Sony RX100 III: A Great Everyday Camera
I recently purchased a Sony RX100 III as an "everyday" camera. My Nikon DSLR is still my go-to camera for most shooting situations, but it's too heavy to lug around all the time. The RX100 III is a great little camera. The first generation RX100 made waves when it first came out. It packs a 20MP 1'' CMOS sensor, which is small compared to DSLR sensors but fairly large for a point-and-shoot. The lens is 28-70mm (35mm equivalent) with a maximum aperture of f1.8. This is a fairly wide lens, which is what I typically look for since I shoot mostly landscapes. The fast maximum aperture helps make up for the inherent noise issues associated with a small sensor by letting in a lot of light.
The RX100 III comes packed with numerous bells and whistles. The 3 inch rear display tilts both up and down for shooting different angles. It also flips 180 degrees up for those interested in taking selfies. It also has a built in pop-up electronic viewfinder. I don't find EVF's that great, but it can be useful in bright situations. The camera has full manual controls and a super smooth ring around the lens that can be used to adjust a variety of functions. Finally, it has wifi built in so you can easily get your photos onto your smartphone while in the field.
One of my favorite aspects of the RX100 III is the full manual control and great image quality. You can throw the camera into full auto and hand the camera to a complete novice for true point-and-shoot photography. On the other hand, the full manual control is great for the serious photographer. The camera shoots RAW which is a must have for those interested in post-processing their images. Additionally, the image quality is impressive and at low-ISO the camera is capable of capturing great dynamic range.
I will post a full review of the camera in a few weeks. But if you are looking for a pocketable yet powerful camera I would give the Sony RX100 III serious consideration. The Sony RX100 III currently runs for $798, if you don't want to spend that much money the Sony RX100 sells for $498 and the Sony RX100 II is currently selling for $598. All three are great cameras.
