Sony RX100 III too small; Sony RX1 too expensive/limited

Hi,

I am traveling a lot at the moment for business and often it is too much of a hassle to bring my Canon DSLR kit. Hence, as so many others I am looking for a more compact camera which nonetheless provides good image quality and usability for casual, street and landscape photography.

Now, based on some discussions here I thought that the Sony RX100 III might be a good fit for that purpose. But when I went yesterday to a Sony store I realized that it is much smaller than I thought. On the other hand, I came upon the Sony RX1 which seems to be a good size but is way too expensive for what I want to use this camera.

So, what would be a good alternative? The main reason that I've looked at Sony cameras is the good reputation for their sensors. But I am open to any suggestions.

Thanks. Best, Joerg

Have you taken a look at micro 4/3 cameras? Some of them are quite compact and you will gain the advantage of interchangeable lenses.

The RX1 is more than a sensor...that 35mm Zeiss is the best the is in that focal length.

I have a Fujifilm X100T and I'm very happy with it for street type photography.

Take a look at the Fujifilm XT-1 for more flexibility. Olympus has some nice stuff too.

The Fuji X-E1 and X-E2 are great travel cameras and can be had for under 1000 USD with the excellent 18-55 lens. I used the X-E1 and 18-55 in Alaska two years ago and have added the X-E2 and several Fuji lens since then. They are light weight, compact, and a pleasure to use.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1008069-REG/fujifilm_16405018_x_e2_mirrorless_digital_camera.html

Thank you all for the input. Thinking about this more, and especially going into a few stores handling a bunch of these kind of cameras, I came upon an important realization: any camera I choose for this purpose needs to be reasonably "pocketable" as I typically don't have space on my travels for another camera bag. 

The Fujifilm X100T seems quite nice in this regard but I keep hearing comments that the images are difficult to "develop" with ACR. A friend directed me towards the Ricoh GR and that seems to be a very nice little package. Based on reviews it seems to have some low-light AF issues and a tendency to suck in dust but the IQ is generally praised. Anyone here with experience with this camera? There are rumors that Ricoh may come out with a revised version of this camera. Hopefully they announce it soon.

Best, Joerg

Joerg Rockenberger wrote:Thank you all for the input. Thinking about this more, and especially going into a few stores handling a bunch of these kind of cameras, I came upon an important realization: any camera I choose for this purpose needs to be reasonably "pocketable" as I typically don't have space on my travels for another camera bag. 

The Fujifilm X100T seems quite nice in this regard but I keep hearing comments that the images are difficult to "develop" with ACR. A friend directed me towards the Ricoh GR and that seems to be a very nice little package. Based on reviews it seems to have some low-light AF issues and a tendency to suck in dust but the IQ is generally praised. Anyone here with experience with this camera? There are rumors that Ricoh may come out with a revised version of this camera. Hopefully they announce it soon.

Best, Joerg

While I'm no expert here, I know a man who is…

http://blog.mingthein.com/2013/05/06/re ... digital-v/

(in case you haven't seen; there's also a load of extra detail below the line)

If you don't want ultra-small, I'd recommend you go ahead and get an interchangable-lens mirrorless camera. There a couple of pocketable Micro 4/3 cameras, and the Sony Alpha 6000 might be exactly the size you want, with a superb sensor, excellent autofocus for the class and 11 FPS.

Fuji has some great mirrorless interchangable lens cameras/lenses too, but I think they might be bigger than you want.

I looked at the RX100mk3, as a possible replacement for my Panasonic LX5, and I really wanted the sony to work for me despite the price, but it was just too small to hold comfortably.
The other compact camera I looked at was the Panasonic LX100, which was better to hold, but too big really, nearly the size of my A7, although with a more compact lens. Also the LX100 looked like a kid had designed it with bits stuck on everywhere.
I looked at the a5000 briefly, cheaper than either compact, and a reasonable size, but in the end I escaped, wallet unscathed.

i had another look at the rx100mk3.  There is a stay on leather case that fixes to the tripod screw, this gives it that bit more bulk, and feels much better.  Still not quite convinced, but it's an option worth looking at.

Hi Colin,  There is a handgrip available....http://www.kleptography.com/rf/#camera_rx100

Thanks for the additional suggestions and thoughts. Currently I am waiting if Ricoh releases an updated version of the GR in April, hopefully with in-body stabilization and a fix for the dust issue. 

I think the rx100iii with case or grip won't work for me as the controls are just too close together. 

Joerg