Sony RX100 III review
ISO tests
Testing procedure
- This is a simple ISO test like you might do at home yourself, manually moving up the ISO values in Program mode.
- These are all RAW files, imported into Lightroom and exported as 300 dpi jpeg without any NR.
- No crops this time, as you should not expect to be able to do that with a sensor this size
Conclusions
- ISO noise is well under control up to ISO 800, where you’ll be hard pressed to see any noise without cropping.
- ISO is usable up to 6400, after that, it gets into the way of sharpness and definition.
- ISO auto values can’t be changed in iAuto mode (it can in P, A, S and M), something that bothered me in the A77II, but in the Sony RX100 III it’s no problem.
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- 80
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- ISO 100
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- ISO 125
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- 160
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- 200
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- 250
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- 320
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- 400
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- 500
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- 640
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- 800
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- 1000
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- 1600
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- 2000
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- 2500
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- 3200
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- 4000
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- 5000
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- 6400
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- 8000
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- 10000
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- 12800
Sharpness test
My Sony RX100 III sharpness test is just an indication of how the Zeiss 24-70 f/1.8-2.8 performs. Although I try my best to keep all variables in a test like this under control, I don’t have a professional testing facility. In real-life use, I found this lens to be nicely sharp from corner-to-corner, keeping in mind that it is not meant for professional use. The center at all focal lengths on the Sony RX100 III is decently sharp at f/2.8, mostly peaking at f/4. Corners reach peak sharpness at f/5.6 (except at 35mm where F/2.8 seems to be the magic number).Â
24mm
Center is a bit soft at f/1.8Â but reaches maximum sharpness around f/2.84. Corners are at their sharpest around f/5.6.
Center
24mm center F1.8
24mm center F2.8
24mm center F4
24mm center F5.6
24mm center F8
24mm center F11
Corner
24mm corner F1.8
24mm corner F2.8
24mm corner F4
24mm corner F5.6
24mm corner F8
24mm corner F11
35mm
Both center and corners are nicely sharp at f/2.8, both center and the edges peak at f/4.
Center
35mm center F2.8
35mm center F4
35mm center F5.6
35mm center F8
35mm center F11
Corner
35mm corner F2.8
35mm corner F4
35mm corner F5.6
35mm corner F8
35mm corner F11
50mm
Center sharpness peaks around f/4-5.6, corners at f/5.6
CenterÂ
50mm center F2.8
50mm center F4
50mm center F5.6
50mm center F8
Corner
50mm corner F2.8
50mm corner F4
50mm corner F5.6
50mm corner F8
70mm
The center is already quite sharp at f/2.8, and both center and sharpness reach their best at f/4.
Center
70mm center F2
70mm center F4
70mm center F5.6
70mm center F8
Corner
70mm corner F2.8
70mm corner F4
70mm corner F5.6
70mm F corner F8
Sony RX100 III sharpness conclusion
The Sony RX100 III performs very well for a camera of its stature. The Zeiss 24-70 f/1.8-2.8 reaches peak performance mostly at f/2.8 already. It is sometimes beneficial to step down to f/4 or f/5.6 to get the best corner-to-corner sharpness.Â
Thanks for these tests – very hard to find basic information about the lens performance – much appreciated.
Thanks Peter, I always like to know what the sweet spot is for all lenses really.
A very serious test, thank you!
Do the 4 corners have the same quality/resolution?
Hi Fritz, thanks. Yes all 4 corners performed similarly. This would be the ideal pocket size travel camera, in performs a lot better than you’d expect from a camera this size.