The news comes as the firm moves to stress the image quality benefits of camera-dedicated devices in the face of the smartphone revolution. Sony acknowledges that smartphones outsold compact cameras two-fold in the UK last year.<\/p>\n
Due out in late July or early August, the \u00a3550 RX100 is billed as an \u2018expert compact camera’. <\/p>\n
The company sees \u2018massive’ potential in the market for high-end pocketable cameras, according to Sony UK’s senior product manager for Cyber-shot, Frederik Lange, in an interview with Amateur Photographer<\/em>.<\/p>\n Lange said that key to satisfying the demands of this consumer is combining a larger than normal sensor with a top-notch lens and Bionz image processor.<\/p>\n The RX100 sports an f\/1.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens designed to deliver the 35mm equivalent of a 28-100mm zoom.<\/p>\n The seven elements-in-six-groups optic features an Advanced (AD) lens which aims to reduce overall size.<\/p>\n Another crucial feature, adds Sony, is the inclusion of a \u20181-[inch]-type’ Exmor CMOS imaging sensor.<\/p>\n The company’s decision to install a sensor with an effective resolution of 20.2 million pixels followed research suggesting consumers prefer more pixels.<\/p>\n The 2011 Sony Europe survey of compact camera and DSLR users, across all brands, found that consumers regard pixel count, high sensitivity, lens brightness and sensor size as priority areas.<\/p>\n Each pixel on the RX100 is \u20183.6x larger’ than those on the 1\/2.3 inch sensor used on its Cyber-shot siblings, according to Sony.<\/p>\n Housed in an aluminium body, the \u2018fully-customisable’ RX100 includes a maximum equivalent ISO sensitivity of 25,600, a top continuous burst rate of 10 frames per second (at full resolution) and longer battery life (330 shots versus 200 previously, claims Sony).<\/p>\n The 3in (1.2-million-dot-resolution) LCD screen uses WhiteMagic technology borrowed from Sony’s Experia smartphones. This adds white pixels to the screen’s RGB structure, to help improve visibility outdoors and increase battery life. <\/p>\n Screen brightness is 2.4x that of the Cyber-shot HX20, explained Sony Europe technical marketing manager Yasufumi Machitani, adding that the RX100’s menu system is borrowed from the firm’s Alpha range of DSLRs.<\/p>\n The camera also incorporates a lens ring, allowing users to control areas such as aperture, ISO and white balance.<\/p>\n A function button enables the photographer to assign up to seven settings, while a Memory Recall mode can be used to select a previously chosen setting.<\/p>\n Other features include raw format shooting, a level gauge and the ability to manually control exposure in the Full HD (50p) movie mode.<\/p>\n Also on board is a 5cm macro mode and a minimum AF focusing distance of 55cm.<\/p>\n Though there is no hotshoe, Sony hinted that one may be added to future models.<\/p>\n Sony claims that the RX100 can focus in 0.13sec, in bright conditions.<\/p>\n Sony plans to target the camera at compact camera users who want to be more creative, and those who have a passion for travel and street photography, as well as DSLR owners after a second, back-up, camera. <\/p>\n A spokesperson declined to comment when asked whether the improved battery inside the RX100 will be extended to the Alpha series. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sony has today officially unveiled the Cyber-shot DSC-RX100, a premium-level digital compact primarily aimed at photo enthusiasts when they are without their DSLR.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":324,"featured_media":12837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"product-category":[],"class_list":["post-12836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-photo-news"],"yoast_head":"\n