Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV
Here, the accurate EVF and live histogram helped me maintain cloud detail that could easily have been lost 39mm equivalent, 1/8000sec at f/5.6, ISO 100
At a glance
£1,799
• 20.1-million-pixel, 1in stacked CMOS sensor
• 24-600mm equivalent f/2.4-4 lens
• 24fps continuous shooting
• 315 phase-detection AF points
• 4K video recording
All-in-one bridge cameras have historically provided a means of getting a long zoom range in a relatively small, affordable package. However, most of these cameras used tiny image sensors, so while they may have been designed to look as much as possible like small DSLRs, their image quality has fallen a long way short.
That all changed with Sony's launch of the original RX10 in 2013. By combining a much larger 1in-type 20.2MP sensor with a 24-200mm equivalent f/2.8 zoom lens, it offered vastly improved image quality compared to previous bridge models, and wasn't so far behind APS-C DSLRs. Last year's RX10 III made another big leap by adding a 24-600mm equivalent f/2.4-4 lens, giving an immense zoom range suitable for shooting almost any subject, from grand landscapes to distant wildlife.
Now, with the RX10 IV, Sony has completely revised the internals, adding the same stacked-CMOS sensor and Bionz X processor previously seen in its RX100 V pocket camera. As a result, the RX10 IV gains mind-boggling speed, with the ability to shoot at 24 frames per second with continuous autofocus. Purely in terms of the numbers, no DSLR comes close, while the RX10 IV's closest direct rival, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2000, maxes out at half the speed. Even the fastest mirrorless model – Sony's own Alpha 9 – only manages 20fps with autofocus.
Naturally, all this technology costs, and the RX10 IV's £1,799 price tag is unprecedented for this type of camera. It's also a chunky beast by bridge standards, with a body that, at 133x94x127mm and 1,095g, is larger than some entry-level DSLRs. Then again, the nearest DSLR-based alternative for a similar price would
