Ready 10 years to be underwhelmed

The RX1R III is an unbelievable digicam, able to capturing gorgeous photographs. Nonetheless, for one thing Sony waited practically a decade to replace and is charging $5,100 for, it additionally appears like a missed alternative. First, the RX1R III is almost $2,000 dearer than its predecessor. Plus, it’s lacking a handful of options the corporate actually ought to have included for it to carry its personal towards different high-end compact cameras, together with Fujifilm’s X100VI and GFX100RF, in addition to the Leica Q3 household. I really like the RX1R III, however I want it was simpler to advocate.

Picture high quality and autofocus

New to the RX1R III is a 61-megapixel full-frame sensor Sony first launched alongside the A7R IV again in 2019. It could be an outdated part, however having a lot decision in a digicam I might carry in every single place felt like dishonest.

What hasn’t modified is the glass on the RX1R III. The digicam nonetheless has the identical fastened 35mm f/2.0 Zeiss lens that debuted on the unique RX1R in 2012. With previous fashions, autofocus was typically a difficulty, nevertheless it seems the Zeiss lens wasn’t responsible. It was the focusing algorithms on the older cameras.

Just like the A7R V, the RX1R III comes with Sony’s flagship Bionz XR picture processor and a devoted chip for AI-assisted topic detection. At first, I used to be skeptical of the RX1R III’s autofocus capabilities for the reason that digicam does not include a joystick to make it straightforward to set a spotlight level manually. Because it seems, it does not want one. The autofocus on the RX1R III feels magical, because of its topic monitoring. The seven totally different recognition modes supplied by the RX1R III cowl many of the issues I prefer to shoot — together with individuals, pets and birds — and getting the digicam to lock onto a topic was easy. All I needed to do was press and maintain the brand new “AF-ON” button. The digicam will be configured to prioritize particular topics, however I discovered that wasn’t essential to do; I might delegate focusing fully to the digicam.

All of that brings me again to the RX1R III’s Zeiss glass. I do know some individuals shall be disenchanted Sony did not add a brand new lens, however I am a fan of the choice. For me, the character of that lens has all the time been a part of the enchantment of the collection, and it is my favourite facet of the brand new mannequin.

With Sony’s 61MP sensor behind it, the Zeiss optics can seize photographs with a large amount of element with out ever feeling scientific or overly sharp like with lots of the firm’s G Grasp lenses. The easiest way I can describe the rendering is that it is Leica-like with stunning, creamy bokeh. With the appropriate gentle, the RX1R III can produce photographs that look nearly painterly, and reviewing the photographs I snapped with it, they’re amongst a few of the greatest I’ve captured within the 10 years I have been capturing.

On the similar time, I believe Sony deserves credit score for vastly enhancing the colour science of its JPEGs. The corporate has lengthy supplied wonderful RAW assist, however the older I get, the extra I admire a digicam that may produce nice photographs with minimal enhancing. With the RX1R III, Sony has delivered that. The digicam presents a complete of 12 JPEG profiles with six customized slots. Two of the default profiles, Movie 2 and Movie 3, are borrowed from the FX3, and provide calming, muted tones which are a pleasant distinction to the extra vivid colours Sony is usually identified for.

As for video, there’s not a lot to say. The RX1R III can seize 4K footage at 60 frames per second and 1080p clips at 120 fps. That stated, as I will get to in a second, Sony’s new mannequin is lacking some options that may have made it a reliable video digicam. As issues stand, I believe it is solely fitted to capturing dwelling movies you do not plan to share with the world.

Design and dealing with

The primary time I seemed by way of the RX1R III’s viewfinder, I believed Sony had despatched me a faulty unit. The redesigned EVF is now constructed into the highest left of the digicam, however the firm appears to have pulled the display from the elements bin, because it solely presents 2.36 million dots of decision. For context, the A7R V has a 9.44-million-dot OLED EVF, whereas the older A7R IV has a 5.76-million-dot display. It is jarring going from the brand new rear-panel LCD and viewfinder. It additionally feels low-cost. A $5,100 digicam ought to embody a top-of-the-line EVF.

The viewfinder is just not the one a part of the RX1R III that left me confused about what Sony was pondering. There’s the rear display I simply talked about, which is each higher and worse than the one earlier than. On the one hand, it presents practically double the decision, because of its 2.36-million-dot panel. Alternatively, it is not articulating, which appears like a serious step again because it makes capturing candid photographs from the hip lots tougher. And neglect about vlogging or taking selfies.

Individually, Sony hasn’t weather-sealed the III. Once more, that is a function I might prefer to see on such an costly digicam. Fortunately, battery life is improved, with the RX1R III supporting Sony’s bigger NP-FW50 batteries. I might comfortably get a day of capturing out of the most recent mannequin if I used to be good about powering off the digicam after I wasn’t utilizing it.

I might overlook all of the complaints I discussed if Sony had simply added in-body picture stabilization (IBIS). Once I reviewed the Fujifilm X100VI last year, that function alone felt transformational. Extra than simply enhancing picture high quality, it made the X100VI right into a digicam that would shoot in practically any gentle. I perceive Sony doubtless needed to maintain the III small and light-weight, however once more, $5,100 is lots to pay to not have a function that many high-end cameras provide.

Wrap-up

I’ve talked about a number of of the RX1R III’s rivals in passing, however now I believe it is smart to think about the place Sony’s new digicam matches available in the market. Most individuals looking for a premium compact digicam will in all probability begin their search with the X100VI. If you will discover one in inventory, it is considerably cheaper than the RX1R III, coming in at $1,800. Certain, you are forgoing a full-frame sensor for a smaller APS-C sensor. However for most individuals, I believe that is a good tradeoff, particularly when the X100VI additionally presents IBIS, an articulating display, an optical viewfinder and Fujifilm’s wonderful shade simulations.

If you need the most important attainable sensor, I might argue Fujifilm’s GFX100RF, which has a medium-format 100MP sensor, makes extra sense — even with all of its faults and a price increase coming on the finish of the month. There are additionally the Leica Q3 and Q3 43 to think about. At $6,735 and $7,380 respectively, each are dearer than the RX1R III, however include nicer shows, IBIS and Leica glass.

Like I stated at first, I want the RX1R III was simpler to advocate, nevertheless it occupies an odd area the place it isn’t essentially higher or totally different sufficient from its rivals. Inflation and Trump’s tariffs doubtless tied Sony’s fingers to a level, however the firm might have nonetheless made the brand new mannequin extra compelling by avoiding a few of its questionable design choices.