Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX100 III Review | 108 Data compared

The DPReview evaluation of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III highlights the camera as a major engineering milestone for enthusiast compacts, setting a new benchmark for pocketable image quality. A standout feature is its 20.1-megapixel 1"-type BSI-CMOS sensor paired with a redesigned 24-70mm equivalent F1.8-2.8 Carl Zeiss lens, which provides an exceptionally bright maximum aperture, superb raw dynamic range, and a built-in pop-up SVGA OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF). Additionally, the camera excels with high-bitrate XAVC S video, effective image stabilization, and a 180-degree tilting LCD screen ideal for vlogging. However, the compact design brings notable cons, such as the removal of the multi-interface hot shoe for external microphones or flashes. The physical ergonomics are compromised by a slippery front plate and tight, small rear controls. Furthermore, the camera experiences significant lag when clearing the buffer after long bursts, and the lens offers less telephoto reach at 70mm compared to its predecessor.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III is a premium, pocket-sized compact camera that earns high praise and an Editors' Choice award for its exceptional image and video quality, driven by a large 1-inch 20-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor and a fast 10fps burst shooting mode. A standout feature is its sharp, integrated pop-up OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a bright, tilting 3-inch LCD screen that can face forward for selfies. The redesigned Carl Zeiss 24-70mm equivalent lens offers a wide f/1.8-2.8 aperture, which significantly improves light-gathering capabilities at longer focal lengths and ensures excellent high ISO performance with minimal distortion. Furthermore, it provides advanced video capabilities, supporting high-bitrate recording formats like XAVC S at 50Mbps alongside built-in Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity for easy sharing. Despite its outstanding performance, the RX100 III comes with several distinct drawbacks, most notably its hefty $800 price tag, which makes it considerably more expensive than many entry-level DSLRs or mirrorless alternatives. To accommodate the brighter lens design, Sony sacrificed some zoom reach, shortening the focal range compared to its predecessors. The camera also lacks a hot shoe...

The ePHOTOzine review praises the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III for its 20.1-megapixel 1.0-type sensor and a bright Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 lens, which delivers excellent sharpness and low-light performance. Key features highlighted include a built-in 1.44-million-dot OLED pop-up viewfinder, a 180-degree tilting screen, an integrated ND filter, and 50Mbps Full HD video recording. Cons identified include the omission of a hot shoe, making external flash use impossible, along with slight vignetting at the widest setting. The camera's smooth metal body can feel slippery, but its premium image quality in a pocketable form factor leads to a high recommendation.

The Amateur Photographer review highlights the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III as a premium enthusiast compact featuring an innovative pop-up OLED EVF and a versatile 24-70mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 lens. Its 20.1-megapixel 1-inch sensor delivers high-quality images with excellent low-light performance, while the 180-degree tilting screen enhances usability for various shooting angles. However, the camera's compact design introduces limitations, including the lack of a hot shoe for external accessories and cramped controls. Additionally, the review notes a dense, unintuitive menu system and poor battery life, making the device's high price point a significant consideration.

The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III is a premium enthusiast compact camera featuring a large 20.1 Megapixel 1-inch type sensor and a BIONZ X processor that delivers low-noise images and enhanced buffer depths. A standout upgrade is its optically fast 24-70mm f1.8-2.8 zoom lens, which provides a wider wide-angle framing than its predecessor and remains significantly brighter at the telephoto end, allowing for stronger low-light performance. Additionally, the camera integrates a surprisingly detailed popup SVGA OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) into its pocketable chassis and features a convenient 3-stop automatic built-in ND filter to manage exposures in bright daylight. Video performance is similarly robust, offering a 180-degree tilting screen for vlogging, high-bitrate 1080p recording at 50Mbit/s via the XAVC S format, and high frame rate 720p video at 120fps with audio support. Despite these strengths, the RX100 III exhibits several usability and hardware limitations. The physical body lacks a front grip, making it slick to hold, and the removal of the hotshoe eliminates the ability to mount external flashguns or accessories. Operability remains frustrating due to the absence of a touchscreen, requiring...

The Sony RX100 III is a highly capable, pocket-sized compact camera that introduces substantial hardware upgrades over its predecessor, including a built-in OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF), an integrated ND filter, and a 180-degree tilting selfie LCD screen. It features a 1-inch 20-megapixel sensor paired with a bright, sharp 24-70mm equivalent F1.8-2.8 lens that provides excellent low-light performance and high-quality stills. Video shooters benefit from a full-pixel sensor readout that reduces moiré, 50Mbit/s XAVC-S codec support, uncompressed clean HDMI output, and a highly usable 120fps/100fps slow-motion mode at 720p. The camera is praised for its incredibly fast autofocus in stills mode, responsive operation with minimal lag, and effective Intelligent Active image stabilisation. However, the camera suffers from several prominent usability and performance limitations. The shorter 8-25mm physical focal length restricts background separation, making it difficult to isolate subjects further than two meters away. In terms of video performance, the XAVC-S codec exhibits blocky compression on motion blur, waxy skin tone reproduction, and inconvenient file management hidden deep within nested system folders. Hardware omissions include the total lack of a microphone socket...

The Sony RX100 III is a premium pocketable compact camera featuring a large 1-inch, 20-megapixel sensor that delivers sharp details, lifelike colours, and strong low-light performance. A major highlight of this third-generation model is the clever addition of a pop-up 1.4-million dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a flexible tilting screen that flips all the way up for self-portraits. Sony also upgraded the lens to a brighter 24-70mm equivalent zoom, offering a wide f/1.8–2.8 aperture range. Combined with an upgraded automatic exposure system that intelligently raises ISO speeds up to 6400 to prevent blurry shots, and full-pixel readout video capture via XAVC S encoding at 50Mbit/s, the camera provides excellent photo and video fidelity for its tiny size.

The Decaf Journal review evaluates the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III as a highly capable, pocket-sized alternative to modern smartphones that delivers a rewarding, traditional photography experience. The author highlights several core pros, including its versatile 24-70mm equivalent F1.8-2.8 Zeiss lens, which is excellent for low-light conditions. Additional strengths comprise a retractable 1,440,000-dot OLED electronic viewfinder, a 180-degree tilting LCD screen ideal for vlogging, a built-in 3-stop ND filter, physical dials (including a click-less lens control ring), and sharp professional-grade RAW file output with great dynamic range and vivid colours. Despite these benefits, the reviewer identifies multiple cons that stem from the camera's aged hardware and compact footprint. The primary limitation is the small 1-inch sensor, which heavily restricts subject separation, causing isolated portraits and food photography to fall flat. From a design standpoint, the camera lacks weather sealing, a hot shoe, and a dedicated microphone port, which restricts it to casual audio and video use. Additionally, it uses outdated Micro USB charging instead of USB-C, lacks modern video log profiles, and suffers from minor material degradation, such as an HDMI...

The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III is a premium, pocket-sized compact camera built around a large 1-inch 20.2-megapixel sensor and a fast Bionz X processing engine. It is tailored for enthusiast photographers seeking high image quality in a portable body. A standout feature is its built-in retractable SVGA OLED Tru-Finder electronic viewfinder. The camera features a Carl Zeiss 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 equivalent lens, which trades away some telephoto reach from older models to offer a wider and brighter focal range. Additionally, it includes a 3-inch non-touch screen that flips 180 degrees for selfies, an improved 5-axis image stabilisation system, manual focus assist, and XAVC S format video recording capabilities. Its primary pros include the highly convenient built-in electronic viewfinder, an excellent high-quality sensor, and a very fast f/1.8-2.8 lens that performs exceptionally well in low light. On the downside, its cons include a restrictive 2.9x zoom range that compromises on telephoto reach, a multi-step activation process to deploy the viewfinder, and a main display screen that completely lacks touch-sensitivity.

The Trusted Reviews evaluation of the Sony RX100 III highlights it as a top-tier premium compact, featuring a robust, dense metal design equipped with a built-in popup electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a versatile lens control ring. Its 24-70mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 Zeiss lens, paired with a 1-inch sensor, provides exceptional low-light performance. However, achieving this compact, pocketable form factor necessitated compromises, most notably the lack of a hot shoe for external microphone or flash expansion. While praising its performance, Trusted Reviews notes the high cost and advises that users valuing versatility over extreme portability might prefer a compact system camera (CSC). Trusted Reviews

The Sony RX100 III is a highly polished, feature-packed point-and-shoot camera that punches well above its weight class with a 20.1MP 1-inch sensor and a versatile, fast Zeiss 24-70mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 lens. The reviewer praises it as the "best pocket camera ever made," highlighting its absolute "genius" hidden pop-up electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a 180-degree tilting selfie LCD screen. In practice, it delivers rich, punchy, and smooth out-of-camera JPEG files with excellent color rendering, impressive dynamic range, and fast autofocus, making it an exceptional, hassle-free everyday or travel companion that easily outperforms smartphones and competing compact cameras. However, the camera does come with several distinct drawbacks, most notably its high price tag of roughly $798, which is steep for a point-and-shoot. On the performance side, the small 1-inch sensor cannot fully compete with larger APS-C or full-frame sensors regarding low-light performance and dynamic range, leading to aggressive noise reduction in very dark settings and occasionally blown highlights. Ergonomically, the ultra-compact body can feel too small for users with larger hands, and the reviewer notes a few design quirks, such as...

The Sony RX100 III is a highly polished, feature-packed point-and-shoot camera that offers exceptional image quality and smooth, rich out-of-camera JPEGs from its 20.1MP 1" sensor. It is dubbed the "Super 100" due to its premium, durable build and major functional upgrades over its predecessors, making it an ideal everyday or travel camera that far surpasses smartphone capabilities. The standout feature is a genius, hidden pop-up electronic viewfinder (EVF) that deploys via a side switch, paired with a faster Zeiss 24-70mm equivalent lens that maintains a bright f/1.8–2.8 aperture range. Additional highlights include a 180-degree tilting selfie LCD screen, fast and accurate autofocus, built-in Wi-Fi with NFC, optical image stabilization, and a built-in automatic neutral density (ND) filter. Key Pros and Cons While the reviewer guarantees satisfaction for those prioritizing pocket-sized luxury and top-tier image quality, the camera does have specific limitations. Pros: Pocketable slim design, awesome pop-up EVF, fast aperture zoom lens, reliable autofocus, tilting LCD screen, and built-in ND filter. Cons: High retail price ($798), small sensor limitations regarding dynamic range and aggressive low-light noise reduction, body too...

The Sony Cyber-Shot RX100 III is lauded as an exceptional enthusiast compact, featuring a bright Zeiss 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 lens and a groundbreaking integrated pop-up electronic viewfinder (EVF) within a pocketable body. Key advantages include superb image quality at wide apertures, impressive high ISO noise management, and intuitive handling provided by dual control rings. Conversely, compromises include the removal of the Multi-Interface hot shoe for accessory attachment and a contrast-detection autofocus system that, while adequate for general use, struggles with fast action. Furthermore, the articulated rear screen lacks full touch functionality, preventing direct autofocus point selection.

The Sony Cyber-Shot RX100 III is a premium pocket point-and-shoot camera that costs $800 and features a 20.1-megapixel 1-inch sensor paired with a new 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 lens. Its most defining physical upgrade is a completely recessed, 1.44 million-dot pop-up electronic viewfinder (EVF), alongside a 3-inch LCD screen that now tilts a full 180 degrees for easier selfies. Performance-wise, the camera introduces a 3-stop built-in neutral density (ND) filter for bright daylight shooting, an upgraded XAVC S video codec for higher bit-rate recording, and a Bionz X image processor that significantly speeds up HDR processing time. While the camera outputs beautiful daylight images and delivers solid low-light performance up to ISO 3200, the reviewer notes that photo quality is essentially identical to its predecessor, with noise heavily breaking down the image at ISO 6400 and above. The camera's main advantages are its exceptionally fast, wide lens, streamlined Wi-Fi UI, and top-tier image and video output for a compact frame. However, it suffers from several distinct drawbacks. To accommodate the new flash placement and EVF, Sony removed the multi-interface hot shoe, which...