Sony set the bar high with the RX100 III, and the RX100 IV promises to be even better. Michael Topham tests the latest premium compact camera to hit the shelves

Overall rating:

90%

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV

Features:90%

Build/Handling:80%

Metering:90%

Autofocus:80%

AWB colour:90%

Dynamic Range:80%

LCD Viewfinder:90%

Manufacturer:

Sony

Price as reviewed:

£849.00

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV Review – Image Quality: Detail and Noise

For such a small camera, the RX100 IV resolves impressive detail from its 1-inch sensor. Set to the expanded ISO 100 setting the sensor resolved around 3,000 l/ph. The resolution starts to drop below this figure beyond ISO 400, with 2,800l/ph being recorded at ISO 800. Noise reduction starts to come into play at ISO 1,600 in JPEG files where 2,600 l/ph were resolved. At its ISO ceiling (ISO 25,600) the RX100 IV recorded 2,400 l/ph.

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV Resolution ISO 80

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV Resolution ISO 100

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV Resolution ISO 200

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV Resolution ISO 400

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV Resolution ISO 800

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV Resolution ISO 1600

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV Resolution ISO 3200

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV Resolution ISO 6400

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV Resolution ISO 12800

Noise

With the RX100 IV’s Raw files not being supported by Adobe Camera Raw at the time of testing, we reverted to using Capture One Pro v8.3.2 to process our images. As can be seen below, very smooth results are created from raw files right up to ISO 800, with luminance noise starting to creep in at ISO 1600. Detail holds up very well at ISO 3200 and although finer details are’t as well resolved at ISO 6400, you could push to this setting and achieve a useable result in an emergency.

Those who want to preserve the very best image quality will want to ensure they’re shooting in raw and use the camera between ISO 80-800, only pushing to ISO 1600-3200 when low-light conditions insist that you must. Colour noise is also more obvious in JPEG images at ISO 6400 and 12,800 than it is in Raw files.