Sony Cyber-shot RX10 Mark II review

14th December 2015

Written by Ken McMahon

Quality

Sony RX10 II vs Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 quality results

To compare real-life performance, I shot this scene with the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 II and the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 within a few moments of each other, using their best quality JPEG settings and at their base sensitivity settings. For this test the cameras were mounted on a tripod and image stabilisation was disabled, the ISO sensitivity was manually set to the lowest available setting and Aperture priority mode was selected for the exposure.

I’d previously determined that the Sony RX10 II produces its best results with the lens stopped down to f4 where it selected a shutter speed of 1/320 at 100 ISO. with it’s smaller 1/2.3in sensor, the Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 produced best results with the lens wide open at f2.8. at which it set the shutter speed to 1/500 at its base 100 ISO sensitivity setting.

Before we compare the quality of the crops let’s just remind ourselves that the Lumix FZ330 / FZ300’s 12 Megapixel sensor has fewer photosites than the 20 Megapixel sensor in the RX10 II so the latter’s crops show a smaller area with larger detail. The Sony’s sensor is also physically larger at 1 inch compared with the 1/2.3 in sensor of the FZ330 / FZ300. Finally there’s a difference in the aspect ratio, the Sony sensor has 3:2 proportions while the FZ330 / FZ300’s is 4:3.

So, what about the crops? The lighting conditions proved quite demanding, with both models stuggling to maintain highlight detail in the sunlit scene. The Sony RX10 II gets off to an unimpressive start, with a crop from the left edge of the frame that’s very soft. But thereafter things improve dramatically; the next two crops from closer to the middle of the frame are sharp with lots of fine detail visible. There’s a tiny bit of softness creeping back in to the final two crops from this set, but overall this is a great result from the RX10 II.

With the exception of the first crop which looks even softer than the one from the FZ330 / FZ300, the crops from the Sony RX10 II are much cleaner and crisper with more detail in evidence from the RX10 II larger sensor. Overall then a much better performance from the Sony RX10 II at this focal length. You can scroll down to see how these models compare at the middle of their zoom ranges and when fully zoomed in or to find out how they compare at higher sensitivities scroll for my Sony RX10 II noise results, skip to my Sony RX10 II sample images, or head straight to my verdict.

Above left: Sony RX10 II at 8.8mm (24mm equivalent) f4, 100 ISO. Above right: Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 at 4.5mm (25mm equivalent) f2.8, 100 ISO

Above left: Sony RX10 II at 8.8mm (24mm equivalent) f4, 100 ISO. Above right: Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 at 4.5mm (25mm equivalent) f2.8, 100 ISO

Above left: Sony RX10 II at 8.8mm (24mm equivalent) f4, 100 ISO. Above right: Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 at 4.5mm (25mm equivalent) f2.8, 100 ISO

Above left: Sony RX10 II at 8.8mm (24mm equivalent) f4, 100 ISO. Above right: Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 at 4.5mm (25mm equivalent) f2.8, 100 ISO

Above left: Sony RX10 II at 8.8mm (24mm equivalent) f4, 100 ISO. Above right: Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 at 4.5mm (25mm equivalent) f2.8, 100 ISO

Sony RX10 II vs Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 quality at 50mm equivalent

The image above was taken with the Sony RX10 II. As before the camera was mounted on a tripod and stabilisation disabled. The crops are taken from the areas marked in red.

Zoomed in slightly to a ‘standard’ 50mm focal length, the RX10 II once again delivers a very soft result form the left hand edge of the frame. This time however, there’s no improvement as we go down the table and the crops from closer to the middle of the frame fare little better. There’s some immprovement, but not as much as you’d hope for and though you can make out the time on the church clock and there’s detail visible in the stonework, that softness is frustrating. By comparison the crops from the Lumix FZ330 /FZ300 are generally crisper with a little more detail, albeit smaller, than the RX10 II.

You can scroll down to see how these models compare at longer focal lengths or to find out how they compare at higher sensitivities head for my Sony RX10 II noise results, skip to my Sony RX10 II sample images, or head straight to my verdict.

Above left: Sony RX10 II at 18.2mm (50mm equivalent) f4, 100 ISO. Above right: Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 at 9.1mm (50mm equivalent) f2.8, 100 ISO

Above left: Sony RX10 II at 18.2mm (50mm equivalent) f4, 100 ISO. Above right: Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 at 9.1mm (50mm equivalent) f2.8, 100 ISO

Above left: Sony RX10 II at 18.2mm (50mm equivalent) f4, 100 ISO. Above right: Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 at 9.1mm (50mm equivalent) f2.8, 100 ISO

Above left: Sony RX10 II at 18.2mm (50mm equivalent) f4, 100 ISO. Above right: Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 at 9.1mm (50mm equivalent) f2.8, 100 ISO

Above left: Sony RX10 II at 18.2mm (50mm equivalent) f4, 100 ISO. Above right: Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 at 9.1mm (50mm equivalent) f2.8, 100 ISO

Sony RX10 II vs Panasonic Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 quality at 100mm equivalent

For this next set of crops I zoomed both cameras in to 100mm equivalent – exactly half way through the Sony RX10 II’s range, but only a sixth of the way through the FZ330 / FZ300’s.

As in the two previous sets of crops the Sony RX10 II improves after a soft start at the edge of the frame. The second crop shows reasonably sharp edges and a good level of detail in the stonework, but it’s by no means pin sharp. The third crop is a little softer still and the fourth one from closer to the right edge of the frame is again quite blurry. The cables in the final crop from the bottom right corner aren’t as crisp as they were in the wide angle crop and there’s also a tiny bit of colour fringing. So a bit of a mixed result for the Sony RX10 II at this focal length which could be summed up as ok in the middle, not so good at the edges. Interestingly, at this focal length, there’s little to choose between the Sony RX10 II and the Lumix FZ330 / FZ300 in terms of image quality.

You can scroll down to see how these models compare when fully zoomed in or to find out how they compare at higher sensitivities head for my Sony RX10 II noise results, skip to my Sony RX10 II sample images, or head straight to my verdict