Sony also brings the superzoom RX10 with a full sensor and a great price

Sony is bringing back the RX10 superzoom camera after a nine-year gap between the models. The newly released RX10 V features a 24-600mm equivalent f/2.4-4 Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 25x zoom lens. the last ones two in the past, but it has many additions elsewhere. The new 20.1-megapixel 1-inch sensor is its design, which allows up to 30fps continuous shooting without any blur (from the gen’s 24fps). It’s the perfect upgrade for a camera focused on action, sports, and wildlife photography, but it will come with a hefty price tag of $2,299.99 when the camera launches in early August.

The RX10 IV it started at $1,700 in 2017. And, to be fair to the RX10 V, the prices of the new model don’t go away completely if you adjust for inflation. But what you get with the RX10 V isn’t just an extra sensor – the body has been redesigned to look and feel like Sony’s flagship mirrorless cameras. It uses the same NP-FZ100 battery found in the latest A-Series models, offering over 50 percent more battery life.

The new RX10 V also takes many familiar features from its larger Alpha siblings, such as an OLED screen, 4K 60p video recording (4K 120p when cropped) with S-Log3 and S-Cinetone modes, and Sony’s advanced autofocus tracking system. Like the larger Sony Alphas, the RX10 V has 575 autofocus points and is capable of detecting subjects and human faces – to find and focus on faces and eyes in fast motion. It also has the Speed ​​Boost function that debuted in the pro camera A9 III, allowing you to shoot faster at shorter distances when you need it.

Since the RX10 IV came well before using a big camera like a webcam was a thing, the RX10 V now supports streaming up to 4K 30p via the USB-C connection (and recording at the same time) – which is great because its video output port is still a tiny Micro HDMI connector. While most of the new RX10 V is an upgrade over the last model, the new model sadly lost a few features: The lenses no longer have a built-in ND filter and there is no pop-up flash. Bomb.

I briefly tested the RX10 V for a few days, and despite being used, I was impressed. It feels like a Sony Alpha camera with a large telephoto zoom – albeit smaller and lighter than attaching a large lens to a mirrorless Alpha. I’m not much of a birder or nature photographer (the longest lens I have is 135mm), but the Sony’s excellent autofocus and 30fps black-and-white shooting made it easy to capture birds in the trees around my back or great photos of bees moving from flower to flower. There is so much that this lens and fast shutter sensor can do. Of course, if you’re like me and a fan of full-frame cameras, you’ll have to dial back your expectations a bit when it comes to sharpness and resolution – the 1-inch sensor is decent, but it doesn’t have the same pixel focus.

The RX10 V looks like it’s aimed at casual shooters who want a camera to travel without lugging around a bag full of lenses. In my years selling high-end cameras like that (even the original RX10), the crowd has always been parents filming their kids’ sporting events or looking to take a portable camera on vacation. But at $2,300, it may be more for a soon-to-be-retired grandma or grandpa than it is for a 30-something with kindergarten.

Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge