Sony RX200 specs leaked

According to numerous rumors, Sony will replace RX100 with a new model, and the announcement is expected later this month. Now the specs for a new model (RX200 or RX100M2) were leaked. The new model has some interesting and useful improvements, such as tilting screen. However, the lens keeps its specs. Well, X100 is an extremely popular model, so why mess with the successful design? Ain't broken... Early rumors suggested a significant upgrade in lens specs and quality, and unfortunately this is not materialized. No doubt, the new model will be very popular because of its huge 1" sensor and extremely compact size.

Sony RX200 later this month!

According to Mirrorless Rumors, Sony RX200 will be announced in June, and it supposed to have a swivel  rear screen. No word on lens spec, viewfinder, or sensor. It probably will follow tested and proven RX100 body style, but with non-fixed screen. Amazingly, Sony RX100 is still priced at ~$700 in Australia.

Also, another full frame camera a'la RX1 is expected within several months. It is unclear if the new model will be available alongside with Sony RX1, or RX1 is going to be discontinued. Sony may emulate / replicate Sigma approach and manufacture several models with different focal length, 28mm or ~50mm, in addition to 35mm (RX1). I would bet on 28mm :)

From RX100 to RX200

In these days many digital cameras have a very short "shop life". The model turnover is fairly fast, especially for compact cameras. On top of it, compact cameras are squeezed out by mobile phones or smartphones at low end and by affordable  mirrorless cameras and entry-level DSLRs. There are some exceptions, such as Fujifilm X100, a niche camera that kept the same price for about two years. But this post is not about Fuji, but Sony.

Sony RX100 is a very interesting camera. It is very compact but it is build around 1" sensor, The 1" sensor is twice bigger than the sensors used in Fuji X10 or X20. Nikon 1 cameras are also build around 1" sensors. Most other compact cameras have smaller sensors.

Does the sensor size matter? The answer is Yes and No. Yes, because big sensors have more pixels with the same technology (aka pitch size), so the resolution can be higher. No, because the sensor technology is evolving very fast, so sensors can have higher pixel density with litre or no sacrifice in quality.  Subject separation, aka depth of field depends on sensor size, too. That is why in compact cameras everything is in focus while full frame DSLRs such as Nikon D800 with proper lens creates a nicely blurred background. The narrow depth of field is a big problem in "nature macro" photography because objects (flowers, bugs etc) are big, and generally some parts are out of focus. This is why advanced compact cameras are very popular for the macro photography. On other hand, image quality on cameras with a small sensor is not as good as on a DSLR, especially in low contrast areas.

Enter Sony RX100. The sensor is at least twice bigger than in most other compact cameras. The camera is smaller and lighter than any Nikon 1 camera with zoom lens. There is no other compact camera with such specification at the moment. The result? Sony RX100 announced in June 2012 is still priced at ~$650 in the US and ~$700 here in Australia. At the time of writing it is the most expensive model among 20 most popular compact cameras on Amazon. Well done, Sony! It is an innovative product, and people do pay for this type of things.

The RX100 was build as compact as possible. The sacrifices: the lens is a bit slow at the tele end, the distortion is very pronounced but it is corrected automatically. It has no viewfinder. In some sense the design of RX100 is opposite to Fuji X10 or X20. Fuji models have very good lens, amazing camera controls aimed on enthusiast photographers, and a viewfinder, but the cameras are relatively big. It is good to have choice. I've got the X10. 

Now with all these rumors about a premium Sony camera build around 1" sensor (link to my post on RX200), I am on the fence again. I do not upgrade my cameras very often. I do like X20 slightly more than X10 (based on specs) but for me the difference is not big enough to justify $600+. However, high end 1" compact camera is one of the thing I am dreaming of.  

Sony RX200

Damn Sony: I've thought I've settled with my cameras for a long time. My plan was to get  two zoom lens for Fuji X system in next year or two. Now I learned about the latest Sony rumors: RX100 is going to be upgraded in nearby future. Just a quote from Photorumors:

"The RX200 will have an improved 28-140mm f/1.4-2.2 lens (compared to the current 29-105mm f/1.8-4.9) and an unique built-in pop-up viewfinder (similar to the pop-up flash)".

These are two big steps in right direction: better lens and EVF. The only thing I am not sure is a user interface. There is no info for this yet. It might be an ultimate solution for supermacro shots I am hoping for.

Sony is very innovative with the digital cameras. The company made DSLRs with semi-transparent mirror (the idea is not new but currently Sony is the only company with such cameras. Their NEX line is hugely popular. Sony made RX100 compact with 1" sensor. It is the only compact camera with such sensor. It also released RX1 with the full-frame sensor.

Sony sensors are widely used by Nikon and Olympus.