Sony RX 100 (1 Viewer)

I bought this camera mainly for digiscoping but I'm liking it more and more as my main travel camera too. It's going to replace my Canon G1 X and Fuji X100 which won't fit in my pocket.
The 20.3 meg sensor is a one inch and much better than the similar sized sensor in the Nikon 1 series. The Zeiss designed lens is very sharp out to full zoom at 100 mm ( lens 28 - 100/1.8-4.9 ). It has a lot of the Sony features that I like, especially Focus Peaking and Smart Panorama.
There can be a little CA on the edges when there is a lot of sky or light water to the edge of the frame but most of the time you don't notice it.
Fast frame rate , HDR in-camera and multi-shot Self-timer are also very useful.
And of course great HD video with up to 1080/60.
Here are a few shots taken with it. Mostly converted jpeg.
Neil

Thanks for the heads-up Neil.
Impressive image quality - like the pano a lot.
It looks like this little camera will replace my V1, as it appears to be a better choice for digiscoping and all round use.

Pasquier said:

Thanks for the heads-up Neil.
Impressive image quality - like the pano a lot.
It looks like this little camera will replace my V1, as it appears to be a better choice for digiscoping and all round use.

Click to expand...

It's lens is better than anything the Nikon 1 system has but no Electronic Viewfinder. This is ok for me as I do 100 % of my digiscoping sitting in hides.But if you walk around in bright sunshine then not so good. Of course a good Hoodman will solve this problem.
Neil.

I also shot a short video at the beach,hand held with the Sony RX 100.
You can view it here https://vimeo.com/63639274
Neil

Sony RX100 Digiscoping

Hi Neil.

Do you use your RX100 for digiscoping too. I have had some practice using mine with the Swarowski 80hd and I am getting some decent results.
However I am still not convinced its as good as my old Nikon P5100. It doesnt seem as pin sharp. Which for a much newer camera, bigger sensor and Leica lens i would have expect it to.

See some of my results below (species and distance listed)
Crossbill 30yds, Black Grouse 40yds, Little Owl 80yds, Sparrowhawk 20yds, Yellow Wagtail 20yds

ColinSev said:

Hi Neil.

Do you use your RX100 for digiscoping too. I have had some practice using mine with the Swarowski 80hd and I am getting some decent results.
However I am still not convinced its as good as my old Nikon P5100. It doesnt seem as pin sharp. Which for a much newer camera, bigger sensor and Leica lens i would have expect it to.

See some of my results below (species and distance listed)
Crossbill 30yds, Black Grouse 40yds, Little Owl 80yds, Sparrowhawk 20yds, Yellow Wagtail 20yds

Click to expand...

There is a thread in the Digiscoping Forum on this
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=241896
I have also found the the RX 100 to be a little more difficult than the Nikons to get focus.
Looking at your photos they don't look too bad , although there is a too narrow Depth-of-Field with a couple of them. Look at the legs and head of the Yellow Wagtail. The Crossbill looks like head movement too fast for the shutter speed. With the sparrowhawk just run Unsharp Mask over it again.
Do you use the fast burst mode and DMF focusing (Focus Peaking)?
I find that due to the larger sensor I need higher iso than the Nikon P330/310. Usually two stops higher , so iso 400 when iso 100 is ok for the Nikons. Also focus on the legs/rock/branch not the head as the AF is thrown off easily if there is any moveement.
I found this week that with feeding spoonbills and stints the AF of the Nikons was more accurate than the RX 100 unless I focused on the ground in front of the bird and let it walk into focus. A bit hard to do with stints though.
When sharp though, the Zeiss lens resolves more detail than the Nikons and you don't have to have as much of the bird in the frame as you have lot's of cropping room. Don't zoom the Zeiss lens over about 60% for best results.
Also try using the Self-timer to see if that makes a difference. Also make sure that the scope is well balance on the head. Loosen all the knobs and check that it's not drooping/falling.
This is a video I shot with the RX100 on Monday https://vimeo.com/65719940
Hope this helps. Let me know what you are experiencing.
Neil
ps I just ran the photos through Elements again.

Hi Neil thanks for your response

Hi Neil thanks for your response and sorry for delay - been having an operation.
I dont use the DMF or fast burst mode when digiscoping, I also use a cable release to decrease the shake on the scope.

I tend to focus the camera on the flank feathers if I can, to try and get these sharp. I will try to focus on the legs to see if that improves the sharpness.

I always shoot at IS0100, as I did with the Nikon CoolpixP5100, so I will try at ISO400 as you have suggested. But doesnt this make it a bit more grainy and therefor less sharp?

There could be a balance issue as well but the rail bars that I have tried dont seem to hold the scope tight and have a vibration issue themselves (Slick tripod).

See how sharp the pics are below from the P5100 and compare to the ones sent previously from the Sony RX100 (similar distances).

Unfortunately I am housebound for next couple of months so will try your suggestions when I can

Many thanks

ColinSev said:

Hi Neil thanks for your response and sorry for delay - been having an operation.
I dont use the DMF or fast burst mode when digiscoping, I also use a cable release to decrease the shake on the scope.

I tend to focus the camera on the flank feathers if I can, to try and get these sharp. I will try to focus on the legs to see if that improves the sharpness.

I always shoot at IS0100, as I did with the Nikon CoolpixP5100, so I will try at ISO400 as you have suggested. But doesnt this make it a bit more grainy and therefor less sharp?

There could be a balance issue as well but the rail bars that I have tried dont seem to hold the scope tight and have a vibration issue themselves (Slick tripod).

See how sharp the pics are below from the P5100 and compare to the ones sent previously from the Sony RX100 (similar distances).

Unfortunately I am housebound for next couple of months so will try your suggestions when I can

Many thanks

Click to expand...

Colin,
The new sensors are very good at handling noise so don't worry too much about bumping up the iso. I've even shot at iso 1600.
Balance is very important in helping sharpness. Also the stability of the tripod.
Try some testing on stationary subjects in your garden or in your home while you housebound.
Good luck with your recovery.
Neil.

One of the function that I like on the Sony's is Sweep Panorama. I use it a lot in both horizontal and vertical modes.
Here is one from Friday. The camera does a good job of stitching so no software is needed.
Neil.

I am a digiscoping newbie and want some basic advice

Neil,

Having read your reviews and those of others, it seems that the Sony RX100 is a good camera for digiscoping. You can also get a waterproof housing for it for my other passion of scuba diving. My question is, what is your recommendation for attaching the camera to a Kowa TSN 883 (angled body) with a 20x - 60x zoom eyepiece? I am totally confused. Ideally I want to be able to change quickly between using it as a scope and then for digiscoping what I see - I frewquently go birdiong in Azerbaijan.

Neil said:

I bought this camera mainly for digiscoping but I'm liking it more and more as my main travel camera too. It's going to replace my Canon G1 X and Fuji X100 which won't fit in my pocket.
The 20.3 meg sensor is a one inch and much better than the similar sized sensor in the Nikon 1 series. The Zeiss designed lens is very sharp out to full zoom at 100 mm ( lens 28 - 100/1.8-4.9 ). It has a lot of the Sony features that I like, especially Focus Peaking and Smart Panorama.
There can be a little CA on the edges when there is a lot of sky or light water to the edge of the frame but most of the time you don't notice it.
Fast frame rate , HDR in-camera and multi-shot Self-timer are also very useful.
And of course great HD video with up to 1080/60.
Here are a few shots taken with it. Mostly converted jpeg.
Neil

Click to expand...

Chris60 said:

Neil,

Having read your reviews and those of others, it seems that the Sony RX100 is a good camera for digiscoping. You can also get a waterproof housing for it for my other passion of scuba diving. My question is, what is your recommendation for attaching the camera to a Kowa TSN 883 (angled body) with a 20x - 60x zoom eyepiece? I am totally confused. Ideally I want to be able to change quickly between using it as a scope and then for digiscoping what I see - I frewquently go birdiong in Azerbaijan.

Click to expand...

This would be your best bet
http://www.vortexoptics.com/product...t-for-razor-and-viper-digital-camera-adapters
matched with the Kowa DA adapter.
Neil.