Sony RX1R II Performance

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Sony RX1R II Performance

Timing and Performance

Generally faster than the RX1, but buffer clearing is still slow.

Startup/Play to Record/Buffer Clearing
Power on to first shot	~1.5 seconds	Time it takes to turn on and capture a shot.
Play to Record, first shot	~1.0 second	Time until first shot is captured.

Powerup to first shot was slightly improved over the ~1.7 seconds we measured for the RX1. Switching from Play to Record mode and taking a shot was also slightly improved over the RX1's one second result.

Shutter Response (Lag Time)
Full Autofocus, Single-area AF mode	0.261 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, with the lens already at the proper focal distance setting.
Manual Focus	0.059 second	For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused".
Prefocused	0.016 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.

Looking at the Sony RX1R II's ability to determine that it's properly focused when shooting the same, static target multiple times without defocusing between shots (our standard test), its autofocus speeds were good for a "compact camera". The Sony RX1R II's full-autofocus shutter lag (with the subject at a fixed distance) was 0.261 second in Single-area (center) AF mode. This is a slight improvement over the 0.271 second result we measured for the RX1.

When manually focused, the Sony RX1R II's lag time dropped to 0.059 second, which is very good, but slightly slower than the 0.038 second we measured for the RX1.

The Sony RX1R II's prefocused shutter lag was only 0.016 second which is excellent, and identical to the shutter lag we measured for the RX1.

To minimize the effect of different lens' focusing speed, we test AF-active shutter lag with the lens already set to the correct focal distance.

Cycle Time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large/Extra Fine JPEG	0.64 second	Time per shot, averaged over a few frames (we no longer test for buffer depths in single-shot mode).
Single Shot mode Uncompressed RAW + L/F JPEG	0.62 second	Time per shot, averaged over a few frames (we no longer test for buffer depths in single-shot mode).
Early shutter penalty?	No	Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.
Speed Priority mode Large/Extra Fine JPEG	0.20 second (5.00 fps); 24 frames total; 33 seconds to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length of 24 frames, then slows to an average of 1.48s or 0.67 fps when buffer is full.
Speed Priority mode Compressed RAW	0.20 second (5.00 fps); 23 frames total; 24 seconds to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length of 23 frames, then slows to an average of 1.24s or 0.81 fps when buffer is full.
Speed Priority mode Compressed RAW + L/F JPEG	0.20 second (5.00 fps); 22 frames total; 36 seconds to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length of 22 frames, then slows to an average of 1.76s or 0.57 fps when buffer is full.
Continuous mode Large/Extra Fine JPEG	0.33 second (3.00 fps); 28 frames total; 32 seconds to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length of 28 frames, then slows to an average of 1.47s or 0.68 fps when buffer is full.
Continuous mode Uncompressed RAW	0.33 second (3.00 fps); 10 frames total; 22 seconds to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length of 10 frames, then slows to an average of 2.23s or 0.45 fps when buffer is full.
Continuous mode Uncompressed RAW + L/F JPEG	0.33 second (3.02 fps); 10 frames total; 27 seconds to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length of 10 frames, then slows to an average of 2.71s or 0.37 fps when buffer is full.
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/sec UHS-I SDHC card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. ISO sensitivity and noise reduction settings can also affect cycle times and burst mode performance.

Single-shot cycle time was about 0.6 second when shooting Large/Extra Fine JPEGs or uncompressed RAW+ Large/Fine JPEG files, which is pretty fast and improved over the RX1.

The Sony RX1R II's Speed Priority burst mode is rated at 5 fps, and our lab results agree. And because the RX1R II features phase-detect AF pixels built into the imager, it supports continuous autofocus at 5 fps. There's also a standard Continuous mode rated at 3 fps, which our lab results also confirmed.

Buffer depths were quite good in Speed Priority mode and when shooting compressed RAW files considering the camera's class and resolution. We managed 24 frames for Large/Extra Fine JPEGs, 23 frames for compressed RAW and 22 frames for compressed RAW+Large/Fine JPEGs (like many Sonys, the RX1R Mark II does not support RAW + Extra Fine JPEGs), which is much improved over the RX1's 12-15 frame buffer despite the larger files.

In standard Continuous mode we tested with uncompressed RAW files, which dropped the buffer depth to 10 frames for RAW and RAW+L/F JPEG, though best quality JPEGs increased slightly to 28 frames because of the slower burst speed. Note that our target for this test was designed to be difficult to compress, so maximum JPEG burst lengths should be even longer with typical subjects.

Buffer clearing times were slow even with our fast UHS-I card, ranging from 22 to 36 seconds after max length bursts, depending on the file type. The RX1R II does allow you adjust settings and take additional shots while writing to the memory card, though.

Bottom line, the Sony RX1R II's overall performance is good and generally improved over the RX1. However buffer clearing times are still quite long, though keep in mind the larger file sizes.

Battery Life

Below average battery life for a compact camera.

Operating Mode	Battery Life
Still Capture, (CIPA standard, LCD Monitor)	220 shots
Still Capture, (CIPA standard, EVF)	200 shots

The Sony RX1R II uses a custom NP-BX1 rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack for power, and ships with a dedicated battery charger and USB power adapter for both external and in-camera charging. The battery is CIPA-rated for 220 shots on a charge when using the LCD monitor and 200 shots when using the electronic viewfinder, and keep in mind there's no built-in flash, so battery life is below average for a "compact camera". We definitely recommend getting a second battery for your RX1R II if you plan any extended outings or shoot a lot of video.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on a fully-charged rechargeable battery), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))