Sony's New RX1R III: A Compact Powerhouse for Photographers

Sony has just introduced the RX1R III, a compact camera that packs a punch. It's been a decade since the last model, and this one comes with a whopping 61MP sensor. That's right, a lot of megapixels in a small package. The camera is designed to be lightweight and easy to carry around, making it perfect for street photographers and serious hobbyists.

Compact Yet Powerful

The RX1R III is smaller and lighter than its competitors, like the Leica Q3 and the Fujifilm GFX100RF. This is thanks to its Zeiss Sonnar T 35mm f2 lens, which is partially tucked inside the body. Despite its compact size, the lens delivers sharp images with vibrant colors. It also has a macro ring for close-up shots and a new "Step Crop Shooting" feature that lets you switch between 35mm, 50mm, and 70mm focal lengths.

Impressive Image Quality

With up to 15 stops of dynamic range, this camera captures a lot of detail in both bright and dark areas. It has an anti-reflection coating and no optical low-pass filter, which boosts image quality but might cause some moire and artifacts. The continuous shooting speed is 5 fps, which is not great for fast action but fine for most other types of photography.

Viewfinder and Display

The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is decent but not the best, with 2.36 million dots and 0.7x magnification. The rear screen has 2 million dots of resolution. Unlike the previous model, the EVF is fixed to save weight and size. The camera also lacks in-body or optical stabilization, relying solely on electronic stabilization.

Advanced Processing and Autofocus

Sony's latest Bionz XR and AI processors are built into the RX1R III. They promise accurate tracking of subjects, even if their faces aren't visible. The camera uses 693 phase-detection AF points covering around 78 percent of the image, similar to Sony's A7R V.

Video Capabilities

When it comes to video, the RX1R III is not as powerful as the A7R V but still handles 4K 30 fps video with 10-bit 4:2:2 color sampling. It also supports 1080p video at up to 120 fps. There's no log mode, but it does have the log-like S-Cinetone that boosts dynamic range. Other features include a single SDXC UHS II slot, a mic input, a microHDMI port, and a USB-C input.

Pricing and Accessories

Now, let's talk about the price. The RX1R III is not cheap, with a pre-order price of $5,100. Shipping starts on July 31st. Sony also offers a range of accessories, like a $300 thumb grip, a $250 body case, and a $200 lens hood. Yes, you read that right, $300 for a thumb grip!