Sony RX1R III Announced – 35mm F2 with 61MP & $5098 Price Tag

Nearly a decade after the RX1R II, Sony has announced the RX1R III, a compact full-frame camera with a fixed Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f/2 lens, 61 mega-pixel sensor and AI processing chip.

In addition to the updated sensor and AI processing chip, the camera’s body has also been treated to a complete redesigned.

The viewfinder is now mounted into the top shoulder of the camera instead of the pop-up unit used by its predecessor.

It uses the same 2.36M dot (1024 x 768px) panel but the internal finder is smaller, with magnification dropping to 0.7x (from 0.74x).

Control dials and the hotshoe are now recessed into the top plate, sitting flush with the top of the camera. The rear screen is now fixed, rather than tilting which may or may not be a good thing depending on how you like to shoot.

The camera also features a new grip texture for improved handling and Sony is also releasing a new TG-2 Thumb Grip and LCS-RXL Body Case, both of which will be available separately. An optional lens hood is also available.

The Mark III includes the latest BIONZ XR processing engine and dedicated AI processing unit that supports [Human], [Animal], [Bird], [Insect], [Car/Train] and [Airplane] recognition. The same wide-ranging subject recognition is provided for stills and movies, and an [Auto] mode simplifies operation by allowing the camera to automatically select the subject type.

It features the same shutter as previous RX1 models, which tops out at 1/4000 at F5.6, it’s limited to 1/3200 at F4 and 1/2000 at F2, and it can flash up to these speeds. An e-shutter mode extends this to 1/8000 and is available at any aperture.

The Step Crop Shooting function allows switching between 35 mm (60 MP), 50 mm (29 MP), and 70 mm (15 MP) equivalents with a simple one-touch operation. Even when you can’t approach the subject, you can shoot at 70 mm equivalent while maintaining a high resolution of 15 MP.

The camera also gains two additional “film looks” for both stills and video. Creative Look parameter combinations can be used as presets or customised via eight adjustable parameters. There are now 12 presets, including the film-style looks FL, FL2 and FL3, providing a wide range of variations in colour, colour depth, brightness, contrast, and sharpness.

In terms of video, the RX1R III can shoot up to 4K/30 with options such as S-Cinetone, Log capture and the ability to upload LUTs. There’s no internal ND I’m afraid.

Sadly Sony could not squeeze in the larger NP-FZ100 battery so it uses the smaller NP-FW50 battery. Sony says this gives the camera a CIPA rating of 300 shots per charge (270 via the viewfinder), up from a rating of 220 on the previous model. It can also power and charge over the camera’s USB-C socket.

The new RX1R III will cost $5,098 in the US, €4,899 in Europe and £4,199 in the UK, it should start shipping this month.

RX1R III Body Images