It really wasn’t all that long ago that we were all still talking about the new A7R Mark II hitting stores when Sony dropped the A7S Mark II on us. Surprise! That was exactly a month ago and today, Sony kept the buzz alive with the announcement of the RX1R Mark II, the new version of their full-frame compact camera.
The RX1R Mark II replaces the RX1R‘s 24.3-megapixel full-frame EXMOR CMOS sensor with a new 42.4-megapixel full-frame EXMOR R BSI CMOS sensor, which is most likely the same or similar to the 42.4-megapixel full-frame EXMOR R BSI CMOS sensor in the A7RII. BSI, in case you don’t remember, means back side illuminated.
Sticking around for the revision is the excellent 35mm F2 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* lens but otherwise, most of the other hardware has been improved upon. Sony claims auto-focus speed is 30% faster than the original and there’s now an electronic viewfinder, a feature sorely missed in the original RX1. The EVF is borrowed from the RX100 IV, the same 2.36m dot XGA OLED screen that pops out of the top of the camera like a flash might.
Another interesting new feature is the variable low-pass filter, a world first. Many cameras in recent memory have ditched low-pass filters in favor of additional sharpness. The RX1R, for example, had no low-pass filter but low-pass filters have their advantages, especially when dealing with moire. Sony deals with this by allowing the user to select between off, standard and high settings for the RX1RII’s low-pass filter.
Another new addition is Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity. It seems pretty standard now but even in 2012 and 2013 when the RX1 and RX1R were released, it wasn’t in everything. Pairing is as easy as tapping your phone against the camera.
The RX1R Mark II arrives in November at an MSRP of $4199.99. For more info, check out the Sony press release below.
Sony Introduces New Palm-Sized RX1R II Camera with 42.4 MP Full-Frame Image Sensor
Sony’s Latest Premium Compact Features Back-Illuminated Full-Frame Sensor, ZEISS® Sonnar T* 35mm F2 Lens, High Speed AF, retractable XGA OLED Viewfinder and World’s First Optical Variable Low Pass Filter 1
TORONTO – Oct. 14, 2015 – Sony Electronics, a worldwide leader in digital imaging and the world’s largest image sensor manufacturer, has today introduced the latest addition to their acclaimed Cyber-shot RX compact camera line, the full-frame RX1R II (model DSC-RX1RM2).
Joining the original RX1 and RX1R cameras in the family of the world’s smallest full-frame cameras, the new RX1R II delivers the highest picture quality of any Sony compact camera ever made. This can largely be attributed to the new camera’s high resolution 42.4 MP sensor paired with its large aperture, fixed focal length ZEISS Sonnar T* 35mm F2 lens, which have been fine-tuned to optimize performance together.
Additionally, the new model features a 30% improvement in AF response speed compared to the original award-winning RX1 models and is equipped with the world’s first optical variable low pass filter that can be set to “off,” “standard” or “high” based on user preference, with low pass filter bracketing available. The camera also has a convenient retractable XGA OLED viewfinder for eye-level shooting, which has been implemented with minimal change in overall body size from its predecessors.
“The new RX1R II offers a combination of size and performance that has never before been realized in the world of compact cameras,” said Todd Toyoda, Director of Digital Imaging at Sony Canada. “We’re giving imaging enthusiasts and professionals the opportunity to enjoy a camera with one of the most powerful combinations of sensor and lens in market today that can easily fit in the palm of your hand. It’s simply the latest example of the progressive innovation that Sony is bringing to the world of imaging.”
Ultimate Image Quality in the Palm of Your Hand
The new RX1R II camera utilizes a back-illuminated 35mm full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor with approx. 42.4 effective megapixels paired with a powerful BIONZ X processing engine to achieve superior levels of image resolution and sensitivity (ISO 100-25600, expandable to 50 – 102400 2) with wide dynamic range. The sensor’s back-illuminated structure, with an expanded circuit scale and copper wiring design, enables faster transmission speed and outputs data approximately 3.5x faster than the original RX1R, ensuring high-speed performance.
Matched specifically for the image sensor, the large aperture 35mm F2 ZEISS Sonnar T* lens ensures that all images captured by the camera are impressively sharp from the center to the corners. The lens also has a unique Macro shift ring for focusing on subjects as close as 14cm in front of the lens and has nine aperture blades that produce smooth, even background defocus or ‘bokeh’ in the most commonly used aperture ranges.
Another unique benefit of the new camera is its fixed lens design, which allows the positioning of its sensor and lens to be precisely adjusted to maximize all benefits of the sensor’s extremely high resolution. The closer the two components are to one another, the wider the angle through which light can pass through the lens and directly reach the sensor, resulting in imagery that is rich in detail and resolution. Also, unlike the focal plane shutter common to interchangeable lens cameras, RX1R II utilizes an in-lens shutter, allowing 1/2000 sec flash synch speed and a significant reduction in overall body size.
The new RX1R II also offers uncompressed 14-bit RAW image capture to maximize the benefits of the image sensor’s wide dynamic range, while also still supporting existing compressed format.
High Speed AF to Capture the Decisive Moment
The RX1R II model is the first in Sony’s acclaimed RX line of compact cameras to feature Fast Hybrid AF capabilities. The camera’s sensor features 399 focal-plane phase-detection AF points that cover about 45% of the image area – the world’s widest AF coverage on a full-frame sensor 1– that work together with 25 contrast AF points to achieve focus response that is about 30% faster than the original model. Additionally, the camera has adapted an advanced motion-detection algorithm that offers superior tracking performance of moving subjects and allows for the addition of AF-C mode that accurately tracks a subject after focusing. It also can achieve up to 5fps continuous shooting with AF tracking.
Other focusing improvements on the new model include multiple AF area settings including Wide, Center and Flexible Spot and Expand Flexible Spot. The camera also has Eye AF and lock-on AF.
World’s First Optical Variable Low Pass Filter
In a first for digital cameras, the RX1R II features an optical variable low pass filter that allows shooters to manually adjust the balance of image resolution and presence of moiré or colour artifacts to match the subject.
The three settings for the low-pass filter 3 include “off,” which provides comparable effects to having no low-pass filter and is suitable when prioritizing resolution, “standard,” which strikes a balance between resolution and removal of moiré and colour artifacts, and “high,” which places more emphasis on reducing moiré and artifacting. This unique feature allows photographers to achieve the desired image quality and resolution based on the presence of moiré-inducing high spatial frequency objects in the scene, essentially combining two cameras – one with and without a low-pass filter – into one body. Low-pass filter bracketing is also available and can be used to compare the effects of different settings.
New Retractable XGA OLED Viewfinder, Tiltable Screen, HD Video and more
New for the RX1 series, the RX1R II has a built-in retractable 2.4 million dot XGA OLED Tru-Finder that pops up and down with simple one-push operation. The viewfinder features ZEISS T* Coating and four glass elements including two aspherical lenses that work together to deliver a magnification of 0.74x 4 and clear corner-to-corner visibility with minimal distortion. The new camera also has a 3.0 type WhiteMagic™ 1.2 million dot LCD display that can tilt upwards up to 109 degrees and downwards up to 41 degrees, allowing for a greater range of shooting angles and positions.
On the video side, the camera’s advanced sensor and processor deliver exceptionally detailed movies with low levels of noise. It is able to support full HD 1920×1080 video recording at frame rates of 60p, 30p or 24p through use of the versatile XAVC S movie recording format 5.
The new RX1R II camera is also Wi-Fi®and NFC compatible and fully functional with Sony’s PlayMemories Mobile™ application available for Android™and iOS platforms, as well as Sony’s growing range of PlayMemories Camera Apps™.
A new version of the popular “Smart Remote Control” app (version 4.0) from PlayMemories Camera Apps, which enables remote shooting from a connected smartphone, will be released that features updated bulb and continuous shooting functionality to match the new camera. Learn more at www.sony.net/pmca.
Pricing and Availability
The Sony RX1R II full-frame compact camera will be available in November for $4,199.99 CAD at Sony authorized dealers across Canada. There is also a new camera case (model LCJ-RXH) that will be available at launch that fits snugly on the new RX1R II as well as the original RX1 and RX1R models.
A series of exciting new content shot with the RX1R II camera can be found at www.alphauniverse.com, Sony’s new community site built to educate, inspire and showcase all fans and customers of the Sony imaging brand.