Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II review

Popular premium compact gets an upgrade

Sony RX100 Mark II review
The Sony RX100 Mark II is a high-end compact camera

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

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Colours straight from the Sony RX100 Mark II are bright and punchy, without being overly vibrant. Skies are also generally represented well.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

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The Sony RX100-II's large (1-inch type) sensor and f/1.8 lens make it easy to create shallow depth of field effects.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

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Noise is well controlled throughout the sensitivity range. This image has been taken at ISO 1600, and while noise is present, it's smooth and the image still contains plenty of detail.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

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Even at ISO 3200, noise and detail is still good, making this a flexible camera for low light shooting.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

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At the widest point of the lens, the Sony RX100 Mark II offers an equivalent of 28mm. While we perhaps would have liked to see 24mm as the widest option, 28mm still gives plenty of flexibility for capturing a wide angle of view.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

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This camera doesn't have a huge zoom ratio, at 3.6x (optical). This gives an equivalent of around 100mm, which is still useful for a variety of different subjects.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

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If you do need to get closer, you have the option of activating Clear Zoom, Sony's digital zoom technology. This boosts the zoom reach to 200mm, effectively.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

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Three different aspect ratios are available to shoot in. As standard, the camera will shoot in 3:2, but you can also choose to shoot in 1:1 square format, as we did here.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

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You can also shoot in 16:9, a useful option for capturing wide vistas.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

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Sony's Sweep Panorama tool enables you to move the camera across the scene to capture an ultra-wide angle of view. You lose all control over shutter speed and the like, and you can't apply digital filters, which is a shame.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

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A number of different Creative Styles are available. They give you more flexibility than shooting with digital filters because they can be shot in raw format. Different styles are available, including Monochrome.

Dynamic Range Optimizer

Sony's Dynamic Range Optimizer works when you have a scene with high contrast to produce a balanced exposure. You can either have the camera choose the level itself, or five different levels of optimisation are available along with turning it off altogether. In this scene you can see the difference the Optimizer makes in the grass in the foreground of the picture.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

Dynamic Range Optimizer off

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Dynamic Range Optimizer Level 1

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Dynamic Range Optimizer Level 2

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Dynamic Range Optimizer Level 3

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Dynamic Range Optimizer Level 4

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Dynamic Range Optimizer Level 5

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Digital filters

There are a large range of digital filters available on the Sony RX100 Mark II, but unfortunately you can't shoot in raw format while using them, though you can keep control over manual settings, such as aperture.

Sony RX100 Mark II review

Toy Camera (standard)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Toy Camera (cool)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Toy Camera (warm)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Toy Camera (green)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Toy Camera (magenta)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Pop Colour

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Posterization (black and white)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Posterization (colour)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Retro Photo

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Soft High-key

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Partial Colour: Red

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Partial Colour: Blue

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

High Contrast Mono

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Soft Focus (low)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Soft Focus (mid)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Soft Focus (high)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

HDR Painting (low)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

HDR Painting (mid)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

HDR Painting (high)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Rich-tone Mono

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Miniature

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Watercolour

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Illustration (low)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Illustration (mid)

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Sony RX100 Mark II review

Illustration (high)

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Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar.