The Sony RX0 is tiny and looks like an action camera that's built for shooting video, but it's a surprisingly capable stills camera as well. Here are some example photos I've taken with it to give a sense of its real-world performance.
The Sony RX0 camera looks for all the world like Sony’s answer to GoPro, but its looks are a bit deceiving. Yes, it’s tiny, rectangular, and waterproof, but it’s not accidental that Sony has put it in their digital stills camera series (its full model number is DSC-RX0) rather than with their camcorders or action cams series. It has some unique and impressive video features, but its photo capabilities strike me as the most developed.
It has a 15MP sensor, 24mm (35mm equivalent) focal length lens, and shoots RAW (.arw).1 It has multiple shooting modes, including a full manual mode. You can choose from different drive modes, including bracketing, as well as different focus modes. In short, its features and settings for shooting still photos are in many respects the types of things you would expect on larger, full-featured cameras like market-leading Sony’s mirrorless cameras.
Sony’s marketing for this camera has treated it as a niche offering, with an emphasis on professional video. While it’s a little outside the primary target use, it has grown on me for travel photography. There are quirks to using it, such as the slowest shutter speed available being 1/4 second. And there are frustrations, such as the camera overheating and a slower-than-it-should-be automatic focus. But the RX0 is rugged and discreet and takes great photos. It has therefore earned a place in my regular travel kit, and I often find myself taking it out when I might otherwise have reached for something like a Ricoh GR II.
I’ve posted a detailed review of the Sony RX0 separately. I’ve also posted some examples of its high-ISO photo capabilities. What I’m focusing on here is providing some general examples of photos taken with the RX0 under a variety of lighting conditions and with different mixes of tones and detail in the hope that they might be helpful to someone trying to get a sense of how it performs as a stills camera in real-world shooting.
These were all shot in RAW (.arw) and processed in Lightroom. As RAW files, they’ve required at least some processing to be usable, but in many of the shots here the processing has been done with quite a light touch. What I haven’t done with any of these is apply any additional fixes to optical issues like chromatic aberration, noise reduction, or sharpness beyond the Lightroom defaults. Those are things I’d normally address in the workflow, but I wanted to retain any of those issues here to give a better sense of what you can expect out of the camera.
Sample Photos Taken with a Sony RX0
You can click on each individual image to open a full-size version.
Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₈₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 4000 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₁₆₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. The water splashes close to the camera tricked the autofocus and are nicely in focus; the main subject, not so much.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 3200 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¼ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 500 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₂₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. Another shot that should really show up any chromatic aberration issues, if there were any, but it’s not much of an issue in this one. But it does show up some blurriness at the corners, particularly the bottom corners.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 2500 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 1600 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 500 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. At ISO 6400 it’s starting to show a lot of noise in this shot.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 800 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₁₅ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 160 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₄₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 1000 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₂₅₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. I took this to look for purple fringing (chromatic aberration) in the corners. There’s very little, and what there is easily corrected in apps like Lightroom or DXO.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₂₀₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. A nice straight horizon even near the top of the frame. The lens has very little distortion.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 5000 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₂₅ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₁₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ⅛ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 80 and ¹⁄₁₀₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. I’d switched to manual mode for this to darken the scene–it was getting overblown on standard auto–but I took it too far and underexposed it by quite a bit. This one has had quite a bit of shadow recovery applied in Lightroom, but as you can see there’s quite a bit of detail that can be recovered.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₁₅ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₄₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₈₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₁₂₅₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 1600 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₁₀₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₈₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 2000 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 2000 and ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. There some pronounced blue fringing in this shot.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₁₆₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. Another straight horizon. Also shows the depth of field.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₁₀₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 6400 and ¹⁄₁₃ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₈₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. Such a tiny camera is quite discreet.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₅₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₁₀₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₅₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₈₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₈₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. The original shot is very high contrast, but this one has had a reasonable amount of shadow and highlight recovery applied. As you can see, the detail is there to work with.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 3200 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 800 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 50cm (about 20 inches), which isn’t especially close. So it’s not much good for close-ups. This shot was taken at right around the minimum focus distance from the ferns.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₅₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Taken at ISO 250 and a shutter speed of ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec. The RX0 has a fixed prime 24mm (35 equivalent) with a fixed apertured of ƒ/4.Taken at ISO 6400 and a shutter speed of ¹⁄₄₀ sec. The RX0 has a fixed prime 24mm (35 equivalent) with a fixed apertured of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₄₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Taken at ISO 800 and a shutter speed of ¹⁄₆₀ sec. The RX0 has a fixed prime 24mm (35 equivalent) with a fixed apertured of ƒ/4.Taken at ISO 400 and a shutter speed of ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec. The RX0 has a fixed prime 24mm (35 equivalent) with a fixed apertured of ƒ/4.Taken at ISO 640 and a shutter speed of ¹⁄₆₀ sec. The RX0 has a fixed prime 24mm (35 equivalent) with a fixed apertured of ƒ/4. This shot shows up issues at the corners, with blurriness and pronounced chromatic aberration.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 3200 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₂₅₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4. Some lens flaring at right of frame, but not anymore than you’d reasonably expect when pointing at the sun. Nice detail in the rigging of the Cutty Sark.Taken at ISO 125 and a shutter speed of ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec. The RX0 has a fixed prime 24mm (35 equivalent) with a fixed apertured of ƒ/4.Taken at ISO 160 and a shutter speed of ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec. The RX0 has a fixed prime 24mm (35 equivalent) with a fixed apertured of ƒ/4.Taken at ISO 125 and a shutter speed of ¹⁄₁₆₀ sec. The RX0 has a fixed prime 24mm (35 equivalent) with a fixed apertured of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 2000 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₁₂₅₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 5000 and ¹⁄₆₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.Sony DSC-RX0 at ISO 125 and ¹⁄₄₀₀ sec. Prime 24mm lens (35mm equivalent) at fixed aperture of ƒ/4.
“35mm equivalent” is a common way to standardize focal lengths when referring to focal lengths of lenses mounted on cameras with different sensor sizes. The RX0’s lens is actually a 7.7mm focal length lens on a 1-inch sensor. When you convert that to the 35mm standard (ie. a full-size sensor or a standard frame of 35mm film), it’s the equivalent of a 24mm focal length if it was on a full-frame sensor (or a film camera using 35mm film). All of the camera manufacturers who produce cropped sensor cameras use the “35mm standard” and it’s also printed on the front of the RX0’s lens port. You can see it clearly on the top photo here, for example.
Why are you saying 35mm equivalent ? It’s a fixed 24mm lens providing a 24mm focal length. It’s a 1″ sensor. 23mm on an Aps-c sensor is 35mm equivalent. You should correct this. It could confuse a lot of people.
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“35mm equivalent” is a common way to standardize focal lengths when referring to focal lengths of lenses mounted on cameras with different sensor sizes. The RX0’s lens is actually a 7.7mm focal length lens on a 1-inch sensor. When you convert that to the 35mm standard (ie. a full-size sensor or a standard frame of 35mm film), it’s the equivalent of a 24mm focal length if it was on a full-frame sensor (or a film camera using 35mm film). All of the camera manufacturers who produce cropped sensor cameras use the “35mm standard” and it’s also printed on the front of the RX0’s lens port. You can see it clearly on the top photo here, for example.
Why are you saying 35mm equivalent ? It’s a fixed 24mm lens providing a 24mm focal length. It’s a 1″ sensor. 23mm on an Aps-c sensor is 35mm equivalent. You should correct this. It could confuse a lot of people.