Sony DSCRX10 Cybershot 20.2 MP Digital Still Camera with 3-Inch LCD Screen - Body Only (Black)

Is it wrong to love a camera? I’ve used my new-to-me Sony RX-10 for 2 months now. It is an excellent tool! A true standout! I was a full-time working professional photographer for 30+ years, and I learned long ago that it's not about cameras. To me a camera is just a tool, a recording device. That said, I've always like GOOD tools. After much research I found my camera here on Amazon, very gently used, with 4 batteries (!) (great for extended shooting which I sometimes do), for $500 U.S. flat, including a small. perfect Manfrotto case. I have zero interest in video so I cannot comment on it (never once used it in any digital camera). I have little interest in scene modes. I shoot in raw nearly 100% of the time and process in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC. I value a reasonable zoom: the RX-10 goes from equivalent 24mm to 200mm, all at f/2.8 (wide open) if desired. The camera can be anything from fully automatic (point and shoot) to full manual (including focus), but it is a “compact” or “bridge,” technically an “amateur” camera, so it’s at its best when being used at least semi-auto. I personally favor Aperture priority and auto-focus, which the camera can do continuously which helps with tiny moving targets such as a 1-year-old granddaughter. The RX-10 may be considered “obsolete” in that Sony has already upgraded it twice, to Super Zoom status. I am perfectly satisfied with 200mm, but the newest 600mm RX-10 III weighs 2-½ pounds and retails for $1,500 U.S. If you are a birder or such then it’s worth it the money and the mass. Even the third version is a pound lighter than a typical crop-sensor DSLR with a kit lens, and no kit lens has even the 200mm reach of the “obsolete” RX-10. As a working pro I had my fill of wrecking my back with 50# cases of gear. When I dipped my toe in digital in 2007 I loved compacts. My previous primary is a Nikon P7800 with a 1/1.7 CMOS sensor. I was a happy clam for years despite the small sensors, but I am also a sharp freak and wondered from time to time what difference a larger sensor might make (lots as it turns out), but I also long ago concluded that I don't want bodies and lenses and load. I want what I've had, a do-it-all-in-a-single-package camera. I've never been especially concerned with "limitations." I consider that there are always workarounds. I'm told that compacts are "no good in low light." I've been shooting in practically NO Light since I started. I accept that there will be noise (and some noise can be reduced in post processing). A couple of years ago my Nikon P7800 covered everything from the Grand Canyon to Carlsbad Cavern. One camera, bright light to no light. What limitations? Yet I still wondered about a larger sensor. I started researching. I considered mirrorless but that meant lenses, more kit, bigger bag, and baggage. I never seriously considered a DSLR; too big, too heavy, lenses, more baggage, plus I have learned to love love love an EVF. I also love a totally silent camera. DSLR's clunk. Compacts can be completely silenced, no beeps, no shutter sounds, no lights; even the monitor can be shut off and only the EVF left on. I like to shoot in museums but I prefer to be discreet. Bridge cameras sounded like exactly what I wanted. Review after review praised the Sony RX-10 to the skies. The RX-10 has a 1.0 type Exmor R CMOS sensor, triple the area of the 1/1.7 sensor in the Nikon P7800. Full manual control, shoots raw, Zeiss glass... It didn’t take long for me to conclude that the Sony RX-10 was THE camera. If I have a gripe about the RX-10, it's the weight. The thing is a chunk. It weighs 1.79 pounds (the Nikon P7800, weighs .88 pound), but that is almost all Carl Zeiss glass, and Zeiss is the Gold Standard of lenses. Because the lens is an equivalent 24 to 200mm f/2.8 zoom that holds f/2.8 (or any other stop) throughout the range, it is massive and therefore heavy. My take is that the weight is more than worth it. The lens is shaaaaarp at all focal lengths and apertures, but because of the larger sensor is also able to much more easily deliver a smooth bokeh that I could never achieve with my Nikons. The small sensors make for almost unlimited depth-of-field, but if you don't want it you have to work at it. If you are looking to upgrade from a point ‘n’ shoot but don’t want to go all the way to interchangeable lenses, from the reviews I’ve read and my personal experience you can’t go wrong with this slightly obsolete Sony. If you want a super zoom I’d still buy the Sony, but the new ones are pretty spendy. Still, they are built to last, solid and physically heavy, with real Carl Zeiss glass and 1” sensors. If I were still working I would have no hesitation about using this camera professionally. It's that good.

Better than the RX100 for the lens, and dials, but that's it. Pros: 1. Relatively simple to use, and feels more like a camera than my RX100 (albeit 5x the size). 2. Construction seems well done, but still slightly plasticy feeling. 3. Faster aperture over most of the zoom range. 4. Sharp lens, better than the RX100 on the longer end of things (>70mm eq.) 5. Tiling screen is nice to have, but could have been touch capable at this price. 6. Real lens hood and cap (familiar and perhaps preferred, to those used to slr types of camera). 7. Great EVF. Really, this one is as good as, or better than the EM-5 IMO. 8. Shutter button feel is great. 9. Aperture ring the hails to a time when we used such things. Nice touch. 10. Detents available on the aperture ring (but more on this later). 11. Smooth and relatively even zoom, although slow (more on this later). 12. Well balanced in your hand(s), even with the zoom fully extended. 13. UI is pretty simple to navigate, and to find what you expected/needed to find. 14. Weather sealing is a nice feature, but I don't anticipate shooting in a down pour very much. 15. When sounds are disabled, the shutter is virtually silent. Great work Sony. Cons: 1. Squeaky tilt screen (yeah, it squeaks when moving into the down low shooting position). 2. Sloooooo....oooow zoom. Too slow IMO. The linkage/communication should be more direct between the ring and the movement of the lens. 3. The aperture ring, while an excellent idea, only has the knurled portions in two areas of the ring. This makes it so that I constantly turn the switch that controls the detent function, into the off position. When you grab it where the knurled areas are not, you simply cannot turn it very well as your fingers impact the fingers that hold the grip. Poor design there. 4. Write times are decent, but you hit the buffer and it gets very slow. It clears reasonably quickly tho, so not too bad. 5. No AF-on style button, or function. Major oversight. 6. Bug in the software: This means that if you accidentally plug the camera in to your computer (while the computer is in sleep mode) to charge your battery,and the camera's power switch is in the on position, it will disable your camera's ability to connect to your computer. You then have to use a card reader. Silly bug, and it needs a fix. 7. Average responsiveness in the AF dept., although it does hit the target most of the time. This is actually unacceptably slow for me after trying for two days. 8. Battery life: Real world use is not what they claim. If you plan to use the camera to frame your image, or review many of your images, be prepared for something like 200 shots or so. Not terrible, but not great either. (Caveat: I am using the EVF mostly). Overall then, this is a solid bit of kit, but not the one I had hoped for when placing the order. It lacks some of what I expected it to accomplish easily. What I feel are missing: The refined movements/operation of a high end camera, and the AF performance anticipated by the much touted new AF system. It lags behind my RX100 for AF speed by about half the speed. The battery charging in the camera has caused some frustration, and caused the camera to malfunction. This occurred/occurs, when inadvertently connected to a USB then to your Mac, while the Mac is "asleep". Dumb oversight Sony. Get that fixed please. In the hand, its just about tall enough to feel like a real camera, but not quite tall enough to really "hold" like one. I have medium sized hands, so that is for my grip. Another of the tactile things is that the buttons seem lost on the back of the camera when you have it to your eye (which you will probably find yourself doing with this EVF). You can probably find the buttons ok, by training yourself to go to the horizontal wheel, then carefully moving your thumb down till you feel them. Also, the lens rattles at the front end, whether its turned off, on or fully extended. Not a lot of rattle, but I noticed it "clicking" around as I moved about and bumped my elbows into objects for stability. What it does well (esp. considering the size of sensor) is to capture and retain shadow and highlight details. As with the RX100, I found myself setting a negative 1/3 stop of exposure for most automated shooting. I played with processing a few jpeg images, and even they held up pretty well. The images will do better keeping details in the shadows, than in highlights though. So keep your highlights in check, your ISO's lower, and you can recover a healthy amount from those shadows. This lens is very, very good. I shoot with the Nikon 70-200/2.8 and have had the Canon version of that lens some years ago. Neither of those lenses can out perform this one for its purpose. Unlike those lenses, this one does pincushion pretty severely, but when you consider the other end (25mm), its totally acceptable IMO. Very nice job. So then, is it a keeper? I really want to, but I am fighting with myself. On the one hand I REALLY want a one stop bridge camera like this. On the other hand, it holds back in some areas that feel like Sony were not quite paying attention. I probably will keep it as it does most of what I hoped it would, and frankly, I can probably learn to work around the "issues" I have with it. Nice but not quite there. Perhaps the" version II" will address these few bugs. Just need some more beta testers like me to speak up until they listen, as they did with the RX100/RX100 II.

Updated 12/29/2013 So far the RX10 has exceeded expectations and what's more fits in a small weatherproof padded case 6 X 5-1/2 X 4 inches for a total weight of 42oz with spare battery. I really like that I can just focus on using it versus worrying about what lenses to buy, and how to carry them. Sony really under promised and over delivered on this one. My opinion is that based on reviews there are a few bad units out there, and the best plan is purchase through Amazon, and then do a thorough evaluation during the return period. Other suppliers have there own rules, and you may have to pay return shipping and insurance as well the free shipping you received at purchase, even if the return isn't due to your fault. (Read the fine print). I particularly like the RX10 EVF -it's easy to frame images and does not require scrunching ones nose against the back of the camera, doesn't require putting on reading glasses either , the menu is easy to navigate, and it feels like a solid quality camera. The weatherproofing is a plus especially if you live in a wet (or marine) climate. The battery life isn't very good, and it weighs 30oz+ but I can deal with that. I like this style of camera because it's compact, less prone to dust problems, and easier to justify purchasing as it isn't an open ended system like a DSLR. I needed a replacement for the FZ200, and also needed to have the IQ of an RX100 as I have become accustomed to that. Of course the zoom range of a RX10 is less than an FZ200 but covers most needs i.e. travel, family, gallery, museum, cathedrals, "some" wildlife."Some" is like the old house we purchased with "some" insulation-after extensive remodel we found a few square feet over the kitchen ceiling i.e.a rarity. I think that 24-200mm is an ideal range especially for weddings and similar events. I'm using it in addition to the RX100. To use the DSLR analogy, instead of removing the large lens and adding a pancake lens,I will just put the RX10 aside and take the RX100 out of the belt pouch. At 28mm (only) the RX100 is still superior with an f1.8 aperture. The RX10 is larger than the FZ200 mainly in the depth front to back dimension about +5/8 inches, enough that it will not fit in the FZ200 case. Because the LCD cannot be folded inwards it has to be slid into a pouch having protection for the glass The weight is + 1/2 lb, so I need some solid performance for that increase. I found a case for it, the Rip Offs belt pouch I have been using (2.2oz) is too small and not enough protection for the LCD glass, also I think it is too heavy for a belt pouch. The Panasonic Soft Compact ILC System Digital Camera Carrying Case works amazingly well, and is only six at Amazon. It has space for the camera and lenshood stowed, with a Crumpler Noose, and a spare battery or two. Seems to be weather resistant also. It also has more useful features, and is more useable than a Crumpler X million $ Home camera case for a fraction of the price. The RX10 ergonomics are excellent and when the camera is powered down with the lenshood in stowed position it doesn't scrunch my fingers like the FZ200. Easy to grip with one hand even at 200mm, I use a wrist strap and 2 hands usually. No abnormal things -the shutter is a bit louder than the RX100, but silent compared to an EM-1 clunk, the lens barrel does move slightly in the 200mm position when gripped, the zoom speed and power up speed is fine, the AF seems normal. The sounds, flash, and the focus light can be turned off which is the way I like to operate. The videos and stills are all in one file instead of being seperate which makes reviewing easier. I have only compared with the RX100 IQ at 100mm so far and the the RX10 appears better. It will take a while to do the rest of this testing. I'm also going to try out the 2X clear zoom after reading one report on how well it works versus cropping, this potentially gets the zoom range into the lower end usually required for wildlife (300mm minimum) but I don't expect miracles. I added a lens cap cord because I like the one on the FZ200. Using Sony 62mm Front Lens Cap ALCF62S accessory about six at Amazon, and some Atwood Rope 1/16 inch Microcord I drilled a 1/16 inch hole on the edge of the lens cap, threaded the cord, made a mushroom end by partially unraveling the cord, and melting with a match. Then pull the cord and use a blob of glue. It can then be cut to length with the lens in the 200mm position and the lens cap and hood in place. Update #1 I found that a number of close up's, macros, long shots, short shots weren't up to snuff when viewed on a large monitor.All shots taken inside with room lighting only. Using center focus fixed the problem -they look great now. Update#2 The manual says "This camera is designed to be dust and moisture-resistant, but is not waterproof or splashproof". Update#3 I found that for low light conditions there doesn't seem to be any benefit in using RX10 CIZ mode @2X200mm (versus cropping @200mm) it just creates a more noisy image and the size of the jpeg file can be as high as 18MB. Also for low light conditions a cropped RX10 image @200mm is as good as a FZ200 image at the maximum optical zoom 600mm, and this is with FZ200 ISO=200, RX10 ISO=3200. Update#4 The outside test shot of a power pole transformer (with a small manufacturers label) showed the similar results to the low light shots, for stills RX10 CIZ does not have any benefit over just cropping an image. The FZ200@600mm gave the usual result for this test shot and I can read the label whereas I cannot read it using the RX10@200mm with or without CIZ -when cropped. So my "conclusion" is that there weren't any miracles and the FZ200 is still the best fixed lens camera choice for wildlife photos where 600mm focal length is needed, also the RX10 CIZ mode isn't useful for stills so I will consider the maximum usable focal length to be 200mm and just use optical zoom. Plan to repeat this when a break in the weather happens. Update#5 I've been very pleased with the results, the shots look great at 12 inches X 18 inches when viewed from about 12 inches on an LCD monitor, and also at an equivalent of 4X larger than this. Better IQ than a RX100.

I saw the price drop on used/Amazon Warehousedeals so I jumped on the opportunity to own this camera and bought it for under $800. My expectations were not very high since this thing only has a 1inch sensor but the first few test shots simply amazed me. I took some test shots raw + jpg and compared it to my a6000 shots and they are pretty darn good for a small sensor. That zeiss lens is already sharp at F2.8 which puts my 16mm F2.8 pancake lens to shame. Focus distance is excellent @16mm focal length. In good lighting this lens can produce nice results almost comparable to my 18-105mm F4 G Lens on the a6000. I haven't tested it yet in low light situations but I would imagine this thing will struggle a bit compared to the APS-C cameras. But I bought this for my personal vacation or all-in-one camera when I don't feel like or need to be bringing $2700+ worth of gear with me. Who is this lens for? For people who want to upgrade from a small point & shoot or cell phone photography but don't want a DSLR and worry about buying many lens. For people that might end up with an entry level Canon, Nikon, Sony etc and never take the kit lens off their camera, I would just go for the Sony RX10. You're getting better picture quality + features + a weather sealed camera...more bang for the buck then lets say a Canon Rebel with an 18-135 lens or equivelent. I'm really having fun with this camera! UPDATE: 9/1/2014 Still love using this camera after almost two months of use. I'm a still photographer but I started getting back into video production again after using this camera. I'm very impressed with the sharpness and detail you can get from the 1 inch sensor + zeiss lens combo. I just updated to Sony's firmware version 2.0 and video just got even better. The RX10 can now shoot in the new XAVC S codec which adds more shooting options; 60p, 30p 24p and 120p all at 50M bit rate...amazing! But be sure you have a SDXC memory card because you won't be able to use the XAVC S setting if you it's anything other than a SDXC card. Here's a budget SD card by PNY that I haven't had any problems with... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BIK04ZM/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I also bought the Sony remote http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BIK04ZM/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 to add with my excellent lightweight but stable tripod by Manfrotto http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MKNJAC/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 combined with excellent fluid head http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EXVQJQ/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ...for my "grab-and-go" video equipment. Oh, also, the stereo mics are excellent on the RX10 but outdoors with wind, I have the Sony Microphones ... CM-XYST1M http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BJSYV4S/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Sony ECMALST1 (with Sony ADPMAA adapter) http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ECMALST1-Compact-Stereo-Microphone/dp/B00440D7S4/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1409591061&sr=1-6&keywords=sony+microphone ...and they work great. VIDEO SHOOTING TIME: This camera follows the shooting times of most DSLR still photo/video combos. I was doing some long video shoots recently and as I expected, the camera will stop recording at around 29 minutes 59 seconds or close to 30 minutes... (Not sure yet if using new codec, I was shooting AVCHD at the time) These new cameras are capable of shooting longer without overheating but I guess due to rules, regulations...standards...you know, all that BS out there...DSLR like cameras aren't allowed to record longer then 29min59seconds otherwise it would be classified as a camcorder or video camera... I read that online somewhere but can't remember the link. Anyways, the RX10 can handle video longer than my Sony a6000. My a6000 will flash the temperature "overheat" warning symbol at me at (I estimate) just a bit over 20 minutes whereas the RX10, after it cuts out before 30minutes, I can just hit record again right way to continue. Oh, by the way, for longer video shooting, I haven't been using batteries, I've been using the Sony ACPW20 AC Adaptor http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OBUJD0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It's a bit pricey but worth every penny if you shoot long video shoots. For flash photography, I bought the Sony HVLF43M http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQI00EY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it's a bit bulky but it's an excellent pairing with the RX10. Great performance from this flash, it hasn't overheated on me yet but then again I don't rapid fire shoot with flash photography. But I like the TTL results that I'm getting from my shots otherwise I have no problems with the menu system when I want to shoot manual. LOW-LIGHT PERFORMANCE: My a6000 with 18-105mm F4 combo will get cleaner, high ISO results but marginally BUT that Zeiss T* coated lens on the RX10 seems to be a bit sharper than that SONY "G" lens. I wouldn't recommend it but you can get useable results even at the RX10's max ISO 12800. That BIONZ-X processor is amazing, I can see better details from the RX10 vs. my previous camera, the a99 + Minolta 28-135 F4.5 combo ...in low-light situations. Sony RX10 vs Panasonic fz1000: I have a Sony a6000 and a5000 which all use the same battery as the Sony RX10...I love the fact that I can bring one Sony BC-TRW W Series Battery Charger http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FSB749Q/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ...and I have plenty of spare batteries plus I can use my Sony TTL Flash with two of my cameras and that power adapter works with all the cameras as well. Let's say, if the RX10 used a different battery, I really think I would have considered leaning towards the Panasonic FZ1000. But then, there's the feature strengths and differences of each... the RX10 has a constant F2.8 throughout the entire zoom, the FZ1000 can shoot 4k video (though, lower quality than the GH4!) and has a great 400mm reach on the far end zoom. RX10 has better build quality, FZ1000 is plastic and larger but image results are the same if not as good as the RX10. Well, if one of those features stands out for you above the rest, go for that camera. Both are very good. I'm happy with my choice and no regrets especially the RX10 firmware update enabling the new codec..50m video bitrate ...the ability to shoot 120p...WOW!

- the autofocus sometimes leaves a lot to be desired- it will frequently go completely out of focus when zoomed in, and you have to zoom out almost all the way to get it back to something reasonable. - macro mode is really lousy- very poor focus at macro distances. Still, it is the best all-round shooter for its size and price range.

This Sony RX10 was purchased for my wife. This RX10 was the very first of the line that is now up to version 4. She would have killed me if I had gotten the RX10iv at about $1800 USD. Thankfully this first version was still available. She had started out with a Fuji S9400W but was dissatisfied with its focusing and her inability to avoid blowing highlights. She was constantly reading the manual and trying to get it to do what she wanted. I next got her a Nikon B500. The Nikon's picture quality was a step up. She had much more control over her exposures. But the Nikon B500 lacks an eye viewfinder. Since her image quality showed improvement by leaps and bounds over what she'd been achieving with the Fuji, I pulled the trigger for the Sony RX10 version 1 with its 1" sensor. So you know, she absolutely so far doesn't want a dSLR or a mirrorless ILC. She doesn't want to be bothered with changing lenses and had wanted a "bridge" camera. We've had one outing with it. She has really enjoyed having the ability to control aperture right on the lens. She's mostly been using aperture priority mode with the exposure compensation dialed to slightly under exposed. She's quite chuffed at the image quality. She thinks it finds focus quickly and well. It's minimum focusing distance is 11 inches which allows her to get up close on flowers and bugs. And she's ecstatic that it has an eye viewfinder which she really missed on the Nikon. What this Sony RX10 doesn't have is zoom. It has 8.3x optical zoom. She had enjoyed the 50x of the Fuji and the 42x of the Nikon. Of course their tiny sensors enabled this. The Sony's 8.3x optical zoom is equivalent to a 200 mm lens on a 35 mm film camera or "full frame" digital. When I look at her images from the Fuji and the Nikon, rarely are they shot above the 200 mm (35mm eq) range. She's generally between 90 and 150 in 35mm eq. After she looked at her most recent images in my Lightroom app, the quality of them outweighed her need for zoom. Sony is well known for having deep menus. She has been reading the manual extensively and poring through the menus on camera. There are shortcuts that she can use to quickly access the settings she is most likely to want. She hasn't killed me for purchasing this. She's excited about the images she's shooting. I think this was a good step up from what she had been using. Here at Amazon I paid just under $700 for a new one, mid October 2019. Of course now in mid November used ones are available at B&H for between $340 and $400. They hadn't been when I purchased this. Oh well.

*** Updated to four stars *** My updated review reflects that I like the camera very much. Very sharp photos, very good user interface. Great lens. I would recommend this camera. I purchased it from Sony directly, however, because the one I received from Amazon was clearly not new. My original 2-star review below reflects poor service from Amazon, who tried to ship me a used/defective camera as if it was new. Please note that the new camera I received from Sony DOES charge correctly via my Mac's USB port. *** Original review below *** I received my RX10 the other day. Camera seems nice but there was NO documentation of any kind (not even a "quick start" guide") and it was missing the AC adaptor that the Sony website has on the list of included items. The shoulder strap was packed as kind of a jumble -- not what you'd expect with a new item from the factory -- suggesting the product was not "new". I tried charging via the included USB cable from my computer, but rather than charging the battery this just ran down the battery further. (My USB port is working fine and it charges other electronics like my phone with no problem.) I strongly suspect this item was returned as defective by another customer and instead of returning it to Sony perhaps Amazon just dumped it on me. I'm really losing confidence in Amazon. This is the second item so far this year that I bought from Amazon that I'm having to return for a refund because parts were missing and/or the item was not new.

This is an excellent camera and video recorder. Great lens and awesome functions that come with it. Make sure to upgrade the firmware so that it can record 1080 hd and 60 fps.

This is a fantastic all-in-one camera. As a professional news photographer for years, I now am in a different occupation that does not require so many heavy bodies and long (and expensive) pieces of glass. I found the RX10 line to be the perfect solution. Buyers, just be careful to note that this is called a RX10/B camera, but that doesn't mean it's the new upgrade of the product. That is the RX10 II. The differences are small, and many might find somewhat faster focusing, slo-motion video clips, faster bulk image capture rate and slightly better low-light quality aren't worth the extra approximately $500.00 more the RX10 II costs. I just don't know why a RX10 is labelled RX10/B here. It's rather confusing and could lead to some returns for Amazon.

Shooting with a full size Nikon SLR for the past 25 years I thought this would never fit my needs but using it on my vacation last month opened my eyes to just how far compact all in one cameras have come. I kept talking myself out of trying it but was pleasantly surprised. the service i received from the supplier was 1st rate. all ion all I was very pleased with my choice. Thank You Rob

Still learning to fully utilize all the features and options , this camera has to offer.Pictures are very sharp , very clear with minimal noise appearing in corners sometimes. I believe this can be resolved latter as I progress to fully apply and use all the great features , this camera is offering . Very satisfied with the purchase!

Best bridge camera. Excellent for those who want a dslr but are no longer interested in carrying extra lenses. Reeks of quality