DSCRX100M3

I often go into dimly lit areas of museums and galleries to photograph artefacts and exhibits and hate using a flash because of the reflections from glass. Also its great to take photos that don't need a long exposure in such conditions without needing a tripod to steady the camera. Its also easy to get arty with this camera altering depth of field etc etc, and the data saved with each photo does allow you to easily determine what settings you used (or if in auto/semi auto mode, what settings the camera used). Plenty of great functionality (I can either transfer photos over USB - I'm pretty sure the SD card shows up as an external disk when the camera is plugged into a mac, or I can use the program downloaded from the Sony website - or I can use a wifi connection to transfer photos to my Android tablet (again need a free app from Sony, available from the google store) I've not used or stored the camera in hazardous or challenging environments, or abused it (I put a 3rd party screen protector on it, and carry it in a case when not using it) but it has stood up to use well. The M3 does have a different lens to the M2, I think the difference is that the M2 has more zoom range (gets closer to far away objects). If I try and photograph the moon for instance, its a tiny circle on the M3 (and don't actually have an M2 to compare the results against, but I'm guess it might not be quite as small an image) Truthfully if I want to photograph the moon I probably need to mount it on a telescope, or get an SLR with a big zoom lens. Because the lens automatically retracts behind shutters on standby or shut down, I wouldn't go looking for any after market screw on adapter to extend the lens range (or add a filter, or a mount for a telescope) Probably amongst its best features are the reposition-able display, which allows you to compose selfies (rather than take about a hundred of them blind), and for days when you are outside and the sun is shining in a way that would obliterate an image on the screen, an electronic popup viewfinder that can focus the image at infinity (I think) so even people with bad eyesight can use it without glasses (or with glasses probably) As a point and shoot camera its very functional and high specification. Excellent images in all the conditions I've tried it. Light enough for me to carry around all day, fits in my jacket pocket when I want to carry it there.

In the 15 or so years that I have been purchasing over the internet I have never felt obliged to write a review of anything. However, this camera has changed that. It may well be the best single item I have ever bought and I feel compelled to write down how good it is. Having previously owned an SLR I decided it was time to update. I decided to go for a small top of the range camera on the grounds that I found I was not using the SLR enough because it was too much hassle carrying it around while the camera on my smartphone is just not good enough to rely on. I toyed with the similar Canon small camera that came out in the early summer (having previously owned Canon SLRs). However, I heard about the Sony mark III version of the RX 100 was due to be released so decided to wait. The wait was worth it - the picture quality is spectacular - I show the pictures on a 42 inch Sony TV and they look amazing. Movies work well also. It is exceptionally easy to use, with good intuitive settings. Plus it can fit very easily in a pocket or in a bag. Yes, there are a few minor niggles that others have referred to. The fact that the camera switches off when the viewfinders is put away is a little annoying and I have not really got the wifi to work properly (I stick to old wire connectivity which is fine for my purposes). Overall, it is a wonderful camera. The combination of size, quality of picture and ease of use makes it the ideal piece of equipment to capture the moment in a way that no other camera I have ever owned does.

I have been an enthusiast photographer for years with a major brand in the DSLR market and I am so pleased that I bought this. I cannot speak highly enough of it as a camera but the EVF which was the main USP for me is flawed slightly. So lets get the negative out of the way: Sometimes the EVF just does not work. I sent the first one back to Amazon (great place to buy from) but the second unit also fails in the same way so clearly this is a Sony issue. If I pop up the EVF the camera turns on but the EVF stays blank. I have to turn the camera on and then pop up the EVF to get it to work. This is not correct as the first one did not do this. The first one worked fine as long as it was warm but in the cold of autumn night the EVF failed completely until it was put somewhere warm for a while. This is all a real shame as apart from this niggle, the camera is totally flawless. Its a bit bigger than the Canon S100 that it replaced but still fits in my jacket pocket (but not my jeans). The low light ability is second to none and with the 20mp sensor, the lack of a powerful zoom is rarely an issue. Its not just about pixels either but the quality of the image is so good that even a tightly cropped image still looks good. There are so many options too that you never get bored messing with the menus and the programmable silent and smooth front ring around the lens is really useful. The wifi is good but too slow for a large download given the size of the images yet very handy for remote control or viewing straight to a phone or tablet. If I was to try hard to find any other fault with the design it would be the inclusion of USB 2.0 rather than 3.0 for connectivity but I generally take the card out and put it in the computer anyway but this may bother you particularly if you do not have a card reader in your computer. I am seriously thinking of getting rid of my DSLR now on account of this small camera. The DSLR does some things better and has options (on account of changeable lenses) but with good low light glass being so expensive on a DSLR, this Sony camera's abilities are making me use the DSLR less and less. One very good point to make about this Sony camera is that you can tilt the flash up whilst shooting allowing you to bounce off the ceiling. Thats a feature that I have not seen on any other compact camera. The flash recharge time is also excellent.