After perusing the interwebs for a few days, it appears that the Sony RX100 has the best IQ of the pocketable P&S cameras with an ~28-100 equivalent lens. Is there anything else better that I should also consider? Thanks.

EBH

If you have a poke round the Alt forum the general consensus seems to be that the RX100 is the camera to beat. A lot of folk prefer to go to interchangeable lens systems though, NEX etc.

I bought an X10 and like it a lot, but its a lower price point camera. If you've the money the RX100 is for sure a lot better.

EB-1 wrote:
After perusing the interwebs for a few days, it appears that the Sony RX100 has the best IQ of the pocketable P&S cameras with an ~28-100 equivalent lens. Is there anything else better that I should also consider? Thanks.

EBH

I think you're right. My XZ-1 flash has gone bogus and I'm considering a new P&S. If I get one, it will be the RX100, for sure.

The RX-100 is a huge step up from any point and shoot camera I've used, including the Panasonic LX-3 it replaced. Up until this point I rarely used a point and shoot, as I found their main limitations to be attenuated dynamic range and to a lesser degree the higher ISO performance and speed of operation.

Base ISO 125 IQ is frankly amazing for a pocketable camera. I frequently go up to ISO 800, sometimes 1600. On the LX-3, I never went over 200. There is obvious loss of detail at 100% with Sony's noise reduction, but it's not as offensive at normal viewing sizes due to the pixel dense sensor.

I also like the JPEG output of the camera, as opposed to Panasonic. Very convenient to shoot it in RAW + JPEG using a scene mode so that my wife can instantly upload vacation pics to her social media sites, and I can tinker with RAWs to get every bit of goodness out of the files. Honestly though, in my usage the JPEGs are usually just fine right out of the camera, especially if I engage DRO and meter a little to the left (as opposed to the right as I usually do with my interchangeable lens cameras).

Replaced my EM-5, my X100 and my NEX7

Its not as good as any of those of course, as they have larger sensors, amazing IBIS, great viewfinders, interchangable lenses etc, but frankly the RX100 simply wins out by having quite acceptable IQ and being so much more portable

I've got a few DSLR's for my serious work, so all the mirrorless CSC's where simply by "fun" cameras for casual shooting. Really though I found I wasn't carrying them enough because I often didn't want to carry a shoulder bag etc when I was out having "fun".

RX100 fits easily into my pocket so it actually goes with me more places, and that means more photos I can take.

Icing on the cake is that its IQ in some ways is better than some CSC's I've owned such as the older m4/3 bodies with 12meg sensors and kit zooms.

I've got a magnetic filter holder for it so I can use my r72, ND's, polarizer etc,and also a little L bracket so its my typical landscape camera now too.

I sometimes might bracket and blend a scene for more DR, or do a stitched pano for more resolution, but the results are darn impressve for its size

D800e totally trumps it of course, but its just so much easier to carry the little RX100 instead of a heavy backpack of camera gear that I'm taking the RX way more often unless its a paid job.

All and all fantastic little camera that does everything I need/want and that saved me carrying my "man bag" around when out on the town not to mention put thousands of dollars back into my bank account from selling the NEX and EM-5 and all the glass

Heck, the fact I'm not tempted to buy more lenses for the RX100 like I surely would of been doing with the latest round of releases if I still shot m4/3 alone is a bit of a plus right ? lol

Thanks for the responses. How does one view and organize the raw files in the field? I can't waste a CS6 license on the old notebook and it would be too slow anyway. BB does not support the RX100, and I'm not sure about PhotoMechanic.

EBH

Jpeg plus RAW ?

Seems a problem that your going to have with any newer camera model thats RAW files aren't supported by older versions of software

Lightroom 4.2 will support RAW on the RX100 soon (4.2 release candidate already does). It's only $149, easier to spare than a CS6 license.

I picked up an RX100 yesterday. I'll try to get to know it over the weekend and let you know what I think next week.

+ 1 millsart! My RX100 is an incredible camera with Pro and 'Sumer features alike. It's tiny yet, with 20 Mp, the pix are wonderful (my other cameras are D4/D800e). Very easy to shoot either auto or manual-most everything. Really all I need is a full size pro DSLR or a RX100. The inbetweens are obsolete.

millsart wrote:
Replaced my EM-5, my X100 and my NEX7

Its not as good as any of those of course, as they have larger sensors, amazing IBIS, great viewfinders, interchangable lenses etc, but frankly the RX100 simply wins out by having quite acceptable IQ and being so much more portable

I've got a few DSLR's for my serious work, so all the mirrorless CSC's where simply by "fun" cameras for casual shooting. Really though I found I wasn't carrying them enough because I often didn't want to carry a shoulder bag etc when I was out having "fun".

RX100 fits easily into my pocket so it actually goes with me more places, and that means more photos I can take.

Icing on the cake is that its IQ in some ways is better than some CSC's I've owned such as the older m4/3 bodies with 12meg sensors and kit zooms.

I've got a magnetic filter holder for it so I can use my r72, ND's, polarizer etc,and also a little L bracket so its my typical landscape camera now too.

I sometimes might bracket and blend a scene for more DR, or do a stitched pano for more resolution, but the results are darn impressve for its size

D800e totally trumps it of course, but its just so much easier to carry the little RX100 instead of a heavy backpack of camera gear that I'm taking the RX way more often unless its a paid job.

All and all fantastic little camera that does everything I need/want and that saved me carrying my "man bag" around when out on the town not to mention put thousands of dollars back into my bank account from selling the NEX and EM-5 and all the glass

Heck, the fact I'm not tempted to buy more lenses for the RX100 like I surely would of been doing with the latest round of releases if I still shot m4/3 alone is a bit of a plus right ? lol[/quote

Where did you find the magnetic filter holder??

cannpope wrote:

Where did you find the magnetic filter holder??


I've been thinking about getting one for my RX100:

http://www.carryspeed.com/products/magfilter

JustinR wrote:
cannpope wrote:

Where did you find the magnetic filter holder??


I've been thinking about getting one for my RX100:

http://www.carryspeed.com/products/magfilter



I just ordered one.

I got the filter adapter from Lensmate. Very well built, and I had 52mm filters already.

Lensmate

jcolwell wrote:
I picked up an RX100 yesterday. I'll try to get to know it over the weekend and let you know what I think next week.

So what do you think now?

EBH

EB-1 wrote:
jcolwell wrote:
I picked up an RX100 yesterday. I'll try to get to know it over the weekend and let you know what I think next week.

So what do you think now?

EBH

I like it, but haven't used it a lot, yet. I'm trying to spend quality time with my new 1DX. I'll be travelling with the RX100 later this month and again in December - then I'll proably have a good feeling for it.

You might also look at the Fuji X10.

The only thing that deters me about the Sony is that it doesn't have a viewfinder.

Mark

Im going to go against the grain, and add my vote for the Nikon P7700. Smaller sensor, but the f 2.0-4.0 and 28-200mm produces a darn nice photo. I believe it is at a lower price point than the Sony as well.

I am quite impressed with its macro abilities, its lightweight, great feel-in-the-hand, and its ruggedness. The menus are easy and there are plenty of manual controls in familiar, useable locations. Beyond manual, there's a bunch of creative choices built-in. A nice feature is its ability to optically fire an off-camera Nikon speedlight (I have not done this yet).

I am waiting for an Aperture RAW converter. Although I normally shoot Canon, I tried the G15, and was not overly impressed with its dynamic range and the lack of swivel screen. The viewfinder it had did not help me as much as the swivel screen on the Nikon P7700 does.

Here's a few JPEGS right off the SD card. Keep in mind, this bunch was taken about as quick as I can point n shoot, the first time out with the camera:

Well, I suppose it works if you want a somewhat bulkier camera with less MP and a 4:3 image.

EBH

I bought an RX100 recently. Added the Richard Franiec grip and an extra battery. The grip is a must. Had 2 days in NYC and really enjoyed using the camera. The custom functions are really handy, and the 3 memory banks work well. I really like that I can make the mode dial select the 35mm equivalent focal length, and that the focal length can be saved in the memory bank. The AF performance is fantastic -- best of any point and shoot I've used.

The camera tends to underexpose a bit to protect the highlights. The raw files are very friendly to post-processing -- slightly flat. Once you had some contrast, sharpening, and clarity they look great though. Skin tones are natural, too. Performance is wonderful up to ISO 800 and usable at ISO 1600 with more aggressive noise reduction (or if you shoot black and white).

All in all I'm really happy with the purchase. Not sad at all that I left the dSLRs at home on this trip. A gallery of trip photos from NYC is available here: http://www.joereifer.com/words/2012/11/17/new-york-diptych-trip-diary/