Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II

Advantages: Great compact option. Photos are not inferior in quality to SLRs, and the video is even better. There is a super button "remove wind noise" when shooting a video. Excellent photographs on the move, on the road. Half of the landscapes click from the car at a speed of 100km per hour, no blur! Automatic well sooooo smart. It happens that you wind up something manually, you take all the nonsense, you spit. you click the automaton - and it turns out one hundred percent frame)) At first the pop-up flash was attributed to the flaws, especially since I got used to such a grip that I have a left-hand finger there. But now I think such a flash option is a design miracle. If she sometimes jumps out of the “off topic”, just pinch her with your finger and voila - the flash mode can be removed without a flash. I really like the text prompts when switching modes. Great opportunity to shoot at the same time in rav and dzhipeg. Often I use artistic modes such as watercolor or highlighting one color on a b / w background. A wonderful function that makes the skin silky on portraits as from photoshop, leads to the delight of all photographed.

Disadvantages: The most annoying drawback to me is a small zoom (((After the past, the camera lacks a good approximation. Everything else is just nagging.
At first, I broke all the photos into folders, creating a new one every day. It was very uncomfortable. Everything was corrected by reading the instructions))
But the video remained separate from the photo.I still do not know how to make it all in one folder. I don't particularly like it separately.
Not very convenient switching to video mode.
Deleting pictures is limited by quantity.

Comment: It was presented to me as a transitional link from the soap box to the DSLR. Initially, I chose Nikon Coolpix 7000 for a cheaper price. But comparing the photos taken the question of choice was dropped by itself. During the possession of "ryksoy" realized that I do not need a SLR !!! Photo quality is gorgeous! And size and compactness have huge advantages. In my purse with me every day. I am nowhere without him.

Advantages: Great picture quality. automatic HDR when shooting against contrasting light - it determines itself, it aligns the image itself - you can take pictures in situations when it was previously impossible.
Video writes a lot and fast-picky cards.
The screen is rotatable, but not completely, its purpose is to shoot over the heads in the crowd.

Disadvantages: It is difficult to take pictures in the dark; constantly strives to make blurred pictures, it is necessary to switch to special mode, otherwise she strives to take 3 pictures and make them blind. The noise is removed by this, but it takes a long time.
The screen is scratched, it is necessary to protect. Heavy to wear on a string, you have to think of something else.

Comment: after 3 days of using this fotik on vacation, the DSLR with them stopped carrying.

Advantages: High-aperture lens, fast focusing, autofocus works well, fast readiness when turned on, high-quality body, production at the height at all, a very technological thing

Disadvantages: The price is too high, but good things are always more expensive.

Comment: I bought a SLR - I was lying at home for half a year, because In the bag you do not constantly drag it and you can not put it in your pocket, eventually sold it. Recently I thought that the pictures were not very good on the iPhone and wanted to buy a soap box with good optics, reviewed many models, decided to take this small camera with a powerful filling and a high-aperture lens. I also bought a branded leather case, in general it is good in my hands, you enjoy the perfect shape and lines and the case is so pleasant.

Advantages: Stylish. Compact. Fast. Zeiss lens. Large and modern matrix (compared to the soap box). Ability to shoot in low light conditions without flash with quite reasonable quality. Inclined flash, which can be sent to the ceiling - a fairy tale. Hot shoe with multi connector with the ability to install the viewfinder, microphone, flash. Inclined display of excellent quality with anti-reflective coating. The abundance of automatic and manual modes. The presence of all modern chips and ryushk like WiFi, NFC and more. Anyway - okay tailored, tightly stitched.

Disadvantages: Short range of focal lengths, only 28-100. Excellent luminosity 1.8 at the short end quickly falls to a telephoto right up to 4.9. Indistinct autofocus operation in conjunction with autofocus backlight operation in poor light. Inconvenient grip. Very scratchy display. The minimum shutter speed is only 1/2000 catastrophically great. Unable to control over WiFi using SonyPlayMemories. Macro shooting is unreal due to the huge minimum focusing distance of 50 cm in any position other than the wide-angle. There is no standard thread for filters and hood, an adapter is required. The absence of updated firmware from the manufacturer. Incredibly expensive accessories. (Viewfinder 15000r, filter mount 1200r, handle pad 600r).

Comment: In general, I like the device very much! Fall in love, as they say, from the first frame)))
Very acceptable for photo quality and excellent video quality. Everything is quite convenient, adjusted for compactness, quickly, reliably, efficiently. Very nice to use!
But...They upset some minor non-flaws that are inherent in any technique, namely, diametrically opposed non-coupling in the same place, so to speak. For example: A beautiful high-aperture lens darkens incredibly quickly towards the end. The minimum focusing distance at a wide angle of 28–30 mm is only 5 cm and from 30–100 mm immediately to 50 cm, which makes macro photography impossible. A wide aperture cannot be used in most cases when the illumination is above average because of the shortest exposure time being too long. A beautiful, bright, juicy, dense display with anti-reflective coating is scratched even with a fingernail. Gluing the film solves the problem of scratching and at the same time deprives the screen of anti-glare. In the presence of WiFi, it is impossible to control photography remotely.
In general, for all of the above disadvantages, non-contact minus point!
And so - a wonderful version of the type "I always take a photo-video-camera with me"))) for those who are interested in quality too.
PS - Yes, I almost forgot, there is a prototype of the "masterpiece" button, disguised as a shutter button! It is enough to turn on the camera, the brain, choose a good composition and correct settings, press this button and ... voila - sheduvr is ready! )))

Advantages: Compactness
Quality photo and video

Disadvantages: No audio settings when shooting video

Comment: For 3 weeks I shot more than 100 GB of video and photos. The device at Sony turned out to be very decent. And absolutely professional. An amateur amateur I would not advise him to buy. Very much a fancy camera. It is necessary to understand well what you want to achieve and fully understand the settings and control it. Only then will there be a predictable result. To use it as a banal soap box is just silly. Of course, there are a lot of perfectly working automatic modes in it. But all her beauty lies precisely in the ability to fully control the shooting process. And both a photo, and video.
Now in order. The lens is very high quality. A drop in the detail at the edges of the frame, if any, is not critical. Distortion is insignificant. There are noises in the matrix, but even at high ISO values, they are quite moderate. Auto white balance is not always adequate: it leads slightly to purple. But there is a huge amount of presets, manual adjustment, color correction and even the choice of color temperature, which is especially important when shooting video. Autofocus is quite tenacious. There is a manual focus with a long stroke ring on the lens. The camera has an excellent quality swivel display. To use it is really very convenient. And it's good that he is not touch. In my opinion, the push-button control is much more practical. Especially in the cold. And the display does not get dirty with your fingers. Almost everything is configured in the camera. Wi-Fi is controlled from iPad. Fun feature. I do not know how to put into practice, but it works!
I do not even know what I would like to improve in it. It is necessary to understand that it is impossible to demand from the compactness of convenience in work and the quality of the top SLR. Alas, miracles do not happen. All improvements will inevitably lead to an increase in the size and weight of the device. And this is unacceptable. Therefore, I believe that SONY DSC-RX100II is close to the limit of perfection of this type of camera.

Advantages: Magnificent functional in a negligibly small body of a device.

Disadvantages: Inconvenient grip of the device, brand gentle screen in need of additional. protection, no external memory included. Poor equipment. For my palm is too small. Price, at 19990 would put "excellent".

Comment: "David", winning many "Goliaths".
Could and "excellent" to evaluate. But the thing for its price (took over 26500) is not perfect. The little carcass is uncomfortable in the hand, trying to fall out. Hopefully the AG-R1 pad will fix this. (600-1000).
About Marky, scratchy, fragile screen has already been written a lot of things. I confirm that the film or PCK-LM15 full-time protection (from 500) must be installed immediately.
The review of this device from JOhnson Ewan is the most valuable and useful. Praise him!
The ergonomics of the controls, unlike many speakers, I consider acceptable, the inconveniences to which one can get used are connected with the diminutiveness of the apparatus. It will not work on such a small body to arrange everything perfectly, satisfying all tastes and habits.
Menu navigation, not perfect but normal. But this is a matter of taste and habits.
In experienced hands, this little one can make very good photos.
In inexperienced hands, this camera will partially, but sufficiently, give up its potential in automatic modes. For the most "gifted" photo masters there is a "super car" mode :)
Better than many others, this camera will provide an opportunity to take a decent picture at dusk "from the hands".
Controlling the camera via WiFi impressed me. I played on WiFi with the HTC one android smarfon, installing the PlayMemories Mobile app, there were no difficulties pairing. You can put the camera on a tripod (hide) next to the playing children, animals, or in front of the holiday table, or hide in the bath :) (joke) and quietly take pictures and videos from the shelter or not leaving the table, seeing on the smartphone screen online -picture from the lens of this fotik.
In search of a device that will allow you to make a high-quality frame, not burdening my back with my weight and not stretching my pockets, I haven’t found a better option.

Advantages: In a very compact package, a decent functional (recalling the Sony V1 with NightShot and the AF laser assistant, I understand that we could have a better show off), the feeling of a quality thing ... is not a watering can, but it is not a cheap parody of the camera, including many initial ones SLRs.
Still, high-aperture optics on a low-noise matrix-- this is ecstasy. I got less pleasure by going to the third Pyatak canon, because there I expected a low noise. And here-- soapbox, but it makes a little more noise than mk3 (I’m keeping silence about the loss in details, I didn’t compare) - the first soap dish in my memory, with which you can, if you wish, not use the flash at all (for me this is a huge plus , I don't like clumsiness, which blitz in a photo bring. Feeling the unreality of what is happening is difficult to explain in words-- power in a pocket size, comparable to a good APS-C mirror (this is IMHO, we understand that things are different). But only this trinkets, I repeat, you can always carry around in your pocket, if not trousers, but sweaters / jackets.
Focusing is very vigorous, in the twilight tears the canon penny (of course, when it is without a twisted flash, including an AF illumination), which already adds potentiality.
The manufacturer, of course, was a follower, putting the re-sized loop under the wrist in a set - unreliable, it is desirable to use this camera with a full-fledged shoulder strap.
Someone scolded, but I liked the tracking focus mode, which clings to a point in the center of the frame-- in the absence of a touch screen, this is the real way to catch exactly the object you want in motion. I will make a reservation that it works adequately only on a single frame, marketers only stuck their serial shots for themselves.
Sane (by mylnym measures) management through 2 function selection discs. The front one is blunt on the response, true, and spinning without perceptible clicks (imitation by sound does not count), but rules everything you need.
Yes, the built-in level is a nice addition to anyone on the camera.
The ability to direct the flash close to the vertical - plus!

Disadvantages: The menu is overly confused-- some settings are lumped together, as if without any logic.
Of all the display modes, additional information on the screen did not find the optimal one - they could make it possible to customize to taste. I used to control the battery supply on soap cases, and it is possible only with fair redundancy of icons on the screen. From here:
Sony used in a fresh camera, I emphasize, the top-end battery, which does not show in detail the residual stock (for some reason this feature is present on the 5-year-old T-series camera).
I tried to charge via USB-- I was amazed at the genius of the developers - a very delicate design, I was afraid to break it, and in order to get there I had to adapt myself and stop drinking.)
In the positive solution - the ability to communicate with the camera with a dead battery.
The pivoting screen, the right side, loosened. Moreover, the backlash is minimal, less than a millimeter, but accompanied by a click (if I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have steamed, but now I’m straight to touch it, damn it) - it feels like a sickle in one place (didn’t check whether others, - suddenly this is the norm?). The camera did not crack the nuts, the maximum was intense, except when fitting the covers. I will try to fix the warranty.
The camera is compact, but compactness cannot be saved in a standard soap case. A regular leatherette cover- "muzzle" - a shame for a lot of money. I thought from Ibei to order such a Chinese tailoring, but from sane material of zHYVOtny origin.
On the wide end, with aperture, everything is very good, but on a long one there is no fountain at all, and it can be felt, and not just an occasion to grumble.
Without a protective glass, the screen will be killed at once. If it doesn’t find fault with it, it looks fine, adds another millimeter to the depth - it would seem a little, but in aggregate it’s fatty compared to mk1.
I could not find it, but why in the "advanced" modes it is impossible to set the front control ring to command the fixed (28/35/50 and so on) positions of the zoom? It's more convenient for me, but for the sake of him in the "green zone" will you order to shoot?

Comment: Bought primarily as a travel device for family members - they ignored the SLR in principle, even if it was possible to carry it out for taking with them.
Mk1 looks more reasonable purchase - is more compact, and removes not so much worse, how much cheaper. And yes, for me the swivel screen is a weak link. In the direction of the M2 bent because of the wi-fi and ephemeral benefits of having a "shoe".
Sony V1 was the first digital soapbox in the family (I’ll omit the g5 canon, because it wasn’t perceived as a soap box), then the device was bought by color / design-- I spit on most of the photons made by the t700. Now the relative RX is still weighty , and the sizes (if to compare with flat non-cameras) are present, but I believe that they will love RyKsu when they taste quality.
It is necessary to understand that a priori it is necessary to add to the price of the camera. A battery with a charger (I do not advise taking a travel option, so the ACC-TRBX battery pack / charger remains, plus 2,000. By the way, the charger is compatible with a fucking cloud of battery formats, it went up to the aged V1, and t700, besides It seems to be a charging stage), a protective glass on the monitor (PCK-LM15, more than 600 re), I plan to add another native external handle (AG-R1 - until we sell it - I believe that a stable grip with one hand will appear with it, this is another 20 tanks). With the latter, the cover-holster (which we want from Ibei) will have to be forgotten - the thing is not designed to remove / install, but it will not fit with it.
The video always plows the digital zoom, and the transition to it without a step - a typical user of a soap dish will not even understand how he killed the video sequence ...
Wi-fi: I don’t know how it is with android devices, but on iOS it’s necessary to tap the tambourine a bit - a bit too much manual manipulation to start the process.
Branded applications are designed for Windows, Mac in the span (although I found an application on the network for it, but the link turned out to be a bat, but maybe they would fix it), Sony’s “cloud” service, who would doubt, does not support Rush.
Signs, as usual, is not enough, because I stop.

Advantages: .
1. The combination of stunning compactness and very high quality image output.
2. Metal case !!!
3. Zoom without loss of quality x7.2 (optical x3.6). With an acceptable quality x10.
4. Plus to the zoom - a set of virtual fixes: 28 mm, 35 mm, 50 mm, 70 mm, 100 mm .: the step zoom with these DFs is adjusted to the universal ring on the lens. In this case, the zoom lens allows you to zoom to any FR.
5. High aperture ratio 1.8 at the wide end.
6. Excellent functionality.Convenient and intuitive management.
7. Foldable display !!! Very handy stuff! Bright, contrast, with many customizable options for displaying information.
8. Suitable both for beginners (modes iA, iA *), and advanced photographers - a lot of user settings with convenient and fast access.
9. Many convenient accessories that greatly expand the capabilities of the camera and increase the safety of use.

Disadvantages: .
1. Auto BB podviraet sometimes.
2. Autofocus in rare cases misses, or is not directed to the point of shooting.

Comment: Took in addition to my Panasonic G5, like a camera for every day. I carry it with me all the time, I do not miss a single interesting photo moment :) Compact, comfortable, functional - I recommend it to everyone! The price is yes, not a penny. But this is a camera that will not lose its consumer qualities for many years. If you’re tired of it, don’t give the children an old-fashioned junk, but a stylish, high-quality camera, which can only be with a light touch of time.

Advantages: + covers almost every day photo needs
+ The noise in the images is much lower than on compact cameras and slightly higher than on (without-) mirrors. In comparison with the NEX-6, when shooting in JPEG the same scene with the same f / number, almost the same image quality is achieved up to ISO 800-1600. You can shoot indoors without a flash with a reasonable shutter speed (~ 1/60 s) at ISO 1600-3200
+ Much smaller and lighter than any NEX, especially considering the size of a similar lens.
+ There is a hot shoe of standard design, which allows, if necessary, easy to connect external non-automatic flash, even studio monoblocks (but hardly anyone will do it)
+ Charging from any USB port with a standard microUSB cable is possible. Conveniently, I carry with me one cable to charge the phone and stereo headset, now for the photoapparatus. But there is also a minus (see flaws)
+ Gorgeous bright folding screen, with which it is easy to conduct (almost) inconspicuous shooting from the hip, without raising the camera
+ excellent image stabilizer
+ electronic level
+ impressive recording quality
+ convenient camera control, more convenient than even the NEX-6 (my subjective opinion). At first, I did not like the absence of a separate button for adjusting the photosensitivity, then I read about the Fn function button, which can be programmed for various functions (ISO, white balance)
+ acceptable level of distortion introduced by the lens - see the quick test - http://yadi.sk/d/uICQf4_a7c41u
+ high resolution matrix, you can sprinkle / resize images
+ gives the impression of a quality product, but does not look defiant (as the Big Black Mirror with the Big White Lens)
+ you can use your smartphone as a remote control with an external screen

Disadvantages: - there is no charger in the kit, and charging the battery via the USB cable takes a long time (according to the instructions, 230 min = 3 h 50 min). The absence of obviously needed storage in the kit is not allowed for products of such high class.
- in the reviews it was written about the delicate glass of the display, I agree, here the manufacturer _can_ do as in the case of Xperia smartphones, namely to stick a protective film at the factory (but not received)
- due to the size of the matrix (less than APS-C), the settings of the diaphragm for setting a certain depth of field will differ from those in (without-) DSLRs, you will need to get used to it
- but the depth of field is usually large. The smallest is achievable when shooting small subjects at a wide angle zoom position from a short distance. “As if macro”, this is not bad, but blurring the background of the RX100M2 will not impress the lovers of good bokeh
- when recording video with sound, the sound of the motor is recorded when using the zoom, so, it is better to use the "foot zoom"
- not very comfortable front ring (the rotation is too smooth) (my subjective opinion)
- a thin battery compartment lid that may fall off when dropped
- there is no separate viewing mode on the mode ring (without opening the lens). It is solved by the camera's _ on_ button with the Play button, however if you accidentally press Play (or, for example, Fn) during viewing, the lens extends
- lack of grip (corrected by a belt cover in which the camera is more comfortable to hold, moreover, it can be removed from the hip by turning the screen up)
- lack of GPS, most likely, it will be “fixed” by the release of an external expensive module on the shoe, less likely - by the possibility of transferring coordinates from a smartphone
- few (almost no) settings when remote control via Wi-Fi (only mode - photo / video, zoom, flash - off / auto)

Comment: * The camera is available in the Sony training and support studio, you can try it in action and compare it with other models (you need to come with your memory card and a tripod (and batteries, if you need to test an external flash)). In general, the presence of such a studio is a serious advantage of Sony (if Canon / Nikon had such a showroom where you can independently test the equipment ...)
* Some advantages / disadvantages were found when comparing with NEX-6. Chose, in fact, between the RX100, RX100M2 and NEX-6. I stopped at the RX100M2, because in the future I am going to purchase an external flash HVL-F20M
* camera turn-on speed is about 2.5-3 seconds before the first shot, comparable to the turn-on speed of the NEX-6 + SEL-16F28 (the NEX has a rather tight turn-on lever)
* Built-in flash, although directed to the ceiling, too thin and suitable in this mode (for reflection) only as an auxiliary light source
* IMPORTANT! The camera in no case can replace the DSLR. Studying photography is better with an amateur SLR camera. The ergonomics of the entry-level Canon / Nikon / Sony / ... SLR camera are much better than those of the RX100 or NEX (even 6 and 7). The RX100M2 is, above all, a good _secondary or third_ camera for a photographer that you can always carry around with you and get good quality pictures
* if you just need a very good compact (without a hot shoe, swivel screen and Wi-Fi + NFC), you can stop at the RX100, the image quality is comparable to the RX100M2, and the price is lower and will decrease

Advantages: Convenience, quality.

Disadvantages: Price, delicate glass display.

Comment: Well, that was the first week of using this device. I will share the impression.
In general, the device is satisfied. Compact - what I was looking for, for daily carrying in the bag. The quality of the pictures is good. Compared to all the soap dishes that I used before, the pictures are much better. Although of course the quality of the pictures does not reach the DSLR.
I am very glad that I waited for the release of the MK2, since the main advantage of this camera is a folding screen! I have a DSLR with fixed screens and I often want to raise the camera above the crowd or take a photo from the ground. To do this with a regular screen is difficult.
Now about the shortcomings. Very gentle glass display. Film must be purchased! I scratched my first day :). As already mentioned, I bought for wearing in a bag, so the case also suffers and in some places scuffs form on the blackened metal surface. For walks with the camera I ordered a leather case with a neck strap, because The camera is heavy and it is not very comfortable to wear on the wrist band. Although it may be too much - for walking there is a SLR. Regarding the folding screen - you need to adjust to it. Maybe this is due to the fact that the camera is new - the swivel is still tight and tilting the screen “face up” is quite problematic.