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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Sony RX10 1V the new boy. (4 Viewers)

The short answer is: battery life isn't great. In fact, I would say poor battery life is one of the downsides of this camera. I thinks it's rated at around 400 shots using the rear monitor and 370 using the viewfinder.

Of course, it depends on how you use it. Because it's relatively slow to switch on and extend the zoom fully, I don't like to let the camera power down too quickly, in case I need to get a shot of a flying bird that suddenly appears. But wandering about with the camera on drains the battery pretty quickly.

I usually have two spares with me and I've found that sufficient. Again, though, it depends on how long you spend in the field. I'm not someone who's out from dawn to dusk. For a special trip like you're planning, I would suggest four batteries to be the minimum.

Note also (just in case you didn't know) that Sony doesn't provide an external battery charger, just a USB cable for in-camera charging. There are third-party chargers available. I bought one myself, and it works fine. It would definitely be worth getting one to speed up the recharging process after a day in the field.

Malcolm

PS. Despite all the above, I have to say that, overall, I'm very happy with the camera.
 
I wonder if it is possible to do something similar to what I do on my panasonic camera? I turn the rear screen off (by turning it so that it faces towards the camera - it comes on as soon as I pull it free), and I use a built in detector sitting next to the viewfinder so essentially that is also off unless i lift the camera to take a photo. Using that combo, it is my impression that I beat the number of images I should be able to take on a battery.

Niels
 
The screen on the Sony isn't fully articulated, so you can't turn it round to face the camera body (that's another feature I don't like).

There is a menu option to have only the viewfinder or the screen on, which I imagine would save some battery power, but I find that inconvenient as I like to be able to switch between both.

I have set that to auto, so that it switches from the screen to the viewfinder using the sensor when I raise the camera to my eye.

Malcolm
 
Thanks guys!! So what's the overall feeling for the camera...girlf doesn't like the thought of lugging a set up like mine around for too long 😂
 
birdboybowley said:
Thanks guys!! So what's the overall feeling for the camera...girlf doesn't like the thought of lugging a set up like mine around for too long 😂
Click to expand...
I guess it depends on what your girlfriend wants/expects from her photography. I am someone who started off many years ago with a film SLR. I've had a couple of DSLRs, a couple of micro four thirds cameras and a couple of Panasonic bridge cameras, and now, finally, the Sony RX10 IV.

For me, the Sony is the best all-round camera that I've ever owned.

I'm not someone who wants to devote a lot of time to trying to get a great photo. I like to walk around, looking at birds, and if the opportunity for a photo presents itself, then I take it.

If that's your girlfriend's approach, then I honestly don't think she would regret buying the Sony. But other bridge cameras with a smaller sensor ofer a much longer zoom, and maybe that is more important to her.

That's the trouble with questions on these forums, there are so many variables.

Malcolm
 
As Mal says, I think it depends on how you're using your camera. I have a camera with less battery life than the Sony but I rarely use a fully charged battery in a full day. That's because I don't walk around with my camera turned on and don't take bird in flight shots.

Where the extra batteries come in really handy is that now and again I forget to charge the battery the night before, which I imagine will happen to most people on occasion when what's on your mind is editing your pictures. I bought two spares as advised on here, and there have been times when I would have been caught out without them.
 
Cheers Mal, she has the sx60 at the moment but just doesn't really like the end results, especially in lower light conditions etc. Hoping she'll choose this as seems a good stop-gap between hers and a dslr rig 👍🙂
 
I cahnged up from the SX50 to the older RX10iii and was delighted with the improved image quality, better viewfinder and ability to control how I took my pictures.

It it twice the weight of the canon but half or less the weight of any mirrorless setup, never mind dslr.

Having dunked my RX 10iii (and myself) in a pond a couple of weeks back I’m back with the SX50 and pining for the RX10iii (and lusting for an upgrade) with every shot.

Cheers
Mike
 
birdboybowley said:
Cheers Mal, she has the sx60 at the moment but just doesn't really like the end results, especially in lower light conditions etc. Hoping she'll choose this as seems a good stop-gap between hers and a dslr rig 👍🙂
Click to expand...
She'll certainly notice a big improvement in image quality, although it's worth noting that the Sony's sensor, while bigger than most bridge cameras, is still only 1 inch, so it isn't brilliant in low light. But as an overall package, in terms of image quality, autofocus, versatility and portability, I think the Sony is excellent.

Mind you, at the price, it should be!

Malcolm
 
This is in a whole different league to sx60. It's not just the image quality but the fact that it handles like an SLR: good autofocus, 20 shots per second and it has a far bigger buffer than my Canon 7D mark ii. Useful if you take RAW. I still miss a SLR sometimes, when shooting in low light, but never my sx50.
 
Card selection for RX10iv

I have just about to receive a new RX10iv as an upgrade to my well used RX10iii and am trying to decide whether to simply transfer the old 90Mb/s card or upgrade to one of the fast new cards.

I did findI a hit the buffer when taking BiF with he RX10iii and the old card. Given the excellence of the RX10iv for BiF I plan to invest more time exploring this challenging field that calls for more multi shot per second shooting and suspect that a faster card would reduce the buffer shut-out.

Have I got the logic right here? If not I'd be interested to hear other thoughts too

Cheers
Mike
 
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I think you're correct, Mike. In general for any action photography, the faster the card, the better, but you can end up paying silly money. It comes down to a trade-off between price and performance.

I use a 170mb/s SanDisk Extreme Pro card in my RX10iv, and it works fine. It's "only" 64gb, but I carry three of them with me. I don't like to use one huge capacity card because if it fails, you could lose everything.

I'm sure you'll have great fun with your new camera. The autofocus system, for a bridge camera, really is top notch.

Malcolm
 
Many thanks for the confirmation Malcolm. I have indeed seen that card prices can be eye-watering, and since my RX10ii died because we both fell into a pond the risk of instantly losing everything is all too apparent!

Cheers
Mike
 
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