Sony RX100 II final review posted: See why this is the best pocket camera on the market

 

 

We've finally tied a ribbon on our review of the Sony RX100 II, and once again came away impressed with Sony's amazing pocket rocket.

We reviewed the original Sony RX100 back in the summer of 2012, and were so impressed by it that we named it our Pocket Camera of the Year for that year. Now, Sony's upped the ante with the RX100 II, adding a tilting rear LCD, built-in Wi-Fi, and a multi-interface shoe (a flash hot shoe with an internal connector for attaching things like a high-quality external EVF or a microphone).

Arguably the biggest change, though, is the switch to a backside-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor. This makes a very substantial improvement in high-ISO/low-light capability in the camera's JPEGs (more than a full stop in our tests), albeit a bit less so in the RAW files.

The result is a very worthwhile upgrade to an already stellar performer. It's rare that a year-on-year model upgrade offers enough to encourage owners of the previous version to upgrade, but the Sony RX100 II is a clear exception. Gaining a full stop of added low-light performance, with the tilting LCD, Wi-Fi and hot shoe added for good measure, makes a pretty compelling case for taking the step up.

There's a lot more to the story, so read our Sony RX100 II review for all the details, including image comparisons with both the previous model and some of its current competition, but the bottom line is the RX100 II once again dominated the competition, and easily wins our award for Best Pocket Camera of 2013.

(Seriously: If you're shopping for a true, no-excuses pocket camera, read our Sony RX100 II review, you'll be glad you did! :-)