Hey All, I've been thinking about grabbing an RX1R III especially with the current exchange rate for the USD to Yen. Was just curious if anyone who's had one for a while now that it's been almost a year can give a good honest take on if it's worth it?
I'm coming from an M11P so used to no IBIS (though it would have been nice to have) and a GRIV as my back-up camera for hikes. I was a bit disappointed in the GRIV for low light and how the autofocus was basically non-existent in those environments. So having the Sony autofocus system, full frame sensor, and maintaining compactness with 60mp to crop in here and there does sound appealing.
I've checked a couple Youtube videos on longer term reviews but it's always hard to trust these guys with their influencer voices and cadence, haha.
When the RX1R3 first came out I was both excited and rather disappointed. The disappointment has been mentioned and repeated by many members here on FM - basically the camera is/was too expensive, dated, lacked ibis, lacked a new lens, lacked in built memory/expandable memory, lacked a tilt screen, etc.
After the dust settled, I eventually realised I wanted an RX1R3. Expensive, yes. But what it offers is like nothing else on the market. I really enjoyed using the RX1 a decade ago and had no complaints about the lens then (like many others, I liked how it rendered very much), so I was also drawn by the idea of being able to use that lens again. It is the smallest FF package on the market and I find it amazing this camera is the size and weight as a number of my Z mount lenses (without body). It is substantially more compact and lighter than my lightest Z mount lenses + Zf. I finally understand why Sony kept the camera this size - by the time you add ibis, a tilt screen, etc., you are creeping to Q3 weight (and size?). Where the RX1R3 sits makes it niche. Sure, there are some compromises (i.e. all the things it lacks), but the Leica Ms also lack a tilt screen and ibis and that is accepted by so many (I never missed ibis or a tilt screen when I shot with Ms), so I questioned my bias and priorities.
Is it worth it? It is worthwhile in my kit because I am constantly reminded of how much I appreciate it whenever I use my Zf for a full day/on holidays, especially with a larger lens. I am so glad to have it because on lazy days I can sling it and forget about it.
I don't deny I still wish it was cheaper and every now and then I am reminded of the aforementioned compromises. Lens wise, as much as I like the RX1 lens, sometimes I wish the 35mm lens performed and rendered closer the 35 1.4 Otus ML (my current favourite lens)...then I remember this camera is smaller and lighter than the lens alone. Now I enjoy the camera for what it is, and no longer judge it for what it is not.
Alex Phan wrote:
not sure how much cheaper you can get from japan but here in the US, you can get it brand new for $4100.
You can ask the 5 guys just bought the RX1R III(under my feedback) and they can tell you their honest feedback since they're regular user.
I always hit up Map Camera since they seem to have the best tax free prices. Looks like their current price with the exchange rate is $3,300 so tack on tariffs for the way back and it should be around 3.6-3.7k which would be an instant buy for me here in the US. But for 4.1k brand new, that’s not a bad price with the US warranty.
chasdfg wrote:
When the RX1R3 first came out I was both excited and rather disappointed. The disappointment has been mentioned and repeated by many members here on FM - basically the camera is/was too expensive, dated, lacked ibis, lacked a new lens, lacked in built memory/expandable memory, lacked a tilt screen, etc.
After the dust settled, I eventually realised I wanted an RX1R3. Expensive, yes. But what it offers is like nothing else on the market. I really enjoyed using the RX1 a decade ago and had no complaints about the lens then (like many others, I liked how it rendered very much), so I was also drawn by the idea of being able to use that lens again. It is the smallest FF package on the market and I find it amazing this camera is the size and weight as a number of my Z mount lenses (without body). It is substantially more compact and lighter than my lightest Z mount lenses + Zf. I finally understand why Sony kept the camera this size - by the time you add ibis, a tilt screen, etc., you are creeping to Q3 weight (and size?). Where the RX1R3 sits makes it niche. Sure, there are some compromises (i.e. all the things it lacks), but the Leica Ms also lack a tilt screen and ibis and that is accepted by so many (I never missed ibis or a tilt screen when I shot with Ms), so I questioned my bias and priorities.
Is it worth it? It is worthwhile in my kit because I am constantly reminded of how much I appreciate it whenever I use my Zf for a full day/on holidays, especially with a larger lens. I am so glad to have it because on lazy days I can sling it and forget about it.
I don't deny I still wish it was cheaper and every now and then I am reminded of the aforementioned compromises. Lens wise, as much as I like the RX1 lens, sometimes I wish the 35mm lens performed and rendered closer the 35 1.4 Otus ML (my current favourite lens)...then I remember this camera is smaller and lighter than the lens alone. Now I enjoy the camera for what it is, and no longer judge it for what it is not....Show more →
This is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for the thorough thoughts. Your use case is exactly what I have in mind as a sling it over the shoulder and just have it there when needed camera. Something to bring out with the family and friends to the beach and not worry so much about.
How are you finding the low light performance particularly with the autofocus? With the older lens and motors, does it hunt a bit or is the updated algorithm pretty good for those situations? Any experience with the creative looks also? I do enjoy my Ricoh right now partly because of the fun recipes. Always fun to snap photos on a quick day trip and not have to go back and edit them.
I suppose I have to preface my reply by saying I prefer manual focus lenses (among other things, I can blame myself if I miss focus). AF performance feels sluggish but good enough for a point and shoot used for my purposes. Sometimes it hunts a little or takes a moment to lock focus, particularly in lower light (like dark places - candlelit sort of levels), but once it locks it is reliable. It's not as quick as the AF Nikon Z lenses I've used, and you do feel/hear the motors, which exacerbates the feeling of slowness. This said, I've not missed any notable shots with the camera. Again, this is coming from someone who treats this as a fun and lazy camera and who does not have high expectations for an AF cam. I also actually care less about photography nowadays (i feel it is important to mention this so you can see if our expectations are aligned), and don't post process anymore, which brings me to the next point.
Preset wise, there are the usual standard, natural, portrait, vivid, b&w presets as well as a couple sort of "film look" presets (3 are labelled "FL" and one "IN" which has a bit of built-in fade). These are the Sony "Creative Looks" if I remember correctly. There's a bit of customisabilty to all the Creative Looks in that you can adjust contrast, sharpness, fade etc. BUT I personally don't love any of the looks and do wish I had Nikon picture profiles that I do for my Zf, though they're not awful and work for me. I did like the Ricoh presets when I used a GR3, definitely more than these built-in Sony ones (so in this respect, the GR is more "fun" and playful/painless, but I had a different set of gripes with the GR). The RX1R3 would probably fall short against Fuji picture profiles as well. This said, I have noticed that you can tweak "Picture Profiles" in Sony (which are separate from the Creative Looks), which offer more precise adjustments, but i am not sure if this is just for video or if it also applies to photos too and right now it is too much effort for me to explore given this camera was meant to be easy and fuss free for me.
Richardh54 wrote:
This is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for the thorough thoughts. Your use case is exactly what I have in mind as a sling it over the shoulder and just have it there when needed camera. Something to bring out with the family and friends to the beach and not worry so much about.
How are you finding the low light performance particularly with the autofocus? With the older lens and motors, does it hunt a bit or is the updated algorithm pretty good for those situations? Any experience with the creative looks also? I do enjoy my Ricoh right now partly because of the fun recipes. Always fun to snap photos on a quick day trip and not have to go back and edit them....Show more →
Benj summarized it good, similar to my experience having Q3, etc:
RX1R III shoots at 1/125sec min to minimize shake which is good for portraits, maybe not good for landscapes as it uses higher ISO's. I use it indoors a lot with pets with full screen af rather than point af. AF matches to the latest Sony's and great even in low light in comparison to Leica's. However the lens af speed may not be fast enough for fast action. As dpreview said the manufacturers realized that there is still market for P&S cameras esp after X100V/X100Vi craze, but they are not willing to spend the R&D + time for new lenses, etc so they just updated the processors and the battery, etc to match to those... I wish it has a bigger evf, joystick control, and a tilting lcd but it is what it is...I guess closest camera to RX1R III is X-E5 with these options with small evf... Other closest small option is Panasonic S9+Pana 40mm f2+Viltrox 28mm f4.5, but missing the evf which is not good in sunny conditions... Before I used RX1 and RX1R II, but they were more holiday cameras and RX1R III is an everyday camera to use...
I also use Freewelll TC/WC for Fuji X100VI. Tele works for portraits, WC is better than Ricoh options... So I have 24mm/32mm/50mm f2 Sonnar in one camera... RX1R III+1.5 TC:
Getting consistently excellent results from a very small camera. It is my go to camera on outings and vacations, and for street. The image quality is excellent and AF is fast and. reliable. It is replacing my Fuji gear more and more, and also keeps the a7cR on the shelf unless it is a social event where I need the option to use different FL. It well built and good to operate. The EVF is good enough (better for me that on the, say, Fuji X-E5. Only downside is battery life - but I just take more batteries and call it a day. Don't miss IBIS.
Pre-ordered and owned since launch, rx1r iii continues to be a joy to use and the jacket-pocketable camera most often with me outside of my iPhone. Few things that may be helpful from a long-term perspective:
* As dust is a known potential issue with fixed lens models and previous gens, I taped shut potential ingress points like the two top speaker holes. No visible dust issues after almost a year of use.
* Left-side door build quality seems poor and kept flipping open when putting it in and out of jacket pockets, so I taped this shut before it ripped off.
* Back wheel would engage to modify settings, particularly ISO, so sometimes I get base ISO in auto mode set from 100 to something strange like 125 or 150, then when I notice this I need to change the setting until the next time it flips. I can lock it I think, but haven't delved too deeply into Sony menus, physically set aperture and SS while using mainly auto-ISO.
* AF and image quality is excellent in good lighting, however, I live in Anchorage, Alaska and when the light seriously dropped in late and fall and early Winter, I did end up missing IBIS even at f/2, so switched back to carrying my GFX 100s ii (and took noticeably less photos!). Now that the light is back I'm back to carrying the rx1r iii constantly. ymmv
* Tilt screen would be nice, tbh, but I've largely forgotten that outside of rare instances, so not a huge issue for me.
* No issues with battery life as I tend to carry it always, but shoot sporadically. I carry a spare in a bag and only need to use it when I forget to charge them for awhile.
* I may be spoiled by GFX IQ at high-ish ISO, but I was a little disappointed by higher ISO IQ so always strive to shoot near base.
* Enjoyed built-in picture profiles, especially B&W, before C1 supported rx1r iii files, but have since switched back to shooting only RAW and post processing using C1 profiles which I prefer more.
* I thought I'd use video, but without IBIS and never carrying a tripod I've largely switched to iPhone video if needed, so haven't missed it (also sound ports are covered).
Besides that, I've really enjoyed the camera and will almost always have it in my jacket pocket or cycling bag (with larger systems and tele lenses carried over my shoulder, as I almost never change lenses in the field). I haven't touched my Leica d-lux 7 (or switched to the 8, or Lumix L10 update) due to lens zoom speed and updated size. The rx1r iii so small and unassuming that friends are comfortable enough to shoot photos with it, so I'm actually in a number of photos (with never happens with the GFX or z8). Hope this helps!
