Sony Announces RX0II. GoPro 7 Killer?

Sony Announces RX0II. GoPro 7 Killer?

So today Sony announced the new RX0 II, which is the successor to the original RX0 (See my report on that camera HERE). The original had some issues and for me, could not beat the GoPro that came in for much less $$. These days I use a GoPro 7 and it is my favorite small on the go video camera. Fits in my pocket and shoots beautifully stabilized video. It’s not perfect and suffers in low light but so did the original RX0.

The original RX0 was built amazingly well and among the best I have seen in this kind of camera but it’s menus were impossible to see due to the small text, and had a lens that wasn’t friendly for selfie’s or vlogging.

The new RX0II appears to be much improved and even has a flip LCD that pops up for vlog use. Same ought build but with improvements all the way around including quality of the image and skin tones. With the Sony handle/remote it looks like it could be an amazing Vlog style camera or on the go video solution that also takes nice looking images. See the press release and images below. YOU CAN PRE ORDER THE RXOII AT B&H PHOTO HERE. 

I will be trying one out for sure and if it beats my GoPro it will replace my GoPro 7!

Sony Launches RX0 II, the World’s Smallest and Lightest 

Premium Ultra-compact Camera

• Superb image quality delivered by 1.0-type stacked 15.3MP image sensor condensed into waterproof, rugged, highly compact body
• Featuring ZEISS^® Tessar T* 24mm F4 fixed wide-angle lens
• Movie shooting with 4K internal recording and new image stabilization solutions
• Advanced functionality for stills photography, including up to 1/32000 sec. Anti-distortion Shutter and up to 16fps continuous shooting
• Diverse range of shooting scenes enabled by waterproof 180-degree tiltable LCD panel and Clear Image Zoom 
• Perfect for selfie with enhanced color reproduction, new Soft Skin Effect mode and advanced Eye AF
• Microphone jack and optional Shooting Grip (VCT-SGR1) delivers minimal and ideal Vlog shooting solution
• Multi-camera solution that enables creative video expression from various viewpoints

SAN DIEGO — March 25, 2019 — Sony Electronics Inc. today introduced an exciting new addition to its highly popular compact camera line-up with the launch of the world’s smallest and lightest premium compact camera, the RX0 II (model DSC-RX0M2). Building upon the waterproof/dustproofⁱⁱ, shockproof, crushproof and ultra-compact qualities of the original RX0, the new model now offers internal 4K recording, an adjustable LCD screen that tilts upward 180 degrees and downward 90 degrees and that even works underwater,ⁱⁱ and new image stabilization solutions for video recording.

At the heart of the RX0 II sits a 1.0-type stacked 15.3-megapixelⁱ Exmor RS™ CMOS image sensor and an advanced BIONZ X™ image processing engine that offer enhanced color reproduction, including beautiful skin tones. This power packed combination has been optimized to deliver lightning fast performance and exquisite image quality for both stills and movie shooting across a wide sensitivity range of ISO 80-12800. The ZEISS^® Tessar T* 24mmⁱⁱⁱ F4.0 fixed wide-angle lens has a shortened minimum focusing distance of 20cm, making it perfect for selfies or table-top photos.  

A Camera for All Conditions

The RX0 II is truly a worry-free camera that can be taken into places that no other camera can go. Measuring just 59mm x 40.5mm x 35mm and weighing just 132g, the RX0 II fits easily into a pocket and is ready for whatever the elements can throw at it. It is waterproofⁱⁱ up to 10 meters deep, dustproofⁱⁱ, shockproof^vii up to 2 meters and crushproof^viii up to 200KG force. 

“With its 1.0 type sensor, ZEISS® lens and multi-camera capability all packed in a compact waterproof body, the original RX0 was designed to enable new forms of creative expression,” said Neal Manowitz, deputy president of Imaging Products and Services Americas at Sony Electronics. “By adding a 4K internal recording, 180 degree LCD and upgrading many of the still image capabilities on the new RX0 II, we have further built upon this concept, allowing many new and different types of creators – ranging from travel photographers to vloggers – to realize the benefits of such a unique, versatile form factor.” 

Movies and More 

The RX0 II offers 4K 30p internal movie recording^iv with full pixel readout and no pixel binning to collect approximately 1.7 times the amount of data required for 4K video. By oversampling this data, the appearance of moiré and jaggies is reduced to deliver smooth, high-quality 4K footage with exceptional detail and depth. Using the recently introduced Sony “Imaging Edge™” mobile applications, this footage can be transferred to a smartphone, edited and shared easily across social networks.

The RX0 II introduces in-body electronic stabilization for steady footage, even when shot handheld. This can be enhanced even further when footage is exported to a smartphone or tablet running the “Movie Edit add-on” application, where the additional information captured during filming can be processed to produce a video with gimbal-like smoothness. An additional new feature that can be accessed via Sony “Movie Edit add-on” is Intelligent Framing, where the selected subject is kept in the center of the frame and image distortion is corrected in a final edit. Depending on where the video will be shared, a variety of aspect ratios can then be selected. 

Additional movie features of the RX0 II include Super Slow Motion recording at up to 1,000 fps, uncompressed 4K HDMI output and simultaneous proxy movie recording. Users can utilize Picture Profile, S-Log2 and Time Code / User Bit functions to ensure a final result that exactly matches their creative vision. 

Sonys sample images from the RX0II

Precision Photography

The versatility of the RX0 II means that it offers a host of still photography features in addition to its video capabilities. It boasts an Anti-distortion Shutter of up to 1/32,000 sec. and can shoot at up to 16 fps^v to capture any fleeting moment of emotion that passes across the subject’s face. In an upgrade from the original RX0, color reproduction has been enhanced to reproduce natural and vivid color of human skin, and the optional Soft Skin Effect can be applied to cover minor blemishes and wrinkles. Rating and Protect functions can be applied in camera and a grouped display of continuously shot images can be viewed on the camera.

Sony’s Eye AF, which is proving hugely popular with portrait photographers across the world, has been upgraded on the RX0 II. The speed, accuracy and operation of the Eye AF has been improved to make it even easier to capture a stunning portrait; a simple half-press of the shutter button will lock-on to the eye of the subject. The focused eye can be selected (left / right / auto) in the menu or assigned to a custom button, allowing the user to concentrate on composition. 

The camera can be set for interval shooting, the results of which can be edited with Sony’s “Imaging Edge” desktop application viewer into stunning time-lapse videos.

Multi-camera Options

Up to five RX0 II cameras can be controlled wirelessly using Sony “Imaging Edge Mobile” application and between five to 50 cameras will be able to be controlled via an access point　(scheduled for Summer 2019). The RX0 II is also compatible with the Camera Control Box CCB-WD1, which enables up to 100 cameras to be connected and controlled in a wired multi-camera setup. These multi-camera solutions unlock a whole new world of shooting opportunities and free video expression from any viewpoint that the user wishes to pursue.

Pricing and Availability

The RX0 II camera will ship in April 2019 for approximately $700 US and $900 CA. The products will be sold at a variety of Sony authorized dealers throughout North America.

A variety of exclusive stories and exciting new content shot with the new camera and Sony ‘s other imaging products can be found at www.alphauniverse.com, a site created to educate and inspire all fans and customers of Sony’s Alpha™ brand.  

The new content will also be posted directly at the Sony Photo Gallery and the Sony Camera Channel on YouTube. Detailed product information pages within Sony.com for the new camera can be found at:

• DSC-RX0M2 (US) 
• DSC-RX0M2 (CA)