The Competition
The sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 brings together many key elements of different class-leading compact cameras, so it faces competition from a number of models. With a slim and simple pocket-sized body, lens ring, and raw and JPEG capture, its design clearly draws influence from Canon’s PowerShot S100. However, the S100’s 12-million-pixel sensor is significantly smaller, and it just cannot compete for large prints and performance in low light. It is almost half the price, though.
On release, Fujifilm’s FinePix X10 was a similar price to the RX100, and the size of its sensor falls between that of the S100 and the RX100. The X10 has more of a classic styling, and its manually controlled zoom lens handles much better than an electronic type like that in the RX100. Furthermore, it has an optical viewfinder linked to the zoom. Thankfully, though, the RX100’s LCD screen is excellent and users are unlikely to rue the exclusion of a viewfinder.
