Sony has launched the Cyber-shot RX10 IV – price tag £1,800 with a October release date – which boasts the world’s fastest AF lock speed of just 0.03sec.
Sony says the RX10 IV also offers 24fps continuous shooting with full AF/AE tracking for up to 249 frames. Sony says its OLED viewfinder also makes it easy to follow the action.
A boost in processing power, thanks to Sony’s Bionz X image processor helps significantly reduce EVF display lag during continuous shooting, Sony says. What’s more, you can now display these action sequences in groups during image playback, rather than as individual shots.
ZEISS® Vario-Sonnar T* 24-600mm F2.4-F4 Lens
The Sony RX10 IV also boasts a 24-600mmiv F2.4-F4 ZEISS® Vario-Sonnar T* lens, offering an incredibly wide focal range, and it’s this that Sony says really sets the Mark IV apart.
The 24-600mmiv ZEISS® Vario-Sonnar T* lens includes a super ED (extra-low dispersion) glass element and ED aspherical lenses to minimise chromatic aberration, and ZEISS® T* Coating to minimise flare and ghosting.
The Sony RX10 IV lens also has built-in Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation which Sony says offers an approximate 4.5 steps shutter speed improvement.
What’s more, Sony says the lens will appeal to macro photographers with its minimum focusing distance of 72 cm (2.36 ft) and 0.49x maximum magnification at a fully extended 600mm.
Sony RX10 IV AF system
Sony says the RX10 IV also boasts a Fast Hybrid AF system that combines the respective advantages of 315 phase-detection AF points covering approximately 65% of the sensor and contrast-detection AF to enable the camera to lock focus in its claimed 0.03 seconds.
Sony says the RX10 IV’s high-speed focusing complements the lens’s wide focal length, and indeed Sony has shown us images in the press conference of images of birds in flight, surfers and race cars all shot handheld at the telephoto end of the focal range.
Other AF improvements in the new Sony RX10 IV camera include enhanced versions of its Eye AF, Touch Focus and Focus Range Limiter. SOny says the AF-ON setting is also assignable, as well as multiple AF modes including AF-S, AF-C and AF-A, which you can now adjust according to your preference or scene that you’re shooting.
Sony RX10 IV Sensor
The Sony RX10 IV also uses the company’s new 1.0-type 20.1-megapixe Exmor RS CMOS stacked image sensor with DRAM chip. It also incorporates Sony’s BIONZ X image processor and front-end LSI.
Sony says its these elements working in conjunction that help deliver the RX10 IV’s speed.
Sony RX10 IV Video
The Sony RX10 IV also adds 4K (QFHD 3840 x 2160) video recording. Users have the option of shooting at either 24p or 30p in 4K mode (100 Mbps), or in frame rates of up to 120p in Full HD mode.
In 4K video mode, the Sony RX10 IV utilises full pixel readout without pixel binning, capturing approximately 1.7x more information than is required for 4K movie output to ensure fine details are captured accurately, Sony says. The camera utilises the XAVC S codec, recording video at a data rate of up to 100 Mbps depending on your shooting mode.
Sony has introduced a number of other RX10 IV video features aimed at professional users, such as Picture Profile, S-Log3/S-Gamut3, Gamma Display Assist, Proxy recording, Time Code / User Bit, as well as an input for external microphone and output for headphone monitoring.
Super slow motion video recording is also available, with an extended duration of about 4secs (in quality priority mode) and 7secs (in shoot time priority). This option allows photographers to choose from 1000fps, 500fps and 250fps frame rates and among 50p, 25p and 24p playback formats.
Upgraded Operation and Customization
The Sony RX10 IV employs Sony’s latest 3.0-type 1.44M dot tiltable LCD screen with Touch Focus and Touch Pad function, making it the first in Sony’s RX range to offer this.
The RX10 IV also boasts a 2.35-million-dot high-contrast XGA OLED Tru-Finder, along with triple lens rings for aperture, zoom and focus.
To enhance customisation, “My Menu” functionality has been added, allowing up to 30 frequently used menu items to be custom registered. Menus are colour coded for easier recognition and navigation, and a new Movie Settings menu has been introduced to improve the overall video shooting experience.
Sony says the RX10 IV is also dust and moisture resistant, and Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth compatible.
Sony RX10 IV Price and Release Date
The new Sony RX10 IV price tag will be £1,800 with a release date set for October.