Sony has announced a new camera in the RX series: meet the RX1R II, a compact digital camera aimed at professionals and hobbyists alike. Camera enthusiasts and avid photographers will be happy to know that the RX1R II is packed with a 42.4 megapixel full-frame sensor and a tonne of features, allowing for stunning pictures on the go.
It’s amazing that Sony has managed to squeeze a 42.4 megapixel sensor into such a small chassis. That said, cameras aren’t all about megapixel count. The RX1R II features a back-illuminated full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor with an ISO range that can go from 50 to as high as 102400. In turn, this offers a wider dynamic range, lower noise, and an expanded circuit scale with copper wiring for faster data transmission.
Not only that, Sony has included the Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm F2 lens which greatly maximises the camera’s high sensor resolution potential. Having such a huge sensor, the RX1R II features the Bionz X image processing engine, which is capable of supporting 14-bit uncompressed RAW format.
Being a compact camera, the RX1R II sports 399 focal plan phase-detection AF points. Essentially, the camera’s Fast Hybrid AF system allows users to quickly capture an image with a wide-area auto focus coverage and tracking. In addition to that, the camera’s new AF-C focus mode, up to 5fps continuous shooting, and AF tracking, let users take clearer and more accurate burst shots.
Sony’s RX1R II brings with it the world’s first optical variable low-pass filter (LPF). There are three settings to choose from – having the LPF effect ‘off’ will allow the camera to prioritise the image resolution, while having it on ‘Hi’ will reduce moire as well as colour artifacts, and setting it to ‘Standard’ will balance those shooting intentions.
As for video, the RX1R II supports full HD video recording at frame rates of 60fps, 30fps, or 24fps using the XAVC S movie recording format. Connectivity wise, the camera sports a Wi-Fi and NFC chip that is compatible with Sony’s new PlayMemories Mobile app for Android and iOS. Not only that, the company will also launch a new version of the “Smart Remote Control” app which enables remote shooting from your smartphone.
In terms of design, the body of the Sony RX1R II might be small, but to compensate, it features ergonomic controls to better handle the camera. Besides that, it also packs a retractable XGA OLED Tru-Finder 4, and an LCD screen that can tilt up to approximately 109 degrees and down to roughly 41 degrees for better shooting flexibility.
According to Sony, the RX1R II will be available for pre-order from the 25th of January to the 21st of February 2016 in Malaysia. After the pre-order period, the camera will be available for purchase on its official product webpage starting from the 25th of February. As for price, customers will need to fork out RM14,999 for the RX1R II camera. If it helps, that price is already inclusive of 6% GST.
Simply too expensive. Sony has got to price down their products. Sigh!