Although a compact camera, this is not a simple one.
You can use a couple of ‘point & shoot’ modes but it has all the features of an interchangeable lens camera.
Very pocketable if a little heavy, it can take that picture quicker than getting a DSLR out.
The zoom range is huge and image stabilisation reduces shaky images. Even sports can be within your capabilities with the ultra fast burst mode.
Expensive but you get what you pay for. A similar menu system to Sony’s larger cameras. If you’ve used a Sony a6400 (like me), you’ll be at home as almost everything you know from the bigger one is on this one.
For a party, children or pets, this camera can take pictures and you’ll not have to learn a new system while carrying a smaller and much lighter camera.
A joy to use. Get a screen protector and you can go anywhere.

Great little camera, up to the reviews I read around. However, the declared capacity of 260 shots with a full battery is a myth. In ideal conditions, maybe, and I was ready to accept half of that number in normal conditions. The real number I got these days is around 70 shots, though.
I kept bluetooth enabled to get GPS information from the phone. I’ll try again without it, but I’ll still buy a battery or two for longer trips.

Having owned Mk1 and MkIII models, I thought this would be better and it was at a good price. But found no improvement at all in picture quality and had no need for the improved video. Returned and in due course found a used MkII.

Having owned two of the previous models of the rx100 this was my first with a long zoom range. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of images throughout the zoom range, they seemed just as sharp at the extreme end as at wide. Even the extended digital rather than optical zoom was quite impressive. Video both at normal speed and slomo was quite impressive as well as unbelievably rapid autofocus including human and animal eyefocus! The only downsides for me were the infamous Sony menu system making it harder to select exactly what you wanted with the minimum of button presses and the price.

I was supposed to order the RX100 VA but somehow I managed to order the MkIV instead, So I am unable to offer any insight into how the MKIV performs. I will however quickly say the RX100 VA is a brilliant camera and I am well pleased with it. In many resdpects it equals my A7iii

I purchased this camera to replace my Canon M50 DSLR, as carrying around all of the extra lenses made it such a pain that I found I hardly used it.
Being able to pick up this RX100 camera and just shoot (mostly video) has been such a blessing without having to think too much about it, yet whilst still retaining most of the features of a DSLR, so the option is always there on the days when you feel a bit more creative.
The lens and picture quality is superb, and the 3.5mm microphone jack makes it pair beautifully with a mic.

The camera is mostly all pros, however there are a few cons.

My main con is that it’s difficult to get a shallow depth of field. The only way around this is to set the camera far away and to zoom in, however this arrangement is not always practical for Vlogging.
Also, The battery is quite small and battery life is not particularly good, although carrying spare batteries does solve this issue.
The autofocus whilst video recording is excellent and seems to equal that of the M50.

Overall, I do not regret buying this camera. It has served me well for vlogging and is a practical replacement for the bag full of DSLR equipment it replaced.

Bought this to replace a super-zoom compact (panasonic). I decided sensor quality was more important than zoom and opted for this in a lightning deal.
It’s great for portraits, but so far I’m a little underwhelmed with its capabilities in landscape settings. This was the main reason I got it, to avoid lugging around my DSLR and associated lenses when walking in mountains.

Having to pay extra for numerous shooting mode apps is also a mixed bag – great that things like the bracketing app offer basic focus bracketing and you have the option to avoid apps you don’t want/need…. but really most of these apps could have been built in from the start. And don’t forget a few extra quid for a decent grip too!

Good, but I expected more. And too many add-ons come at additional cost. I’ll persevere with it for landscapes and will update this review if I can find some hidden magic 🙂

Edit: 6 months in and I like it a bit more, it’s now worth 4.5 stars to me as it’s serving the purpose I hoped it would. It’s good for snapping, I’ve added some pics (unedited snaps).

As a photographic artist I want to capture every detail of a scene with complete clarity, right into the corners of the frame. My Nikon D800 DSLR does that beautifully, but it is useful to also have a pocket camera for those fleeting moments.

The RX100 does this, and its RAW files let me make and sell stunning prints up to 50×75 inches. I bought the RX100 Mark 3 as a replacement for my Mark 1. The new lens is even sharper, and the slightly wider zoom suits me better (even if also slightly shorter).

I also enjoy the RX100 for its build quality. Anyone who enjoy handling a gem-like mechanical device will love this camera.

My previous compact was a Cannon G7X, and i will say this is a reasonable upgrade.

It seems noticeably faster and has the benefits of 4k video recording. Id say the picture quality is slightly better to.
Im quite happy using it for when i dont have an APS-C camera on me. And it does mean i dont have to rely on my phone (SG9) which this camera eats for breakfast.

The fast lens is handy so the camera still is functional if the light dims a little.

As for flaws, the zoom as actually pretty short (effectively 70mm) Compared to the G7x at 100mm this is a step back.
It does very much put this camera in the close up catagory and limits its uses. 30mm might not sound much, but it can make a difference.
Its probably not quite as nice to use as the G7X, but thats a minor thing.
There is no finger grip, which is an odd omission.
It overheats when recording 4k. This is pretty poor. Itll do a few minutes fine but then shuts down.

But its still a good camera. I need to take pics of my kids so I need something fast that can handle non-ideal light and this just about manages that, it hits my criteria of being able to get a decent shot more often than not. Something ive found smaller sensor sonys totally incapable of.

And note, you will need a fast XC – U3 card to record 4k at its highest bitrate.
Amazon has a rating for battery life which ive marked as low. But i always use external chargers and multiple batteries, which means its not a problem in reality. If your taking lots of pics relying on a single battery is folly.
Ive given pic quality a 4/5 so not to down mark it unfairly (should probably be a 3) compared to other smaller sensor camera reviews.

I recently upgraded to the Mk4 from the Mk2 and am so glad that I did. I thought I might miss the hot shoe, but my main use for the camera is as a backup to bigger fry, so the hot shoe was a nice but not necessary extra as the integral flash is of an acceptable standard. The addition of a viewfinder is what makes this camera great by comparison to the earlier version — struggling to see your shot in bright light was the compromise of the Mk2, now wholly overcome by the little flip-up viewfinder, once you have adjusted your view via the diopter. It is deceptively well made, even the pop-up viewfinder and flash; don’t manhandle but it isn’t flimsy.

The list of features is seemingly endless, as it was with the Mk2 to be fair, and on almost every specification it ticks the box. And then you look at it in more detail.

It is as if a Range Rover has been shrunk to the size of a Smart car. Perfectly formed but pocket sized. Would a pro want something this small? Would an amateur such as me want all these facilities? Isn’t it a bit small to be taken seriously? I thought the market was moving to interchangeable lenses?

Slowly I got what it was about.

The highest specification camera in existence is of no use if it isn’t with you when you want the shot. If the herds of Wildebeest have swept majestically across the plain or Krakatau has finished erupting by the time you have swapped lenses, then all the kit in the World will not give you much to remember. This is about having everything you need for most shots – still or movie – in a unit that you can simply slip into a pocket. This is a camera that is small enough that you can keep it with you rather than ‘plan’ to take photographs. It enables spontaneity.

There are so many layers of software that it is difficult to imagine that I will scratch the surface in terms of its potential, but the key thing is that it covers most options. I won’t scratch the lens, it retracts into the body when switched off so no losing time with lens caps. As to the hardware specifications these are Pro level in a body size that most would assume to be a ‘snaps’ camera.

A quite understated item in terms of its capabilities and which through its sheer portability enables moments to be captured on the fly. This camera brings the art back to what still or moving photography is all about- being able to capture life as it happens. After years of lugging bags and lenses and often having little to show for ‘planned photography’ this camera is putting a spring in my step in more ways than one.

This camera is absolutely fantastic. I used this on my latest holiday and got some amazing shots. I found that I ended up using the viewfinder more than the back screen as it just gives more control to get the perfect shot.
Battery lasts ages, even with lots of use. Yes it’s a fairly big pocket camera but it’s worth the money and size as it rewards you at the end of the day.
It’s easy to use and fast to switch on so you don’t miss out on pictures.
Highly recommend this camera.

Since writting this review, I have tried and tested the model 4 and model 5 in this range. I can now say that this is a great middle entry camera but picture quality and functions are greatly improved on the next model up and had I known I would have gone straight to the model 4. It’s worth the extra spend.

It has taken me a while to get used to the menus. Finally I have the 12 things I use the most on the Fn menus for quick access and am really loving the camera. Excellent, sharp photos (I shoot only in RAW and ‘develop’ in Lightroom). The pop up view finder is superb and I use it more than I thought I would. I have the 4 app from the Play Memories store that simulates the effect of a very strong ND filter and it works surprisingly well. I’ll probably add the timelapse app next. Lens shines between max aperture and f5.6 … no need to stop down any further. I bought it as I like to take my DSLR on walks etc. but it is too big and became annoying, or left at home. Now I can get similar quality on a camera that fits a small belt pouch or coat pocket.

I purchased this camera via Amazon Marketplace a few days before travelling abroad. After reading numerous reviews about this camera I took the chance. I wanted to travel light and decided with hesitation to leave my DSLR behind in favour of the RX100 iii. Was I surprised, this camera is amazing, it’s true when they say best things come in small packages. The picture quality from the 1″ sensor is amazing along with the sharp and bright Zeiss lens. This tiny package manages to pack in a fantastic pop up electronic viewfinder. The flash is also pop up and with your finger it can be pushed upwards to provide a good flash bounce. There are numerous settings and options available, the option to download apps from Sony play memories and includes Wifi and NFC. There is a useful rotating ring around the lens which can use customised for using as a zoom,aperture amongst other functions. The battery life is pretty good considering what this camera can do. The video quality is excellent,and if you have a 64GB sdxc memory card with uhs1 then you can record in xavc at a ridiculous 50mb/s bit rate at 1080p. The screen can tilt all the way up to 180 degrees for those selfies. Only downside for some will be that the battery is charged via the camera, unless you want to buy an external charger. Phew, thats it I think…

Everything that has been said in the professional reviews of the RX100M3 seems to be true; it’s a great camera, but there are a few real practicalities that need to be considered before purchasing (see below).

The bottom line is, if you are a technically proficient amateur photographer then this is a great, almost pocket sized camera and is highly recommended. However if you want a true pocket able point and shoot camera and want to get into photography then look at something like the Canon S120 that can produce great shots and is much cheaper and truly pocket sized.

Considerations
It isn’t a true pocket camera. It’s footprint is fine but it is much deeper and a bit heavier than other cameras and it doesn’t fit easily into a pocket or small bag. If you are a keen photographer then you will make allowances but some may find it, ‘inconvenient’.
It is too complex if you just want a point a shoot camera. I am an amateur photographer and understand most controls on a complex DSLR camera, but this has even more settings. There are even three auto modes you need to know about to use it correctly as a point and shoot camera. It doesn’t help that the full manual is not very good at explaining the concepts behind the large number of features.
You need to splash out on some essential extras. I think a camera of this quality needs the a fast and specialist photographer’s SD card, an extra battery, a mains battery charger (not supplied), protective case and a screen protector. All of this will add an extra 100 or so to the cost.
You may need to upgrade your image processing software. I had to purchase a new version of ACDSEE (I use it for image management) to view raw files, and I had to install a free updated camera raw for Photoshop 12; earlier versions of Photoshop will have to be updated. This may cost you more money.

I’ve had many SLR cameras and a couple of DSLR’s including the Canon EOS 5D I still use, but going on trips and holidays, especially abroad, dragging round your kit bag with lenses and other accessories can be a real pain so I bought this little camera to take everywhere with no hassle. Picture quality is excellent, plenty of excellent program features as well as AP, SP and manual, several metering options, fast lens and low EV (EV0) make for good low light photography, panoramic shots are taken with ease, various programs to deal with awkward scenes such as fireworks or low light / night handheld pictures, even a built in 3 level ND filter to cope with harsh lighting scenes. Rendering is great, video has great image quality and vibrant colour. Only downside is the limited optical zoom, however the digital zoom (44x) is surprisingly good up to about 15x which would be more than enough for most people. The pop up electronic view finder is great and extremely useful. There are also a number of useful download apps via Sony’s Playmemories Website, I’ve added multiple exposure and time lapse. Only downside is it’s not cheap. A good alternative for less money (still not that cheap) could be the Sony HX90V this has a 30x optical zoom, lower resolution (18 mega pixel) and a few less features but still looks to be a great little camera on paper (haven’t tried it). This could be worth a look if you don’t want to spend over 500 0n a compact camera.

‘TEN MONTHS ON’ UPDATE: If anything I’m more enthusiastic about this camera now I’ve used it for nearly a year. I’ve become very comfortable using it and only remain annoyed by the histogram disappearing when you change exposure compensation. Everything else is great. What always strikes me is that no matter what I photograph, in no matter what conditions, this camera just nails it. I took a series of photos in a dark, underground building development recently, all at f/1.8 and ISO 1600 and the results were incredibly sharp and noise free. And a day at a sunny seaside resort was equally up this camera’s street, the auto ND filter kicking in when the light was too bright, and colours looking superbly saturated. Focus and startup is so quick, and the viewfinder and tilt screen just essential… I’m taking so many more photos now I have this because it’s just so much fun.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I had a Mark I Sony RX100 and grew to love and rely on its combination of size and quality. Now I’ve upgraded to the Mark III. This is pretty rare for me because I usually flit about and try different brands since I have no ‘brand loyalty’. So the new camera has to stand on its own merits (which it does) and be significantly more useful than the original (which it is). This is a fantastic camera.

Three obvious new things stand out. The new lens, the hinged LCD, and in particular the pop-up viewfinder. Look deeper and you find a heck of a lot of other changes too (wi-fi, zebra striping and a handy ND filter, with auto mode, among the highlights), many of them very useful, but it’s the three main physical changes that made me upgrade.

Of these the lens is a mixed bag. I appreciate the extra 4mm of wide angle, which I think gives you more than the loss of 30mm at the other end takes away. So now it’s equivalent to a ‘classic’ 24–70 like the pros use, but they usually have a 70–200 in their bag too… On the whole I’m happy about the change because I shoot more wide angle than anything, but think carefully about that zoom range. The sweetener is that the new aperture range of f/1.8 to 2.8 means at least it’s a pretty bright lens no matter what the focal length, although it doesn’t mean extra ‘depth of field’ possibilities like you might think, because of the change in focal lengths. Still, you can get quite pleasing subject isolation for portraits at 70mm and f/2.8. And the new lens is sharp at 70mm. That’s unusual: most lenses are a bit soft at the end of the zoom range. This one is very sharp ‘wide open’ at 24mm too, but only in the centre. Edges are a little soft at 24mm, even if you close down the aperture, but things are generally very sharp in the corners at just slightly more than 24mm, especially if you up the aperture a bit to f/4 (f/5.6 guarantees sharp corners except at 24mm). Overall, the new lens seems a bit sharper than the old one, which itself was no slouch. After much experimentation, I seem to get the nicest results by using f/4 in Aperture Priority mode for general shots.

The hinged LCD is a wonderful thing, and if you don’t think it’s something you’ll use much, you’ve probably never used one. I’ve had it on cameras in the past and the lack of it in the original RX100 was a constant bugbear for me. It’s so much more of a pleasure to use the Mark III because of it. The screen still attracts ugly fingermarks that are hard to wipe off. And it’s a shame (quite a big shame) it’s not a touch screen, especially when there’s no instant way to change the focus point.And it’s still relatively hard to see in bright light.

But that’s where the Mark III’s killer feature comes in — the pop-up electronic viewfinder. If there’s one thing that made me upgrade, it’s this. The good news is that it’s bright, sharp and fluid, and totally usable to frame shots and make changes to settings in the menus. There’s a nice little diopter adjuster (with a wide range) so you’ll be fine no matter what your eyesight is like. I did notice a tiny bit of judder when panning in some directions though, and in bright light you have to cup your fingers around the top to keep stray sunshine out — even so, the green confirmation on the level indicator is near impossible to see through the EVF in bright light. It’s also a bit fiddly to close because you have to push it in, then down, but this soon becomes second nature. More annoying is how it switches the camera on when you pop it up, and especially how it always switches the camera OFF when you push it down. That’s an infuriating decision that should be an option, because sometimes you want it to work this way and sometimes you don’t. But none of this matters really because having even a slightly flawed viewfinder is way, way better than not having one at all. I use it a lot.

I’ve been trying the wi-fi functions and they seem to work fine. You can buy (yes, ‘buy’) apps for the camera to add new functions like timelapse and ‘star trails’, but the built in tethering app lets you control the camera from your phone or tablet. It works fine but only has basic controls for zoom and exposure compensation. You can send photos pretty quickly to a mobile device or connected TV, but not video.

There’s a new sensor too, and while it’s not obviously ‘that’ much better than the old one, it’s obviously very good, producing very clean, incredibly detailed images with low noise. Dynamic range is good too — this is where the larger sensor really comes into its own. If you shoot raw, you can get back a surprising amount from blown-out highlights (I processed some old raw images in Lightroom from my Canon 400D SLR and was surprised to find them not only noisier but with rather less leeway for recover highlights and shadows than the RX100). I’ve found raw images to be very ‘malleable’ in Lightroom.

I’ve set auto ISO to use up to ISO1600 (you can set a minimum too) and it really is very usable at that sensitivity, so much so that without really closely examining photos, you don’t really notice an ISO1600 shot when you come across one. Impressive.

What else have I noticed compared with the original RX100? Focusing seems a tad faster, which means for a compact it’s really fast and responsive. Only my Olympus OM-D is faster. Sony have simplified the menus a bit, and especially the Fn menu, which is nicer to use. They’ve got rid of the pointless ‘?’ button and replaced it with a much more useful customisable ‘C’ button that I’ve assigned to ‘AEL toggle’. Very nice. Like before, you can change the function of just about every button if you want. And you can now ‘lock’ the rear control wheel so you don’t change settings with it by accident. Video, a strong point before, is now even better, though you’ll need at least a 64GB SDXC card (that’s right, even a fast 32GB won’t work) to use the new high quality setting.

The new camera feels quite a bit heavier and somewhat chunkier than before, but it’s still just as portable and pocket-able really. The relocated flash is still ‘bounce-able’ if you tilt it with your finger, but it seems even more fragile and on the verge of breaking when you push it back in place. The LCD hinges feel rather fragile too — the price you pay for thinness.

A couple of things that haven’t changed (and should have) are the very slow zoom-in in playback mode that takes a full second and zooms all the way in whether you want it to or not. Also *infuriating* is that the histogram disappears when you change exposure compensation, and bafflingly, you still can’t use the self timer with bracketing — just when you’d want to use it… The camera still makes a hash of yellows, which is a shame when colour is generally very natural. And it’s still a complex little beast, with a gazillion functions and options that you may never get your head around.

But make no mistake — this is a major upgrade if you have a Mark I (the more I use it the more I think this). Less so if you have a Mark II. And if you’re not upgrading, it has to be the best really compact camera with a built in electronic viewfinder AND a tilting LCD that you can buy right now. Except there’s now the Mark IV, but that’s so much more expensive for now that it’s a whole different proposition.

I have been an enthusiast photographer for years with a major brand in the DSLR market and I am so pleased that I bought this. I cannot speak highly enough of it as a camera but the EVF which was the main USP for me is flawed slightly.

So lets get the negative out of the way: Sometimes the EVF just does not work. I sent the first one back to Amazon (great place to buy from) but the second unit also fails in the same way so clearly this is a Sony issue. If I pop up the EVF the camera turns on but the EVF stays blank. I have to turn the camera on and then pop up the EVF to get it to work. This is not correct as the first one did not do this. The first one worked fine as long as it was warm but in the cold of autumn night the EVF failed completely until it was put somewhere warm for a while.

This is all a real shame as apart from this niggle, the camera is totally flawless. Its a bit bigger than the Canon S100 that it replaced but still fits in my jacket pocket (but not my jeans). The low light ability is second to none and with the 20mp sensor, the lack of a powerful zoom is rarely an issue. Its not just about pixels either but the quality of the image is so good that even a tightly cropped image still looks good.

There are so many options too that you never get bored messing with the menus and the programmable silent and smooth front ring around the lens is really useful.

The wifi is good but too slow for a large download given the size of the images yet very handy for remote control or viewing straight to a phone or tablet.

If I was to try hard to find any other fault with the design it would be the inclusion of USB 2.0 rather than 3.0 for connectivity but I generally take the card out and put it in the computer anyway but this may bother you particularly if you do not have a card reader in your computer.

I am seriously thinking of getting rid of my DSLR now on account of this small camera. The DSLR does some things better and has options (on account of changeable lenses) but with good low light glass being so expensive on a DSLR, this Sony camera’s abilities are making me use the DSLR less and less.

One very good point to make about this Sony camera is that you can tilt the flash up whilst shooting allowing you to bounce off the ceiling. Thats a feature that I have not seen on any other compact camera. The flash recharge time is also excellent.