Who still needs a dedicated camera when smartphone cameras are now so damned excellent?
Professionals and hobbyists are two answers that come to mind. Among those group, Sony's been leading the pack for years: Its Alpha series of mirrorless cameras (with both full-frame and APS-C-size image sensors) and RX100 point-and-shoot models are generally well regarded, and now the company is ready to further its lead.
Meet the new high-performance A500 mirrorless and the RX100 V point-and shoot.
SEE ALSO:Sony's mirrorless camera is here to slay DSLRsLet's get price out of the way. Sony's new cameras are not cheap. The A6500 will cost $1,400, and the RX100 V will cost $1,000 when they ship in November -- definitely not throwaway money, that's for sure.
Credit: raymond wong/mashableThe RX100 changed the point-and-shoot game with its super-compact size and large 1-inch image sensor capable of excellent low-light performance.
The new RX100 V keeps the same pocketable design and overhauls the innards. The camera is powered by a new 1-inch image sensor that captures 20.1-megapixel still photos at up to 24 frames per second (fps) on continuous shooting with autofocus and auto-exposure. It sounds like a real workhorse for action photography and more than equipped for snapping pics of your kid running around the soccer field.
Credit: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE
Credit: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLEThe camera's got 315 phase-detection AF points that cover 65 percent of the sensor to lock onto subjects in 0.05 seconds. Translation: No more waiting for the autofocus to hunt around for targets to focus on.
The RX100 V also builds on the RX100 IV's 4K video recording; it now works like the A6300 mirrorless camera, oversampling footage with “full pixel readout without pixel binning" and then downsampling it down to an sharper 4K video in the end.
Additionally, Sony has doubled the 960 fps slow-motion recording duration.
Otherwise, the RX100 V works just like the RX100 V. It has a 1.2 million-dot resolution 3-inch LCD on the back that flips up 180-degrees. Because selfies.
The awesome pop-up electronic viewfinder still has a 2.35 million-dots resolution and from what I saw, it was bright and crisp.
On top of Wi-Fi and NFC, the camera reads QR codes... clearly no one told Sony QR codes aren't cool or fun to use.
Waterproof housing
The frontsideCredit: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE
The backsideCredit: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLEFor shooting underwater, Sony's got a new $350 waterproof housing that fits the new RX100 V and all previous models. It's...pretty bulky.
Sony's A6000 series mirrorless cameras have been a huge runaway success for the company. The A6000, released in 2014 was damn near perfect and the A6300 released earlier this year brought 4K and even faster autofocusing.
The new 24.2-megapixel A6500 looks virtually identical to the A6500. Yes, it's faster and can autofocus on subjects in 0.05 seconds, has an expanded buffer for shooting up to 307 fps and improved 4K video recording performance (especially in low light), but it's still got an APS-C-size sensor and works with all existing E-mount lenses.
The camera's biggest upgrade is the addition of a touchscreen.
Can we get an about time?
Credit: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLEYou can tap on the back of the screen to autofocus and when you have the electronic viewfinder help up to your eye, you can slide your thumb on the touchscreen as a touchpad to adjust focus.
The latter is a little awkward, but it works. I'm disappointed the touchscreen can't be used to control camera settings; tapping on the camera setting icons does nothing.
Credit: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE
Credit: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLEAlso new is in-body 5-axis stabilization to combat shaky hands. Sony says the stabilization will smooth out footage from any lens attached to the A6500's body. That should include DSLR lenses that are connected to the camera using a lens mount adapter.
The grip looked and felt a little larger. But just barely larger.Credit: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLESony's upping the ante once again, but I have to wonder if they even needed to so soon. The RX100 IV and A6300 are still pretty overkill for a lot of regular consumers.
Having just purchased the A6300 when it launched this year, I'm a little annoyed Sony's already got a replacement; the camera's touchscreen is nice, but worth an extra $400? My first impression is no. Sure, the A6500 has other improvements, but my A6300 is already a beast. But I'll reserve all final judgments on Sony's new cameras when I can test them out more thoroughly for a review.
TopicsCameras
(责任编辑：百科)
Make money or go to Stanford? Katie Ledecky is left with an unfair choice.
Denny's craptastic new mascot has inspired some pretty good poop jokesDenny's craptastic new mascot has inspired some pretty good poop jokes
JetBlue offers $99 flights for evacuees returning to FloridaXiaomi accused of copying again, this time by JawboneSnapchat is about to explode in popularity, report says
Snapchat is about to have a couple of really good years. 。The company will see huge gains in the numb
...[详细]Apple is introducing fast charging for the iPhone X ... but you'll have to pay extra for it
The iPhone X supports fast charging. According to Apple's official specs, it only takes 30 minutes t
...[详细]The new Apple Watch Series 3 is trying to look out for your heart
The Apple Watch Series 3 is more health-focused than ever, coming packaged with an improved heart ra
...[详细]Apple's macOS High Sierra will launch on Sept. 25
The next version of Apple's desktop operating system, macOS High Sierra, will launch on Sept 25, App
...[详细]SINGAPORE -- Getting stuff done at the bank often involves having to waste part of your day standing
...[详细]So how worried should we be about Apple's Face ID?
The eyes may be the window to the soul, but your face is almost certainly the door to your wallet. O
...[详细]Trump's millionaire treasury secretary asked to use a military jet for his honeymoon
How do the rich stay rich? They don't use their own money, they use yours. Just a few weeks after Tr
...[详细]The Miami Airport is showing us how to use Twitter during a disaster
The people running social media for Miami International Airport deserve some hazard pay.The airport'
...[详细]This 'sh*tpost' bot makes terrible memes so you don't have to
The internet is awash in trashy memes just waiting for your late-night retweet spree. Why waste prec
...[详细]New 'Rick and Morty' fan theory makes a scary amount of sense
SPOILER ALERT: If you have not yet watched season 3 episode 7 of Rick and Morty'The Ricklantis Mixup
...[详细]Nate Parker is finally thinking about the woman who accused him of rape
Apple is introducing fast charging for the iPhone X ... but you'll have to pay extra for it