Compact Camera News

Sony extended the reach of its super zoom camera line this morning by unveiling the 20.1-megapixel RX10 III, which boasts a 25x built-in lens that’s equivalent to a 24-600mm zoom in the 35mm format. The Zeiss Vario-Sonnar super zoom lens in the Sony RX10 III also features a surprisingly fast aperture range of f/2.4 to f/4. (Offering an f/4 aperture at the 600mm telephoto end in a “bridge” camera should definitely turn a few photographers’ heads.)

The new Sony RX10 III – which is the follow-up to the RX10 II announced just last June – also features a 20.1MP, 1-inch-type stacked CMOS sensor, Internal 4K video recording and super slow motion capture capabilities. It’s powered by Sony’s BIONZ X image processor.

But it’s the 25x built-in zoom lens with Optical SteadyShot image stabilization that helps reduce camera shake and image blur, that is the key feature of the long zooming Sony RX10 III. The camera is aimed at photographers shooting anything from landscapes and cityscapes to distant wildlife and sports.

The Sony Cyber-shot RX10 III goes on sale in May 2016 for approximately $1,500.

Here’s a rundown of the impressive-sounding superzoom lens along with other features in the new RX10 III from Sony’s press announcement this morning. You can also see a few sample shots captured with the Sony RX10 III provided by Sony below.

“New ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* 24-600mm F2.4 – F4 Lens
The 24-600mm ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* lens on the Cyber-shot RX10 III camera features a maximum aperture of F2.4 – F4.0. This differentiates it from many other high-zoom lenses that often struggle with light-gathering at longer focal lengths. The aperture unit itself has nine blades that are designed to create a near perfect circle in the F2.4 – F11 range, enabling shooters to create content with beautiful bokeh, where the subject stands out against a softly defocused background.

In total, the extended zoom lens features eight ED glass elements including one super ED glass element, five ED glass elements and two ED aspherical lenses, which all work together to minimize chromatic aberration and deliver high-contrast, ultra-sharp image quality.  It also has ZEISS T* Coating for minimizing flare and ghosting and delivering accurate, faithful color reproduction.

The new lens has built-in Optical SteadyShot image stabilization that helps to reduce camera shake and image blur, in particular when shooting at longer focal lengths. When active, the OSS is equivalent to shooting at a shutter speed approximately 4.5 stops faster than the current setting of the camera. 

Additionally, with a minimum focusing distance of 72 cm (2.36 ft) and 0.49x maximum magnification at a fully extended 600mm, the new lens is capable of producing amazingly detailed tele-macro images.”

Image Detail
The RX10 III features a back-illuminated 20.1 MP 1.0-type stacked CMOS sensor and BIONZ X image processing engine that allow the camera to achieve a wide sensitivity range of ISO 644  - ISO 12800 and produce images with low noise, even at higher sensitivity settings. 

Additionally, the rear of the sensor has a DRAM chip that allows it to read and process large volumes of data exceptionally fast, enabling the camera to shoot super slow motion video at up to 960 fps. The powerful DRAM chip also allows the RX10 III to shoot continuously at up to 14fps with minimal blackout. 

With shutter speeds as fast as 1/32000 second, the electronic shutter on the RX10 III minimizes image distortion at faster shutter speeds. It also offers silent shooting at all settings and speeds, ensuring all content can be captured quietly without disrupting the subject, a powerful feature when combined with the wide-ranging zoom lens. 

4K Movie Recording
The new RX10 III model becomes the latest and most versatile Cyber-shot RX camera to offer the advantages of 4K (QFHD 3840x2160) movie recording thanks to its far-reaching 24-600mm lens, which gives videographers the luxury of shooting high quality 4K video from extreme distances.

In 4K video mode, the RX10 III camera utilizes full pixel readout without pixel binning, capturing approximately 1.7x more information than is required for 4K movie output to enhance image detail and minimize moiré and jaggies.  It achieves these high-quality results through use of the XAVC S codec, which records video at a high data rate of up to100 Mbps during 4K recording and up to 50 Mbps during full HD recording5.   

The new camera also has a variety of other professional caliber video features including Picture Profile, S-Log2/S-Gamut, Gamma Display Assist, Time Code and more, as well as input for external microphone and output for headphone monitoring.

Super Slow Motion Video Recording
The new RX10 III also possesses the ability to record super slow-motion video at up to 40x slower than the standard rate, allowing users to capture and replay fleeting moments of action with incredible detail, resolution and clarity.

In “HFR” (high frame rate) setting, it offers the option to choose among 960fps, 480fps and 240 fps frame rates and among 60p, 30p and 24p playback formats4,5 with the option to use the movie record button as a ‘start trigger’ to begin recording once button is pressed or ‘end trigger’ to record footage up until the button is pressed.

High Speed Autofocus
The new RX10 III camera is equipped with an impressive autofocus system with spatial object detection, allowing the camera to detect and predict motion of a subject before the shutter button is pressed, This helps the camera achieve an incredibly fast and efficient AF response when the shutter is halfway pressed, enabling it to lock on to a subject in as little as 0.09 seconds 8.  This is a yet another compelling technology, especially when paired with a versatile, highly capable 25x zoom lens with a range up to 600mm.

Ergonomics and Design
Aesthetically, the new RX10 III features a number of upgrades compared to existing RX10 models including triple lens rings for focus, zoom and aperture for direct, precise control.  The hand grip shape has also been optimized for the new high-magnification, large-aperture lens to enhance stability when holding the camera at eye level.   There is a new focus hold button on the lens barrel as well, allowing the focus to be easily locked on a subject while the shooter reframes the image.

The new model features a high-contrast XGA OLED Tru-Finder with approximately 2.35 million dots of resolution, ensuring true-to-life image preview and playback functionality.  The camera is also dust and moisture resistant and both Wi-Fi and NFC compatible."