Jesus Christ, can't people be civil on this forum?

People (even Steve Huff, shockingly) make mistakes. I gave you proof that the comparison was incorrect. Look at the color noise in the above linked photo. Look at the metadata. Here, I'll make it easier: http://cl.ly/image/0Q3r3f3Q3D0D

Believe it or not, my whole point of contributing to this thread was to help people reading the photography forum on BPL. I'm not here trying to espouse my philosophy, but rather trying to provide an analytical, science-based, look at the technologies being discussed here. This perspective may sound familiar because that is what all of BPL is based on.

The fact that you guys act so petty and derisive serves to further ruin this community, and I'd plead that you consider being nicer. I'm actually trying to help folks, not belittle your choice of expensive toys.

The RX1 is a great camera. Any NEX camera is a great camera. The E-M5 is a great camera.

Sorry for trying to contribute.

Geez, back in the old days, the only way we could get a decent camera argument going was if it was Nikon versus Canon. Now the contagion is spreading to Sony and the rest.

--B.G.--

The NEX-6 has a 16 megapixel sensor while the RX1 has a 24 megapixel sensor. That's 33.3% less pixels.


The NEX-6 has a sensor area of 328.6mm while the RX1 has a sensor area of 864mm. That's 62% smaller.

Another way to look at that is to say that the RX1 has 50% more pixels and a 263% bigger sensor.

But I must remember that when someone complains about an $850 tent, I'll tell them that the $330 version is really only 60% less expensive.

Anyway I don't recall in 30 years of retailing having ever had a professional customer pull out the calculator to work out the difference in quality to them between say Canon L 70-210 F2.8 lens and the Pentax F 70-210 4.5/5.6 or whatever...

" say Franco, should I pay 18.75x more for this Leica CL compared to my Trip 35 ? Anything else you can show me ?"
"Yes sir , the door"

Let's look what the REAL photographic differences between the RX1 and the NEXt best thing. The only mirrorless camera with similar sensor resolution is the NEX7. The only lens you can currently put on it that comes close in equivalency is the Zeiss 24mm f1.8.

BUT it is really not equivalent, is it? Afterall, DOF is noticeably shallower with the RX1 wide open. To have the same DOF on the NEX 7, the Zeiss 24mm would need an imaginary aperture of f1.4 (or the RX1 could be stopped down to F2.5 in reality). So we can say the RX1 is a full 2/3 stop faster in the lens. And since the front element of the RX1 is considerably larger we assume it should also have THEORETICALLY higher resolution. Whether it really does and whether it matters in practice is another matter.

Also, given the sensor size differences we can assume the RX1 will deliver ~ 1 stop better performance across the ISO range. This has been the historical pattern of FF vs. Sony 1.5 crop sensor cameras.

Finally, the RX1 has a base ISO of 50 vs. 100 on the NEX. Again another stop. (UPDATE: I have been informed ISO50 is an EXPANDED value so while it has its uses, lets call it a wash for now.)

Bottom line is an extra ~$800-1300 buys a smaller/lighter camera with almost 2 stops extra performance at its default levels. Now if you are the kind of photographer that finds that valuable and is not limited by the single focal length lens, the RX1 is not only a smart buy, its a steal.

Edited by rmjapan on 01/04/2013 18:28:36 MST.

For those who like off camera flash, the leaf shutter is a plus. I just did a flash test at 1/3200 with an Einstein Flash unit at full power.

A couple updates....

Apropos the leaf shutter, its amazingly quiet. If stealth street photography is your thing the RX1 is a great ninja tool. If you turn the system sounds off and turn off the AF assist light, the thing is totally silent (as in, even in a quiet room its undetectable).

I wanted to touch on the accessories a little bit. So far I have bought and used the leather case, the lens hood, and the thumb grip (btw I have spoken with the awesome people over at Really Right Stuff, they are currently working on a L-Plate for the RX1 and Im trying to convince them that if they manufacture a grip it will be a big seller). Having used these accessories (i.e. case and grip) for a couple weeks I have to say that they make handling the RX1 a lot easier (esp. with gloves on). The bottom-half of the leather case gives you a little more to grab onto and the thumb grip aides in this as well.

However, they are still outrageously priced. I would suggest waiting for third-party accessories at a fraction of the cost (some are already available on eBay).