Sony India has launched two new advanced Cyber-shot cameras under its RX series — the compact RX100 IV and high-zoom RX10 II cameras — with 960 fps and 4K UHD recording.
The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV has been priced at Rs 69,990 and the RX10 II is priced at Rs 94,990.
The two new models feature the world’s first 1.0 type stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor with advanced signal processing and an attached DRAM memory chip.
“The high speed signal processing and DRAM memory chip work together to enable more than five times the readout rate of image data and are responsible for a variety of standout features that have previously been available only in selected professional-level video cameras,” Sony said.
These enhanced capabilities include 40 times super slow motion video capture at up to 960 frames per second, an ultra-fast Anti-Distortion Shutter with a maximum speed of 1/32000 second, high-resolution 4K movie shooting4 and more.
This is the first time Sony is bringing 960 fps super slow motion to consumer cameras.
Prior to shooting, users will have the ability to choose among 960/1000 fps, 480/500 fps and 240/250 fps frame rates and among 60p/50p, 30p/25p and 24p playback formats to optimise the recording to fit the speed of the moving subject, the company said.
Users also have the option to use the movie record button as a ‘start trigger’ to begin recording once the button is pressed, or ‘end trigger’ to record footage up until the button is pressed.
The ‘end trigger’ mode lets shooting begin two to four seconds before the movie button is pressed, enabling shooters to capture the decisive moment with much more consistency and accuracy.
The RX100 IV and RX10 II also come with enhanced abilities to shoot capturing fast-moving subjects.
In particular, its fast processing capability results in continuous speeds of up to 16 fps on the RX100 IV, and up to 14 fps on the RX10 II for an extended period of time, Sony India said.
“Additionally, the ultra-fast readout of the image sensor is responsible for the high speed Anti-Distortion Shutter (maximum speed of 1/32000 second), which allows the new cameras to capture sharp, crystal clear images with a wide open aperture at brightness levels up to EV192.”
The feature also minimises the “rolling shutter” effect commonly experienced with fast moving subjects, allowing photographers and videographers to capture beautiful content with sharply focused subjects and defocused backgrounds under some of the most difficult, bright lighting conditions.
The new RX100 IV and RX10 II models are the first Cyber-shot cameras to offer the advantages of 4K (3840 pixel x 2160 pixel) movie recording.
The cameras utilise full pixel readout without pixel binning to ensure that all the finer details of 4K video are captured with minimal moire and ‘jaggies’, Sony said.
“These high-quality results are achieved through the use of the XAVC S codec, which records video at a high data rate of 100M bps during 4K recording and 50 Mbps during full HD shooting,” it said.
The capacity for shooting 4K differs slightly on each of the two cameras, as the more professionally-styled RX10 II can shoot 4K videos at extended lengths of up to 29 minutes, while the more casual, pocket-friendly RX100 IV can shoot 4K clips of up to approximately 5 minutes in length.
Furthermore, professional caliber video features on both of the new cameras include Picture Profile, S-Log2/S-Gamut, and more.
Both cameras also have advanced dual video recording functionality, allowing shooters to capture 16.8-megapixel still images during 4K video recording in any of 11 different composition patterns, simply by pressing the shutter button.
The new RX100 IV maintains the compact, pocket-sized design of the RX100 family, and has a ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T 24-70mm (35mm equivalent) F1.8-F2.8 lens, while the new RX10 II has the same body design as the original RX10 and feature a ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T 24-200mm (35mm equivalent) F2.8 lens.
RX100 IV also offers 180- degree tiltable LCD which allows composing more unusual angles with the camera.
Each of the cameras is equipped with a new high-contrast XGA OLED view-finder with approximately 2.35 million dots of resolution (more than full HD), ensuring true-to-life image preview and playback functionality.
The RX100 IV continues to have the convenient retractable EVF with ZEISS T coating from the RX100 III model that debuted last year.
Both of the new models feature an upgraded Fast Intelligent AF system that enables high-speed, high-precision contrast detection of a moving subject in as little as 0.09 seconds.
“Sony’s proprietary AF algorithm allows them to recognise and lock-in on a subject with a simple half-press of the shutter button at a much more efficient rate compared to previous models. The new cameras also have Wi-Fi and NFC compatibility and the ability to access Sony’s growing range of PlayMemories Camera Applications.”
Aesthetically, both models feature a variety of customisable controls and buttons to fit the style of any shooters. The RX10 II further adds dust and moisture resistance.