Sony RX 100M5

[mavmskyb8]

Hi Guys- I'm interested in videoing some of my hunting and fishing escapades. I spoke with a gentleman at a local fly shop I frequent, and he was all fired up on how good the above mention camera is. Do any of you have any experience with this camera? Positives and negatives?

Thanks,
Bret

 

[Matt Cashell]

It is the best compact 1” sensor compact available right now, IMO.

Great sensor, sharp lens, and pdaf on sensor for good video AF. It also works well for digiscoping.

I run the m3 and would love the improve video AF.

The negative is you have to digiscope for telephoto focal lengths.

Another option, The RX10m4, is a great versatile camera that also has awesome telephoto capabilities, but is not suited for digiscoping.

These two cameras have excellent video capabilities.

 

[COlineman78]

Echo what Matt said. The most important thing to reiterate is that you're dropping $700-900 on a camera that can't zoom more than like 2.5x; so if that bothers you you should look at the a6000 series or higher. The a6000 with a 20mm pancake lens isn't that much bigger.

I have the RX100M3 and have been very happy with it, especially in low light. The autofocus on the III is not great but that's supposed to be much better in the V.

RX100M3 Samples - Google Photos

 

[mavmskyb8]

Those are some awesome pics! I'm totally camera illiterate, but those are nice pics. Does the RX100M3 shoot video? What is the zoom on the M3?

 

[Matt Cashell]

The lenses are similar, but the video quality, resolution, and autofocus are noticeably better on the M5.

 

[COlineman78]

The M3 doesn't shoot 4k or slow mo (high frame rate) and the autofocus sucks. As Matt said, the lens and sensor are practically the same, but you get a lot better computing power. When I do a 30 sec exposure it takes another 20-30 seconds to process the image before I can take another one. Also, the EVF is higher resolution on the M4 and M5 IIRC.

There is really no reason to go with the 4 or 5 over the 3 if you aren't shooting video, but if you're looking to do video there are a lot of appealing upgrades to make the upgrade worth considering.

 

[COlineman78]

Those are some awesome pics! I'm totally camera illiterate, but those are nice pics. Does the RX100M3 shoot video? What is the zoom on the M3?

Listen to the KifaruCast podcasts on photography (3 parts) and you'll get a rednecked down version of the basics.

Kifarucast - Photo Series Part 1 | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
Kifarucast - Photo Series Part 2 | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
Kifarucast - Photo Series 2.5 | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
Kifarucast - Photo Series Part 3 | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand

The M3 and M5 both max out at about 2.9x max optical zoom (70mm equiv). If you notice on the picture of the golden eagle in those samples, I simply couldn't get close enough to get a good picture. We were in a boat and were about as close as he was gonna let us get. The other thing to consider is zooming in at all drops it from a fast 1.8 to a 2.8, which will hurt your low light performance.

 

[Camera Land]

The great thing about the Rx100 is the size and the fast lens. If you are not looking for long telephoto shots then the RX100 Mk 5 is the best option. If size is not an issue and as you said, you are camera illiterate, then the RX10 MK4 is a great option as well. big soom, fast lens and just amazing images and video.
As always we will make the price right for the forum members. Feel free to give me a call with any questions.