Sony Takes the Point & Shoot DSC-RX1R II to a New Level with 42MP Sensor from A7r II

The original RX1 R was a pretty amazing camera and now Sony decided to take it to the next level by adding the sensor form the a7r II. The pocket sized camera has a Full-frame 42.4-megapixel Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS sensor and BIONZ X processor with a fixed Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f/2 lens. Perfect for street photography and candid pictures. Reminds me of the Fuji X100. That is also a fun little camera.

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

• 42MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS Sensor
• BIONZ X Image Processor
• Variable Optical Low-Pass Filter
• Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f/2 Lens
• Full HD 1080p60 Video & XAVC S Format
• 399 Phase-Detect AF Points & 5 fps Burst
• 0.39″ 2.36M-Dot XGA OLED Tru-Finder EVF
• 3.0″ 1,228.8k-Dot Tilting LCD Monitor
• ISO 102400 & Uncompressed 14-Bit RAW
• Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC

The new RX1 R II has a 399 phase-detect AF points in a Fast Hybrid AF system at 5fps. It also has the new uncompressed 14-bit RAW format that the A7r II will get via firmware update soon.

The new viewfinder has an a magnification of 0.74x and has a 4-lens optical system with two glass molded aspherical elements to ensure crisp, vibrant imagery. Along with this, the 3.0″ 1,228.8k-dot LCD monitor can now tilt upwards 109° and down 41° for working in a variety of positions and angles.

Full HD 1080p Video Recording in XAVC S Format. Full HD 1080p at 50 Mbps at up to 60 fps. This also works with HD 720p recording at 120 fps for slow motion video. Yes the RX1R II has  a 3.5mm mic input jack that allows users to connect their standard microphones for improved audio quality.

The RX1R II has a unique feature. A Variable Optical Low-Pass Filter. The world’s first variable optical low-pass filter allows users to control the amount of filtration they need for each specific image as they work, in order to maximize detail from the 42.4-megapixel sensor. The system uses a liquid crystal layer which it applies voltage to in order to control the light-splitting function. Users will have access to three settings: Off, Standard, and Hi. This unique ability allows the RX1R II to work in a variety of circumstances that normally would require separate cameras. Additionally, a low-pass filter bracketing function is available for users to quickly compare the differences between the different modes. This new tech is amazing. The FS5 has a Neutral Density filter that also uses a electric charged crystal for changing the ND density. That would be amazing to have in a small hybrid camera.

Other Camera Features

• Multiple aspect ratio support enables the use of 4:3 and 1:1 in addition to the standard 3:2 and 16:9 options. Also, thanks to the high-resolution sensor, images in the 16:9, 4:3, and 1:1 ratio still manage to offer 36, 38, and 28 megapixels, respectively.
• A Multi-Interface Shoe located on the top of the camera enables support for a variety of accessories, including remotes, flashes, microphones, and more.
• Capture One Express (for Sony) is a free downloadable RAW conversion software that will help users get the utmost quality from their image files.
• Precise white balance adjustments for tuning the exact color using amber-blue and green-magenta axes.
• Bright Monitoring boosts image brightness by changing shutter speed for better preview of a night sky or dark scene.
• ISO Auto Minimum Shutter Speed allows users to prevent image blur by setting a minimum shutter speed that when reached will then start changing the ISO sensitivity.
• Thirteen Creative Styles, including Vivid and Portrait, are available for capturing images with pre-defined looks that can flatter specific subject matter.
• A 1200-zone evaluative metering system ensures balanced exposures and can be set between Multi Pattern, Center Weighted, and Spot metering.
• Face Detection is available to base exposure and focus on up to eight recognized faces. Furthermore, Eye AF can be used for even greater precision by maintaining critical focus on a subject’s eye.
• 2x Clear Image Zoom can be used to effectively double the magnification afforded by any lens in use with minimal image degradation. For even greater magnification, 1.4x and 2x Smart zoom is available, as well as 4x, 6.2 and 8x digital zoom

Sony is going for it! They seem to know that they have to do better than the iPhone in order to sell point and shoot cameras and a full frame fixed 35mm f2 42MP beast of a pocket camera is a very good start. But it comes at a steep price at $3299. Ouch! The video part of the camera is okay. No high frame rates with this one or 4K but for stills it should be a banging good camera that will for sure be in your pocket when traveling light.

Follow me on Twitter @eriknaso and check out my page on Facebook.

Thanks for coming by! Please help support my site by using the links on this page or bookmark these from my favorite retailers, B&H, Adorama, Zacuto, Amazon.com & Think Tank Photo. Using the links cost you nothing extra, but it helps offset the cost of running my blog. Thanks again for coming by eriknaso.com!

Filed in: Featured Post • Mirrorless • New Release • Sony
Tagged with: DSC-RX1R II • RX1R • RX1R II • RX1R mkII • Sony