Steve Spencer
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 p.46 #12 · Official: Sony RX1R III Digital Camera announced! | |
Fred Miranda wrote:
I often hear photographers comparing the RX1 series to the Q series, but honestly, aside from both having built-in lenses, they belong in completely different categories. Size really is the key here. Once you see in hands, shoot with it, and carry it around, you realize there's nothing else like the RX1. It's the smallest full-frame camera of its kind (built-in lens). The difference in size is huge compared to the Q2, which is actually closer to the size of a Leica M...
What some people miss is that the RX1's main strength is exactly that...giving you a full-frame sensor in the most compact form possible. That means certain features simply aren't possible. There are trade-offs, and that's part of the design philosophy.
On top of that, even the lenses are different in both focal length and character. The RX1 has a 35mm f/2, while the Q2 uses a 28mm f/1.7 (that requires mandatory extreme distortion correction). They not only behave differently in how they render but are also designed for different shooting styles. So you're nott just choosing between two camera bodies, you're also choosing between two distinct lenses with their own personalities.
So it really comes down to what matters more to you. If you want the smallest full-frame camera with great image quality, the RX1 delivers. If you need more features or a different shooting experience, something like the Q2 might be a better fit. But comparing the two directly, or complaining that the RX1 doesn't have what the Q2 does, kind of misses the point. They're built with different design goals and for different priorities....Show more →
No doubt an important way to characterize fixed lens cameras is by size, but when I do I see three clear sizes:
1) As small as possible - and here we have phone cameras and the Richo GR series that can fit in most pockets.
2) Mid sized - these are clearly bigger than as small as possible and don't fit in most pockets, but clearly smaller than most interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs) -- and here we have the Fuji X100 and the Sony RX1R which are almost the same size.
3) Almost ILC sized -- and here we have the Leica Q3's and the Fuji GF100RF.
But I think another way to characterize fixed lens cameras is by price, and when we do I see three clear price tiers:
1) Essentially free - I think this is what most people who use their phone as a fixed lens camera see it as they would have bought it anyway and they alway have it in their pocket.
2) Moderate - here we have the Ricoh GR and Fuji X100 - at around $1,000 ish in price.
3) Luxury - here we have the cameras that cost more than $5,000 and that includes the Leica Q3s, the Fuji GF 100RF, and the RX1R III.
If you just segment this market into size and price in this way, you see that a lot of the market is getting sucked into the small as possible and free cell phone camera segment. We know this has happened on a massive scale. Enough so it wasn't clear there was any market left for fixed lens cameras.
What I find interesting is that in the last couple of years the luxury price segment has seemed to grow at least in products if not in sales. Leica, then Fuji, and now Sony seem to think there is a market there. What is this market? It seems to me Leica and Fuji are approaching this market by offering their fixed lens cameras as a way for photographers to have a piece of their high end cameras. You can almost have a Leica M with a Leica Q. You can get a medium format sensor with a Fuji GF 100RF. Leica and Fuji haven't really focussed on small, but on creating a bit of the experience of using their high end systems. It seems that for both these companies part of the strategy could include getting the fixed lens camera might entice people to get more high end gear. You start with a Leica Q, but that naturally leads to a Leica M or a Leica SL. You start with the Fuji GF100RF, but that leads to a GF 100S II, and a bunch of GF lenses.
Sony seems to be going a different direction. The RX1R III isn't that much like their current ILCs. Instead it stands out by being smaller. I don't see it as likely to lead many people into buying an A1 II or a A9 III. Perhaps their strategy is to get people to use it along side their ILCs, but I don't see it as leading them into higher end gear. If you care primarily about size and you want a high end/high price fixed lens camera then the RX1R III seems like the clear choice. Sony seems to think there is a decent market of such people. We will see by how this camera sells whether they are right.
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