Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100M3 E32 Digital Still Camera

[Raj]

Sony's Cybershot category is quiet popular under still photography. the series offer you amazing cameras for different type of users. Cybershot offers four series with different camera model under each. It brings unique features and amazing photo quality. First one in it is Professional compact. Digital camera under this are loaded with features that can offer you to capture detailed images with portable design. The second one is Super High Zoom build for professional photographers who are looking for crisp images. The third one is Compact High Zoom that adds more portability to the camera model so that you can carry it easily. And the last one is Compact and Stylish that brings compact design, good picture quality and stylish look. We are going to test Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 Cybershot Digital Still Camera. It falls under the Professional compact series. It is a model that brings a mixture of professional photography feature with compact size. The design might not fascinate you but the features are enough to take great photos on the way.

It is an ideal choice for those who travel to different places and looking for a less heavy camera for carrying. Professional compact series has in total 6 camera models. You can find all the models on the official site with price. Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 is the second highest model in the series with 20.1MP camera and 2.9x Optical Zoom. I found it amazing for taking macro photography. You can get clear and crisps images through this. It is essential to have very still hand when you are taking close up shots. Different modes makes your job a lot more easier. And photographers can also test their skills by putting it on manual mode. Instead of providing a key to control the F settings Sony DSC-RX100M3 comes with a adjustable ring. it is integrated with the lens. You can adjust the blur and brightness factor of your images through this. If you are new to photography then you have to spend a bit time for understanding the way it works. It is not complicated. The cost of this camera is around Rs.54,000 approx. The cost fluctuate on different eCommerce site. You can get 1000 bucks cheaper or costlier.

From the feature point of view I am quite sure the camera can help you to take a lot of amazing photos and hd videos. If you do not like to go much in detail about photography, lens selection, etc. and want a compact camera that can help you to take photos like Pro then Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 is worth to go for. And if you think this is a costly model, then the Professional Compact series offers DSC-RX100 for Rs.30,000. It provides 20.2MP with 3.6x Digital Zoom. There are more lower and higher end models in the series. Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 sits in the middle offering you a composite feature of compact design and professional camera. If you check camera around or above the budget of Rs.50,000, you can mostly find DSLR cameras with high zoom. DSLR come with interchangeable lens. That increase the cost. Compare to them Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 is a bit easy to manage.

Features:

• 24mm Focal Length to cover wide area
• 70mm lens to capture detailed macro shots supported by F2.8 telephoto shooting
• ZEISS optics with 1/8 ND filter
• 20.1 effective MP 1.0-type Exmor R CMOS sensor
• BIONZ X image processing
• Assign up to 42 functions to keys and Control Ring
• High-contrast, High-resolution OLED Tru-Finder with ZEISS T coating
• 3.0inch LCD monitor with 180degree upward 45degree downward flip for flexible shooting.
• NFC and Wi-Fi support allow you to stream your videos and photos wirelessly. HDMI Port also available.
• XAVC Format. Capture 50mbps fast moving scenes with stunning resolution. AVCHD for HD videos.
• Area Specific Noise Reduction.
• Increase camera output by PlayMemories Camera apps.

Specification:

• Image Sensor - Exmor R CMOS Sensor. 1.0-type (13.2mm x 8.8mm)
• Lens Type - ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T Lens, 10 elements in 9 groups (9 aspheric elements including AA lens)
• F Number - F1.8(W) - 2.8(T)
• Focal Length (f=) - f=8.8 - 25.7mm
• Optical Zoom - 2.9x(Optical Zoom during movie recording)
• Clear Image Zoom - Approx. 5.8x*2
• LCD Screen Size - Approx. 7.6cm (3.0) Xtra Fine/ TFT LCD. 1,228,800 dots
• Adjustable Angle - adjusts up 180°/ down 45° (approx.)
• Viewfinder Size - Retractable 0.39-type electronic viewfinder (OLED). 1,440,000 dots
• Imaging Processor - BIONZ X
• Image Stabilizer System - (Still image) Optical SteadyShot, (Movie) Optical SteadyShot Intelligent Active Mode, Optical type with electronic compensation, Anti Rolling type
• Focus Mode - Direct Manual Focus, Manual Focus, Single-shot AF (AF-S), Continuous AF (AF-C), Multi Pattern, Center-Weighted & Spot.
• Exposure Compensation - +/- 3.0EV, 1/3EV step
• ISO Sensitivity Setting - Auto (ISO125-12800, selectable with upper/ lower limit), 125/ 160/ 200/ 250/ 320/ 400/ 500/ 640/ 800/ 1000/ 1250/ 1600/ 2000/ 2500/ 3200/ 4000/ 5000/ 6400/ 8000/ 10000/ 12800 (Extendable to ISO80/ 100), Multi-Frame NR*3: Auto (ISO125-12800), 200/ 400/ 800/ 1600/ 3200/ 6400/ 12800/ 25600
• Self-Timer - Off/ 10sec./ 2sec./ 3 or 5 consecutive shots with 10sec. delay selectable
• Flash Mode - Auto/ Flash On/ Slow Synchro/ Rear Sync/ Flash Off
• Aperture - iAuto(F1.8/F11(W))/ Program Auto(F1.8/F11(W))/ Manual(F1.8/F11(W))/ Shutter Priority(F1.8/F11(W))/ Aperture Priority(F1.8/F11(W))
• Dynamic Range Optimiser - Auto/ Level 1-5
• Shooting Mode - Superior Auto, Intelligent Auto, Program Auto (Program shift available), Shutter Speed Priority, Aperture Priority, Movie Mode(Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority, Manual Exposure), Panorama, Scene Selection & Manual Exposure.
• Scene Selection - High Sensitivity, Night Scene, Night Portrait, Portrait, Landscape, Fireworks, Gourmet, Pet, Handheld Twilight, Anti Motion Blur, Sports Action, Macro & Sunset.
• Picture Effect - HDR Painting, Rich-tone Monochrome, Miniature, Toy Camera, Pop Color, Partial Color, Soft High-key, Water Color, Posterization, Retro Photo, Soft Focus, High Contrast Monochrome & Illustration.
• Playback - Slide Show - Video Out through HDMI, Slide Show - Movie and Automatic Image Rotation.
• Battery - Maximum Voltage 4.2V, Nominal Voltage 3.6V, Capacity for Shooting 4.5Wh(1240mAh). USB Charge

Package:

Design:

Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 has a compact design. It comes in full black color that makes it a professional camera in terms of look. The size is small that allow you to carry the camera easily in a pouch or in camera bag. It is essential that you must use a strap with the camera. Any shock, or water can damage it easily. It looks neat from the front but from back it looks more cluttered with buttons and the lcd screen. It brings a view finder and flash that popup from the top.

[Raj]

Front:

The lens is placed at the front center with AF illuminator or the Self Timer lamp. Logos are placed the right. With lens there is a Control Ring. This allow you to manage the F settings, background blur, zoom, scene mode, etc.

Back:

A 3.0inch LCD screen is placed on the back. The screen offer you a 180degree slide up with 45degree towards the front. It makes taking portrait shot a bit easier. It is not a touch screen due to which the usage is limited. Being a costly camera, regular screen is a negative aspect of the device.

All controls and buttons are placed on the right side. I found the place a bit less for the keys. At the top the silver button with red dot is for activating video recording. Just below lies the Function and Menu key. Below that is a wheel which has 5 clickable buttons. 4 are on the wheel with one center button which also act as ok or to set focus. At the bottom lies a media play back button and trash key with C marked on it. The same trash key also help you to manually customize the buttons as per your need. You can refer the manual for details.

Top:

The EVF is placed on the top side. It is integrated in the design which is visible only by pressing the EVF button on the left. To activate EVF you have to pull it to the backside. There is a sensor that turn off the LCD when you bring your eyes near to the EVF lens. At the top there is a adjustment lever through which you can manage EVG clarity.

The flash is placed next to that. You can see the button below On/Off switch. Drag it to the right and the flash pops out Mic is placed just next to that on the top side. Sometime while taking close up shots I had seen the flash placement cause issue. There is a dark shadow of the lens at the bottom of images. You have to keep the camera in straight point. When you bent down the lens shadow is captured in the image.

There is a on/off button with green led. This is also charging indicator. It turns to orange when you connect the power adapter. Traditional Model dial button sites next to that. It is an instant way to choose different modes of camera. In total there are 10 different modes to choose through this single dialer.

Capture button and zoom liver are placed at the same place. This is common in many digital camera. You can drag the zoom ledver left/right to adjust camera zooming and reduce blurriness. And then press the capture button on top to take photos.

[Raj]

Right/Left:

On the right there are two connectivity ports. One is Micro USB and second one is micro HDMI. You will get a hdmi cable in the package. You can connect the camera directly to your TV and stream your photos on widescreen TV. Finder button is placed on the left with NFC chips and Wi-Fi Sensor. To transfer the photos directly from camera to mobile through NFC you have to bring the phone near to the NFC icon.

Bottom:

At the bottom lies a battery and SD Card compartment. The camera runs on 1240mAh Lion battery. You can charge the camera through usb charger or through pc usb port. If you are using the pc for charging then it might take some time to fill the battery. Sony offers 8GB memory card with camera. You can buy a better on from the official site. There is a tripod socket hole also at the bottom. And a speaker at the extreme right side.

So this was the design of Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32. You can see it has ample of functions and covers everything that is required in a digital camera. The camera is small while you hold. You can take impressive pictures with it easily by using the dial mode. The flash on the other has a bit issue with the camera lens which I had already mentioned above. I had seen the lens shadow while using flash a number of time, when I try to take some close-up shots. Control Ring helps a lot in taking pictures. It is helpful to zoom and to blur background. EVF looks to be placed at the right place on left top. Grip is not easy on Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32. You must use a strap to avoid camera from falling. There is no rubber coating on any side to give more grip on wet hands. Metal body can get slipper with contact of moisture. Never turn on the camera when it is in the bag or in small space. As the lens pop out the mechanism can get easily damage with pressure.

User Interface:

Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 comes with a updated UI that is accessible through the Menu button. The camera is not having a touch screen on the backside. I found it bit complicated to use because of this. For anything you have to rely on the Menu and Control Wheel. This makes the navigation tedious. It is good to have the Control Ring at the front side. Through which you can access various modes instantly just by rolling it. The control ring changes the function when you switch to different mode. For example if you are in a Scene Mode then you can use the Control Ring to choose different modes without using the back control wheel. You can also adjust the brightness and blur settings through this. It helps a lot when you are taking macro shots or when you are trying to take photo of any nearby object. The flash sometime gives a troubles.

3.0 LCD is good enough to control the camera. It is wide and easy to adjust. There are few sections in the menu and each of them are further divided into multiple pages. You can access that by hitting the Menu button on the backside. This camera has extensive settings. Navigation is not easy. It is recommended that you must first try to check the menu to find out the location of various settings. Like the video format, aspect ratio, brightness settings, AF settings, etc. So that if you are busy while taking pictures, you don't have to wait back and waste time in looking for things. A touch screen would have helped more compared to the buttons. Still you can try adjusting a variety of options from the control wheel. You can rotate it to change pictures instantly.

There is a wifi section available from where you can manage camera's wireless connection. Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 supports NFC and Wifi sharing. Through NFC you just have to brings the phone near the NFC chip placed on the left part of camera and all photos are transferred to the Smartphone or tablet. Through Wifi the story is different. If you want to transfer the camera photos and videos to a Smartphone or tablet using Wifi then first thing you have to do is download PlayMemories Mobile app. I had tested this on Android. You can find the app for free on Google Pay. Turn on the camera wifi from settings. At the end you will get a SSID and Password to connect. Connect the Smartphone to the device wifi. The camera will automatically move the photo to the Smartphone once you start PlayMemories Mobile App. The same process is applicable for PC or laptop. You have to connect your laptop to the Camera wifi. The camera is not visible on Windows LAN after connecting it to router. This would be a lot more easier solution. IF a folder appear in the lan network then through copy/paste we can get the images and videos with fast transfer speed.

There is a dedicated application panel in the camera. From there you can directly use a few camera apps. To get new apps you will need a wifi connection. You can download different apps like Smart Remote Control, My Best Portrait, etc. There are few good applications in it and some of them are paid. Smart Remote app allow you to use your mobile phone as remote to control the camera. You can use your mobile or tablet to control the camera and take pictures from it. You can use Flickr app to upload your pictures online directly from the camera. To use the apps you have to create a account in Sony Entertainment network.

[Raj]

Shooting Modes:

Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 brings out 10 different shooting modes. This can be changed through mode dial wheel on the top side. After selecting the mode the function of Control Ring also changes.

Different modes are:

1. Intelligent Auto: The camera adjust the settings on its own depending on the light condition. If you are trying to take nearby shot it will try to adjust the maximum sharpness. Or you can do that by using the control ring for zooming in and out.
2. Superior Auto: This is the next mode that is recommended for beginner. Under this the camera will try to give you a more sharp image with minimum blur and noise. The control ring here will help you to adjust the F settings.
3. Program Auto: Under this mode the camera manages the aperture and shutter speed while others thing can be modified as per your need. This mode is the best option to take photos with blur background. You can use the control ring for managing the blurriness of objects in the images. You can either keep the focus on center object or you can blur it.
4. Aperture Priority: As the name says under this mode you have a option to control the aperture. You can adjust the focus range of scene and can control the maximum background blur. The control ring allow you to fill more light in the scene.
5. Shutter Priority: Best for taking pictures of moving objects. Like a bird, or flowing water. It allow you to take detailed images when you are trying to take photos of a moving object. This mode allows to get maximum clarity in taking pictures.
6. Manual Exposure: This is for professionals who love to play with the camera settings Through this you have everything to be controlled manually. Control Ring helps you to control the F settings.
7. Memory Recall: This mode load a few preset settings stored in the camera. You can load them fast and take photos as per your need.
8. Movie: The mode is to record amazing videos. Under the mode you have 4 more options to choose. they are Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual Exposure. you can apply this settings on the movie recording mode and get a few great HD videos.
9. Sweep Panorama: Take wide angle shorts through Sweep Panorama. It requires a very still hand. Once the mode is applied you have to move the camera on the screen arrow direction.
10. Scene Selection: This mode allow you to choose preset settings from 13 different modes. They are Sports action, Macro, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Handheld Twilight, Night Portrait, Anti Motion Blur, Pet, Gourmet, Fireworks, High Sensitivity and Portrait. To easily access the different scenes you can use the control ring.

CLICK HERE TO REVIEW SAMPLE IMAGES Taken by Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100M3 E32

CLICK HERE TO VIEW Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100M3 E32 VIDEO REVIEW

Performance:

Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 has BIONZ X image processor. It is considered as one of the fastest image processor to give you hd images instantly in no time. It is also quiet true to some extent. But when you are pushing the camera to maximum limit, then image processing takes a few seconds to product the image. Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 provides you various type of shooting modes and settings through which you can adjust the picture quality before taking. The lcd screen shows you the preview for brightness, blur, contrast, etc. Through a few additional apps you can extend the camera usage more. Like using your android Smartphone or tablet to control the camera for taking pictures. It is an great device with good quality output and performance. Pictures are amazing in dark and light environment. You have to just understand the process of using it. Or else different shooting modes will do the job. Just select the right one. Due to adjustable lcd screen it is also possible to take a few amazing portrait shots or yourself or with your friends/family. It detects faces which is enabled by default, and try to give you clear pictures by reducing sharpness of background objects. You can increase the performance by using a high speed memory card. The camera supports a variety of them. The camera is slightly heavy and does not brings any extra grip on the body. Mostly metal casing can be slippery if you are handlig it with less care. It is best to put a strap and then tied that to your hand and take photos.

Battery Output:

Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 runs on rechargeable 1240mAh battery. This is less according to me. It dries up fast when you are using too much flash. I used the camera for around 3 to 4 hours and the battery was almost empty. Charging is fast when you are using through the usb charger directly connected on the power socket. Within a couple of hours the battery gets filled up. As the specs the battery take around 230 minutes to charge completely. It is good to carry a few spare battery when you are travelling. The camera automatically set the image settings to maximum. And this consume more power. If you are taking a image on high resolution or on XACV format for videos, then the processing take as bit time to complete. it is not instant. That is because the camera is trying to product a Ultra HD image/video quality. If you keep the same on lowest you will surely get more battery life.

Conclusion:

Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 is an amazing product. It is a light portable device loaded with professional features. It might not look attractive, but it can help you to take pictures like pro. It carries the same traditional design of other camera in the series, but has more capability of capturing amazing pictures. The cost of this camera is around Rs.54,000 and it is really hard to make up your mind for going for this. That is due to the fixed lens. But if you are serious about having a compact still camera that has a bit of DSLR features then going for Sony DSC-RX100M3 E32 would be a good option. It can be your one time purchase for taking pictures. You have to be worry free when it comes to picture quality. The 3.0inch screen might fell a bit small to view the pictures.

Actual effects are visible when you copy the images on your pc or stream them on a HDTV. I found this camera best for taking macro shorts. The control ring makes your job a lot more easier. You don't have to use the dial mode to change anything. Just use the ring and switch from various mode, adjust brightness, switch to different scenes, etc. With EVF you can just get more. A few things that this model lacks is an touch screen lcd and powerful battery life. Being a costly camera this should have been added. Spare battery or portable power bank is must when you carrying the camera with you while traveling.

Pros:

• Great photo and video quality
• Easy to operate
• Compact Design
• Wifi and NFC Support
• Adjustable LCD with good viewing angle

Cons:

• No Touch screen
• Average Battery