Sony RX100 IV Flash

Coverage, Exposure and Range
A weak flash with somewhat narrow coverage. Typical for a compact, but range is helped by the fast lens.

Coverage. Flash coverage was somewhat uneven at wide angle, leaving very dark corners and edges in our flash coverage test image. Narrow coverage at wide angle isn't unusual, though, and some of the corner darkening is likely from the lens itself. We no longer test flash coverage at telephoto, as it is invariably better, making wide angle the worst case scenario.

Exposure. Our Indoor Portrait test scene came out quite dim in our normal flash test at f/4 and ISO 200, even with +1.0 EV flash compensation and a relatively slow 1/30s shutter speed. You'll likely want to raise ISO sensitivity further in similar situations. Slow-sync mode was brighter as you'd expect, with its slow shutter speed of 1/13s capturing more of the warm, ambient light.

Manufacturer Specified Flash Range Test. The Sony RX100 IV's flash range is rated 10.2m or 33.5 feet at wide angle, and 6.5m or 21.3 feet at telephoto, with ISO sensitivity set to Auto. 33.5 feet is too long for our lab but at the distance specified at full telephoto above, the Sony RX100 Mark IV produced a well-exposed flash target, though it boosted ISO to 3200 to achieve that result. We shoot this test shot using the manufacturer-specified camera settings, at the range the company claims for the camera, to assess the validity of the specific claims.