Sony RX100.5A Setting up the controls 18 June 2019

Sony’s RX100 series  models have been industry leaders in the compact camera world since the original RX100 in 2012.

The RX100.5A continues the tradition of packing a very high level of  features, specifications, image quality and performance into a very small package.   

The downside of making a complex device so small is a less than wonderful user interface, made worse by Sony’s poor utilisation of the controls which are there.

It is therefore important to maximise the utility of the available controls.

Some accessories can improve the user experience.

* Accessory handle. Why Sony puts these cameras out with no handle at all is an abiding mystery to me. The smooth flat front gives the user no purchase on the device and the thumb support is vestigial.  The Sony AGR2 grip is available as an accessory. This definitely improves the grip without adding to the overall size of the unit.

For those wanting a more secure grip  various third party products come onto the market from time to time. I am currently using the SmallRig 2248 L type grip described in the previous post. This raises overall height by 11mm and increases shutter button height from 59  to 70mm.

* Screen protector. Sony screens face out so a protector is desirable. You can use the Sony PCKLM15 which costs $19 in Australia or just use a less expensive generic one.

* Spare battery and charger. Sony compacts use the very small NP-BX1 battery which has to run the sensor, processor, rear screen,  EVF and OSS unit. Small wonder that battery life is not great.  The RX100.5A offers in camera USB battery charging but no separate charger. Some users are happy with this but others like to be able to use the camera while a battery is charging.  The Sony accessory battery with travel charger kit ACCTRDCX  is reasonably priced and compact. You get a charger and a battery for just a bit more than the price of either item separately.

* Find that shutter release button.  The top of the shutter release button is smooth, flat and flush with the rest of the top plate of the camera. Some people stick  a little felt or similar pad onto the button to raise it. I place a small dob of epoxy resin on the button for the same purpose. I also place a little dot of epoxy on the On/Off button so I can find it more easily by feel.

* Carry bag/pouch.  Some users like to carry the RX100 cameras in a pocket. I don’t for two reasons:

I live in Sydney where it rarely gets cold enough to require a garment large enough to have a decent sized pocket.

Pockets accumulate all kinds of dust, dirt and other mystery items likely harmful to cameras. Some users have suggested slipping the camera into a clear plastic sleeve before consigning it to a pocket.

I use a Lowe Pro Portland 30 bag with the internal divider removed and tabs for a shoulder strap sewn on. There are many small bags and pouches on the market for over-the-shoulder or belt carry.  The small bag or pouch also provides a place for two spare batteries, memory cards and a microfiber cloth.

Press the Menu button and navigate to Camera Settings2>Screen 9/10>Custom Operation1> See three items labelled Custom Key. The top one has a little squiggle in a box to the left of it. Presumably that represents  mountains and is the pictogram for still photos  used throughout Sony menu systems.

* Control Ring. This is the ring on the lens barrel. The default setting is [Standard]. In its usual cryptic way Sony does not explain what Standard means.  Turning the ring changes aperture (f number) in A Mode, shutter speed in S Mode and focus distance when Manual Focus is set in Focus Mode. The problem with the control ring is that it is always “smoothy” in action and cannot be set for “clicky”.

It is therefore somewhat unsatisfactory for changing aperture and shutter speed with a frustratingly vague relationship between turning the ring and changes in the exposure parameter.

If you rarely use manual focus with this camera you might choose to allocate  [Not Set] to this ring. Aperture and shutter speed can be controlled by turning the Control Wheel (in the 4-way controller) which is clicky, but only if the AF frame is not active..

Then a problem arises when you do want to use manual focus. 

For instance when making multiple exposures to blend into a panorama in Photoshop I want manual focus and manual exposure. By the way the RX100.5A does have auto pano capability but the implementation is poor with many stitching artefacts.

But the RX100 cameras don’t make full manual control  easy.

I can set the lens control ring to [Standard], the Mode Dial to M  and the Focus Mode (which I allocate to the Fn button, see below) to Manual.

Now I can focus manually with the lens Control Ring and the rear Control Wheel changes the shutter speed.

But how to change the aperture ? We have run out of controls for that. The workaround is to turn the Mode Dial to A and set the aperture required. This will be retained when the Mode Dial is turned to M.

If this seems all too complicated, it is.

I find the best way to manage manual focus, manual exposure is to use the MR (memory recall) capability.

Set the camera up with the Mode Dial on M, f4 which is the best aperture on this camera for most outdoor situations, shutter speed on 1/125 sec, ISO 160, lens control ring on [Standard] and allocate all this to MR1.

To do this press the Menu button then Menu>Camera1>Shoot Mode/Drive>Page 3/12>MR1,2 Memory> allocate current settings to MR1.

To use the settings  turn the Mode Dial to MR and select MR1.  All settings can be adjusted as required by the light level and subject distance and all will revert to the pre-sets when the Mode Dial is turned off MR.

Once you get it set up the MR system does work decently well.

Moving right along:

Go back to Menu>Camera Settings2>Custom Operation1>screen 9/10>Custom Key>  Beneath Control Ring we have C Button, Center Button, Left Button, Right Button.

There are many options for functions which can be allocated to these buttons.

The principle which I use to guide me in making decisions about this is to allocate to these buttons functions which I want to adjust in Capture Phase of use while operating the camera in the process of making photos.

Functions which I want to adjust in Prepare Phase of use I allocate to the Fn button and functions which belong in Setup Phase or which are infrequently used or cannot be allocated to the Fn button stay in the main menus or come up to My Menu.

With that in mind I make the following allocations:

C Button: ISO Auto Min. SS.

Explanation: Sony’s auto ISO implementation is the best in the business. It is focal length sensitive and can be set on one of five shutter speed ranges (slower, slow, standard, fast, faster) for different conditions.

Right button: ISO.

Explanation: I want ISO up there somewhere for quick access and I want it physically close to the button used for ISO Auto Min.SS.

Left Button: Drive Mode.

Explanation: This is the default and the left button is as good a place as any for this function to which I want quick access when required.

Center Button: Focus Standard.

Explanation: Sony in its usual cryptic fashion does not explain what “focus standard” means which is unfortunate because it is very important.

I allocate Focus Standard to the-button-I press-to-activate-the-AF-frame-so-I-can-move-it-with-the-cross-keys-and-change-size-with-the-rear-conrtol-wheel.

The Center button seems the obvious place for this function and if memory serves correctly is the default.

Note the Down button gives access to exposure compensation, the Up button is for Disp (display options)   and neither is  user configurable.

It is normal practice for a particular control module to have mode dependent functions.

In other words the same button or dial can have one function in stills capture mode and a different function in playback mode and yet another different function in movie mode.

Experience shows that users quickly adapt to this and are soon working the controls correctly in the different modes without really having to think about it.

But things get more difficult when a control module has different functions in the same  usage mode.  This affects the 4-way controller, cross keys and rear control wheel on several Sony cameras including the RX100.5A.

It works like this:  If you first press the Center button (assuming it is set for Focus Standard) the AF frame becomes active, surrounded by up/down/left/right arrows.

Now if you press the up/down/left/right keys the active AF frame moves around the screen. If you turn the rear control wheel the AF frame changes size.

Press the center button again and the AF frame becomes inactive. The bounding arrows disappear. 

Now the up/down/left/right keys perform whatever function was assigned to them by Sony (up/down) or the user (left/right) and the rear control wheel changes aperture or shutter speed depending on the setting on the Mode Dial on top of the camera.

This is an issue and a potential problem because

a) Before using the cross keys and rear control wheel the user has to check  whether the AF frame is active or not.

b) Depending on the subject being displayed on the screen the AF frame and bounding arrows can be difficult to see. To compound this the bounding arrows disappear when the shutter button is half pressed.

I use the RX10.4 for a lot of rapid action work which involves making fast adjustments to the AF area position. I found that in the heat of the moment I was frequently selecting a function when I wanted to move the AF frame and vice versa.

I dealt with the dual function issue on the RX10.4 by disabling the left, right, down  and C3 buttons and transferring their functions to the Fn button.   ISO and ISO Auto Min.SS go on the C1 and C2 buttons up top.

But the RX100.5A don’t gots no top buttons so I am stuck with either allocating all assignable functions to the Fn button or managing the dual function issue  by paying close attention to the activation status of the AF frame.

At the moment it is the latter. I will see how this goes over time.

I would like to be able to set up the RX10.4 and the RX100.5A the same way but the two are sufficiently different to make this impossible.

The designers at Sony have MUCH  to learn about camera ergonomics and the user interface.

No wonder users are switching from compacts to smart phones en masse.

Sony routinely and frustratingly makes a mess of its camera user interface but in the middle of all the muddle they get two things right. The first is the ISO Auto Min.SS function, the second is the Function (Fn) button.

Go to Menu>Camera Settings2>Screen 9/10>Custom Operation1> Function Menu Set.

The Fn button provides access to 12 functions in two rows of 6. This is an ideal place to locate functions which require access in Prepare Phase of use. There are lots of options from which to choose and you can change any selection at any time.

On the top row I have Focus Mode, Focus Area, File Format (a.k.a. Quality), Steady Shot, ISO, Live View Display.

On the bottom row I have Flash Mode, Peaking, Zebras, DRO/Auto HDR, ND Filter, Shoot Mode.

The Fn button is a key control center for Sony cameras so the items selected to populate the portal will probably change over time as the user’s experience increases and usage patterns  change.

The RX100.5A has a My Menu. This is extremely useful for a range of items which don’t need to be up front but are required with some frequency which would make their retrieval via the main menus tiresome.

I have [Format] on My Menu as I use that command frequently.

I will tackle the main menus next.