Sony RX100 and sensor dust

peterboulton

New Member
Hi,

I don't currently own an RX100 but am seriously considering buying a mark 1 model to compliment my Sony A700 DSLR (which I absolutely love!).

The only thing that is stopping me and making me think Panasonix LX7 instead, despite its smaller sensor / slightly inferior IQ, is the number of reports of sensor dust on the RX100 that my Googling has thrown up.

So, should I be worried? The RX100 would be a take-everywhere camera and I wouldn't want to be continuously concerned about the dust issue.

Is there any data available on the prevalence of this issue?

Thanks!

Pete
 
No data but just my personal experience. I've had an RX100 since July last year and haven't had a problem. I suspect the only people with data would be Sony and they're probably not sharing that info.
 
I'm still interested but...

No data but just my personal experience. I've had an RX100 since July last year and haven't had a problem. I suspect the only people with data would be Sony and they're probably not sharing that info.

Thanks Olli. I guess the lack of responses to date to this thread or the poll suggests that either RX100 owners are a disinterested lot (can't believe it!) or dust really is NOT a problem and the 'noise' I've picked up in my Google research is vastly disproportionate to the size of the issue.

Anyway, I took the plunge on the weekend and now have an RX100 (mk 1) on order. John Lewis (in UK) had it on offer for 360 GBP with a 2 year guarantee.

I'm really looking forward to the fantastic (and hopefully dust-free) IQ of this great camera!

Pete
 
I hadn't spotted this thread until now, but (gripping tightly on my wooden desk at this point) I can report no dust issues so far with my RX100 mk1.

Congratulations on your purchase, for £360 with a two year guarantee I don't think you can go wrong.

When I read about the sensor dust issue, one suggestion was that the dust particles were sometimes drawn into the camera as the lens barrel extends and retracts. I'm not sure about this theory, but it seems like a good idea to keep the RX100 in a protective case to keep out the weather and to protect it from bumps and scratches. My RX100 came with the two-part 'leather' case from Sony, but I far prefer the cheap nylon case with belt loop I bought subsequently.

I also recommend buying a second battery if you haven't done so already

-R
 
Had mine since a few weeks after the Mk 1 came out, Mostly it lives in a case but it has also sat on my desk for weeks on end uncovered, it has been in my jeans pockets, shirt pockets without it's case, been exposed to dusty environments
and still never had any dust issues on the sensor. If it looks like a smattering of dust around the camera usually a blow off is sufficient. You won't regret buying one. Another thing you might like to consider is the Franiec grip Richard Franiec's Camera Accessories for $34.95 (approx £21 or £22 UKP) it is one of the better grips which I feel makes a difference to handling.
 
Your welcome Pete, I've seen a couple of other makes and IMO this is the best grips by far and it still fits in the shirt pocket, neater looking too. You have to send to the USA for it, delivery took about a week. I always have the wrist strap wrapped around my wrist, that with the grip keeps things firm when pressing the shutter button.
 
Your welcome Pete, I've seen a couple of other makes and IMO this is the best grips by far and it still fits in the shirt pocket, neater looking too. You have to send to the USA for it, delivery took about a week. I always have the wrist strap wrapped around my wrist, that with the grip keeps things firm when pressing the shutter button.
I agree totally. I got the Franiec grip, it looks really nice and makes a huge difference to using the camera. I haven't seen a problem with sensor dust yet, although I too keep mine in a case on my belt whenever possible.
 
I'll also give a shout for the Franiec grip. It was the first thing I got (along with a spare battery). And you're right about the internet as a source of disproportionate noise on this issue (and so many others.)

Years ago I had a little Canon A520 Powershot. I took it with me when I moved to Tirana. Tirana a very dusty and dirty place (or was back then) and I carried this camera with me everywhere, nearly ever day, taking pictures for my blog. It worked faultlessly. At one point I came across a comment on a website about the 'E18' error allegedly afflicting vast numbers of Canon Powershot and Ixus cameras. This error had to do with the lens not extending or retracting properly. A quick search turned up site after site, page after page, claiming that this particular error was a fundamental flaw of just about every Powershot and Ixus model ever made and that Canon was in denial about the extent of the problem.

From time to time I asked friends and acquaintances who used Powershot cameras (quite a lot of people given their popularity) if they had ever encountered this problem. Nobody had, nor had anybody heard of it. No doubt there were a few cameras with this problem - this was a cheap, mass produced P&S that sold by the million - but courtesy of the echo chamber that is the internet it became a fundamental design flaw ready to afflict every owner out there.

While camera reviews are interesting, the review sites are often in a rush to get their review out as soon as possible and once one camera has been reviewed they move on to the next new shiny thing. It would be great if one of the professional review sites would commit to long term reviews, giving us updates after, say, six months of regular use. But it's the new shiny things that get the hits so I don't think that's ever going to happen.

Good luck with the new camera. Treat it well, look after it properly and I'm sure it will reward you.
 
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