERS to start with something good - gives you more to work with and more latitude to cook it however you like it done...

-Ray
 
This has made me realise that manual focusing is far more of a science than I thought. Before I switched to using touchscreen AF/shutter I would often just prefocus (using AF) on the ground or at an object at the approximate distance to subject to where I expected I would be releasing the shutter.
 
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