Ufauxreal

Wanting to lighten the load I purchased an Olympus Mirrorless plus several lenses. In the past I have always shot Canon so when using a new camera much of the settings and menu were familiar. Not so with the Olympus. I am finding it so frustrating. I am also tired of carrying around a bunch of lenses.

I have read really good things about the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV. My question: will using this camera be fairly intuitive or will I face similar frustrations.

I do a lot of close ups, mainly flowers, but since I am in Florida I would love to try my hand at some bird photography.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

My wife bought a RX10-IV a couple months ago. Her first pictures were exceptional. She keeps it secret, but her first weapon is the auto modes. The RX-10 is very good that way. As she uses the camera, she picks up on choices in the long menus. One important choice is to return to factory defaults.

In other words, she finds it perfectly intuitive when she wants it to be. At her choice, she can dive into the menus.

She hasn't had it long, but her bird shots have been well done! She can get the shot before the bird is gone while I'm changing lenses or settings.

lhardister Loc: Brownsville, TN

I purchased a Sony RX-10 a couple of years ago and I really like it. I am a rank amateur, and basically a Canon person. I had some previous experience with a Sony Nex. There seems to be some similarity in Sony menus from one of their models to the next, so I had a little bit of a leg up regarding the RX-10. But practically everyone who comments on the subject agrees that Sony menus are difficult, or perhaps I should say, not intuitive, and I concur. One would practically have to be an Einstein to master the menu and retain it.

However, the camera is so great that I would recommend purchasing it with the plan of learning as you go. Plugging in the basics and beginning operation really is not much different from any other camera. Then you can branch out to the more complex and exotic features at your own pace if you wish to do so. I haven't 'learned' all the features on mine and don't ever expect to do so. Part of the fun is getting there.

Best wishes,

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

When I first considered the RX10 it was the iii model and I was so skeptical that I rented one. I was so impressed with the immediate, large improvement in the number and quality of my "keepers' that I ordered one before the rental week was over. Its menus and features are indeed rich and complex but you can shoot near-macro and birds very well with only minimal complexity. It can be used very well as a point & shoot camera.

Don't worry about the learning curve; jump in. Maybe get one of the several excellent books. Mine is by Gary Friedman. Others also come recommended by many.
https://friedmanarchives.com/RX10-IV/index.htm

My other camera is an 𝜶6500 which has a much bigger and better sensor. But the ergonomics of the RX10iv are exceptional and I suspect there are very few who regret buying one. I could not have made this shot with my 𝜶6500 that has a fixed 500mm mirror lens. The RX10iv zoom often makes getting the shot just right a lot easier or possible.

This shot was taken this week in Florida in mid morning and lightly edited. I used aperture priority and fixed ISO, shutter on auto, DMF autofocus (spot). With shots like these I use the spot to focus on the eye and then hold the shutter down halfway, shift to desired composition. It's very fast and easy to do. With this kind of subject I use F8.0 to ensure reasonable depth of field while wanting enough shutter speed for both my unsteady hands and subject motion. Hand held, of course.

(Download)

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I have one since 2018 which I purchased for a river cruise. I did not want to lug my two Canon DSLR's & lenses .., which amounted to a backpack and 30 pounds of stuff!
Last year I sold all my Canon equipment. The Sony RX10 IV handles all my photographic needs. Yes, the learning curve is steep, due to Sony's complicated/never ending menu system. However purchasing the Friedman book (https://www.amazon.com/Friedman-Archives-Guide-Sonys-RX-10-ebook/dp/B08KY5BQ2F) will help the learning process. Until you learn it, *auto* works pretty well. If you end up purchasing one, send me a PM and I'll send you a "gift".
Mark

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I have heard other owners with similar opinions.

Might I add in an attempt to have a more portable model, you might consider the smaller DSC-RX100 VII. You would, however, give up a bit on the tele end of the zoom. You can compare the 10 and the 100 here:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/compare/Sony_DSC-RX10_IV_vs_Sony_DSC-RX100_VII/BHitems/1361560-REG_1496248-REG

You can get the smaller package with very good zoom range with the Sony DSC-HX99 , but it has a smaller sensor.

All models I recommend have viewfinders.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Utterly spectacular 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

How you are doing great, Mark ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Years ago one Icecream company gave so many flavors it was a dilemma to chose the dip for your cone. The Sony, and my Panasonic TZ100 are similar having so many things that they will do; altho they will not make phone calls.

If one learns all the nuances of these cameras they are quite a versatile photo tool. Versatile, perhaps too versatile so as to be a confusing dilemma like the Icecream flavors, in reality, the majority of our work the normal settings speed, lens opening, ISO, and Zoom is where our world is. Perhaps all these machinations of versatility are like the pixel race... really how many pixels do we need to do great photography?

My older Sony HX50 pocketzoom was and is a good camera with a 20 mpix, pushing the limits of a small sensor. The small sensor of the HX50 prompted me to buy the TZ100 with its 1" sensor each pixel being more separated from the adjoining thus giving better quality [how much better?].

malawibob Loc: South Carolina

When I bought my RX10M4 it was because of reviews that included pictures taken with the camera. The Zeiss lens is what costs but using a camera that does so much is so easy after you set it up via the very complex menus. It really is so far superior to other point and shoots and bridge cameras as to be uncomparable.

jcwall396 Loc: Roswell, GA

I have been a Nikon shooter for years and currently own a D750 and D780 with a plethora of lenses. I purchased the smaller Sony RX100 VII about a year ago and have been very happy with it. Like you, I tired of lugging around 20 pounds of camera gear when I was supposedly on "vacation" but just have to have a camera in my hand at all times. I immediately found out why everyone complains about the menu system - yes, it's a LOT! BUT.....as a computer geek, unlike most I found it to be fairly intuitive. Also - you can setup your "favorites" (settings you tend to change frequently) in a separate menu. I found that once I had set those up, I rarely have to dig back into Sony's menu system. All of the settings I use are now under a single menu. The larger RX10 IV that you're looking at has the same system, so I think the issue with the menus can certainly be overcome. And as several other folks have posted here, you can get a book that walks you through it. As a final note, I like this smaller camera so much that I'm getting ready to purchase the larger Sony RX10 IV as I want something with a longer reach (it's 24-600 compared to the RX100's 24-200). I have been extremely impressed with Sony's image quality and like someone above mentioned, you can set that puppy on Auto and still get amazing images!

Red6

I have read several good articles about the RX10 IV and wanted to try one so I rented one for a week. I highly recommend you do that just to get the feel of it. It feels good in the hand and is easily aimed and operated. The Sony menu system takes some practice to get used to but with practice becomes second nature. I shoot a lot of lunar photos and it works great for that. I think one of its only weaknesses is low light. But there are ways of compensating for that and I never really had any issues. By renting one you could test it out to see if it is capable of doing the type of photography that interests you.

It is a great camera and has most of the capabilities that most hobbyist photographers need or want. I am sold on it and ready to buy one except for a couple of issues not related to the camera itself.

First, is the expense. It is a pricey camera for me and I would need to trade in ALL my lenses and body to buy one. The big advantage to that is that it will greatly simplify my photography in that it will do everything that my current gear will do with only one piece of equipment. No more lens changing in questionable environments.

Second, Sony is overdue in releasing the RX10 V and is being very secretive about it. Once the RX10 V is released, the price of the IV should drop somewhat OR one may elect to go with the newer version since it will most likely be even better.

But, I think the RX10 IV is a great camera and if I found a good used one, I may make the jump. There are a lot of YouTube videos on the RX10 so do your research, rent one for a week and then make a decision.

Good Luck.

61jhawk Loc: Tarrant County, Texas

I got that camera about 6 months ago with the specific goal of taking it on a cruise to Alaska this coming May on which I don't want to carry extra lenses but still get quality shots. I also wanted a weather tough body and lens. The Sony fits that need. The menu system is not complicated just extensive, not very intuitive but very thorough, offers a multitude of optional settings which imitate the settings for my Nikon D500 but are slower to get to. The picture quality is very good. I bought a book from Amazon titled Photographer's Guide to the Sony DCS RX10 IV by Alexander White. I have gone through it from front to back with camera in hand and this is how I learned to use the camera. It is a good addition to my collection.

bnsf

I also purchased a Sony RX10 MIV. My reason was that I wanted a second camera and was tired of changing lenses to get the shot that I was looking for and thus missing some shots in the process. With the Sony RX10M IV it is to me a fast point and shot with an excellent zoom. My main camera was a Sony a99ii with 8 full frame APC-S lenses going from 16MM to 600MM. Camera bag got heavy when I bought this camera equipment with me and the Sirui SH25T 75 MM Tripod with the BCH20 Video Head. Total weight was close to 40 pounds. Now with the RX10MIV I do not need a tripod just bring my Manfrotto 290 Monopod and I and set.

alphonso49uk

It takes a while to set up . A lot of the options on mine are turned off as Ill never use them. There are 3 buttons you can assign to things like metering, focus etc for quick recall which are really useful. The touch screen on mine is also turned off due to the fact my nose kept touching it which in turn altered the focus area. Not a big deal though. Fantastic camera ...no regrets