Fairly recently I covered the subject of the battle between mobile phone
photography and compact camera photography results. The results were as could be
expected - the mobile phone pictures were instant, immediate, and looked great,
whilst the compact camera photos were sharper, better saturated and again were
‘instant’ - provided you took your camera with you. And that is one of the prime
differences. Everyone carries a mobile phone these days at all times, but to
carry a camera means commitment.
To withstand the onslaught of the mobile phone, iPad or
whatever, the dedicated camera manufacturers have had to lift their game, and
this has meant zoom lenses with a greater range, while at the same time
producing sharper pictures with higher resolution.
The latest to present their offering is Sony with the RX100.
This camera is getting rave reviews, so looking out for one might be a good
idea, if it is as good as it is claimed. Mind you, I am not talking about the
manufacturer’s claims, I am talking about camera magazine reviews. One reviewer
even went so far as to say it was “the best pocket camera ever made.” He went on
to write, “No photos this good have ever come from a camera this small.”
The technology that Sony has packed into this pocket camera
includes a very large (one inch) sensor. That is coming up to low end SLR
specifications, and much larger than previous compact cameras.
The advantage of the big sensor is less grain in low light,
better color depth and great dynamic range (the spectrum from darkest to
lightest). This comes from the increased number of pixels on the larger sensor.
This sensor also makes it easy for the amateur photographer to attain that sharp
focus foreground subject in front of an out of focus soft background.
I have written many times that the final arbiter in producing
sharp pictures comes down to the standard of the glass being used in the front
of the camera. The RX100 has a Carl Zeiss lens, which has a maximum aperture of
f/1.8. That’s the widest aperture you can buy on a pocket camera. Another
optical factor in the sharp foreground and soft backgrounds and the ability to
get good images in low light.
According to those who have tried this camera (not due for
release till later this month, though Thailand may get it later next year), the
claims are for extreme details, great color range with depth and clarity, a
‘burst’ mode of 10 frames per second (yes 10!) and a macro setting allowing you
to get down to five centimeters, whilst most SLR’s can’t get any closer than 25
centimeters from the subject.
What may put some people off this camera are the various
“gimmicky” electronic features like an SLR, with automated modes. These include
Illustration (turns the photo into a colorful line drawing), High Dynamic Range
Painting and the Auto Crop which creates a duplicate of your portrait, cropped
in what it considers a better way. And Sweep Panorama. You swing the camera
around you in an arc, pressing the shutter button the whole time. When you stop,
there, on your screen, is a finished, seamless, 220-degree panorama. It’s the
ultimate ‘wide-angle’ lens. One feature which will endear itself to the female
Thai population are the two methods of producing “selfies”. You can set a timer
as usual, or use its smarter mode, in which the camera waits until it sees the
photographer’s face in the frame, after which it shoots a self portrait every
three seconds until your face leaves the viewfinder.
There is no eye-level viewfinder (an item I enjoy, much more
than the screen), but again it is claimed that by placing an extra white pixel
in with every red, green and blue, the screen remains clear and viewable even in
bright sunshine.
The lens ring controls the zoom, focus, exposure and
aperture, so keeps many functions easily under your control. There is no ‘click’
between the settings, something that can make aperture a little hit and miss,
for example.
The price in Australia is $650, which is not cheap for a
pocket camera.
|
Live the happy life you planned! Richard L.
Fellner is head of the Pattaya Counseling Center in Soi Khopai and
offers consultations in English and German languages (after making
appointments at 0854 370 470). |
