At any given time, it's always hard to imagine a more-capable pocket camera than Sony’s RX100. At least until Sony releases the latest version---the company refreshes the esteemed enthusiast point-and-shoot about once a year.
The latest refresh just landed.
The new Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V (Mark 5) builds upon its predecessor's excellent foundation to add what Sony claims is the fastest ever in a camera of its class. The camera sports a whopping 315 autofocus points on its 1-inch-type CMOS sensor, a combination of phase-detection and contrast-detection AF sensors. This means the RX100 V can capture up to 24 frames per second with the autofocus system adjusting between shots.
This sensor, it shares the “stacked” design of its predecessor. A memory chip affixed to the underside of the sensor, which quickly moves data off the sensor and helps with buffering when shooting at high speed. The fast shutter speeds and data-shuttling also help eliminate distorted images and the “rolling shutter” effect of CMOS sensors.
Beyond the super-powered AF system, the 20-megapixel RX100 V retains everything we loved about the previous version. It features a 960fps slow-motion mode that lets you capture Phantom-like footage, 4K video, a bright f/1.8 zoom lens (24mm to 70mm), full manual controls, a pop-up OLED eye-level viewfinder in addition to the adjustable LCD screen, and Wi-Fi with NFC pairing.
It still fits in your pocket, performs like a much bigger camera, and is priced accordingly at $1,000. The good news with RX100 cameras is that new models usually spur big reductions in the price of the previous versions, which remain one of the best pocket cameras available.
