I was always a little puzzled at what the original Sony RX0 was for. Is it an action cam? A compact camera? A vlogging camera? With the debut of the RX0 II, now with a tiltable LCD screen, things have become much clearer. It’s no surprise that Sony has taken the vlogging route and from the looks of things, the tiny camera may be the best alternative to the RX100 series yet.
The original RX0 was virtually indestructible—waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and crushpoof—making it the perfect “worry-free,” “go anywhere” camera. The second generation RX0 builds upon these features plus now gets internal 4K recording, up to 180-degree and down to 90-degree tiltable LCD screen that works underwater. It also boasts new stabilisation solutions for video recording.
It measures just 59 x 40.5 x 35mm and tipping the scales at a mere 132g, the highly pocketable camera allows for new forms of creative expression and a wide range of shooting scenarios.
At the heart of this ultra-compact camera id the 1.0-type stacked 15.3MP Exmor RS CMOS image sensor and advanced BIONZ X image processing engine. The combination offers enhanced colour reproduction, including beautiful skin tones. It’s also optimised for lightning fast performance and superior image quality, with a sensitivity range of ISO8011-12800.
The ZEISS Tessar T* 24mm F4.0 fixed wide-angle lens with a shortened focusing distance of 20cm, is perfect for selfies or wide establishing shots.
The RX0 II now offers 4K 30p internal movie recording with full pixel readout and no pixel binning. This enables it to collect 1.7 times the amount of data required for 4K video. Oversampling reduces the appearance of moire and jaggies, delivering exceptional 4K footage.
The camera boasts in-body electronic image stabilisation (EIS) for steady footage, even when you’re shooting handheld.
Additional movie features include Super Slow Motion at up to 1000fps, uncompressed 4K HDMI output and simultaneous proxy movie recording. You can use Picture Profile, S-Log2 and Time Code / User Bit functions as well.
It also features a 3.5mm mic jack so you can attach an eternal mic for better quality sound.
On the software side of things, the “Movie Edit add-on” application makes it easy for you to export your footage to a smartphone or tablet. A new feature called “Intelligent Framing” enables a selected subject to be kept in the centre of the frame and image distortion is corrected in the final edit.
Videography isn’t just the RX0 II’s domain. The little camera does still photography as well too. It boasts an Anti-distortion Shutter of up to 1/3200s and it can shoot p to 16fps.
It also features upgraded colour reproduction, that reproduces natural and vivid colour of human skin. An optional “Soft Skin Effect” can be applied to cover minor blemishes and wrinkles as well.
Sony’s hugely popular Eye AF technology has also been upgraded on the RX0 II. Speed, accuracy and operation of Eye AF has been improved to make it even easier to capture a stunning portrait.
Additionally, the camera can be set for interval shooting to capture stunning time-lapse videos—edited with Sony’s “Imaging Edge” desktop application viewer.
One of the highlight features of the original RX0 was the ability to connect multiple RX0 cameras for stunning, creative shots. You can connect up to five RX0 II cameras, controlled wirelessly using the Sony “Imaging Edge Mobile” app. Between 6 to 50 cameras can be controlled via an access point. This feature is scheduled for Summer 2019.
The camera is also compatible with the Camera Control Box CCB-WD122 which enables up to 100 cameras to be connected and controlled in a wired multi-camera setup.
For vloggers, the perfect companion to the RX0 II is the VCT-SGR1 Shooting Grip, an optional extra that costs MYR399, also compatible with other RX series cameras.
Pricing and availability
The RX0 II is now available at Sony Stores, Sony Centre and other authorised dealers in Malaysia for MYR2,799.
For more information, visit the official Sony RX0 II page.
