The RX100 VI is the latest addition to Sony’s RX100 range, that looks almost identical to the mark V, except for the f-number on the lens and a minor change in the physical size of the flash. It has a few features that take it a leap ahead of its predecessor. The most celebrated one being the zoom. It also has the fastest auto-focus in its category, advanced 4K, touchscreen, and more. It does have a few drawbacks too that we’ve covered in this article.
Features:
The RX100 VI has ditched the previous 24-70mm lens for a 24-200 one. This enables the camera to have an optical zoom of 8.3x, which, considering the form factor of the camera, is remarkable. Getting 8 times closer to an object does give a lot more detail. It is coupled along with Sony’s “Optical SteadyShot” which provides stabilization equivalent to raising the shutter speed 4.0 stops at the 200mm end. Sony claims that the camera captures high-quality images at long range even in low light with steady handheld shooting. However, during our testing we experienced that the shots were great at the 200mm during daylight, but as soon as the light reduces, the clarity wasn’t rave worthy.
With the launch of the RX100 VI, Sony has introduced the fastest auto-focus in the category. The auto-focus time is as little as 0.03 seconds which is the fastest in the 1″ sensor category. To put into perspective, it is faster than the human eye. If you’re using it in the iAuto mode, then you will find that the camera focuses instantaneously. There’s also the capability to focus by just touching the screen, which is also a welcome addition to this camera. You can focus as well as capture by touching the desired area on the screen.
If you’re a fan of videos, there is some good news for you too. The RX100 VI is the first among the Cybershot series to support HDR video with the help of HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) recording capability.
A feature that is my personal favourite is the tilt-screen. While the previous models in the RX100 series also had a tilt screen, there is a minor difference in this one. While the upward tilt remains the same at 180 degrees like the previous models which makes it very handy to click selfies as well as for vlogging, the downward tilt has increased from 45 degrees to 90 degrees. This might not seem like a huge change, but if you’re a fan of clicking flatlays (a.k.a. overhead shots / top view shots), then this is a saviour since you can see exactly what you’re clicking without having to strain your neck.
For those who want the more traditional way of seeing what your camera is going to capture, the RX100 VI also has the electronic viewfinder. It has a 2.35-million-dot resolution display which provides sharp detail. When the camera is switched off, you can press the finder button which will also start the camera so you can start clicking instantly.
Like the previous RX100s, this one also connects to your phone using the Play Memories App. It can be connected using NFC (on compatible phones) with a single tap.. While in the manual mode, you can control the aperture, zoom, f-stop etc with your mobile which comes in really hand in certain situations.
Apart from the Wi-fi and NFC, the RX100 VI also features bluetooth. It uses this for geo-tagging the photos taking the location information from your phone.
On the lens, is located a rotating ring which can be used to adjust various settings pertaining to the image quality. In the auto mode, this helps you to zoom in/out. If you set the mode to aperture priority or shutter priority, then it adjusts those respectively. Also, if you set the focus to manual, then you can change the focal length. While this ring seems to do a lot of the adjustments, it sure can get confusing at times since it adjusts different things in different modes and different setting. So if you’re the kind that likes to change the mode often, then you might end up changing something which you didn’t intend to when you turn the ring.
For those action lovers, who do not like to miss a single moment, the RX100 VI has the ability to shoot up to 233 continuous shots up at up to 24 frames per second (which is up from the previously possible 150 shots).
The shortfalls.
While the RX100 VI looks great on paper, there are a few area where it lacks.
First and foremost, the zoom lens which is its forte has led to Sony compromising on the maximum aperture size of the lens. This one has an f-size of 2.8 while the predecessor had a 1.8.
If reading about the inclusion of a touchscreen made you happy, your happiness might be short lived since you can only use it to focus on the desired area and capture the photo, nothing else. You still have to use the hardware buttons to control all other setting on the camera.
While the electronic viewfinder switches on the camera, it also switches it off when you press it down (by default). Which is really very annoying when you do not want to use the viewfinder. Though by finding your way through the settings, there is a way to turn this feature off.
The 4K HDR that it can shoot is limited to 5 minutes per video, after which it will automatically stop recording. However this was also the case the with RX100 V and below.
The 180 degree tilt screen does make it a good camera for vlogging, but that being said, there is no provision to attach a mic to it. Though the in-built audio quality is quite good, some people would have liked the ability to add an external mic.
If the continuous shooting mode was impressive, you will be disappointed to know that it does not support a Memory card of UHS-II, but only UHS-I, which means that the action shots would require a really long time to be saved, and you might lose next part of the action in the bargain.
The battery life is just about average at approximately 240 pictures (120 minutes) on monitor for still images; it is almost the same if you use the viewfinder instead; though goes up to 310 pictures (155 minutes) on monitor if the monitor is set to auto-off after 2 secs.
The flash range is about half as that of the previous model. At Auto ISO it is approx. up to 20 ft (6 mtrs) at the wide-angle end, 10 ft (3 mtrs) at the telephoto end.
Picture Quality
There is no denying it, the camera takes some brilliant photos. The Zeiss optics and brilliant zoom allows you to get creative with your day light shots. The reason we say daylight is because, as mentioned above, thanks to the insane zoom Sony has decided to limit the aperture to 2.8, as opposed to the 1.8 in the RX100 V and below.
If you are looking at some fast paced day light photography, then the RX100 VI is a brilliant option. The JPEG compression is phenomenal, and even the RAW pictures are as you would expect.
To be fair, the camera is no slouch at night time shots. But you are better off with a different camera at this price point (or cheaper) if the night time photography is your main focus. The smaller aperture leads to less light and grainier photographs.
The camera has very good detail and good dynamic range, this can be especially seen in the daylight pictures.
Video Quality
The RX100 VI is a brilliant camera for recording video. While it does have its limitations, there are reasons for that.
The camera records videos via its full sensor and then essentially reduces the size and compresses to the traditional 4K video dimensions. This ensures that the camera can take advantage of the relatively large sensor and get some amazing detail in the video. This method of video capture is probably the reason why the camera is limited to 5 minutes of video recording time. The quality is stunning for such a tiny little camera.
There are some issues with the image stabilization as it is digital stabilization which means your outputted 1080 video will be severely cropped. This also means that there is no real stabilization for 4K.
Who should buy?
If you’re looking for a camera that you can carry easily while travelling with you, then the Sony RX100 VI is a good choice. Also, if you like to shoot the great outdoors and would like to zoom in to get clearer detail. The fastest auto-focus in its category also makes it a good choice for street photography and those who are always on the go.
Another option in this category is the Panasonic Lumix TZ200 / ZS200 which has a 15x optical zoom supported with a 24-360mm lens. It is about 30% cheaper than the RX100 VI and has similar features, and is just about 40 gms heavier. So you do have more economical options in the market if the specs of this unit suit your requirement.
