Sony DSC-RX1 First Impressions Review

Menu

The menu on the RX1 is designed just like a Sony Alpha DSLR, with pages of options separated into tabs that are organized horizontally along the top of the screen. This is in stark contrast to the more grid-based menu system of Sony's NEX system cameras, or their lower end point-and-shoots. The choice of menu design is a good one here, as this design is ideal for finding your way through loads of options quickly and easily. It also ensures that professionals or hobbyists used to shooting with Sony's Alpha DSLRs will feel right at home, without the need to adjust to a new menu system.

Ease of Use

The Sony RX1, as you'd expect from a $2800 camera aimed at the high end of the market, features loads of control. It is designed for the high-end hobbyist or professional shooter, and doesn't cater much to the entry-level crowd. For those who know their way around a camera, the RX1 is quite customizable, letting you quickly adjust settings on the fly without having to dig into too many menus.

For those who are less comfortable around modern digital cameras, you may find the RX1's glut of options to be paralyzing. For these shooters, the RX1 also come with fully automatic and scene modes, as well as some of Sony's other beginner-friendly options such as auto portrait framing. There are easier options for beginners to get their hands on, though if you're in the "price is no object" crowd, the RX1 can still function like a basic point-and-shoot.

Size & Handling

The Sony DSC-RX1 is quite small, coming in at 113.3mm wide, 64.5mm tall, and 69.7mm thick with lens included. That gives it a footprint of around 4.5 inches wide, with a width and height of approximately 2.5 inches. It'll fit into the pocket of a jacket or small purse, and certainly is more palatable for carrying around than a normal full frame DSLR.

The RX1 is partially wrapped in a slice of rubber that forms a decent grip for handling the camera. While slightly larger, it's otherwise quite similar to the recently announced RX100. It's not obnoxious to shoot with, though its grip is hardly what you'd call plush. The grip could probably protrude a little more to aid handling, though that would have to come at the cost of increased thickness. If you find the camera just too slick to hold on its own then there is an (expensive) optional thumb grip that slots into the camera's accessory shoe, affording a little better hold.

The dials themselves are fairly responsive, with three rings around the lens aiding control. The lens has a physical aperture ring, a macro switching ring, as well as a front focusing ring. This is in addition to the two control dials on the top of the camera (one dedicated for exposure compensation) and the rear control dial on the back of the camera.