The Sony RX100 is the first real premium compact camera from the brand. Has it been worth the wait? Find out in the What Digital Camera Sony RX100 review.
Sony Cyber-shot RX100 Review
Design
Sony Cyber-shot RX100 review – Design
Finished in smooth aluminium, the RX100 has a sleek, unfussy look to it, with a nice, premium weighty feel. There’s no handgrip on the front of the camera, which some may miss, though there is a reasonably decent thumb rest on the on the rear of the camera for a bit extra support.
When you consider the relatively large sensor size and fast zoom lens that the RX100 supports, its an impressively neat package. Sony has opted to keep exterior controls to a minimum, making it only a touch larger than the very pocketable Canon PowerShot SX100, while noticeably more compact than either the Fujifilm X10 or PowerShot G12 that sport more button-driven designs. This means you should have no problem fitting it in a jacket or trouser pocket, while there’s also a nice retro leather case also available.
On the front of the camera, the RX100 sports a control ring that’s wrapped round the zoom lens – more on that in a bit, while the top-plate is also relatively clutter-free. There’s a small pop-up flash to the left, the on/off switch, the shutter button with the zoom collar sitting round and the exposure mode dial. As you’d expect for a camera aimed at the high-end user, there’s the full suite of manual and priority modes to choose from, along with auto modes if you want to keep it simple.
At the rear, there’s a scroll wheel control that doubles as a 4-way controller, along with Function, Menu, Playback and Help buttons positioned round it, while slightly further up you’ll find the movie record button.