My Sony RX10 II review and slowmo footage

M

mitteg

Active member
Hello!

I've recently tested the new Sony RX10 II video capabilites. Have a look at this video:

I come from a Canon 7D and these are my initial thoughts:

  • Camera body is small, very small. Build quality is good but not great as the 7D.
  • Controls for video are better than my 7D, specially the iris ring, custom assignable buttons, built-in ND filter, shooting aids, etc
  • Menu layout is very clear and professional looking
  • Video quality is definitively crisper and clear than the one from 7D, but it lacks the CANON look&feel. The video from the Sony is more video-ish, less filmic. You can only achieve decent DoF at 200m f2.8.
  • Low light sensitivity is pretty good for a 1" sensor
  • Zoom speed is lame, slow in standby mode and not responsive at all when recording (so slow it seems like a toy). Very frustrating.
  • Slow-mo at 240/250 fps is awesome. I would say that it equals Sony FS700 with regards to picture quality. But you are limited to 2seg (not too bad actually). The problem is that you must set the zoom, iris, focus (basically everything) prior to actually start shooting. Once the camera is in continous recording mode you cannot change anything. What's the point Sony here?? Very difficult to operate and most of the times, getting the perfect shot is a trial and error procedure.
  • S-log2 and picture profiles not tested yet.
  • LCD: good resolution, but small form factor. Same for viewfinder.
  • Autofocus for video: not fully tested. It seems to work but not impressed.
  • Battery life: very good. Shot all day with 1 battery and a half. Good job sony!
  • XAVC codec: very good, good file sizes, no compression artifacts and lightning-fast to edit and render from Sony Vegas. Love it!
  • Recording media: cheap SD cards.

As you can see I have mixed feelings from this little camera. Some things are impressive (like the slowmo) but others remind you that you have a consumer camera in your hands (zoom&focus controls). Have a look at the following video and tell me what you think.

 
switch to slog2 and use one of Alister Chapman's luts for converting to 709. You will notice a big difference
 
Great camerawork! Were you on autofocus during the tracking shots? Did you use any zoom during those shots? Also, what tripod and fluid head were you using?
 
diegocervo said:
switch to slog2 and use one of Alister Chapman's luts for converting to 709. You will notice a big difference
Click to expand...

In what sense?

Piolet said:
Great camerawork! Were you on autofocus during the tracking shots? Did you use any zoom during those shots? Also, what tripod and fluid head were you using?
Click to expand...

Yes, I was on autofocus for most of the shots. I was not confident to use manual focus with such small screen. The exception were the slowmo shots where I used manual focus to lock focus prior to start recording. Yes, a lot of shots are almost fully zoomed-in at 200mm with steadyshot OFF. Tripod is a Manfrotto MVK500AM
 
Last edited:
mitteg said:
Yes, a lot of shots are almost fully zoomed-in at 200mm with steadyshot OFF. Tripod is a Manfrotto MVK500AM
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. After you zoomed in, did you do any zooming during the shot? If so, did you use a remote or the zoom control on the camera? Regarding the tripod, did you find you had to fight the counterbalance? The reason I ask is because the counterbalance is present for 5.3 lbs, but the RX10II is only 1.79 lbs.
 
No zooming during the shot because it is too slow. Regarding the tripod no issues whatsoever, you can slide the plate forward or backward in order to get perfect balance. This tripod is by far the best invesment I have done lately. Cheers.

Piolet said:
Thanks for the info. After you zoomed in, did you do any zooming during the shot? If so, did you use a remote or the zoom control on the camera? Regarding the tripod, did you find you had to fight the counterbalance? The reason I ask is because the counterbalance is present for 5.3 lbs, but the RX10II is only 1.79 lbs.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you for posting this, really helpful. One question: if you record for >29 minutes, does it just stop recording or will it restart and give you a new file automatically?
 
Sorry, not sure about the 29min limit. I guess i just stops and nothing else. We'll have to try it out.
 
mitteg said:
In what sense?
Click to expand...

Slog2 will help you a lot at handling highlights, and Alister Chapman made very nice LUTS for the a7s that can be applied to the footage coming from the rx10 ii as well.
I don't have a link to the page on his blog where he published those LUTs, but I'm sure you will find them quickly on google

Best,
Diego
 
Sony's do stop at 29min and 59seconds due to EU tax laws. Just like a canon DSLR did when it hits the 4GB limit, the camera just ends the clip.
 
Can you inform how slow the shutter can go in movie mode?
a7rii shutter in movie mode can be as slowest as 1/4.
what's the slowest shutter on RX10ii (movie mode)?

thx
 
shooter_ said:
Can you inform how slow the shutter can go in movie mode?
a7rii shutter in movie mode can be as slowest as 1/4.
what's the slowest shutter on RX10ii (movie mode)?

thx
Click to expand...

it's the same on the RX10 2 - 1/4 is the slowest shutter speed in Movie mode.
 
mitteg said:
Zoom speed is lame, slow in standby mode and not responsive at all when recording (so slow it seems like a toy). Very frustrating.
Click to expand...
It sounds like you have Zoom Speed left at the default 'Normal'. When set to 'Fast' it zooms plenty fast enough.
 
Quick question for everyone regarding the recording time limit on the RX10II: does it apply to both 1080P and 4K modes? I remember reading something that gave me the impression that it only applied in the 4K mode?
 
Shenan said:
Quick question for everyone regarding the recording time limit on the RX10II: does it apply to both 1080P and 4K modes? I remember reading something that gave me the impression that it only applied in the 4K mode?
Click to expand...

the 29 min recording limit applies to all resolutions.
 
skimmel said:
Thank you for posting this, really helpful. One question: if you record for >29 minutes, does it just stop recording or will it restart and give you a new file automatically?
Click to expand...
I have the RX10 Mk 1 and after 29 mins it stops recording and you have to press the rec button again. As far as I know the same holds for the RX10 II.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top