Advice required Sony RX10iv

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smoothyman1

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Hello to all. Just need some guidance. For the past few years I've used Canon DSLR's with L lenses, mostly shooting civil aviation at major airports. I took early retirement due to health issues. I'm getting to the stage where I'd like to lighten the load in the kit bag. What comes to mind is the Sony RX10IV.
I have Canon 6D ii and a back-up 7D. For travel, a Canon M5.
Am I losing the plot trading in the 6D ii and my 100-400mm L ii for the Sony? Would appreciate your thoughts. Best regards and Thanks.
 
There's a long thread here on the RX10 and similar cameras which might be of interest to read through to get some practical views on the camera:

www.talkphotography.co.uk

High-end bridge cameras: Sony RX10, Panasonic FZ1000 etc

Hi Dave. As usual 'it depends' is the answer - if 24mm is wide enough for you and you're not a pixel peeper I would expect you'll be happy with an RX10iv for general photography and landscapes etc. It's not going to match a full frame camera with dedicated wide angle lens but hopefully you'd...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk

I haven't used an RX10IV (although have used the mkii, the RX100 mk1 and 4 and the DJI Mavic 2 with the 1in sensor) but I certainly don't think you're losing the plot thinking of the RX10iv. You're obviously losing high iso performance and some dynamic range which may be of concern when shooting at 600mm and needing a reasonable shutter speed however that's irrelevant if you're finding your current equipment too bulky which I can certainly appreciate and I'm sure many others will too.

It may be worth posting in the thread above to make sure the RX10 owners here see your question.
 
JohnMcL7 said:
There's a long thread here on the RX10 and similar cameras which might be of interest to read through to get some practical views on the camera:

www.talkphotography.co.uk

High-end bridge cameras: Sony RX10, Panasonic FZ1000 etc

Hi Dave. As usual 'it depends' is the answer - if 24mm is wide enough for you and you're not a pixel peeper I would expect you'll be happy with an RX10iv for general photography and landscapes etc. It's not going to match a full frame camera with dedicated wide angle lens but hopefully you'd...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk

I haven't used an RX10IV (although have used the mkii, the RX100 mk1 and 4 and the DJI Mavic 2 with the 1in sensor) but I certainly don't think you're losing the plot thinking of the RX10iv. You're obviously losing high iso performance and some dynamic range which may be of concern when shooting at 600mm and needing a reasonable shutter speed however that's irrelevant if you're finding your current equipment too bulky which I can certainly appreciate and I'm sure many others will too.

It may be worth posting in the thread above to make sure the RX10 owners here see your question.
Click to expand...
JohnMcL7 said:
There's a long thread here on the RX10 and similar cameras which might be of interest to read through to get some practical views on the camera:

www.talkphotography.co.uk

High-end bridge cameras: Sony RX10, Panasonic FZ1000 etc

Hi Dave. As usual 'it depends' is the answer - if 24mm is wide enough for you and you're not a pixel peeper I would expect you'll be happy with an RX10iv for general photography and landscapes etc. It's not going to match a full frame camera with dedicated wide angle lens but hopefully you'd...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk

I haven't used an RX10IV (although have used the mkii, the RX100 mk1 and 4 and the DJI Mavic 2 with the 1in sensor) but I certainly don't think you're losing the plot thinking of the RX10iv. You're obviously losing high iso performance and some dynamic range which may be of concern when shooting at 600mm and needing a reasonable shutter speed however that's irrelevant if you're finding your current equipment too bulky which I can certainly appreciate and I'm sure many others will too.

It may be worth posting in the thread above to make sure the RX10 owners here see your question.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply. Much appreciated.
 
I've owned all four versions of the RX10 so I think I'm qualified to comment. The RX10 IV produces great results and has extremely fast AF. The two main things that pushed my switch to M43 was battery life and DR. Shooting RAW alleviates the second problem and the sensor does hold shadows very well. Later NP-FW50 batteries don't self discharge as instantly as the older ones but it's still badly outdated . There are only a couple of older A6000-series cameras that also still use it. The camera is really badly overdue for a revamp but this seems unlikely to happen and it will probably disappear from the market next year.
 
7dii/100-400ii/1.4xEFii to an RX10iv here. AF is so good it feels like cheating for BIF (7d was great too but the extender limited the AF to centre).

ISO noise comparable to an older APSC, images won’t hold up to ridiculous cropping but the inbuilt teleconverter mode is very good. I can hold it one handed and take it with me on a whim.
 
I have the Rx100v which is much the same and it's still a very capable camera I bought used about 7 years ago I think.
If I only had one camera it might be this one I love how pocketable it is.
The only real snag is limited battery life, you might want two spare batteries and separate charger really.
Also something else I notice if I have been using newer cameras for a while is how long it takes to power on and shut down.
Ok its only maybe 5 seconds but this can become annoying when you are used to almost instant on.
 
I replaced my A9 and 200-600 lens with the RX10IV.
It's a very capable camera and I rarely miss my A9
 
I would also take a look at a Sony A6700 18-135mm kit and add the rather good Sony E 70-350mm lens for the long stuff.
The RX10 is not really that light or compact and has terrible battery life and a 1 inch sensor vs the A6700 with a 26megapixel apsc sensor and outstanding AF.
 
Snapsh0t said:
I've owned all four versions of the RX10 so I think I'm qualified to comment. The RX10 IV produces great results and has extremely fast AF. The two main things that pushed my switch to M43 was battery life and DR. Shooting RAW alleviates the second problem and the sensor does hold shadows very well. Later NP-FW50 batteries don't self discharge as instantly as the older ones but it's still badly outdated . There are only a couple of older A6000-series cameras that also still use it. The camera is really badly overdue for a revamp but this seems unlikely to happen and it will probably disappear from the market next year.
Click to expand...


@Snapsh0t

In your opinion (and experience!), are the bells and whistles of the iv worth the extra over the iii's cost?
 
Hi Nod - I can chip in on that one as I had an RX10iii for a few years then upgraded to a RX10iv, the answer (as usual!) is 'it depends' - they are very largely the same and if you're a fairly casual shooter I'd say probably not but if you want the tracking autofocus for birds (or planes?) in flight then I'd say yes.

When I first upgraded I really couldn't tell much difference as I virtually always used basic centre focus but I do now use the other modes for tracking and they are really very good.

If your budget can stretch to a iv I'd go for it but I doubt you'd be disappointed with a iii (unless you use the tracking autofocus as above).

Cheers :)
 
As Mike says, if you're likely to use tracking AF then the IV is worth the extra. I used it to great effect with a continuous burst for the start of a motocross race as the bikes came towards me and then swung right - there are very few oof. @G.K.Jnr. has proved that it's good enough to track F1 cars.
I also found the III wouldn't always focus on closer subjects at maximum fl.
 
Thanks to you both for the answers.

TBH, I'm unlikely to use tracking AF and would be happy to use my other kit for close up stuff so I'll probably go for the 2nd hand iii I've seen locally (IF it's still there!!!) - it's 1/2 the price of a iv.
 
Well, it was still in stock - it isn't now! Got a spare (Hahnel) battery for it while I was there - saves waiting for one from the web. Both batteries charging, short version of manual perused. Here's hoping it'll do as a holiday option!
 
Can't remember the last time I took more than 200 shots in a day so the 2 batteries I have should be enough. I have a USB powered charger for them too so can charge them using a power brick.
 
Nod said:
Can't remember the last time I took more than 200 shots in a day so the 2 batteries I have should be enough. I have a USB powered charger for them too so can charge them using a power brick.
Click to expand...
Look forward to seeing some of your efforts in the High-end bridge cameras: Sony RX10, Panasonic FZ1000 etc forum hopefully Nod (y)

​

 
Nod said:
Can't remember the last time I took more than 200 shots in a day so the 2 batteries I have should be enough. I have a USB powered charger for them too so can charge them using a power brick.
Click to expand...
I only have 2 batteries. I took over 400 shots the other weekend on the original Sony battery.
 
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ajophotog said:
Look forward to seeing some of your efforts in the High-end bridge cameras: Sony RX10, Panasonic FZ1000 etc forum hopefully Nod (y)

​

Click to expand...


It's possible, if a little unlikely! I tend to share shots on paper, ideally A4 or larger rather than on screen.

Bob, thanks for the reassurance. If I discover I need more, they're easy to find online and won't break the bank.
 
Nod said:
It's possible, if a little unlikely! I tend to share shots on paper, ideally A4 or larger rather than on screen.

Bob, thanks for the reassurance. If I discover I need more, they're easy to find online and won't break the bank.
Click to expand...
hopefully not then :D
 
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