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| All photos RX10.4 |
Sony has based two very successful lines of cameras on its now famous so-called “one inch” 20 Mpx sensor which actually measures 8.8x13.2mm giving a diagonal of 15.9mm with a 3:2 aspect ratio.
The first version of this sensor appeared in the RX100 compact in 2012.
The RX10 bridge camera using the same sensor appeared in 2013. This had a 24-200mm (equivalent) constant f2.8 lens which was carried over to the RX10 Mk2.
The RX10 Mk3 of 2016 introduced a much more ambitious 24-600mm (equivalent) f2.4-4 lens of excellent quality. But the RX10.3 had a fairly basic autofocus system using contrast detect only.
The RX10.4 arrived quite soon after the RX10.3 with the same body and lens but a more advanced autofocus system using on chip phase detection and much faster operation.
The RX10.4 has a very high level of specifications, features, capabilities and performance.
To get as much or better ability to follow focus on moving subjects from an interchangeable lens camera you have to spend a lot more money and are then stuck with having to change lenses.
Image quality from the 15.9mm sensor is excellent in most conditions outdoors and good enough for most purposes indoors.
The lens is one of the best I have ever used. It delivers a level of sharpness at each focal length which is competitive with good primes.
Reliability appears to be very good. I have read very few complaints on user forums.
My copy is now over two years old, has seen considerable use and has given no problems at all.
The only reason the RX10.4 did not get a Camera Ergonomics camera of the year award is that some aspects of the user interface and the ergonomics are not as well implemented as they could be. The process of getting the camera set up to work as desired is overly complicated and really daunting for many new users.
Despite this the camera is serviceable although it is not the pleasure to use which it could have been with a more thoughtful ergonomic design.
There have been various rumors about an upgrade model but nothing has yet eventuated.
Some of those rumors, or maybe they just someone’s wishful thinking, suggested a 24-1200mm lens presumably on the same sensor size. But that lens would either be huge or have a very small aperture at the long end or both and I wonder how much appeal such a big thing would have.
I would most like to see improved ergonomics in any upgrade.
However the Sony way is to use upgrades for more advanced technology. In interviews corporate executives have described Sony as a technology company. They are aware of ergonomic issues as shown by gradual improvements in the handling of the full frame A7/A9 series but it is clear to me as a consumer that they rank ergonomics and the user experience behind technological advancement. In my view they should be equal partners in the march of progress.
The technology of the RX10.4 in the body and ergonomics of a Lumix FZ1000.2 might be a thing of joy. Unfortunately we ain’t gonna see it.
Another consideration for any update model is the imaging capability of the sensor. The original RX100 arrived eight years ago with a DXO Mark sensor score of 66.
Most subsequent cameras from Sony, Canon and Panasonic using this sensor scored around 70. But the recently released Sony RX100.7 only scored 63. This seems to suggest that there is a trade-off between readout speed and imaging capability in sensor design. It also suggests to me that some as-yet-unseen-in-consumer-cameras technological innovation will be required to significantly increase the imaging capability of this sensor.
No camera from any maker has even attempted to challenge the RX10.4 as king of the all-in-one-do-anything-anywhere-anytime-never-have-to-change-lenses brigade.
They are all too busy either reducing their product lines in the face of falling sales or struggling to get their full frame mirrorless bodies and lenses onto the market.
I have been using cameras for 66 years. For most of those years I used interchangeable lens models (ILC). But I now find I don’t want to pick up an ILC because I hate changing lenses and hate having to carry extra lenses.
In addition when I run testing using matched subjects I have difficulty distinguishing which photo came from the RX10.4 and which came from an ILC.
I think that the great majority of enthusiast photographers will be able to make all the photos they ever wish to using the RX10.4. The image quality is good enough and the performance of the RX10.4 is much better than most ILCs.
And now for a few photos:
