Cyber-shot DSC-RX100: A redefined experience

One of the challenges of coming out with a great product is following it up mdash it hangs around the neck of its successor like an albatross of sorts And Sony must have felt the same way when it got to work on a followup to the Cybershot DSCRX100 which many hailed as one of the best point and shoot cameras we had ever seen albeit a pricey one The secret of the RX100rsquos success was simple enough mdash a 10inch CMOS sensor in an amazingly compact body it fit more easily into our trouser pockets than some phablets we know and took pictures that were brilliant in terms of detail and colour Well Sony has followed the lsquoif it ainrsquot broken donrsquot fix itrsquo path with the DSCRX100 II The design of the two cameras is so similar that when viewed from front they both look like identical twins with the same classy black metal finish large lens in the front portion Take a closer peek however and changes start becoming evident For one while the RX100 II has almost identical dimensions to the RX100 it is a bit thicker and a reason for this is the 30inch display at its rear There is also what Sony terms a lsquomulti interface shoersquo on top of the device allowing users to attach accessories like an electronic viewfinder a microphone or another flash the camera comes with an inbuilt Xenon one under the hood and you will find NFC and WiFi connectivity letting you transfer pictures to your tablet and phones in seconds Though the star performer remains the 10inch CMOS sensor which has the same megapixel count 202megapixels as its predecessor but now comes with much more lowlight photography muscle delivering good results in terms of colour and detail even without the flash It remains a wonderful performer in normal light conditions There are a number of shooting modes available and these are accessible through the dial on top of the camera You can also tweak the setting using the control ring around the lens You will need to spend some time getting familiar with the controls and settings if you want to really get the most out of the camera mdash there are several combinations and permutations to explore mdash but the real charm is that even as a pure point and shooter it delivers brilliant results It does inherit some of the flaws of its predecessor We would have really loved an optical viewfinder on such a powerful camera and an optical zoom of 36X seems downright measly although we are sure that the form factor restricted how far Sony could go in this regard Finally therersquos the matter of price just like the RX100 the RX100 II is an expensive proposition at R42990 It more than holds its own in terms of image quality but photography fans will point to the flexibility that a DSLR provides If you need a great photograph from a very compact camera with budget being no restriction you will be hard pressed to do better than this The big question of course is whether it is worth the R8000odd more it charges than its still superb predecessor If you value WiFi and NFC connectivity and the ability to tag on accessories it certainly is If not well remember what we said about that albatross Pros CMOS sensor functions well even without a flash NFC and WiFi connectivity is present Cons Optical viewfinder is absent Highly priced Specifications Sensor 202 Megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor Lens 36X optical zoom Video Full HD video Disply 30inch tiltable LCD Connectivity NFC WiFi Price Rs 42990 u00a0