Sony RX1 samples pt.2

I’ve had my Sony RX1 since February now. I still find myself head over heels in love. It’s built with the precision of a watch and never disappoints to capture brilliant photos. Almost everything that passes through the camera’s lens looks beautiful and I find myself keeping more photos than ever. It’s hard to think of anything else I’ve owned this flawless. She’s stunning.

 

One of the great features of the RX1 is the great dynamic range. This was one of my Fuji X100’s strong points and the RX1 is even better. The photos above were shot next to bright sunlight and there’s no loss of detail in the shadows. The massive sensor does wonders.

 

Pleasing white balance is one of the most important traits of a camera for me. The Sony does well here as well. The Sony isn’t technically perfect here but the results are attractive, which is what matters the most. 

 

The Sony produces deeper, more mature colors than the radiant Fuji X100. I don’t think either is better or worse than the other, they’re simply stylistically different. I wasn't at first but I’m now completely sold on the RX1’s color rendition, it’s tastefully muted and film-like. I also like to check a camera’s ability to reproduce bright reds. Once again, it passes with flying colors. I mean, look at the 911.

 

The RX1 is seemingly clever so I threw it at some tough lighting situations. If you’ve tried taking a photo of your laptop’s screen in a dark room, you know how bad the results can be. The RX1 does a decent job of preserving the bright screen and keeping the white balance at a diplomatic midpoint between the screen and room’s light. The next three photos also illustrate scenes with multiple light temperatures.

 

The f/2.0 Zeiss lens in combination with the full frame sensor produces amazingly smooth and luscious bokeh. None of my previous cameras can even begin to compete here. The best bokeh is smooth and non-distracting. The RX1 produces exactly that.

 

And finally, low-light performance. As I’ve mentioned before, the noise performance isn’t shockingly great (it’s on par with the Fuji X100) but the color reproduction is world class. The examples above were shot with very little light, and you can see how well the RX1’s sensor paints them.

If you haven’t noticed, I’m romantically in love with this device. I can’t stress this enough; this camera is product design perfection. It’s not just the best camera I’ve owned, it’s the best thing I’ve ever owned. If the camera matches your shooting style and you have $3000, there’s no better choice. If the RX1 was a woman I would marry her - and I don't even want to get married.

All photos have been post processed in Aperture as usual.