Along with a raft of Sony announcements this morning comes the RX10, a premium bridge camera that sports a 24-200mm zoom lens.

The fixed Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24-200mm f/2.8 lens is intended to be a credible alternative to an interchangeable lens collection.

With Zeiss sharpness and an f/2.8 maximum aperture over the full range of its focal length, the versatile lens is capable in low light and proficient both over distance and up-close, with a minimum focal distance of 3cm.

The lens has a 7-blade iris diaphragm to aid creation of smooth bokeh, and Optical SteadyShot for shooting handheld.

The RX10 itself boasts the same 20.2MP 1.0-type back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor as the RX100 II.

It is powered by the new Bionz X image processor that also features in the a7 and a7R, which Sony says offers around three times the speed of the previous Bionz engine.

The Bionz X processor also improves the RX10’s video capabilities. Full HD movie footage can be captured at 50p (AVCHD progressive) or 25p frame rates. The RX10 features a microphone jack input, and larger external microphones can be added via the XLR terminal with purchase of an XLR-K1M adapter kit.

The camera also supports display of images on 4K-compatible televisions, the same as the a7.

A new Direct Drive SSM mechanism provides speedy autofocus (though we don’t yet have numbers on precisely how speedy). New Lock-on AF can track moving subjects, while Eye AF allows the user to keep a sitter’s eye in sharp focus.

Images can be composed via either the high-contrast ‘OLED Tru-Finder’, with a resolution of 1440k dots and a 33º viewing angle, or the 3-inch tiltable LCD screen.

The RX10 comes with built-in Wi-Fi and NFC for one-touch image sharing. Its magnesium alloy build has been sealed for weather-resistance, and addition of accessories such as an LCJ-RXE premium jacket can insulate it further.

The Sony Cyber-shot RX10 is available to pre-order now from www.sony.co.uk. It will be on general sale in the UK from the end of November, priced at £1000.