Sony RX1R II review – Metering

Thanks to a 1,200-zone evaluative metering sensor featured inside the RX1R II, the metering overall is brilliant. The camera offers a choice of multi-pattern, centreweighted or spot metering, and works well in all settings.

Even in challenging light the metering is good at choosing a fairly decent balance between highlights and shadows, giving good exposures straight out of the camera. On the top-plate there is an exposure compensation dial that covers ±5 EV in 1⁄3-stop increments. However, the only time I needed this was in a creative situation, when I was trying to get the most out of the sensor. It’s possible to pull an astonishing amount of detail from the shadows when shooting raw on the RX1R II. I’d have liked a highlight priority metering mode, such as the one found on some Nikon DSLRs.

This would allow users to get an exposure that keeps much of the highlight detail. Then, in post-production, it would be possible to lift the shadows to achieve an image that captured a large dynamic range.