p.2 #1 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
It is a tough call, but if you set price aside for a moment, the real appeal goes beyond just the jump in resolution. The RX1R II already had 42MP. What really stands out is the faster AF, updated processing (The v2 was a bit laggy), larger battery (Huge plus), and built-in EVF (not a pop-up this time) which finally bring the RX1 series up to modern standards. It will likely be a big step up from anything else in this category. Actually, this camera might be in a class of its own.
One thing that's a bit strange though is the EVF magnification. It seems to have dropped from 0.74× to 0.70×. Not sure if that spec is accurate or if it's just a design tradeoff.
p.2 #2 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
Yeah, the price was a definite WTF moment for me, too. Who on earth is this targeting when you could buy an A7C (or even an A7CR) and any number of small lenses for less money
p.2 #4 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
Externally it looks like they have gone the Q route and reused the lens for a third generation. Would have been or would be nice it the formula was updated for 2025 and they had put in some sort of OIS.
Think i'll keep using my mkii which i've had for 7 years (touch wood), and my a7cr.
p.2 #5 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
Excited and disappointed at the same time. For God sakes Sony. Fixed LCD? Bigger battery is amazing they fit that in there. Everything else I'm good with. IBIS would have made it bigger. For the price I agree they cheaped out on EVF. At this price should be top of the line across the board. These are found money for Sony. They are not canabilizing anything.
p.2 #6 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
All this belly aching about a VF (which is just an aiming device). Battery life is the main reason to skimp on VF resolution. Get an A7rV if you need a high-resolution VF and IBIS.
p.2 #7 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
No IBIS no deal.
I loved my Rx1rii and the sonnar lens rendering, got a lot of great travel photos when I needed to limit to one compact camera & lens, but at the end of the day lost too many shots in low light conditions, or lacked critical sharpness in mid-light conditions. It was hard selling it since it was a great cam, but I had to admit it spent way too much time in the cabinet, as I found myself grabbing the a7riii with the cv 40/1.2 most of the time, which gave me a lot more keepers & capability for a tolerable increase in size.
p.2 #9 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
That tiny viewfinder seems disappointing both in size and resolution. Just like the a7C series, a bigger EVF and smaller LCD could keep the overall camera size the same while making them much more usable.
p.2 #13 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
Sony is somehow resting on its laurels. For some years it was the company which the other companies tried to catch up with, now Canon, Nikon and Fuji are bringing all the exciting new stuff, and Sony releases just meh updates and falls more and more behind.
This camera is a new low point of this strange product policy. What a totally missed opportunity!
p.2 #15 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
As someone who adores their RX1RII I am like @nehemiahphoto, absolutely thrilled.
The biggest problems that I wanted to see addressed with the RX1RII were:
- upgrades to autofocus system (give me A7RV level hitrate)
- upgrades to battery-life
The bump in resolution is whatever, I never felt like the predecessor lacked pixels.
But the big standout news for me, that I was most afraid of the alternative, and am relieved to see left unchanged, is that they have continued to use the 35/2 sonnar. I assumed with their Zeiss partnership ended for some time now, that any new RX1R would be an in-house Sony GM offering, and that would have been a major bummer since the existing lens is 95% of the magic for me.
I will miss the delight of popping up the retractable viewfinder, even if this one proves to be a better all-around haptic experience.
I look forward to picking one up second-hand when used prices come down to the ~3-3.5k mark
p.2 #16 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
This is the most Sony camera in a long time. Absolutely insulting price. Pathetic EVF, and no IBIS is something that the loyalists will painfully defend somehow
p.2 #17 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
Never had such a rollercoaster of emotions. Great looking camera. Average EVF and no tilt screen bother me more than no IBIS. The GF doesn't have IBIS either. Makes the Leica look like a bargain, which is very hard to do. I'd pay 3k for it...so I'll have to wait a while for one!
p.2 #19 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
I'm not sure how many here truly used RX1 or RX1Rii. The MKii was an amazing camera for it's purpose. Full frame in such a small package, and it's not just any lens. That Sonnar is legendary. The 3 biggest issues most MKii users had are:
1. Horrible battery life. This should be fixed because it's a new larger capacity battery.
2. Popup EVF. Looks like this is fixed. No one expects a A7 size EVF. You just need to see your composition in sun light.
3. Weather sealing. Basically all Rx1Rs eventually get sensor dust. I'm not sure if this is fixed. There is a comment in the description which says: "Robust magnesium alloy body offers a durable profile and incorporates dust and moisture seals to protect against harsh environments." I assume this is weather sealed. Q2 and Q3 almost have not sensor dust issue due to excellent weather seal.
p.2 #20 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced!
Very interesting. I am curious about the ergonomic changes. I found the RX1rII a bit hard to hold without an add-on grip. I think a lot of people had that experience. Looks like they made a very small change to add a new grip on the front. There's also a Sony version leather half-case (not arca-swiss ofc) and the thumb-grip for version III.
Lens-wise, I'm sure a lot of people are happy to see the 35/2 again. Kind of surprising to see the Zeiss is still being used, since Sony has moved away from their partnership for the E mount lenses.
