Sony RX100 II gets tilting LCD, hot shoe, Wi-Fi, new sensor

I'm not sure what to make of Sony's addition to its RX100 series of advanced compact cameras, so bear with me while I ponder aloud about who should or might buy the more expensive, better-featured Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II, which also swaps out the 1-inch standard CMOS for a 1-inch backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS.

The camera keeps the same design as the RX100, but incorporates a hot shoe -- for accessories like an electronic viewfinder or microphone, as well as a flash -- as well as Wi-Fi and a tilting LCD. Those three features alone are probably worth the $150 premium you'll pay for the RX100 II over the RX100, though I have to admit I don't know that I'd be willing to pay for a $450 EVF on a $750 camera; the EVF's price makes more sense relative to the $2,800 price tag of the RX1, for which it was designed.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II (pictures)

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In addition, the camera gets some other updates including 1080/24p video; the ability to program the control ring for stepped zoom to 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm, and 100mm; and an optional accessory grip. The latter is especially welcome, since the biggest problem with the RX100's design is its slippery, gripless body.

But then Sony, for some reason, felt compelled to change to a BSI sensor at the same time. Producing a 1-inch BSI sensor is (at least according to Sony) quite a technical feat as well as expensive because of the low yields in the process. The company claims that it gains faster focus in low light and a stop of low-light sensitivity over the traditional sensor.

In practice, that means photos shot at ISO 3200 should look acceptable, compared to my recommended maximum of ISO 1600 on the RX100; though the camera's rated through ISO 12800, the top ISO sensitivity specification tends to represent the fantastical dreamings of wee marketing folk rather than actual, usable settings. The multishot high ISO modes are an exception.

However, with BSI sensors that gain generally comes at the expense of bright light quality. The lowest ISO sensitivity rises to ISO 160 from ISO 100 (though actual values tend to differ from rated ones for ISO sensitivities), giving you less latitude for daytime photography. And thus far I haven't been terribly impressed by the quality of BSI-sensor cameras, though that may be because they tend to have small sensors in general.

Then there's the issue of price. If you really want a large-sensor compact, the Ricoh GR provides an even larger APS-C sensor for the same money, though it does lack many of the features.

Here're some comparative cameras:

The RX100 taught Sony that people are willing to pay more for a high-quality compact, something that all its competitors learned a couple of years ago. But the people who spend that kind of money on an advanced compact might reactively balk at BSI. A lot will depend upon the image quality of the new sensor. I wasn't excessively impressed with the comparative print samples the company showed us during the press briefing, but then I rarely am.

I kind of wish Sony had simply added the new features to the existing model and developed a standard APS-C compact in the $1,000 range rather than confuse the issue. On the other hand, between RX1 and RX100 lies room for something like, oh, RX10.