My life in cameras: Part 9 Sony RX100 review the pocket wonder

How to find more time for photography

As much as I liked the Panasonic GM1 it was actually too big for being pocketable. Especially when I would add one of the other lenses. Especially in summer I would carry around a small bag anyway so what was the point right? So I thought about getting a used Sony RX100.

This was a really small but extremely capable little camera. It would literally fit in a shirt pocket. Not that I wear shirt pockets I do have style after all ;-). But this was really a take with me everywhere camera and I used it as such. Unfortunately it would struggle with high contrast scenes and the colors did not look pleasing to my eyes. So I mostly used it for black and white photography and I had trouble finding two decent color pictures.

In the end it was a very practical camera but it was also overly complicated and not a joy to use. I sold it pretty quickly.

Sony RX100 examples:

Misty Morning

Misty Morning (2017)
Misty Morning (2017) Sony RX100 100mm eq. F4.9 1/100s ISO 500

Misty mornings are a special time. I love the calmness and quiet. I had a short window for this picture though as the park was full of people doing their morning run. I have to say I came to really dislike runners taking over the park at times. They would often be in a state of trance completely focused on their route not willing to avoid anyone else.

Royal Avenue

Royal Avenue (2018)
Royal Avenue (2018) Sony RX100 28mm eq. F5.6 1/640s ISO 125

A big avenue connecting two historic castles. Rarely is such a shot possible with all the tourists walking up and down this avenue and neglecting all the interesting small paths branching off.

Downstairs

Downstairs (2019)
Downstairs (2019) Sony RX100 28mm eq F1.8 1/30s ISO 640

Of course I had this camera in my bag whenever I commuted to work so that I could take pictures of the wonderful stairs into nothing. They literally go nowhere. There ought to be a tunnel connecting different platforms but they keep these stairs closed since they were built.

Alone

Sony RX100: An empty S-Bahn train in winter after a glance encounter
Alone after a Glance Encounter Sony RX100 28mm F1.8 1/30s ISO 640

I wrote a short story about loneliness and missed connections. You can read it here.