Original RX100 or XQ1?

Biro

Hall of Famer
Location
Jersey Shore
Name
Steve
I wasn't sure where to post this since the question involves two brands, but the title says it all. I have a friend who wants a decent but very pocketable camera for all-around use and to have with him most of the time. He's looking at the Fuji XQ1 now that it can easily be had for $299. I told him to hold off for a few days so I could ask the best and brightest at PL if going for an original Sony RX100, of which brand-new examples can be found on eBay in the $350-$375 range these days, might be a better option.

The Fuji is smaller, less expensive and features phase-detection autofocus. The Sony RX100 is, well, the Sony RX100 with all that implies. There's no doubt both cameras can take great images and there might not be much difference in good light. I guess the question would be value, low-light performance (both in terms of noise and autofocus) and possibly overall responsiveness. I can't get him interested in any of the more-expensive iterations of the RX100 - or really in anything beyond $400 - and I hesitate to recommend something like one of Panasonic's ZS/TZ series of travel superzooms.
 
The RX100 has the faster lens, larger sensor, and higher megapixels so I would lean toward it.

But I would have your friend download the manuals and look through what is involved to change the setting they would tend to change regularly. I think handling might make as large a difference with these two as anything else.
 
...I hesitate to recommend something like one of Panasonic's ZS/TZ series of travel superzooms.

ERK. I wouldn't. On the other hand if he wants a long zoom, maybe one of the older TZs (with a lower megapickle count) might be OK.

The RX100 has the faster lens, larger sensor, and higher megapixels so I would lean toward it.

But I would have your friend download the manuals and look through what is involved to change the setting they would tend to change regularly. I think handling might make as large a difference with these two as anything else.

Thats exactly why I ended up not buying one, on the day I went out to do so. No doubt the output is marvellous... but so is that from the XQ1.. I think the Sony would be the winner in terms of low light though.
 
Well, the lens on the RX100 is somewhat faster than the one on the XQ1: Both start at f/1.8 and end at f/4.9. But the Sony lens does stop down a bit slower along the way. On the other hand, the original RX100 starts out at 28mm while the Fuji gives you 25mm. I guess the main thing I want to give my friend advice about is autofocus performance in good and low light. Additional thoughts are welcome.
 
Well, the lens on the RX100 is somewhat faster than the one on the XQ1: Both start at f/1.8 and end at f/4.9. But the Sony lens does stop down a bit slower along the way. On the other hand, the original RX100 starts out at 28mm while the Fuji gives you 25mm. I guess the main thing I want to give my friend advice about is autofocus performance in good and low light. Additional thoughts are welcome.

You're forgetting the aperture equivalent because of the larger sensor. The Sony is almost always a full stop better. Here is the chart from DPreview.
 
I have both a Fuji XQ1 and RX100ii. I take the XQ1 more often because it is less bulky and fits in my pocket. The RX100 I have to carry in a case on my belt. I'd give a slight edge to the Sony in image quality. (I've tested both in shooting the same scene.) The XQ1 will sometimes have trouble auto-focusing on something at the far horizon.

Doug

P.S. Here's a photo I shot with the XQ1 last summer in Minnesota:

15691809258_4ba1813e41_c.jpg
[/url]Vermillion_Lake by yourpaleddie, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
...I take the XQ1 more often because it is less bulky and fits in my pocket. ...

This, I think, is a key point in the oft-repeated "X vs. Y" debates. One man's bulky is another man's portable, it is true, but I simply know that I am more likely (in my case) to carry my Ricoh GR when out and about on a daily basis than my X20, purely because the former is more easy to carry than the latter due to it's "flat" form factor when powered down. I'm not talking about "going out to take photos" - then I'll carry what I want, or more precisely what I think I need. The best camera is the one you have with you, and that is what makes cameras such as the GR so useful, and so regularly used even in preference to other, more capable kit.
 
Back
Top