Photography

Sony focuses on speed for latest Cyber-shot long zoom camera

Sony focuses on speed for latest Cyber-shot long zoom camera
The Cyber-shot RX10IV has the world's fastest AF speed, and impressive 24 fps continuous shooting
The Cyber-shot RX10IV has the world's fastest AF speed, and impressive 24 fps continuous shooting 
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The Cyber-shot RX10IV has the world's fastest AF speed, and impressive 24 fps continuous shooting
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The Cyber-shot RX10IV has the world's fastest AF speed, and impressive 24 fps continuous shooting 
Sony's Fast Hybrid Autofocus system marries 315 phase detection focus points that cover around 65 percent of the frame with contrast-detection AF
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Sony's Fast Hybrid Autofocus system marries 315 phase detection focus points that cover around 65 percent of the frame with contrast-detection AF
Framing up can be undertaken using the 2.36 million dot OLED viewfinder or the tilting 3-inch touchscreen display panel
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Framing up can be undertaken using the 2.36 million dot OLED viewfinder or the tilting 3-inch touchscreen display panel
The RX10IV lays claim to the world's fastest AF acquisition speed of 0.03 seconds
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The RX10IV lays claim to the world's fastest AF acquisition speed of 0.03 seconds 
The RX10IV can record 4K video at 30 fps
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The RX10IV can record 4K video at 30 fps
Out front is a Zeiss 24-600mm F2.4-F4 Vario-Sonnar T* zoom lens, with optical image stabilization
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Out front is a Zeiss 24-600mm F2.4-F4 Vario-Sonnar T* zoom lens, with optical image stabilization
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Sony says its new flagship all-in-one Cyber-shot RX10 IV offers an unmatched combination of AF speed and tracking. And though the bridge camera includes the same stacked image sensor and 24-600 mm Zeiss lens as last year's model, it can now shoot up to 24 frames per second bursts and record 4K video.

The RX10 IV's 1-inch-type (13.2 x 8.8 mm) Exmor CMOS stacked image sensor doesn't get any more pixels than last year's Mark III model, at 20.1 MP, and still rocks the Bionz X processor. But the camera does manage to impress in the rapid-fire image capture and autofocus departments.

As well as laying claim to the world's fastest AF acquisition speed of 0.03 seconds – which is thanks to Sony's Fast Hybrid Autofocus system that marries 315 phase detection focus points that cover around 65 percent of the frame with contrast-detection AF – the Mark IV boats 24 frames per second continuous shooting with full AF/AE tracking, for up 249 JPEG format stills in one burst.

The bridge camera – which sits somewhere between a DSLR and a point-and-shoot compact – also makes use of High-density Tracking AF technology from its Alpha interchangeable lens cameras. Sony says that this "concentrates AF points around a subject to improve tracking and focus accuracy, allowing even the most unpredictable subjects including fast-moving athletes and birds in flight to be captured with ease."

Out front is a Zeiss 24-600mm F2.4-F4 Vario-Sonnar T* zoom lens, with optical image stabilization
Out front is a Zeiss 24-600mm F2.4-F4 Vario-Sonnar T* zoom lens, with optical image stabilization

Out front is a Zeiss 24-600mm F2.4-F4 Vario-Sonnar T* zoom lens, with optical image stabilization to nip camera shake and image blur in the bud. There's both a 2.36 million dot OLED viewfinder, with Sony bumping up the processing power to reduce EVF lag during continuous shooting, and a tilting 3-inch touchscreen display panel at 1.44 million dot resolution, with touch focus and tech designed to ensure the screen is bright and clear even in harsh outdoor lighting conditions.

UHD video recording (3,840 x 2,160) at 30 fps with phase detection AF has been included, with full pixel readout without pixel binning. And rounding out the camera's specs are built-in Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth, a dust- and moisture-resistant design and a battery that offers an estimated 400 stills per charge.

The Mark IV RX10 will be available from next month for around US$1,700. The promo video below runs through the main features and capabilities.

Source: Sony

Product Feature | RX10 IV | Sony | Cyber-shot

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1 comment
1 comment
Jason Catterall
I was keen right up until I saw the price. Holy sh!t that's expensive. Give it a decent sized sensor and drop the cost to $1000 and I might be interested, otherwise it's DSLR all the way for me.