Sony RX100 VI Compact Camera Review

New from Sony! The RX100 VI, The Ultimate Compact Camera?

Sony has released a new, super compact camera powerhouse! The latest generation of their very successful RX100 line, the VI.

The RX100 VI takes a leap forward in versatility with all new (35mm equiv) 24-200mm f/2.8-4.5 Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens, the longest seen so far in the RX100 family. Remarkably, despite this new, much longer lens Sony have managed to retain the same physical dimensions as the RX100 V!

The pop up viewfinder remains, along with the variable angle LCD that is now touch screen. The rest of the button layout is very familiar too.

As ever, the RX100 VI is a decidedly high-end model, aimed at serious enthusiasts as well as professionals looking for a small compact to add to their system. Featuring very impressive specs including 4K video, 1000fps slow motion video, continuous eye-AF and a native ISO range reaching 12,800.

The sensor from the RX100 V is carried over to the VI, which means a 20.1 megapixel 1” Exmor RS stacked sensor paired to the BIONZ X processor with front side LSI. This translates to high quality, crisp images and a camera that can keep up with the action.

The auto focus system is as strong as ever with 315 phase detect auto focus points covering 65% of the image sensor. AF speed is now down to a frankly nuts 0.03 sec and Eye-AF is included which is a much-loved feature on the A7III and A9.

Video wise, as previously mentioned this is a 4K shooter, producing footage at 30p (no 60p unfortunately) using the XAVC S codec. The camera also supports HDR movie recording and professional gamma curves S-Log 2 and S-Log 3 for serious postproduction colour work. Zebras, Timecode, Marker Functions and Proxy recording also feature making this an awesome B-roll camera.

The standard set of connectivity is present; WiFi and NFC along with the more recently adopted Bluetooth. Shooting tethered to a PC is also now a possibility with Sony’s Imaging Edge desktop software.