The case for the Sony RX1, digital vs film and cases of beer
This may be the golden age of digital point and shoot cameras or it may be the amber ale age I’m still undecided. At the top of this heap of little mighty cameras is the new Sony RX1. It’s reached that peak by pairing a sensor equivalent in size to 35mm film with a fast 35mm focal length lens. After a wander in the photographic wilderness it seems Sony has conjured the spirit of Minolta once again, likely before they slip back into the dark and we wonder where they went. The stand out feature of the camera though is its price. I don’t doubt that the price is closely related to the developement and production costs but $2799 buys a lot of consumables (Beer and film). My tongue in cheek chart explains this as clearly as an unfiltered beer. I have no doubt that the camera will actually produce quality images in the hands of competent photographers but then a good photographer would no matter what the camera is. For disclosure one of my all time favourite cameras was the Sony DSC-V3 which I used for years and my primary SLR camera was a Minolta x700.
Other autofocus cameras with a full 35mm size frame and a 35mm lens that now cost less than 1% of a RX1 include; Pentax PC35AF, Canon AF35ML (OK it’s 40mm but it’s also f/1.9), Nikon L35AF, Olympus Stylus Epic. I’m sure there are more but I think I’ve made my point and shoot.
