'DNA' digital review: What makes Sony RX1 so special?

Sony recently laun-ched its latest RX1 full-frame camera in India during the CEIF 2013 photo fair in New Delhi. The camera was first unveiled at PhotoKina 2012 and has finally made its way here for a price tag of Rs1,79,990. So, what makes this so special? Well, it just so happens to be the world’s first ‘full-frame’ fixed lens camera. By this we mean, the size of the sensor is 35mm, which is bigger than most PS-C sensors found in DSLRs. Fitting this type of sensor in such a compact body is quite an achievement and you pay a heavy premium for it.

The RX1 also features Sony’s signature Carl Zeiss Sonna T* lens. This was specially developed for the RX1 and was designed to capture more light for better low-light performance. You get Full HD recording at 24 frames per second. You also get the full flexibility of adjusting the aperture value, shutter speed, etc for professional quality videos. Since the body of the camera is compact, the small but powerful pop-up flash helps when the lighting gets too low. The three lens rings allow you to control the focus, aperture and switch to macro mode on the fly, without having to take your eye off the subject.

Since this is the world’s first full-frame compact camera, Sony is charging a hefty premium for it. If you’re looking for something cheaper, then Nikon has recently announced a budget-friendly full-frame camera – the D600. Canon also announced the full-frame prosumer DSLR called the 6D. All of these are slightly cheaper than the Sony RX1 but nowhere as compact as it.