Sony RX100 III 20.1 MP Premium Compact Digital Camera w/1-inch Sensor and 24-70mm F1.8-2.8 ZEISS Zoom Lens (DSCRX100M3/B), 6in l x 4.65in w x 2.93in h, Black

(Update Dec 6th 2014) I highly recommend this book for the RX100M3 by Gary Friedman. I bought it and love it ([...]) I bought this camera because of its faster lens (f/1.8 to f2.8), which means, to me, more light entering onto the cameras sensor which, in turn, means to me slightly better images than previous models. Which translate to a shallower depth of field available. And that's exactly what I like and want in this model, and precisely why I bought it, even though I also have the previous M2 model. One thing I want to note here before I go on. The Aperture seems to move quite fast from 1.8 to 2.8 thru the smaller zoom range. In that, a case could be made that this lens is more of a steady 2.8 thru out the zoom range. So then what exactly did I get with this upgrade from my M2 to my new M3? Well, you've got the newer Bionz X processer. The new 180 degree LCD (for Selfies if you are so inclined). The pop-up EVF (which is an innovation in and of itself, and a help with image stabilization when pressed against my face). Zebra pattern and focus peaking which is available on my RX10 and now the M3. I feel the 24mm-70mm lens (though not the same reach as my previous M2 model - 28-100mm) is a good walk-around lens. And since I have been using this same zoom range for a long time on my DSLRs, I feel very comfortable with this zoom range in a very capable and now compact camera. When I use this for portraits at the long end of 70mm I expect to shoot mostly 1/2 to 3/4 body shots to full body shots. As opposed to the previous models zoom range of 28-100mm where I used it up to head and shoulder shots at the long end. This camera has the same Bionz X processor that Sony has in their A7 line of cameras (one of which, the A7R, that I have). That was another plus for me in buying this camera. As far as image stabilization, it is important to compact cameras today and thus, to me. And I find that holding the camera up to my face while using the EVF gives me the 'feel' of a more stabilized shot. And my pictures look better to me. This is important to me because now that I am in my 60's, try as I might, holding the M2 or my smartphone without an EVF - is not as steady as I'd like it to be or as I remember it was when I was younger. And I need image stabilization in lower light. And this EVF on my new compact M3 seems to provide that for me. The only 'unofficial' (perhaps non-technical) test I could do with this camera was to zoom it out to 70mm, and hold the shutter half-way to see how much 'lock' I had on the image. Then I tried it with my M2. My observation was that I did see an improved difference with the M3. There is a slight difference in camera size from the previous model (which I also have). The thickness of this model is about 2mm more. And the weight is about 8 to 9 grams more. What this also means in terms of fitting a leather case to it is that my previous models Sony leather case will not fit this camera. You're going to need the Sony LCJRXF/B Premium Jacket Case (Black). This new case will fit all previous models as well as this model. Just as the Sony LCJRXC/B Premium Jacket Case (Black) would only fit the M2 as well as the M1. Some people think that the case for the M2 will also fit the M3. It will not. I have tried it. I also recommend the custom camera grip by Richard Franiec (camera accessories by Richard Franiec). This goes for about 35$ and is worth its weight in gold - to me. It is far better than the Sony grip that I used on the M2 for 15$. Its made of metal (anodized aluminium) is sleek looking, feels good quality and solid, and gives you a good grip on the camera while still maintaining the cameras pocketability (because it doesn't protrude past the lens assembly). Of course with the camera grip added, the M3 will not fit in the Sony Leather camera case. So it is either one or the other. So to get around this I ordered another OP/TECH USA Soft Pouch Digital D-Micro (Black) for my M3 which I also have for the M2. And it fits great. If my review was any help with your decision to purchase, and I hope I was of some help, kindly choose 'Yes' in the comments section below. Thank You. Richard

This camera fits the bill for my needs and works perfectly. There are a few things about this camera that swayed me vs. the competition. I looked at many cameras before deciding which one to buy. The canon cameras which I was going to buy have a few problems that steer me from them, for example the Canon G7X does not accept aftermarket batteries and can only charge via a dock charger. I am not spending fifty dollars for a camera battery when the original runs out, I will use my old AA battery camera if I have to in that case. Many people report noise in videos from the mechanism on the canon cameras. This camera charges by USB and of course you have the option to use the dock charger of your choice if you wish, if you don't have a dock charger they are available cheaply here on amazon. More options for charging is always better. The USB can charge with any android phone charger and mini USB cable. I tried several and they all work. Nikon is nice and everything but apparently those require a specific adapter to use so you will have to make room for that and the cable on your charging strips. I can verify that this camera takes aftermarket batteries just fine, and they are very cheap, in the tune of around five to ten dollars each. Since a single battery will likely last for at least a year or more at minimum that is a great value. A camera is useless with a bad battery or without a battery or one that does not function properly, so its pointless to buy something that won't accept aftermarket batteries especially with an item this expensive I expect the camera to last me many years. I don't mind if the battery doesn't show properly on the meter, I haven't gotten that far with the camera yet, its easy enough to change it out with a spare in a very short amount of time and keep right on shooting. This is a fast camera, that means it takes a snapshot very quickly, therefore it would be ideal for real world use and families with kids, there is very little lag time between when you hit the button and when the picture is taken. I don't think you can find a faster camera of this size. If you need to catch something quickly, this is your camera. Its easy to use, I had no problem adjusting to it. The flash seems to be made out of metal which is good, the hinges are metal which is good. You do have to flip the flash up with a switch and push it back down manually. I recommend using a light touch on this, as it does feel delicate but I don't think I will have a problem with that, again the hinges are made of metal so it should last. The flash can be angled if you hold it in the position you want to keep it in while shooting the picture, not that difficult to do if you need to do it. Some people might need this feature so I am mentioning it here. The Sony RX100 MK2 has a tilting screen but cannot tilt into the selfie position making it pretty pointless in my opinion (I spent a long time trying to figure this one out so I figured I would write it here). If you want a camera that tilts into the selfie position you must buy this one, the MK3 or one of the newer versions. The original Sony RX100 doesn't have a tilting screen at all. The screen on the MK3 does tilt down about halfway as well. The screen feels delicate but the hinges are made of metal so again, they should be fine. Just use a light touch on it and you should be fine. I haven't tried the viewfinder much yet but it does pop up when you hit the button or switch, when you put the viewfinder down the camera turns off, might be minor thing for some people. I guess my only complaint is the grip accessory, its just too expensive. Its a NEEDED accessory and at $14 its literately a 2 inch piece of rubber with some adhesive on the back. Its easily the most expensive accessory I ever bought ever for anything. But I guess if someone is buying a camera that costs $700+ then an extra $14 isn't that big of a deal.... Update: I have to update this, this camera takes video with absolutely stunning quality, that is the only way to describe it, when playing the video back, it looks like you are actually there. I have never seen a camera produce such stunning video and I highly doubt there are many cameras on the market that can produce a video like this camera can. This camera captured my summer memories perfectly. The camera is sturdy and the battery lasts a long time, it got me through an entire day at a theme park where I took many pictures and made many videos and still had a little bit of battery left at the end of the day. You can probably take 200 photos easy and film a bunch of short videos and you will still have life left. I filmed a 10 min video and it held up great. I also filmed a couple local bands and even at night with bright lights the video was absolutely stunning. It works great in low light and indoors.

I hate this camera. I hate this camera. I hate this camera. When I'm on my deathbed, surrounded by my family, my children will say, "Please! Give us your final words!" They will be: "At least I, cough cough, don't have to deal with that stupid Sony RX100M anymore!" From about 2000 to about 2006 I used to buy a new digital camera every year. It was interesting to see them improve slightly year to year, but the ultimate feature eluded me: a camera that would take crisp pictures in low light without a flash. Every year the cameras were getting closer and closer to being able to do this, although they frequently failed. Then I lost interest. Years later, I finally splurged on this, figuring that, heck, 9 years or so have elapsed: they're sure to have gotten that down by now. Plus, this was no two hundred dollar job. This was top of the line, in its class. But guess what? Even top of the line compact cameras these days STILL cannot take pictures in low light! Imagine how disappointed when this one frequently failed in the afternoon, giving me blurry shot after blurry shot. (I'd upload them for your edification, but this apparently can't be done on Amazon.) More irritatingly for me, there's no way to delete all the pictures! Instead the best you can do is go in and delete everything on a certain date. But if you've been using the camera for say, a month, you're going to have to go in 30 separate times to clear everything out of your camera! As if that's not enough of a bother, everything's write protected, so there is no way to delete the pictures from your camera when it's connected to your computer. No, you have to disconnect the camera, open each day individually, and delete them that way. And don't think you save time by quickly deleting them from within Windows. No, Sony classifies all your images as "read only" so you can't delete them from within the computer. And don't think you can simply "select all" and uncheck "read only." Nope. Sony has seen fit to gray that option out. The insanity also applies to transferring your pictures to a computer: there's no way to simply "transfer all." Instead you have to choose a certain date and transfer them individually, each by date. Sony: I want my camera to behave like a USB stick. Everybody does. What's so hard about that? Canon cameras can do it. Kindles can do it. Why can't your product? What a hassle. Heed my warning: a super-expensive camera, but I only use it when I really have to, since it's such a hassle to get my pictures off. Also note: it does not come with a memory stick. Another annoyance: when you plug the camera into the wall (via the USB cord), it won't charge! The power has to be off! Why?!

As a big Sony fan and owner of the RX100M2, I was happy to see some features I wanted incorporated into the M3 which was the tipping point to me forking out my dough and buying this. Initially, I was disappointed somewhat disappointed with the reduced zoom but not anymore as I'm quite happy with the low light quality. This camera does take excellent pictures and the F2.8 does well in low light situation when zoom all the way out. The ability to take 3:2 is new and the camera seems to process the picture lot faster. There are now new options for video recording format. Battery wise, it's near identical and the difference is non meaningful. Size and weight between the M2 and M3, it's near identical. Both use the same battery and battery charger. The M3 has a flip out screen so you can do selfies. The M3 EVF feature was one I was really looking forward to, but it's a big disappointment. Previously with my M2, I had an external EVF hooked up to it which works well but made the camera harder to carry. When you slide up the EVF the camera will automatically turn on, and when your done, you push it down and the camera lens retract and turn off. Sounds good? Not really. What Sony did not mention is that when using the EVF, not only do you have to pop it up, but you have to pull the EVF towards you to adjust the diopter EVERYTIME, else it will be out of focus. Can you imagine how inconvenience this will be? Sony should have put a small diopter dial. The other problem is that the EVF is so small it is very hard to make out any of the letters/numbers. In other words, I find the EVF practically useless.. In the beginning, I missed the M2 zoom but now, I prefer the faster F/1.8 instead. I don't find myself zooming beyond the 70mm range and for the few shots that I missed (vs the many I take within the 24mm-70mm range) I can live with it. After over 1000 pictures, I see that the picture quality with the M3 (especially in low light performance) is far superior than the M2. I've decided to keep this camera and my M2 is out on eBay! UPDATE: 09/10/2014 So after taking over 2000 pictures on with the M3, I've come to really appreciate the performance of this camera. First my whining about the longer zoom has stopped. I'm quite happy with the M3 reduced zoom and to be honest, I haven't missed it. But there were some shots that I did get and it was because of the F/1.8. At around 7:00PM, in the garage with only natural light, I was amazed at the clarity of the pictures the M3 was able to capture. My neighbor with a Nikon D800 (she had the standard F/3.5-F/6.0 lens) had a hard time adjusting the various settings to get the ideal shot and by that time, the "Happy Birthday" song was over and the candles were blown and I was able to pull off close to 15 snapshots. The bokeh on this is also amazing; you can see the separation and different strands on black hair in outdoor photo's.... As for the EVF, well I'm still not happy about the two step process (pop up and then you have to pull it towards you) but I've come to accept it. Overall, you do get a lot features for such a small pocket camera. now the only question is (since the RX10 was just reduced to $999) will you spend $799 for the M3 or spend $999 for the RX10? Or, just get both!

This is simply the best pocket camera there is right now. As a pro photographer and having used a previous generation RX100 I have to say this latest version is simply amazing. I only just received it so bear in mind this is a first impression review. PROS: - The 24/70 lens with f1.8/2.8 max aperture is outstanding (a very nice upgrade from the last two RX100 models) - Very good high iso performance for a camera this size - Quick start time - Full hd video with really good image stabilization - NFC/Wifi (actually quite useful if you want to quickly post a nice quality pic to instagram) - The new customizable FN menu is very convenient - Built-in ND filter - USB charging (one less charger to keep track of, yes!) - Flip screen (with selfie mode) - Amazing camera that actually fits in my pocket (I pretty much take it everywhere) - Sony fixed the image/video browsing from the previous versions, they can be seen together instead of having to load a still or video folder to see each type of in playback mode. But nobody's perfect! There are a few minor CONS, some which already existed in the previous models and some which hopefully can be fixed via a BIOS update (one can always hope!) - Closing the view finder shuts down the camera, which doesn't make sense. Either disable this or make it an option in settings. - The screen is not touch-screen. I mean at this point almost everything is touch screen, this just seems like a strange oversight in such an amazing camera. This is especially missed when zooming in/out during playback. Not an absolute must have but would be nice. - Picture effects cannot be disabled. Some are actually useful (high contrast mono for example) while others are completely useless. But since you can't select which picture effects are enabled you have to scroll through all the options every time. (previous RX100 also had this annoying problem). It's a pretty minor issue though. - I wish the NFC/Wifi connect was faster, it’s not slow but one would hope could be made faster. I guess the connection time is mostly taken by having the phone change wifi settings, not sure if there ever could be a way around that. And a suggestion for the next generation: - Camera size: while it’s amazing sony was able to fit such a good lens in such a small package (and it does fit in my pockets), each version of this camera has increased very slightly in size and weight. I hope the next version could be downsized a bit - slimmer would be nice to be more easily be pocketable. Or maybe offer two versions, the standard one with all the bells and whistles and an "rx100 mini" version (no flip screen and no viewfinder) with a slimmer profile?

I went to a concert a few months back and had good seats, but only had an entry level smartphone to take pictures. As a result, the pictures were quite disappointing. I didn't want to be caught in a similar situation so after that experience, I decided to do some homework and look for a better camera. After reading many online camera reviews (articles and customer), I decided to go with the Sony RX100 III. The Sony RX 100 line is considered one of the highest quality cameras in a point and shoot form factor. As of today, there are six different RX 100 models, each with different capabilities and features. I chose the RX100 III over the other models for a few reasons. My main use of the camera is in a concert setting and the RX100 III, I believe, has the fastest lens of all the models and has the widest aperture which should be great for low light (though all models are considered great in low light also). Plus, though I don't plan on using often, having a flip-up screen for selfies can come in handy. The RX100 III has an EVF viewfinder whereas, the RX100 I and II models do not have a viewfinder. I'm really glad I decided to get a camera with the viewfinder as that comes in very handy using this instead of the LCD screen during a concert as to not disturb other audience members. I won't go into too much of the technical specs as but instead highlight features I like and dislike of the camera. Likes: - small size. I carry the camera in a case that I wear on my belt. - EVF viewfinder, great for concerts to turn off LCD display to not disturb others in audience - fast lens, 1 inch sensor, great for low-light situations - ability to shoot it JPG, RAW or RAW and JPG - three memory recall slots. This is great as I have saved all the settings I wish for concert picture taking in stored in one slot. All I need to do is recall the saved settings instead of having to fiddle with settings each time. Dislikes: - limited focal length of 24-70 mm optical zoom. Location, location, location. A good seat helps. - a lot of settings which can be a bit overwhelming - easy to accidentally bump the thumb wheel and change settings without knowing ( though the thumb wheel can be locked locked down) - buttons are not lit. So in the dark, I have to rely only by touch as to where the buttons are There are a lot of various setting options with this camera. Some are not that intuitive. I highly recommend the book "Photographer's Guide to the Sony DSC-RX100 III" as that explains a lot of settings which aren't readily apparent, like having the LCD display to automatically go blank when using the EVF viewfinder. Along with the book, I bought a couple of accessories. I got the Sony LCD screen protector along with an external grip (Haoge RX100 Skidproof Camera Bracket Holder Hand Grip for Sony Cyber-Shot) as some say the camera is slippery. I also got an extra battery and external charger. However, I found that I use the USB cable to charge more often as with the external grip, just charging the battery with the USB cable is more convenient to me that removing the grip each time. I have the camera set to save pictures in both JPG and RAW format. This saves two pictures for each shot. RAW saves all the information. If a picture is over or under exposed, with proper software, photos captured in RAW format can be adjusted after the shot. The camera also records high quality video and is known as a good camera for vlogging, though I haven't tried that at all. Overall, I really like the camera. It does take some getting used to and trial and error. I'm still learning some of the features. I included some pictures of my camera (with a external grip and screen protector). Also, a couple of concert photos (untouched, JPG format to give an idea of image quality) along with an outdoor low-light photo. If you have an up close seat, this camera can take some really terrific concert pictures, especially for a point and shoot. However, the 24-70 mm focal length does come into play. For pictures where I've been a few rows back, to simulate a zoom, I shoot using the highest megapixel, then crop the RAW photo. This is better than nothing, but there then is some noticeable noise in the picture. Acceptable but not as good as non-cropped. The best compliment I received thus far is a friend said something like "What's gotten into you? Those are the best pictures I've ever seen from you!". Good to know, better than the fail with the low end smartphone. I give the RX100 III five stars.

This is the camera I have been waiting a looooong time for. I am a professional photographer who does a lot of work overseas. So I find myself traveling with all of my camera gear packed into my Thinktank rolling bag and always have liked to have a small fast camera to use in case I saw something I wanted to shoot. Be it something that just peaked my interest or even if I was on a flight where the flight attendant decided to strip naked, swig a bottle of champagne, and then deploy the emergency shoot and run away (no that has not really happened on any flights I've been on, but, you know, it could). I wanted to be able to make a picture of something if I needed/wanted to without having to drag my roller out of the overhead and pull a camera out or feeling like the image quality would suffer because of the compromise of having a smaller point and shoot camera. But every other P/S camera I have used over the years left me feeling just that way... it was an image quality compromise either because the sensor was not very good or because the lens was slow, or the camera was painfully laggy. So I usually ended up carrying one of my Canon 5d mkIII bodies over my shoulder with the 24-70 on it... which is also not an ideal solution because you have to take it through security and try to keep it from swinging around while carrying bags, etc... then you have to find somewhere to put it once you get on your flight. Then I saw this camera... and fell in love with it. The image quality is amazing. It has a sharp and fast Zeiss lens 24-70 f1.8-2.8, fast and accurate autofocus, great fps rate (if you need it), and absolutely knockout image quality. I actually used this to shoot some work for a client (alongside my regular pro gear) and a liked a couple of the images so much that they made it into the edit and it is hard to tell the difference between the images shot with pro dslr's and the RX-100M III. This is also the perfect vacation camera or for trips with the kids where I don't want to lug my work gear. It is small and light but is good enough to shoot just about anything that they end up doing on a daytrip/vacation. I have been very pleased with the battery life on this camera. It seems to go an awfully long time for such a small battery. I also like how easy it is to operate settings like exposure compensation, flash modes, etc. on this camera. It takes seconds and minimal button pushing to reach most of the features one regularly accesses on a small camera like this. Sony really thought this through when designing it. I can't say enough about how good the image quality is. I have not shot the camera in jpg mode, only in raw, but in some very tricky lighting situations (kids in mid-day sun wearing hats on carnival rides) where you would expect a point-and-shoot to stumble, the Sony produces an image with more than enough latitude to burn and dodge a bit to end up with an amazing image. Color looks good as does the contrast. It seems to do a great job with white balance in less than ideal light, too. Finally, the perfect carry-around small camera to compliment my pro gear has arrived.

Camera as described for a great price and fast shipping! The camera is the perfect size for travel or a small purse and the quality of the photos are stunning. I had to learn the camera settings a bit so if you have knowledge of photography I imagine using this camera would be more effortless to use, but is still pretty straight forward as a beginner. It has two “intelligent” camera modes which did a great job at capturing scenery and objects/people. I received the camera with low battery so I was able to charge it using the USB they provided. I took this camera out for the day to Central Park to test and the battery was still full bars by the time the day was over from snapping photos (no videos) here and there, so I love this. Overall a great camera to carry around to capture fun moments and memories, which was exactly what I was looking for. Also came with a cute thank you card from seller :-)