Sony RX100 III review

Sony RX100 III review

ISO tests

Testing procedure

• This is a simple ISO test like you might do at home yourself, manually moving up the ISO values in Program mode.
• These are all RAW files, imported into Lightroom and exported as 300 dpi jpeg without any NR.
• No crops this time, as you should not expect to be able to do that with a sensor this size

Conclusions

1. ISO noise is well under control up to ISO 800, where you’ll be hard pressed to see any noise without cropping.
2. ISO is usable up to 6400, after that, it gets into the way of sharpness and definition.
3. ISO auto values can’t be changed in iAuto mode (it can in P, A, S and M), something that bothered me in the A77II, but in the Sony RX100 III it’s no problem.

 

Sharpness test

My Sony RX100 III sharpness test is just an indication of how the Zeiss 24-70 f/1.8-2.8 performs. Although I try my best to keep all variables in a test like this under control, I don’t have a professional testing facility. In real-life use, I found this lens to be nicely sharp from corner-to-corner, keeping in mind that it is not meant for professional use. The center at all focal lengths on the Sony RX100 III is decently sharp at f/2.8, mostly peaking at f/4. Corners reach peak sharpness at f/5.6 (except at 35mm where F/2.8 seems to be the magic number). 

24mm

Center is a bit soft at f/1.8 but reaches maximum sharpness around f/2.84. Corners are at their sharpest around f/5.6.

Center

 

Corner

35mm

Both center and corners are nicely sharp at f/2.8, both center and the edges peak at f/4.

Center

Corner

50mm

Center sharpness peaks around f/4-5.6, corners at f/5.6

Center 

Corner

70mm

The center is already quite sharp at f/2.8, and both center and sharpness reach their best at f/4.

Center

Corner

Sony RX100 III sharpness conclusion

The Sony RX100 III performs very well for a camera of its stature. The Zeiss 24-70 f/1.8-2.8 reaches peak performance mostly at f/2.8 already. It is sometimes beneficial to step down to f/4 or f/5.6 to get the best corner-to-corner sharpness.