Sony Rx10 III

September 2016

MacFormat UK

Virtually in a league of its own.

Coming almost a year after the RX10 II, the big difference in the RX100 III is the inclusion of a variable aperture (f/2.4–4) mega zoom lens, with a reach of 600mm (25x optical and 100x digital zoom). With this comes a big increase in size and weight. The RX10 III has the same 20.1-million-pixel, 1-inch stacked Exmor CMOS sensor, and the same excellent 4K video functionality as the RX10 II. The main talking point is the large and impressive Zeiss 24–600mm lens; of its rivals, only Canon’s G3 X has the same reach.

The variable aperture of f/2.4–4 still makes this a fast lens, certainly compared to the competition, and it boasts hugely impressive minimum focussing distances of 3cm at the wide end and 72cm at the long end.

A large range of shooting options and photo modes are included, with 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 and 1:1 formats for both raw and JPEG images. The max resolution is 5472x3648 in the native 3:2 format, and sensitivity ranges from ISO 100–12,800, expandable to ISO 64–25,600.

Single-shot autofocus, continuous, direct manual focus and full manual focus are available, with Sony’s focus magnification and focus peaking options making the latter easy to use. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) and tilting rear LCD are both high quality.

There’s no getting around the bulk of the camera, which weighs a little over a kilo. The build is reassuringly solid, and its generous protruding-front grip and rounded body style mean you’re able to hold the camera securely.

Through the looking glass