Sony press event: RX10 IV, imaging pro support arrive

Live from Sony's headquarters in New York City, IR publisher and founder Dave Etchells and Reviews Editor Jeremy Gray are taking a first-hand look at Sony's latest and greatest RX10-series camera, the Sony RX10 IV.

Sony has also live-streamed the press conference, so if you want to see it for yourself, we've embedded the video below:

10:00AM ET: And we're live! The press conference is now underway... Neal Manowitz is on stage, greeting everyone on the live stream and especially its "friends in Europe". Introducing "yet another world's first".

10:02AM ET: Full frame camera market is up 7% year over year, but Sony is up 48%. Not just about earning trust but about how Sony earns trust through its support, must maintain trust through service.

10:03AM ET: Happy to report have made a lot of advancement. Millions of $ since the announcement of A9. 2.6 days for in-warranty repair time for members. 16% increase in satisfaction, 40% increase in membership.

10:03AM ET: 24/7 call center. LA, NYC walk-in, launched Pro support in Canada. Tech field reps deployed across US and Canada, on-site support at major sporting events, may have seen at US Open.

10:05EM ET: Recognize still a challenger. Pushing boundaries to find new/better ways to serve customers better. Innovating faster than any other company in the industry. How?

• Simplest answer is image sensor. The #1 leader in image sensor. Capture what has never been captured before.

• As leading image sensor mfr, can see the future of imaging.

10:06AM ET: Mentioned Sony RX0 as example of innovation. (Video about RX0 concept)

10:07AM ET: Introducing Tom Hamaguchi (Tsutomu) to the stage. He's the Senior GM DSC and CAM business, DI group, Sony Imaging Products and Solutions Inc.

10:08AM ET: He's here to talk about the RX0 and then introduce another revolutionary product. He's responsible for global digital still camera and camcorder business for Sony. Happy to be back in NYC, after Sony introduced RX100 V here.

10:09AM ET: Introducting RX0. It’s *TINY*! RX series has been highly appreciated, thanks to great picture quality in still, video and even super-slow motion, generated with large image sensor, even with compact body.

10:09AM ET: All those features compressed into ultra-compact body, without compromise - this is the RX0. 1”-type stacked CMOS sensor, Zeiss lens, (24;mm f/4.0), and BIONZ X sensor. It really is *crazy* small!!

10:10AM ET: 4x larger sensor than conventional DSC, action cameras, smart phones. (GoPro’s gotta be hating this!)

10:11AM ET: RX0 features:

• Anti-distortion shutter as fast ast 1/32000 second

• 16fps shooting

• 960/1000 fps

• 4K HDMI clean output (clean is significant for filmmakers, bet it’ll see a lot of use)

10:11AM ET: All of the high quality of the RX100 series is built in. Not only the quality but user interface as well. Not only compact, but also waterproof, shockproof, crushproof. RX0 is very tiny, but *MIGHTY* (laughter). 10m waterproof, drop proof to two meters (he dropped it on the floor, but it was on a carpet). Crushproof, he leaned on it, peope laughed, he's not nearly 200kg ;-)

10:13AM ET: Weighs only 110 grams, 3.9 ounces. Bring the RX0 in any condition, anywhere you like. Particularly places where you’d hesitate to bring the RX100 with its zoom lens. Water, mud, sand, anywhere.

10:13AM ET: So far only explained about RX0 standalone. Also has great potential when multiple RX0s are linked together. (movie to show this)

10:14AM ET: Still shots showed RX0s mounted around a ring, movie showed stuffing them in a ball that a model then threw. They did quasi-bullet time shots, but the changes in perspective were kinda choppy vs. a smooth pan.

10:15AM ET: It doesn’t seem set up to have 50-100 cameras lined up, which is consistent with specs they put out. - We wonder how long it’ll be before someone hacks the sync protocol, so you can use 100 cameras in a lashup.

10:16AM ET: Emphasizes how compact it was, so you could even embed it in a ball. Surely you’re wondering what you could do if you had an RX0 in your hand.

10:16AM ET: Mentioned various accessories for diverse use. No other camera dares to go where the RX0 does, no other camera dares to shoot. RX0 offers shooting beyond your imagination. Took a sip of water, and dunked the RX0 in the glass (and it was a small glass).

10:17AM ET: As Neal mentioned, Sony has been expanding RX products as the leader in premium compact camera market.

10:18AM ET: Taking a look at RX10, it’s been widely accepted. 24-600mm zoom is equivalent to three large interchangeable lenses. Just 1.2 kg, 2.5 lbs, all in one, easy to carry - that’s the value of RX10 III.

10:19AM ET: Of course, for both photo and video, the RX quality is uncompromised. Who is buying RX10 III? 70% of purchasers own ILC, and half (or 1/3 of the whole) is full-frame owners.

10:20AM ET: Many professionals are using the RX10III as their sub-camera or even their main camera. It’s being appreciated by photographers and videographers who have very high demands.

10:20AM ET: Compared to RX10 II, RX10 III expanded shooting opportunity for moving subjects. Wild birds, wild animals, sports. Those subjects require high-speed performance to capture the decisive moment.

10:20AM ET: Sony accepted the challenge to match customer requirements. The answer from us is further evolved high-speed performance. (So it’s a RX10 IV?)

10:21AM ET: (video plays) Definitely 600mm. Lighting-fast AF and long zoom. (Sounds like A9 tech in an RX10 body). 0.03 sec A, 315 point PDAF.

10:22AM ET: Yup, it’s the Sony RX10 IV! f/2.4-4, 8.8-220mm. 24fps with AF/AE continuous shooting.

10:23AM ET: First model of RX10 series to use three-layer stacked CMOS sensor. 315 PDAF points cover 65% of frame. Claim that 0.03 sec AF is worlds fastest.  So today, introducing smallest and biggest models of the RX series, the RX0 and RX10 IV.

10:24AM ET: Mark Weir talking now, Senior Technology Manager. Some more about RX10 IV. Background technology and how it can open new opportunities for photographers and videographers.

10:25AM ET: Essence of RX series has always been the pairing of large sensors and high-quality fixed lenses. Perfect example is the RX10 III. High speed, telephoto reach in a palm-sized camera.

10:26AM ET: RX10 IV: World’s fastest AF lock speed, at just 0.03 second (definitely looking forward to testing this in the lab!). 24fps.  Focus range limiter, AF-On/Touch Focus, High speed AF track.

10:27AM ET: Advanced BIONZ X. Slide text: “Proxy shooting” (?) Reiterating some of that Hamaguchi said about pros, FF ILC owners, etc...

10:28AM ET: Showed some hand-held 600mm shots at wide aperture. Very fast-moving subjects (birds, race car) at perfect focus. Surfer, super-sharp, undistracted by surrounding surf and spray. (Of course, doesn’t speak to what the keeper rate is…)

10:28AM ET: Made possible by readout speed of stacked sensor and new high-speed BIONZ X with front-end LSI.

10:29AM ET: Fast hybrid AF system is first in a compact camera like the RX10. 315 points covering 65% of frame works with Sony’s high-density tracking AF technology. This is the first appearance in a Cyber-Shot.

10:30AM ET: 24fps for 249 frames (!)

10:30AM ET: OLED VF for easier continuous subject-tracking. (Gotta think this is also zero-blackout EVF like the A9). 24fps lets you shoot 10-second bursts and rop into 24fps videos. Can even do that with RAW. 4.5 stop Optical IS.

10:31AM ET: Stated that AF speed is 2x that of RX10 III. 4K movies through full pixel readout (So high quality, very high detail).Super slow-mo, 240/480/960fps for up to 7 seconds for up to 40x slow motion, (Gotta think that the 7 second spec is at 240fps). Said up to 4 or 7 seconds, depending on setting, so sounds like 960fps can capture 4 seconds.

10:32AM ET: Coming October 2017, priced at $1699.99. Welcoming Neal Manowitz back to the stage.

10:33AM ET: Closing remarks: Thanks to everyone. This is the end of the live stream, have a great day... (For people here, join next door, where can go hands-on with this great tech.)

And that's it for today's coverage of the Sony press conference from New York. Watch this space for our Sony RX10 Mark IV preview, coming very shortly! Got any questions about Sony's latest and greatest RX10-series super zoom? Sound off in the comments below, and we'll do our best to get them answered for you!