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Sony Cyber-shot RX-1 is a full-frame compact, costs £2,600

The Sony Cyber-shot RX-1 is a 24.3-megapixel luxury camera with a full-frame sensor and 1080p video -- for a premium price.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm
2 min read

Class: you either have it or you don't -- and we strongly suspect the new Sony Cyber-shot RX-1 has it in spades. This 24.3-megapixel luxury camera boasts a full-frame sensor and 1080p video.

Of course, class is never cheap: the RX1 has a price tag of around £2,600 in the US. But then again, those with true class never ask the price.

On the front of the RX1 is a Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm F2 lens with rings to adjust aperture and focus. It's a fixed-focus lens, so no optical zoom. On the top is a Multi Interface Shoe, which lets you bolt on a flash, viewfinder, or clip-on LCD screen.

You can shoot up to 5 frames per second at full resolution, and shoot raw photos as well. It captures 1080p video, and there's a choice of 50p or 60p, or 25p or 24p for your cinematic opus.

But the highlight is that full-frame sensor. The sensor is the chip that sits inside the camera, basking in the light that comes in through the lens and converting that light into digital 1s and 0s, essentially replacing the film that used to capture light in old-timey cameras. Different cameras have different-sized sensors: a full-frame sensor is a sensor that's the same size as a frame of 35mm film.

That's about as big as it gets for a consumer camera, which is good news: a bigger sensor collects more light and gives a clearer picture, even when the light's not so great.

Sony has also announced today the Sony NEX-6 mirrorless camera, as well as a couple more full-frame snappers: the Alpha-A99 is a sort-of SLR, while the Sony VG900 is a full-frame camcorder.

Would you spend more than £2,600 on a compact camera? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.