Sony announced the new RX100 V and a6500 cameras at a press event in New York City. We take both cameras for a test drive in this hands-on video. The cameras both feature newly-designed sensors and incredibly fast capture rates.
You can read our coverage of the new cameras from our launch event report.
Here is our hands-on preview of both systems
Here are the key specifications of the new cameras
Sony R100 V
- RX100 with pro autofocus is being marketed as “Eyes Uncompromised” due to the camera’s ability to rapidly track a subject’s eyes.
- 1 inch, stacked CMOS with on sensor AF and 315 points, 65% of the sensor. The Lock speed is 0.05 lock seconds
- It’ll shoot at 24 fps, 150 shots for 6.3 seconds in RAW, with noise reduction; including 4K video and no pixel binning.
That means the focus system can keep up with the subject while shooting video and is about being in the moment and capturing it. The touchscreen can pull focus.
Sony a6500
The a6500 is similarly featured and is their new Alpha Series flagship, the 3rd model since the best-selling a6300. Features include
- 0.005 sec, AF speed 425 focus points, 11 fps, 5 axis image stabilization, 24.2 CMOS sensor; 11 fps for 20 seconds
- Touchscreen with quick replay
- ISO 51200 and 4K video oversampled to 6k
First impressions
After the launch of the RX100 V and a6500, the media gathered at Highline Studios in NYC to shoot with fifth generation of Sony’s popular Cybershot Camera. The a6500 isn’t ready yet, so the focus was on the RX100, and I shot with it in continuos mode until the cards were full and battery drained.
Impressed by the specs during the launch, the camera didn’t disappoint, but I wondered if 24fps capture in a compact camera is a key selling point for the average compact camera customer.
I also realized, I’d definitely NEVER miss my daughter’s big goal at her soccer matches either, and the camera is small enough to always be with me.
The biggest question to answer is, after spending more time with the camera, does it know what to do with all those focal points?
To get these shots of the belly dancers modeling at the Sony event, I set up the RX100 V with EYE-AF and it tracked well in the (ideal) studio conditions of the event but there are some clear misses in the focusing as the face detection snapped to the people in the background while the subject turned their head in the foreground. Due to the length of the event, we’re not sure if this is camera error or would have been solved with better choices of focus settings. We’re looking forward to extensive testing with this camera so we can stress the AF and capture speed of this device.
You can read our coverage of the press event here.
RX100V and Sony a6500 Shutter Speed Test Video
