Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda

New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site

New Feature: SMS Notification alert

New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist

FM Forums | Sony Forum | Join Upload & Sell

2 end

Archive 2015 · I just joined the RX1 club

nebula
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · I just joined the RX1 club

The Sony stores are closing down here in Canada and I found an RX1 for 50% off. Not a zoom lens guy so it'll be nice to have a light walkaround solution. This will replace my Zeiss 1.4/35 (Nikon manual focus) which I was using with my A7. It came with no frills. I have one battery, no chargers. I've sold all my 49mm filters but I have a Chinese copy of the hood. Can anyone suggest the vital accessories and fundamental things I should know to orient myself with the camera? I snapped a couple interior shots and they look really, really good!

Feb 26, 2015 at 04:17 PM

jaboki
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · I just joined the RX1 club

Off topic: How do you like the RX1 over the A7+35?

Feb 26, 2015 at 04:37 PM

nebula
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · I just joined the RX1 club

Just bought it today, so I can't really make a fair comparison. I don't like the focus ring on the RX1, but I'm a manual focus kind of person accustomed to damped focus rings with a large throw. This will be a new experience and possible an apples and oranges kind of situation. One of the two shots I made, I was really impressed by though, and that was a crappy interior shot at f2. It takes a certain creativity to exploit f1.4 at wider angles I think anyway, so I'm anticipating some really nice shots given my general ineptitude. IQ looks possibly better than the f1.4, naively. Also, this thing literally fits in my hand. It's really quite small. Probably 40% of the size and mass of the A7+f1.4.

Feb 26, 2015 at 04:53 PM

rdcny
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · I just joined the RX1 club

check Ebay - there are third party chargers and batteries available for good prices (and then compare the Amazon price with Ebay). Also, do you have the USB cord that allows you to charge your battery in camera from your computer or a USB outlet plugged into the wall? That is very handy...especially when traveling.

On Ebay are a variety of L-plates made by Chinese manufacturers - I acquired one and it works great...and less than 1/2 price of RRS...however, there is someone selling an RX-1 L-plate made by RRS right now on Ebay - used in mint condition. I don't shoot with the RX-1 on a tripod often, but the L-plate gives a certain amount of protection to the small body (and it will still fit in your hands).

A small case is nice to hold everything but not essential...

Filter not necessary - just get the hood...third party options available.

Good Luck - great little camera with amazing 3200 iso capability. I just wish it would focus and write to card faster...it is not (quite) a street shooting camera...if it was a faster operating camera I would not need anything else...

Feb 26, 2015 at 05:05 PM

nebula
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · I just joined the RX1 club

It came with the box and all the retail stuff like the cord and wall adapter thing. The salesman was pretty rigid on the price so I couldn't get any freebies. I do have a markins L-plate for my A7 that I'll report on later.

Feb 26, 2015 at 05:08 PM

musingclouds
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · I just joined the RX1 club

How much did 50% off come out to be in USD? I might be looking to grab it again.

Feb 26, 2015 at 05:32 PM

nebula
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · I just joined the RX1 club

$1200 USD, excluding exchange rate. But it was the last one there (Yorkdale shopping centre, Toronto). They have one A7R left (open box) for the same price. I should mention mine was an open box as well. They do have one RX1 and one RX1R demo with a tiny dent near the door to the inputs. The screen on my unit has a couple of pinprick marks on it and I haven't checked the number of clicks yet. You could phone around to the Sony stores elsewhere in Canada.

Feb 26, 2015 at 05:37 PM

musingclouds
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · I just joined the RX1 club

That's a steal price!!!

Feb 26, 2015 at 06:41 PM

nebula
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · I just joined the RX1 club

And to think I walked in and out of the store three times before finally buying it. Yet, keep in mind, our dollar is always just our dollar. So, it's $1500 just the same. Add $200 for tax and it gets less appealing.

Feb 26, 2015 at 08:28 PM

TheEmrys
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · I just joined the RX1 club

Wow. Jealous.

Feb 26, 2015 at 09:01 PM

nebula
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · I just joined the RX1 club

K. This was not the original purpose of the thread!

Feb 26, 2015 at 09:13 PM

johnctharp
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · I just joined the RX1 club

nebula wrote:
K. This was not the original purpose of the thread!

It will meander until you start posting images

Feb 26, 2015 at 10:10 PM

melcat
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · I just joined the RX1 club

nebula wrote:
Can anyone suggest the vital accessories and fundamental things I should know to orient myself with the camera?

1. It does need a hood to prevent flare. I have the genuine Sony one, which doesn't actually stay on very securely. Some of the third party ones (the rectangular ones) block the flash, so watch out for that.

2. Left uncorrected there is a colour shading or Italian flag effect. I have found, on my copy, that Sony's in-camera raw file correction works like a champ: set "Lens Comp. Shading" to "AUTO". I have the other two lens corrections (geometric distortion and chromatic aberration) set to off, because Adobe Camera Raw handles those; but it does not have a centre filter. There is a much-quoted blog entry and associated free software which says to turn it off and use the blogger's software - I ruined a number of shots trying this. Perhaps it's a difference between early-production cameras and mine, which isn't, but I could not get his software to work, and try as I might I could not see the problems with Sony's in-camera correction he claimed to be seeing. Note that Sony's shading correction is applied to raw.

3. If you do use manual focus (and there is little need to do so), be aware of a firmware bug. If you turn on the feature that magnifies the image when you turn the focus ring, the exposure meter now treats the crop visible on the LCD as the entire image. You need to tickle the shutter release, which will restore the entire field of view, to get correct metering.

4. I replaced the metal lens cap with a genuine Sony 49mm cap intended for one of their cheaper cameras. I thought I'd lose the metal one and reduce the resale value, but actually I prefer the plastic one.

5. I leave a clear filter on the camera all the time and usually carry an ND filter. Because it's a leaf shutter, the top speed is decreased when the aperture is wide open.

Welcome to the club, and enjoy your camera!

Feb 27, 2015 at 02:56 AM

philip_pj
Online
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · I just joined the RX1 club

Filters are an excellent idea on any high end FLC.

The hood I use is a 49>37mm step down ring, which stays on all the time. It retains a low overall profile, protects the front of the lens from damage and means the whole camera plus EVF fit bottom down in a small rectangular bag; mine has a rain cover.

A half case makes good sense to give your hands a precious few extra millimeters of depth - the Gariz one maintains good access to SD card and battery covers. I like the Gariz strap too and use it like a regular neck strap; wrapped around the wrist it doubles to steady the camera at long shutter speeds. The case has a pleasant scent, a deep leather aroma, which strangely enhances using the camera. Take discreet shots by tilting the EVF up, you can look like you are inspecting the top of the camera at close quarters. No one ever hears it, often times I don't either.

I always use a film LCD cover. Using one, along with a half case and step ring hood, protects the camera from the little bumps that may cause damage over time - the camera is built to last. Set up major controls like you use any other a7 series camera, the muscle memory will come in handy either in straight swaps in use, or in the future when you get a new body.

Always flip back and forth before using distortion correction in post - 'off' makes the lens a 32mm and generally looks better, I use the correction for only 10-15% of images. The lens is good enough to crop easily to 40mm and still be better than almost everything else.

The lens is very flat in field and MTF declines slowly at all apertures, so you can place detailed subjects off on the edges with near on-axis performance where you need it. The lens-sensor is strong enough that you really want to use the flexi-spot to place the AF spot within your already framed composition. In a pinch, focus and recompose works well enough where accuracy is less than critical. OOF is easy on the eye so small focus misses matter less. All apertures deliver down to f11. The macro is very good. Aim for a min shutter speed of 1/50s, 1/80s is better.

AF works best if you hold the camera very still and give it time to settle. In LV 0-2 it may drop off, just press the button a second time, or MF.

Feb 27, 2015 at 05:12 AM

philip_pj
Online
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · I just joined the RX1 club

A picture to dress up the thread a little.

Feb 27, 2015 at 05:20 AM

Chris Crevasse
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · I just joined the RX1 club

I've had my RX1 for a bit over two years now. The following list of what I consider to be vital RX1 accessories should help you unburden yourself from all the money you saved on your purchase.
(1) A spare battery and external charger. I have a couple of nice wall chargers, but the one I recommend is the Sony DC travel charger. It is tiny -- like a thin case for the RX1 battery -- and comes with a spare battery. It is a USB charger, so it can charge your battery from a variety of sources, especially if you have a USB wall adapter.
(2) A case for the body of the RX1. I started with a Gariz half case, which was nice, then moved to a Luigi/Leicatime case, which is fantastic. I find the RX1 to be easier and more satisfying to handle when it is swaddled in soft leather.
(3) A UV filter and hood. I don't use a lens cap, so this provides my lens protection. My rig is this: first, a B+W UV filter, then a collapsible rubber Heliopan hood, then a B+W 49-52 step-up ring to which I attach other filters (polarizer, variable neutral density). I tried a knock-off Sony hood but prefer the collapsible rubber hood, which strikes me as providing better protection from both flare and damage.
(4) A wrist strap. If you intend to use only a wrist strap, I recommend Gordy's. If you expect to switch between a wrist strap and a neck strap, I recommend the DSPTCH wrist and sling combination.
(5) The EVF. The first year I had the RX1, I did not have the EVF, and didn't miss it. Now I never take it off.
(6) For a compact carrying case, the Lowepro Apex 100 perfectly fits the RX1 without the EVF attached, while the Apex 110 fits the RX1 with the EVF attached. There's just enough room in each to carry a white balance card, spare battery, and other small items. My "mother ship" case is a Tamrac Apache 2, which I settled on after trying a variety of Domke cases. It holds the RX1 with the EVF attached, my two filters, battery chargers and spare batteries, lens cleaning supplies, a bulb blower, a white balance card, a tiny/useless tripod, and my DSPTCH straps.
Enjoy!

Feb 27, 2015 at 09:24 AM

nebula
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · I just joined the RX1 club

That's what I was looking for guys, thanks.

Feb 27, 2015 at 11:05 AM

Chris Crevasse
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · I just joined the RX1 club

melcat and philip_pj have great suggestions. However, I have my corrections set exactly the opposite of melcat's. There are a couple of reasons for this, mostly stemming from the fact that I shoot raw plus jpeg. First, I don't always want shading correction applied (in fact, I usually don't), and the Imaging Resource reports that the "Italian Flag" effect is actually worse when shading correction is turned on. Second, if you don't apply the distortion correction in-camera to jpegs, you can't later auto correct those jpegs in Lightroom/ACR. Third, while Lightroom/ACR do have chromatic aberration corrections, I don't know of a reason not to apply those corrections in-camera, at least with respect to the jpegs.

Also, here's a focus suggestion: I keep my RX1 on MF (front dial), but have the "C" button assigned to AF/MF Control Hold and the down button assigned to AF/MF Control Toggle. This allows me to lock AF (center point) by pressing and releasing the "C" button, and, if I want, to switch to AF on the shutter release by pressing the down button.

Feb 27, 2015 at 12:58 PM

nebula
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · I just joined the RX1 club

An image I made at the Art Gallery of Ontario today. Like others have mentioned, the lens has really nice oof rendering. I made some slightly better compositions but had to shoot them at 800 ISO which files were somewhat harder to handle. This was done at 400 ISO. I expect to be able to manage files at 1250 ISO when I become better at PP. I use the Nik filters and LR. This was cropped by around 10%.

[EDIT] The second image was cropped significantly, perhaps by a third, but was shot at 100 ISO. The weird apparent distortion of the sculpture is supposed to be like that. It reminded me of those sidewalk paintings you see that have serious depth when viewed from a certain angle.

Feb 28, 2015 at 08:51 PM

Ultron50
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · I just joined the RX1 club

I really do love my RX1. Recently, I have been lusting after the Zeiss 35/1.4 in Contax Yashica mount, but perhaps it is just a waste of money, with my already owning the RX1...

Congrats.

Mar 02, 2015 at 02:05 PM

1 2 end
FM Forums \| Sony Forum \| Join Upload & Sell 1 2 end

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.