Why you should buy sony rx1 in 2022

I remember 2012 when I first saw Sony RX1 being announced and thought MAN THIS IS THE PERFECT CAMERA.

While no perfect camera exist, RX1 was the perfect for me. It was damn expensive for me at the time, around $2800. I got mine just after a few years, six exactly 🤣.

Sony RX1 See in full resolution on Flickr

This camera is compact, like, really compact. Not pocketable like my Ricoh GR III (Check Ricoh GR III availability on Amazon (affiliate link)), but good enough. It is very light and easy to cary around. I liked the controls, especially aperture which can be changed directly on the lens. I remember spinning the aperture ring from f2 to f22 just to hear the clicks. Optional electronic viewfinder is a great addition for sunny days, as it can be difficult seeing the screen during the day.

Small red flowers in a vase See in full resolution on Flickr

Small bicycle See in full resolution on Flickr

Fisherman smiling while smoking cigarets See in full resolution on Flickr

Someone wrote somewhere that for $2800 you are buying the lens and getting the camera for free. I see the point - this lens is gorgeous. I mean, it’s Zeiss Sonnar 35mm f2. Beautiful and bright.

I swear I can notice Zeiss look when looking at random pictures. This has been also tested with a friend, where I guessed like 18 out of 20 random photos. Writing this now made me wonder why we didn’t place some bets. Anyone up for a bet now? 😏

zaanse schans See in full resolution on Flickr

Girl holding cup of coffee See in full resolution on Flickr

Black and white picture of outdoor restaurant See in full resolution on Flickr

Amsterdam buildings See in full resolution on Flickr

Coffee espresso See in full resolution on Flickr

Small yellow flowers by the window See in full resolution on Flickr

You must notice this creamy bokeh. It is so smooth that it hurts. But good stuff doesn’t stop there. After taking thousands of pictures with this camera/lens, I could not really see the difference in sharpness from f2 and f8 for example.

True, my blog is not really scientific in a way that I will zoom pictures at 100% (or god forbid 200%), then look at corners with lenses wide open and so on. I just don’t see the point in that, talking from a normal user perspective. If you are planning using your camera for that kind of stuff, then this blog is probably not a place for you.

Amsterdam buildings See in full resolution on Flickr

Bicycle bucket See in full resolution on Flickr

Buick in Amsterdam See in full resolution on Flickr

Small flower in a flower pot by the window See in full resolution on Flickr

Ibiza Spain See in full resolution on Flickr

Drinks bar See in full resolution on Flickr

Outdoor restaurant in Antwerp city center See in full resolution on Flickr

Yellow boat See in full resolution on Flickr

Brooks bicycle seat See in full resolution on Flickr

Amsterdam during night See in full resolution on Flickr

Being a camera from 2012, you cannot expect miracles in terms of performance. During the poorer light, you will see autofocus struggles. Battery will die pretty quickly on you. You will not see the screen clearly during the bright day. If you have big hands, camera controls will just feel too cramped.

However, I tend to forget all those things when I transfer the photos to my laptop and start scrolling through them. The depth, amount of details, sharpness and just how live photos look like, is something you really need to see for yourself.

Espresso house in Norway See in full resolution on Flickr

Streets and buildings in Amsterdam See in full resolution on Flickr

Pizza See in full resolution on Flickr

Buildings in Antwerp during night See in full resolution on Flickr

Old bicycle parked by the green wall See in full resolution on Flickr

Old Vespa See in full resolution on Flickr

I wanted to write about this camera for a long time, because it is still something special. Today’s prices are a lot more affordable; I’ve seen everything from $500 to $1200 on ebay. That’s considerable. Especially if you need something small and light.

There were a lot of reviews where people stated they had issues with sensor dust, which is a really bad thing if it happens, as there is no really a way to clean it. I guess you could send it to Sony but I am sure it will cost some nice amount of money.

I would say this - try and buy it as cheap as you can, then order a couple of spare batteries, and just enjoy shooting. There are no many other cameras in this form with this amount of power, and most importantly for me, with this kind of magic.

Now I will let you smell the coffee under, and to ask you consider buying me a coffee with the link below it, if you would like to continue seeing posts like this.

Close up coffee cup See in full resolution on Flickr