The world’s best pocketable camera just got better. After?delivering the goods with last year’s RX100M2, Sony is back today to announce the RX100M3. And like its predecessor, the goal here is to refine and push forward a camera that’s already received accolades from users and overwhelmingly positive marks from the press. Perhaps the most important ingredient here, the 20.9-megapixel CMOS sensor, remains unchanged. But Sony has made improvements to nearly everything surrounding it. Take the image processor for instance; it’s now the same Bionz X chip found in the A7 and A7r.
?Same sensor, better everything else?
The most immediate change you’ll notice is the lens. It can now go wider than the RX100M2 ? 24mm compared to the previous 28mm limit ? and while it still starts at an aperture of f/1.8 when fully zoomed out, it only drops to f/2.8 at the long end of the range. It’s a little shorter at the telephoto end, topping out at 70mm whereas last year it could extend to 100mm. But the RX100M2 was already fantastic in low light conditions, and this camera should handle itself even better thanks to the more versatile aperture. The slight tradeoff in reach will be well worth it for many.
But there’s another equally impressive feature that’s hidden inside the
camera when you first pick it up: a retractable electronic viewfinder.
Sony seems to have pulled off a masterful feat of engineering here. All
it takes is the flick of a button when you want to call upon the
high-res, 1.4-million-dot EVF. Then once you’re done, it simply
disappears back into the body. A retractable EVF on a camera that fits
in your pocket. Color us impressed.
Read full story at The Verge.
