Sony RX100 V Review

Tweet Share

Camera Reviews / Sony Cameras / Sony Cybershot i Review

RX100 V Overview Tech Info

Navigate Review Jump to review page...

Basic Specifications
Full model name:	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V
Resolution:	20.10 Megapixels
Sensor size:	1 inch (13.2mm x 8.8mm)
Lens:	2.92x zoom (24-70mm eq.)
Viewfinder:	EVF / LCD
Native ISO:	125 - 12,800
Extended ISO:	80 - 25,600
Shutter:	1/32000 - 30 sec
Max Aperture:	1.8
Dimensions:	4.0 x 2.3 x 1.6 in. (102 x 58 x 41 mm)
Weight:	10.5 oz (299 g) includes batteries
Availability:	10/2016
Manufacturer:	Sony
Full specs:	Sony RX100 V specifications

Your purchases support this site

Sony RX100 VA

Sony RX100 VA
Sony RX100 V

RX100 V Deals

20.10 Megapixels	2.92x zoom	1 inch size sensor

RX100 V Summary

Sony's RX100-series created the large-sensor compact camera category. Now, the Sony RX100 V takes it to the next level with performance that can blow away most interchangeable-lens cameras, yet in a package that can slip almost unnoticed into your pants pocket. And thanks to that big image sensor, the RX100 V's 20-megapixel stills and 4K video offer top-notch quality to boot. But can that justify its steep pricetag? Find out now in our in-depth Sony RX100 V review!

Pros

Pocket-friendly design; Unbelievably fast burst capture; Generous buffer depth, even for raw; Fast and confident autofocus; Very high resolution gives lots of detail in good light; High ISO noise levels much better than most pocket camera rivals; High-quality 4K video with uncompressed HDMI out; Super-fast High Frame Rate video

Cons

Very pricey for a compact camera; Still no touch screen; Slow buffer clearing; JPEGs can look over-processed at higher ISOs; Lens doesn't offer much telephoto reach; Battery life is very modest; 4K movies are limited to five minute clips

Price and availability

Available since October 2016 in North America or November 2016 in Europe, the Sony RX100 Mark V carries US-market pricing of around US$1,000. That's the exact same pricepoint at which the RX100 IV launched. In Canada, pricing is in the region of CA$1,250, while in Europe pricing is about 1,200 euros.

Imaging Resource rating

5.0 out of 5.0

Sony RX100 V Review

by Mike Tomkins, Zig Weidelich and Dave Pardue
First posted: 10/06/2016

Updates:
10/07/2016: Gallery images posted!
10/11/2016: First Shots lab images posted!
12/18/2016: Field Test posted!
12/29/2016: Image Quality Comparison posted!
02/24/2017: Performance test results posted!
04/11/2017: Print Quality Analysis posted!
05/02/2017: Conclusion posted!

Sony has done it once again: The company responsible for creating the 1"-sensor, fixed-lens camera market has taken it to the next level with a new model -- and the Sony RX100 V is truly a pocket powerhouse!

Almost identical to the RX100 IV in terms of body design, sensor resolution, lens and controls, the Sony RX100 V differentiates itself by providing greater full-res burst capture performance and burst depth than we've ever seen in such a pocket-friendly camera.

The Sony RX100 V is all about performance

For the fifth generation in the RX100-series, Sony has clearly focused on performance. The Sony RX100 Mark V is simply unrivaled in this area: It can shoot full-resolution images at a truly staggering 24 frames per second, and that's with autofocus and autoexposure adjustments between frames. (For bonus points, you can also enable silent shooting at this rate, so you won't even distract your subject.)

And that performance is not available just for a handful of frames, either: A roomy buffer allows space to store as many as 150 JPEG frames at full resolution, and even raw shooters should be able to manage an impressive 72 frames in each 24-fps burst. Even if you favor raw+JPEG capture, you should be able to shoot around 62 images in a burst, a fair bit more than twice as many as was possible with the RX100 IV. (And all of those figures are from our in-house testing, incidentally. Sony's own claim of 150 JPEG frames in a burst nicely matches our own findings.) See our Performance page for details.

A new hybrid autofocus system with more points than you can shake a stick at

Sony has achieved this level of performance in part thanks to a redesigned image sensor with a brand-new hybrid autofocus system. The RX100 V's new 20.1-megapixel image sensor might not offer any higher resolution than the previous generation, but it now includes a generous 315 on-chip phase-detection autofocus pixels. These cover 65% of the image frame, besting the recently-cancelled Nikon DL-series cameras by around 5%.

The on-chip phase-detection pixels are first used to quickly determine the required focus adjustment and direction. To complete the AF cycle, the system switches to using contrast-detection to fine-tune the precise point of focus. And you can manually adjust both the AF drive speed and tracking sensitivity.

The result, according to Sony, is "professional-level AF performance" capable of determining a focus lock in just 0.05 seconds. (Our own in-house testing using center-area autofocus at wide angle and telephoto positions turned in times of around 0.19 to 0.21 seconds, very respectable performance for such a compact camera.)

The Sony RX100 V is the latest to gain a high-speed LSI chip

Of course, the image sensor is only part of the story. The Sony RX100 V also derives some of its epic performance from a change in the way data from the sensor is handled. Just as in the A99 II interchangeable-lens camera, the Sony RX100 V now supplements its BIONZ X image processor with a new front-end LSI chip for even greater performance.

A little back-of-the-envelope math provides a testament to the power on offer. Since it can capture 150 images in a burst, each at full 20.1-megapixel resolution, that means that the RX100 V is handling some three gigapixels of raw sensor data in each burst. And with a claimed capture rate of 24 fps, each full burst is completed in just 6.25 seconds. That's a whopping 482.4 megapixels of data being processed each second!

Even more capable 4K and high-frame rate video capture

All of that performance isn't just harnessed for stills, either. The RX100 IV was already an exceptionally capable video shooter for a pocket-friendly camera, providing for both 4K ultra-high definition recording and up to a maximum capture rate of 1,000 frames per second at reduced resolution. Now, the Sony RX100 V follows with improvements on both fronts.

For one thing, when shooting 4K video you have access to the same new hybrid autofocus system used for still imaging. Also, 4K footage is captured with almost the full sensor width, without any line skipping or pixel binning. This means that the video is coming off the sensor at higher than 4K resolution, and then being downsampled to its final output resolution. And it's not by a small margin, either: 4K video is effectively oversampled by about 1.7 times. And compared side-by-side with 4K footage from the RX100 IV, the Sony RX100 Mark V's output is noticeably wider-angle at the same focal length.

At the same time, Sony has managed to double the maximum length of high frame-rate movies captured with the RX100 V. Where the RX100 IV had a maximum HFR capture time of either two or four seconds, the RX100 V is now be able to capture as much as eight seconds of HFR footage. And while that might not seem like much, it's important to bear in mind that depending on your recording and output frame rates, that's potentially as long as a five-minute output video with a 40x slow-motion effect.

All this, and the Sony RX100 V isn't even any bigger!

Perhaps most impressively of all, Sony has managed to cram in all of this extra performance with almost no increase in size and weight. At 4 x 2.4 x 1.6 inches, the Sony RX100 V is the exact same width and height as its predecessor, and an indistinguishable 0.02 inches (0.4mm) thicker than its predecessor. And its weight, too, is basically unchanged. It packs amazing performance into a body so small you can forget you're carrying it!

Most other features are similar to the preceding model

In most other respects, the Sony RX100 V is very much like the camera in whose footsteps it follows. It sports the same ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T*-branded lens, for example, with focal lengths ranging from 24-70mm equivalents and a bright maximum aperture of f/1.8-2.8 across the zoom range. It also retains the same high-resolution XGA electronic viewfinder, which is based around a 2.3-million dot Organic LED display, and whose eyepiece features a Zeiss T* coating.

Also making the leap from the RX100 IV to V is a 3.0-inch, 1.3-million dot LCD monitor. This still sits on an articulation mechanism which allows tilting upwards by 180-degrees for shooting from the hip or even selfie shooting, and downwards by 45 degrees for easier over-the-head shots. And like its predecessor, the Sony RX100 V also includes Wi-Fi wireless networking connectivity with a choice of either NFC pairing for Android devices, or QR code pairing for iOS and those few Android devices which lack an NFC antenna.

Updated VA version brings boosted performance and some VI features

In July of 2018, Sony quietly upgraded the Mark V's BIONZ X image processor to the same chip used in the Mark VI, and dubbed the camera the RX100 Mark VA (DSC-RX100M5A). The processor update brought along with it some of the performance enhancements, image quality tweaks and new firmware features found in the VI while keeping the rest of the hardware and battery life the same as the V.

See our Sony RX100 VA preview for more info, and our RX100 VI review for an indication of the performance, image quality tweaks and some of the new firmware features that the Mark VA inherits from the Mark VI.

Sony RX100 V Field Test

Pocket powerhouse: An unassuming compact with unbelievable performance

by Mike Tomkins | 12/18/2016

Four years ago, Sony reinvented the compact camera with the RX100, a pocket-friendly beauty with a sensor far larger than those typical of its rivals. Although it wasn't perfect -- no camera ever is -- I fell in love with the RX100 almost instantly, and quickly bought one with my own hard-earned money just as soon as we'd completed our review.

Fast-forward to the present day, and the compact camera series that changed everything has now reached its fifth-generation, courtesy of the Sony RX100 V. Interestingly, Sony still continues to sell all four previous RX100-series models, allowing users to pick and choose the camera which best fits their needs and budget.

What separates the Sony RX100 V from the crowd?
So what separates the Sony RX100 V from its siblings? Take a look at the Sony RX100 IV and V side by side, and you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Both cameras share the exact same body and control layout. They also share the same sensor size and resolution, and use the same lens, display and popup electronic viewfinder.

Click here to read our real-world Sony RX100 V Field Test

Sony RX100 V Technical Insights

A rundown of all the tech in this incredible camera!

by Mike Tomkins | 10/06/2016

Sensor
For the fifth straight generation, resolution from the Sony RX100 V's 20.1-megapixel, 1"-type, backside-illuminated image sensor is all but unchanged from that of the previous model, suggesting that Sony is happy with the sweet spot it has found in terms of resolution and sensor size. (Until the RX100 IV, all RX100-series cameras had a slightly higher effective resolution of 20.2 megapixels, but that difference is so small as to be indistinguishable in the real world.)

However, it's not the exact same sensor used in the RX100 IV. This time around, Sony has added on-chip phase detection autofocus pixels, allowing for a super-speedy new hybrid autofocus system, which we'll come back to momentarily.

Click to read our Sony RX100 V Tech Insights!

Sony RX100 V Image Quality Comparison

See how the Sony RX100 V's IQ stacks up to the competition!

by Mike Tomkins | 12/29/2016

Below are crops from our laboratory Still Life target comparing the Sony RX100 V's image quality to its predecessor, the RX100 IV, as well as both of its nearest 1-inch sensor-based compact camera rivals, the Canon G7X II and Panasonic LX10. For good measure, we've also compared it against a compact with an even larger sensor, the Panasonic LX100, as well as a similarly-priced mirrorless camera with a far larger sensor, the Sony A6300.

NOTE: These images are from best quality JPEGs straight out of the camera, at default settings including noise reduction and using the camera's actual base ISO (not extended ISO settings). All cameras in this comparison were shot with our very sharp reference lenses. Clicking any crop will take you to a carrier page where you can click once again to access the full resolution image as delivered straight from the camera. For those interested in working with the RAW files involved, click these links to visit each camera's respective sample image thumbnail page: Sony RX100 V, Sony RX100 IV, Canon G7X II, Panasonic LX10, Panasonic LX100 and Sony A6300 -- links to the RAW files appear beneath those for the JPEG images, wherever we have them...

See our Image Quality Comparison

Sony RX100 V Print Quality Analysis

But how does it look on paper?

by Dave Pardue | 04/11/2017

Print quality and image quality are similar but not identical, because what you see on a print isn't always the same as what you see on the screen. Our print quality analysis answers the important question: "Just how big can I print my photos at higher ISOs?"

The Sony RX100 Mark V turns in a solid performance in the print quality department for its sensor size, and doesn't disappoint in the expectations we had for it. Several ISOs in the middle range almost bumped to a print size higher than its predecessor the RX100 IV, but in the end there hasn't been any significant increase in overall print quality since the RX100 II. Indeed, the real technological advances have mostly come in the speed and video departments, which are certainly good reasons to upgrade. If you're new to this line you can expect quality prints up to ISO 3200 for 8 x 10's, which is a good limit to suggest for most all 1-inch-sensored cameras if you intend to print your photographs for anything but casual purposes.

Read our Sony RX100 V Print Quality Analysis

Sony RX100 V Conclusion

Closing thoughts on the pocket powerhouse

by Mike Tomkins | 05/02/2017

The latest in the line that created the large-sensor compact camera category
It's been five years now since Sony first wowed us with its RX100, a pocket-friendly compact camera that defied convention with a far larger than average 1-inch type image sensor. In the years since then, that trendsetting camera has spawned an entire series with which it shares its name, not to mention some challengers from rivals Canon and Panasonic.

Yet in a world where we now have a good bit of competition for cameras based around the 1-inch sensor size, the Sony RX100 V somehow still manages to stand unchallenged, offering performance that's simply in a different class from its rivals. And for good measure, it also manages to pack in not just high-speed still capture, but also high-quality 4K video capture and a raft of incredibly fun high frame-rate video capture modes.

Truly staggering burst performance, even with autofocus
With a maximum burst capture speed of 24 frames per second even while allowing for autofocus and autoexposure adjustments in between each frame, performance is clearly the big selling point for the Sony RX100 V. And yet this is very much not a sports-oriented camera, a fact which can leave you wondering just whom its target customer is. With a relatively short 2.9x zoom lens as dictated by its pocket-friendly design, you really need to be close to the action if you want great shots out of the RX100 V -- far closer than you'll manage at most sporting events without special access.