Sony RX100 III review: Still a modern classic

Sony RX100 III Image Quality

We’ve seen this 1in, 20-megapixel sensor quite a few times recently, and each time we’ve been extremely impressed by its low noise at fast ISO speeds. The new lens pulls its weight too, with dependable focus throughout its zoom range. There was a slight loss of sharpness towards the edges of frames at the widest apertures, but at f/4 it was sharp from corner to corner. With the improvements to the automatic exposure settings, photos were excellent throughout our tests. The only notable weakness is that the 70mm (equivalent) maximum focal length isn’t ideal for shooting distant subjects. Then again, the 20-megapixel sensor allows for some heavy cropping while retaining enough detail for sharing online and 7x5in prints. Click on samples to enlarge them, and again on the icon for the full resolution image.

^ Details are sharp and colours are rich yet lifelike in this wide-angle shot. 1/250s, f/5.6, ISO 125, 24mm (equivalent)

^ The same shot in RAW format (via Lightroom 5) delivers even crisper details and let us recover the clipped highlights in the clouds. 1/250s, f/5.6, ISO 125, 24mm (equivalent) 

^ Focus is sharp at the long end of the zoom, too. 1/640s, f/5.6, ISO 125, 70mm (equivalent)

^ The 1in sensor delivers smooth, detailed skin textures – something that cameras with smaller sensors tend to struggle with.1/400s, f/5.6, ISO 125, 52mm (equivalent)

^ The wide aperture at the long end of the zoom makes all the difference when shooting portraits indoors. 1/80s, f/2.8, ISO 320, 70mm (equivalent)

^ There’s a vast amount of detail (and beer) in this interior shot – it’s unprecedented for such a small camera. 1/60s, f/2.8, ISO 400, 52mm (equivalent)

^ Shooting in near darkness, out-of-focus details look scruffy but there’s really not much to criticise. 1/30s, f/1.8, ISO 2000, 24mm (equivalent)

^ Detecting a moving subject, the camera has boosted the shutter speed to 1/250s to avoid motion blur. This in turn has raised the ISO speed to 5000. There’s heavy noise reduction on close inspection, but it looks perfectly presentable at modest sizes. 1/250s, f/2.8, ISO 5000, 58mm (equivalent)

Sony RX100 III Conclusion

It’s not much of a surprise that one of the most expensive compact cameras on the market is also one of the best. The question is whether it’s worth buying. The truth is, there are very few cameras that are small enough to slip into a pocket that come close to matching the RX100 III’s image quality, and none are significantly cheaper. The Panasonic GM1 uses an even bigger sensor but this is more than offset by its darker lens, and there’s no viewfinder. However, the ability to swap lenses makes it much more versatile – as long as you’re willing to pay for multiple lenses.

The closest competitor is the Canon G1 X Mark II, which uses a bigger sensor than the RX100 III and a lens that’s almost as bright. That gives the Canon the advantage for noise levels, with its ISO 6400 photos roughly equivalent to the Sony at ISO 3200. The higher-resolution Sony captures sharper details in bright light, but the Canon compensates with a bigger zoom. The Canon is almost twice as heavy, though, and will only fit in spacious pockets. It too lacks a viewfinder, and it trails for video quality.

For us, the RX100 III’s strongest competitor is the RX100 II,  which is now available for around £490 – buy before 30 September and you can claim £50 back.  Still, for many people, the RX100 III’s brighter lens, faster performance, EVF and superior video mode will be worth paying the extra for.