Sony RX1R and RX100 Mark II Q&A

RX1R vs RX100M II Size Comparison

Sony RX1R and RX100 Mark II Question and Answer Session

Sony and Amazon teamed up to gather question from google+, twitter, amazon, and the rest of the social media world to coincide with the release of the Sony RX1R and the RX100M II. Both can be pre-ordered from Amazon by clicking on their images below. Set aside an hour and learn more about the RX1R and RX100M II.

Sony RX1R Full Frame Compact Anti-Alias Filter Removed Camera

Sony RX100M II PocketSized Zoom NFC Enabled Camera

Fotodiox Vizelex RhinoCam for NEX Cameras

Sony NEX-5N with a Hasselblad 50mm Distagon via RhinoCam
Photo by PCMag"

The RhinoCam allows us to use NEX E-mount cameras with medium format lenses. The RhinoCam has lens adapters for Pentax 645, Mamiya 645, or Hasselblad V lenses. The NEX is mounted on a shift mount while the lens is fixed. The NEX is then shifted to cover the image circle projected by the medium format lens. Each image is then stitched by an imaging software.

Here's an in-depth video walk through of the RhinoCam.

Vizelex RhinoCam Quick Start Guide

Check out PCMag's review of the RhinoCam.

Click here for more information on the Vizelex RhinoCam at Fotodiox.com.

Sony RX1R Removes Anti-Alias Filter

Sony Cybershot RX1R Full Frame Sensor

Sony RX1R Hands On with Olivia

The Sony Cybershot RX1R, R = resolution, takes away the Sony RX1's optical low pass (anti-alias) filter to improve resolution. Other cameras that offer AA less cameras are Leica, Nikon, and Ricoh. The RX1R and RX1 will co-exist and share the same accessories.

Here is the Sony RX1R press release.

A new sister version of Sony’s acclaimed Cyber-shot™ RX1 full-frame compact camera satisfies the most critical photographer’s hunger for sharper, more detailed pictures.

Building on the awesome imaging power of the RX1, the RX1R takes pixel-perfect picture quality to new heights. The model’s ‘R’ suffix denotes a further improvement in the pocket-sized camera’s already spectacular resolution.

In common with many DSLR cameras, the original Cyber-shot™ RX1 features an optical low-pass filter (OLPF) in front of the sensor to suppress unwanted moiré and colour artefacts. The enthusiast-oriented RX1R removes this low-pass filter, guaranteeing flawless capture of fine details without any blurring or dispersion. To compensate for the OLPF’s removal, the camera’s processing functions have been optimised to maintain image sharpness without compromising lens/sensor performance*.

Bringing new levels of realism to landscapes and other finely-detailed subjects, the modified edition RX1R lets photo enthusiasts express their creativity with unprecedented clarity. While weight and dimensions remain the same as the ground-breaking RX1, the special edition RX1R adds other refinements to suit discerning photographers.

In addition, compatibility with TRILUMINOS Colour technology ensures even richer, more natural colours when viewing stills and video on the new generation of BRAVIA televisions featuring TRILUMINOS Display. Videographers can also add an optional stereo microphone, allowing Full HD movie soundtracks to be captured with even greater clarity.

Introduced in September 2012, the Cyber-shot™ DSC-RX1 is world’s first compact fixed-lens camera with a 35mm full-frame 24.3 effective megapixel sensor. It’s already won several prestigious European accolades, including ‘Best Premium Camera’ in the 2013 Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) Awards. Read the Cyber-shot™ DSC-RX1 press release (12 September 2012) here.

* Moire and/or colour artifacts may be visible in some photographic situations. Colour reproduction performance is the same as the RX1.

Sony RX1R and its fixed Carl Zeiss 35mm f/2 Sonnar

The Sony Cybershot RX1R is available for pre-order for $2798 and will be available on July 26.

Carl Zeiss Touit 12mm Distagon and Miami

Delano Hotel South Beach

Here are some shots from the Zeiss Touit 12mm Distagon from Miami. It was a quick trip and the weather did not cooperate. The 12mm Touit is a nice match for the NEX-7 due to its lightweight design yet being so well built. The lens was glued to the NEX-7 for most of the trip. The 18mm FOV will take more practice since it's such a wide perspective.

Car Inside Trump Sunny Isles

La Sandwicherie South Beach

Mac's Club Deuce

Airport Code: EWR

Zeiss Touit 12mm Lens in Istanbul Not Constantinople

The plan: spend the 5 hr layover in Istanbul Ataturk Airport to visit the Asian side of Istanbul by ferry.

The plan was devised by my friend and I with no planning. Our other companions stayed behind and wished us luck since we needed it. First one needs a $20 visa to enter Turkey, this took 15 minutes. Next was the passport check line, this took 25 minutes - we have 4 hrs and 20 mins left before our plane left to our final destination. The easiest way to get into Istanbul is by the Metro. We had to take the Subway then the tram to the ferry. Luckily we had no map and were depending on strangers to get us to our destination. We arrived at the ferry one hour later with no complications except for the slow and jam packed tram - 3 hrs and 20 mins to go.

And the problems began. We were told that the ferry was free - it was not. We had to scramble to get tokens - where did the Turkish Liras go? We were rushing to catch the next ferry, and did not confirm its destination. We boarded and waited for 5 mins for the ferry to launch. We saw the Asian side to the left of us, and it stayed to the left of us. The ferry took 15 mins to arrive at its destination which was still the European side of Istanbul - oops. We had no choice but to retrace our steps back to the airport. We finally acquired a map and saw where we went wrong. We took the wrong ferry. The ferry fiasco took 40 mins - 2 hrs and 40 mins left.

We missed the first tram back - 10 mins wait. We got on the next one and slowly countdown the stops in order not to miss the transfer to the subway. It always felt faster returning but this time it did not. Everything was new and we didn't notice how close the tram was to the people and the sidewalks - did we get on the right tram? We did as confirmed by the tram map. We transfer to the subway and get back into the airport - one hour gone, 1 hr 30 min left.

We had to go through two security checks - one has not seen a film camera before. We also had to go through the passport / visa check again and ran through the airport. We checked the flight status boards and saw that our flight was blinking red - FINAL CALL. We arrived at our gate with 10 mins before take off and the airline ticket attendants questioned us. A special screener was assigned to my friend since he had no checked in luggage. We eventually boarded the plane with cheers and jeers from our companions. It was a good yet unsuccessful adventure on a nice day in Istanbul not Constantinople.

Here are a few photos I managed to snap with the new Carl Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 Distagon lens on the NEX-7. I was hoping I had more time to shoot but this was low on our priority list. The camera was on Aperture Priority and Autofocus.

How Zeiss Touit Lenses Are Made

Manufacturing of Zeiss Touit Lenses for NEX Cameras

One Hundred Pieces Hand Assembled

Carl Zeiss shows the time and care invested into each Zeiss Touit lens for your NEX Camera.

Zeiss Touit Press Event Coverage

Zeiss 12mm f/2.8 Touit with the Voigtlander 12mm f/5.6

Here's what we learned from the Zeiss Touit Lens press event yesterday.

• Zeiss sees the Compact System Camera on an upward trend while the DSLR market peaking.
• More Touit lenses will be announced within 12-24 months.
• The 50mm f/2.8 macro will be announced this fall.
• The lenses are much lighter than they appear.
• The focus ring is well damped.
• The lenses are designed to work with the latest NEX firmware.
• The 12mm Distagon and the 32mm Planar will be available early June.
• The 12mm and 32mm MTF charts are posted below.

Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 Lens MTF Chart

Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 Lens MTF Chart

Thank you Richard, Nicole, and Tobias!

Pre-order your Touit Lenses at Unique Photo.

Zeiss Touit Lenses Explained by Dr. Pollmann

Compact Lens for a Compact NEX System

Dr. Michael Pollmann Carl Zeiss Program Manager discusses the Touit Lens Line.

Here is Dr. Pollmann of Carl Zeiss discussing the Touit lens concept. The Touit autofocus lenses are designed for NEX cameras as was the Zeiss 24mm Sonnar. With the introduction of the Touit line, NEX owners have access to Zeiss' legendary lens designs, Distagon, Planar, and Sonnar. The first Touit lenses will be available around June.

Inner Workings of a Zeiss Touit Lens

Pre-order the Zeiss Touit lenses from Unique Photo.

Zeiss Touit Lenses for NEX Cameras

Carl Zeiss Touit 32mm Planar

Touit, pronounced "do it," is the new name of Carl Zeiss autofocus lenses for NEX cameras. There will initially be three Touit lenses, 12mm, 32mm, and 50mm. They are expected to be available by the summer.

From the Carl Zeiss camera lens blog:

Touit is pronounced like the English “do it.” Touit stands for good visibility, agility, mobility and diversity, qualities which also aptly describe the new ZEISS lenses for mirrorless camera systems. The name Touit comes from the band-tailed parrots. This bird is very small and agile, and its plumage is deep green. The Touit parrots live in Latin America and the Caribbean in a wide range of different habitats, from damp-tropical island regions to lowland rainforests to thorn-bush savannas and even high in the Andes Mountains at altitudes of up to over 20,000 feet.

Please check our previous post for details on the three Touit lenses from Carl Zeiss.

Carl Zeiss Touit 32mm Planar mounted on Sony NEX-7

Carl Zeiss Touit 12mm Distagon

More info about the genus touit from wikipedia.

Thanks Carl Zeiss!

Sony DSC-RX100 $488 For Military Personnel

If you are in the US Military you can pick up the Sony DSC-RX100 at the AAFES for $488. The AAFES price is $575 and with the "x2175vip" code the final price will be 15% less.

Voigtlander 21mm Ultron Aspherical on Sony NEX-7

NEX-7 with Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 Ultron via Novoflex Leica M to E-mount adapter.

TechTalk with Ron Sheffler tested the new Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 Aspherical Ultron against three other Leica M 21mm lenses on the Leica M9. He also used the lenses on the Sony NEX-7 and found that the Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 the best at farther distances and large apertures. The Leica 21 f/3.4 Super Elmar-M came in second, the Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Biogon in third, and the Leica 21 f/1.4 Summilux at the back of the pack. At f/4 all the lenses performed equally well on the NEX-7's APS-C sensor.

Here are some samples from the NEX-7 and the Voigtlander 21mm wide open at f/1.8. You can see more samples at TechTalk.

Sample Images from NEX-7 with Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8

Check out TechTalk with Ron Sheffler for an extensive review and comparison between the four 21mm Leica M mount lenses mentioned above. There are also plenty of sample images from the Leica M9 with the lenses.

Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 provides an equivalent field of view of 32mm on the NEX sensor.

Images courtesy of ronsheffler.com.

Thanks Ron S!

Contax G to Sony NEX Autofocus Adapter

DEO Techart Contax G to E-mount AF Adapter by MX Camera.

Contax G rangefinder fans take a seat. Your autofocus lenses have been brought back to life with an upcoming Sony NEX E-mount autofocus adapter. The video above from MX Camera shows the NEX-7 controlling the Contax G 45mm f/2 lens in autofocus mode. We hope to discover more about this adapter soon. We'll have to wait two weeks.

We have the manual focus adapter for Contax G lenses and we love the images that come from the lenses by Carl Zeiss.

Taken with a Contax G 90mm on Sony NEX-7.

New Sony DSC-RX1 Sample Shots

Sony DSC-RX1 Sample Images Slideshow from Sony Electronics

Sony RX1 with Zeiss 35mm f/2 Sonnar Lens Sample Images from Sony

We posted the first Sony DSC-RX1 sample images two weeks ago and now Sony Electronics has published more samples from the full frame, fixed lens, compact wonder. The images seem to be jpegs straight from the DSC-RX1. They show very nice out of focus rendering, minimal artifacts at high iso, and great lens performance from the autofocus Zeiss 35mm f/2 Sonnar lens.

Sony RX1 Bokeh

Sony RX1 at f/4 ISO 100

Sony RX1 ISO 6400 Sample

Pre order your Sony DSC-RX1 for a December 19, 2012 ship date.

Thanks Sony!

Zeiss 12mm 32mm 50mm for NEX Cameras

32mm f/1.8 Zeiss Planar Autofocus Lens on the Sony NEX-7
(rendered)

Here is more good news from Photokina 2012. Zeiss will expand their line of E-mount autofocus lenses from 1 to 4 by summer of 2013. Here is what we know so far about the new Zeiss lenses:

• Optimized for APS-C sensors and made in E-mount.
• Focal lenghts to be offered:
• 12mm f/2.8 Distagon (18mm efov) ø67mm filter
• 32mm f/1.8 Planar (48mm efov) ø52mm filter
• 50mm f/2.8 macro (75mm efov)
• Zoom lenses are being considered.
• Autofocus with manual override.
• High quality and lightness are driving factors.
• Each lens will be comparable in price to the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 ZA E lens, around £1000.
• Made in Japan.

We were off by a few mms on the focal lengths when we posted about this a ten days ago. The prototype lenses will be on display at the Zeiss booth at Photokina.

Here is the interview with Carl Zeiss' Dr. Pollman with respect to the new Zeiss lenses for Sony NEX cameras.

Video from Zeiss booth at Photokina 2012

RX1 35mm Sonnar Lens MTF Chart

Sony RX1 35mm Zeiss Sonnar Autoocus Lens

Sony RX1 35mm Sonnar Lens MTF Chart
at f/2 and f/8; 10 and 30 lp/mm

Here is the calculated MTF Chart for the 35mm f/2 Sonnar lens on the Sony DSC-RX1. We will try go give a quick explanation of the RX1 MTF charts above. The red lines show how well contrast will be reproduced by the lens. The green lines show sharpness or resolving power of the lens. The higher on the chart the better. The horizontal axis represents the point from the center of the lens. This tells us the corner performance of the lens.

The Sony's RX1 35mm Zeiss Sonnar lens as described in the press release:

Complementing the full-frame sensor is a fast, bright Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* lens with a fixed focal length of 35mm – a versatile choice for portraits, street photography and everyday shooting. Recordable dynamic range is reduced at sensitivity levels below ISO100. Full-frame Image Sensor APS-C Image Sensor3 Derived from the German word “Sonne” (“sun”), the Sonnar name reflects the ability of the lens to capture as much light as possible. This premium lens features newly designed optics including an Advanced Aspherical (AA) glass element. This contributes to the camera‟s extremely compact palm-sized dimensions while keeping extremely high performance of the lens.

The lens‟s wide F2 maximum aperture and 9-bladed circular aperture enable beautiful "bokeh‟ (defocus) effects. A Macro switching ring on the lens barrel instantly shortens minimum focusing distance to just 20cm (from image plane), making the Cyber-shot RX1 ideal for capturing small close-up subjects with exquisite detail.

Below are actual measured MTF charts for the other 35mm f/2 compact lenses, the Zeiss Biogon and the Leica Summicron. Calculated and measured mtf charts should not be compared but we wanted to see what the Sony and Zeiss engineers were targeting when they designed the 35mm Sonnar lens for the RX1.

Zeiss 35mm Biogon ZM Lens MTF Chart
at f/2 and f/4; 10, 20 and 40 cycles/mm

Leica 35mm Summicron MTF Chart
at f/2 and f/5.6; 5, 10, 20 and 40 lp/mm

The MTF Chart for the Sony DSC-RX1 is from the Sony Hong Kong RX1 Press Releasewhich contains a lot more information about the new RX1.

MTF Charts Explained by Carl Zeiss AG.

Sony RX1 Hands On Video and Specs

Sony targeted the smallest package which can house a full-frame 24x36mm sensor and the result is the Sony DSC-RX1.

Features

• 24x36mm Full Frame Sensor
• Fixed Zeiss 35mm f/2 Sonnar Autofocus Lens
• Aperture Ring
• Macro Mode
• Threaded Cable Release
• 50-102400 ISO
• Multi-interface ISO hot shoe
• Electronic or Optical Viewfinder
• AVCHD 1080p / 24p-60i-60p
• Mic Input
• PlayMemories Lite Edition Software
• Pre order now for $2800 for a December delivery.

Sony DSC-RX1 with Zeiss 35mm Viewfinder and Thumb grip

Sony DSC-RX1 Sample Video

Size Comparison RX100 vs RX1 vs NEX-7

Sony DSC-RX1 with tilting FDA-EV1MK electronic viewfinder

Rear View of the Sony RX1

Sony DSC-RX1 Specifications

Model	DSC-RX1
Image Sensor	35mm full-frame (35.8mm × 23.9mm) Exmor CMOS Sensor, aspect ratio 3:2 (Effective resolution) Approx. 24.3 megapixels (Gross resolution) Approx. 24.7 megapixels
Lens	Carl Zeiss Sonnar T*, 8 elements in 7 groups (3 aspherical elements including AA lens); maximum aperture F2; focal length = 35mm (Still Image 3:2)
Zoom	Clear Image Zoom (still image): 2x Digital Zoom (still image): 24M approx. 4x / 10M approx. 6.1x / 4.6M approx. 9.1x
Screen	7.5cm (3.0 type) (4:3) / 1,229,000 dots / Xtra Fine / TFT LCD
Image stabilisation	Electronic type (for movie)
Focus Type	Contrast detection AF
Focus modes	Single-shot AF (AF-S) / Continuous AF (AF-C) / Direct Manual Focus (DMF) / Manual Focus (MF)
Focus area	Multi point AF (25 points) / Centre weighted AF / Flexible spot / Flexible spot (tracking focus) / Flexible spot (face tracking)
Light Metering Mode	Multi segment / Centre weighted / Spot
White Balance Mode	Auto/Daylight/Shade/Cloudy/Incandescent/Fluor (Warm White)/Fluor (Cool White)/Fluor (Day White)/Fluor (Daylight)/Flash/C. Temp./C.Filter/Custom
Shutter Speed	Program Auto (30-1/2000) / Aperture Priority (30-1/2000) / Shutter Priority (30-1/2000) / Manual (Bulb, 30-1/2000)
Sensitivity (still image)	ISO 100-25600 (1/3 EV step, expandable to ISO 50/64/80) Auto: ISO 100-25600, selectable with upper / lower limit Multi Frame NR: Auto (ISO 100-25600, selectable with upper / lower limit), 100-102400 (1EV step)
Continuous shooting	Speed Priority Continuous Mode: Approx.5 fps Continuous mode: 2.5 fps (AF-S)
Image Control	Creative Style, Quality (RAW/RAW&JPEG/Extra fine/Fine/Standard), Long Exposure NR (On/Off), High ISO NR (Normal/Low/off), Multi Frame NR
Shooting modes	Program Auto (Program shift available), Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, MR (Memory Recall) 1 / 2 / 3, Movie, Sweep shooting, Scene Selection, Intelligent Auto
Creative Style modes	Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Clear, Deep, Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Autumn Leaves, Black & White, Sepia
Picture Effect modes	Toy Camera, Pop Colour, Posterisation, Retro Photo, Soft High-key, Partial Colour, High Contrast Monochrome, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Monochrome, Miniature, Watercolour, Illustration
Flash	GN6 (in metres at ISO 100); Flash modes Auto/Fill-flash/Slow Sync/Rear Sync/Off/Wireless
Other Shooting functions	Smart Teleconverter (approx. 1.4x / 2x), Face Detection, Face Registration, Smile Shutter, Quick Navi, Grid Line, Digital Level Gauge (pitch and roll), Exposure Bracketing, White Balance Bracketing, DRO Bracketing, Flash Bracketing, Peaking, MF Assist, Auto Portrait Framing
Recording format	Still Image: JPEG, RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format) Movie: AVCHD Ver.2.0, MP4
Number of recorded pixels (still image size)	[3:2] L: 24M (6000 x 4000) / M: 10M (3936 x 2624) / S: 4.6M (2640 x1760) [16:9] L: 20M (6000 x 3376) / M: 8.7M (3936 x 2216) / S: 3.9M (2640 x 1488) [Sweep Panorama] Standard (3872 x 2160/8192 x 1856) / Wide (5536 x 2160/12416 x 1856)
Movie record	PAL/NTSC Selector: [PAL] mode AVCHD: 28M PS (1920x1080, 50p) / 24M FX (1920x1080, 50i) / 17M FH (1920x1080, 50i), 24M FX (1920x1080, 25p) / 17M FH (1920x1080, 25p) MP4: 12M (1440x1080, 25p) / 3M (VGA 640x480, 25p) PAL/NTSC Selector: [NTSC] mode AVCHD: 28M PS (1920x1080, 60p) / 24M FX (1920x1080, 60i) / 17M FH (1920x1080, 60i), 24M FX (1920x1080, 24p) / 17M FH (1920x1080, 24p) MP4: 12M (1440x1080, 30p) / 3M (VGA 640x480, 30p)
Battery life	[Still Image] Approx. 220 / Approx. 110 min. (LCD brightness level: max.), Approx. 270 / Approx. 135 min. (LCD brightness level: standard) – CIPA standard compliant [Movie] Approx. 30 min.(Actual usage) / Approx. 60 min. (Continuous movie recording) - Shooting movies continuously with factory preset mode. The size of a movie file is limited to approx. 2GB (MP4).
Dimensions (WxHxD)	Approx. 113.3 x 65.4 x 69.6mm
Weight	Approx. 453g (body only) Approx. 482g (with battery and Memory Stick Duo)
Supplied accessories	Rechargeable Battery Pack NP-BX1, AC Adaptor AC-UD11, Micro USB Cable, Shoulder Strap, Lens Cap, Shoe Cap, Instruction Manual

Sony DSC-RX1 Video from Sony Japan

RX1 Hands On Video from Engadget

Pre order now for $2800 for a December delivery.