Sony RX10 IV Field Test Part I: A real-world shoot with the super-swift long-zoom alternative to your DSLR
posted Thursday, November 30, 2017 at 9:30 PM EDT
Recently, Sony took its popular RX10-series of large-sensor bridge cameras into a fourth generation with the debut of the Sony RX10 IV. Based around much the same body and lens as the earlier RX10 III, the 20.1-megapixel RX10 IV likewise sports an impressive 25x optical zoom lens which starts at a 24mm-equivalent wide-angle and reaches all the way out to a powerful 600mm telephoto.
What's new is that the RX10 IV now uses an image sensor with a memory-stacked design and on-chip phase-detection autofocus pixels, allowing absolutely unprecedented performance for its class, especially in the autofocus department. But that performance comes with a hefty $1,700 pricetag attached, sufficient cash to buy a pretty capable DSLR or mirrorless camera with an even larger sensor and a couple of nice lenses, to boot.
As an owner of the earlier RX10 II (and a longtime fan of the series, having personally reviewed every model to date), I've been keen to shoot with the Sony RX10 IV ever since its launch in September. And a couple of weeks ago, I headed out and did just that, testing out Sony's flagship large-sensor, long-zoom camera in a succession of shoots around Knoxville and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and hoping to answer the two questions that have been on my lips ever since launch day: Can the RX10 IV justify its pricetag, and is it time I finally retired my interchangeable-lens camera in favor of a one-lens solution, instead?
To find out how the Sony RX10 IV acquitted itself, read the first part in my planned three-part series of field tests, putting this impressive camera through its paces in the real world. And be sure to watch this space for my second and third field tests, coming soon!