Sony Announces RX100 IV

Sony’s RX100 (pictured on left) is amazing. From the original model launched in 2012, each successive generation every year after has made small but important improvements. Sony has just announced the fourth generation, the RX100 IV, which again breaks new ground for a camera that is arguably in a compact point-and-shoot category.

The new RX100 IV (DSC-RX100M4, or simply the RX100M4) is the first camera to sport a 1.0-type stacked sensor. It’s Exmor RS CMOS sensor packs advanced signal processing together with an attached DRAM memory chip. They work together to enable hugely faster sensor readout, making a variety of very advanced features possible.

For example, the RX100M4 can shoot 40x super slow motion video at 960fps, an ultra fast Anti-Distortion Shutter with a maximum speed of 1/32000 second, and cool 4K movie shooting. The 40x super slow motion works at Full HD resolution, i.e. 1920×1080.

Shooting stills, the RX100M4’s 20MP sensor keeps up to deliver 16 fps.

Apart from the new sensor and it’s accompanying features, the RX100M4 is pretty much the same as the 3rd generation from last year. The lens, for example, is the same 24-70mm (35mm equivalent) f/1.8-2.8 ZEISS® Vario-Sonnar T* lens. It also retains the XGA OLED EVF. It is Wi-Fi and NFC enabled, and supports PlayMemories apps.

The RX100M4 will be available in July for around US$1000. I’m not sure when it will arrive in Singapore though.