Thread: TCSTV RX1 Test

Hey all,

Here's the RX1 test I shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O60h3Wz1Z0

I was really impressed how much better the RX1 was when compared to a D600 with the Zeiss ZF 35mm F2.

nice review, I'm surprised about the relatively slow autofocus... too bad indeed, given the potential for photojournalism and similar work!

Excellent review. Nicely done.

I always like his reviews. He just seems like a regular dude who likes to play with cameras and make photos.

And he tests $3,000 cameras by shooting cats

Seeing him handle the camera reminds me a bit of my old friend the gf1 with the 20m attached.....just a bit beefier. There is a 50% chance I will own this camera 2 years from now. Man.....$200 for a lens hood, though. Jeepers.

I wasn't tempted before - I'm not tempted now. But it was a very enjoyable review. I can definitely see the charms of this camera - the image quality is pretty spectacular. But for the kind of stuff I do and the way I shoot, I'd get frustrated with it pretty quickly. Glad to see Sony or anyone really pushing the envelope though - its good for all of us in the long run.

-Ray

Chris, you can turn off all the audio signals. ;)

Nice review. Yup, the accessories are expensive, but you don't need them either. As for an OVF, that is about $200--made by Voightlander. And a screw in rubber hood for $10.

I bought this as a second camera. And it is a great second camera.

BTW, I always love your reviews--thanks for taking the time to post here and think of us. And congratulation on your new apartment--you did not even wait to hang your pictures before getting back to work. ;)

Originally Posted by bartjeej

... too bad indeed, given the potential for photojournalism and similar work!

LOL. Exactly. That is why not photojournalism was ever done before the invention of AF. We just had landscape cameras like Leica Ms and Nikon Fs.

Originally Posted by Hikari

LOL. Exactly. That is why not photojournalism was ever done before the invention of AF. We just had landscape cameras like Leica Ms and Nikon Fs.

Yeah, lots of great photojournalism before auto focus, but they had real mechanical manual lenses where you could set the distance in anticipation and set the aperture for enough DOF. Lots of folks still shoot like that today. But without some kind, ANY kind of distance scale, whether mechanical or electronic, auto-focus becomes pretty much your only option for this kind of shot and, at that point, AF speed becomes an issue. So I see slow AF as a bigger issue with this camera than something like the Fuji X100 or X-Pro or the Ricoh GXR, which all have zone focussing tools easily at hand. Sony just hasn't seen fit to do that. I could have probably gotten on with the RX100 a lot better if it'd had ANY sort of distance scale or even manual focus memory so you could set your distance and then know the camera would come back to it. That's not the market they seem to be after - I don't blame them, its probably VERY small. But AF performance is probably more critical on a camera without more MF tools at hand than this one has...

-Ray

Originally Posted by Ray

But without some kind, ANY kind of distance scale, whether mechanical or electronic, auto-focus becomes pretty much your only option for this kind of shot and, at that point, AF speed becomes an issue.

Ray, I prefocus my RX1 very easily and quickly by a quick press of a button in MF. Simply use something in the scene to set the distance. It takes no longer than looking at the lens barrel and guessing a distance. No need for a distance scale. Zone focusing is no more difficult with an RX1 than any other MF camera. Just a different method.

BTW, there is a distance scale in the RX1, although not a really useful one.

Originally Posted by Hikari

Chris, you can turn off all the audio signals. ;)

Yes, the confirmation beeps didn't bother us, but the noise of the AF motor working. We actually stopped shooting for 10 minutes, because I thought my wireless mic was getting interference. Turns out it was the AF noise from the RX1.