Sony RX10 III Conclusion: It’s pricey, but this long-zooming DSLR alternative is also incredibly versatile
posted Thursday, July 28, 2016 at 6:58 AM EDT
Last week, we published our detailed image quality comparison and print quality analysis for the Sony RX10 III. At the time, I promised that our final verdict on this large-sensor, long-zoom camera -- which aims to offer an alternative to a bulky DSLR or mirrorless camera and a bag full of lenses -- would be coming shortly. Well I've got good news, because it's here now!
Of course, if you've read my real-world field test of the Sony RX10 III, you'll know that I really enjoyed shooting with this camera, just as I did the shorter-zoomed (but no less impressive) Sony RX10 and RX10 II before it. And so while I wanted to discuss the strengths and occasional weaknesses of Sony's answer to the Canon G3X and Panasonic FZ1000, there was a bigger question in my mind as I wrote the conclusion to our review. I wanted to address the elephant in the room: The RX10 III's rather stiff pricetag.
After all, the RX10 III costs just a little more than the RX10-series cameras which preceded it, and they were already priced at a premium over their nearest large-sensor, long-zoom rivals. So what I wanted most of all to answer in my conclusion was this: Can the Sony RX10 III justify its cost? We already know that it's an excellent and incredibly versatile photographic tool, but could that versatility help convince me that it's worth paying close to double the cost of Canon or Panasonic's competing cameras -- enough to purchase a DSLR kit with lenses that are at least in the same ballpark when it comes to zoom reach, even?
That's what I've set out to answer in the final chapter of my in-depth Sony RX10 III review. To find out the answer to that question -- as well as for a recap of what I loved most about this camera, and where its few weaknesses are to be found -- you'll want to read the conclusion of my review now!
