Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III

Sony has unveiled the Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III, surpassing the zoom range of its predecessor with a 24-600mm equiv. F2.4-4 lens. The camera uses the same 1"-type stacked CMOS sensor which produces 20MP stills as well as 4K/UHD video, and does not replace the RX10 II, which continues in Sony's lineup.

The RX10 III's sizable lens makes room for aperture, focus and zoom rings, as well as a focus hold button. The camera offers an XGA OLED EVF with 2.36 million dots, as well as a tilting LCD. The body is dust and moisture resistant. Sony claims that its SteadyShot stabilization system offers up to 4.5 stops of benefit.

An updated shutter provides a fast read-out 'anti-distortion' electronic shutter up to 1/32,000sec as well as a silent shooting mode. Wi-Fi and NFC have also come along for the ride.





Movie capabilities

Like the RX10 II, the RX10 III features a solid video specification; offering 4K video from 1.7X oversampled, full pixel readout (without binning). The camera also offers seven of the video-centric Picture Profile modes that give fine-grained control over the camera's tonal and color responses. These include the very flat S-Log2 gamma curve for capturing wide dynamic range footage if you're planning to color grade during the post-processing phase. The RX10 III gains 'Gamma Display Assist' which gives a corrected preview when shooting with S-Log2.

Like the RX10 II, the III includes both a mic input socket for using an external mic and a headphone jack for monitoring that recorded audio. It also offers the high frame rate 'HFR' videos modes that capture footage at up to 960 fps (albeit at reduced resolutions) and then play it back as 1080p/24.

Reach and speed

The RX10 III's lens offers both speed and reach. At the long end of its zoom, it's around 0.4EV brighter than its 1"-type sensor rivals. At 600mm equivalent it's still able to open as wide as F4, making it a stop faster than the Canon PowerShot G3X while also being significantly longer than the FZ1000, whose zoom only reaches out to 400mm equivalent.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III will sell for around $1500, a $200 premium over the existing RX10 II.