Sony RX1R II or 35mm lens.

[Ade]

Having just moved into the world of Sony after selling all my Fuji kit, I have recently purchased an a7III body with a couple of f4 zooms.
My old kit consisted of roughly the same gear with a compact X100 fixed lens camera for taking on walks, meals out etc.

My question is - does anyone have any views on the fixed lens RX1R II (35mm) over buying a smaller compact 35mm Sony lens for the a7III?
I know the RX1R Mk I is considerably cheaper than the Mk II (and I'm not bothered for the higher res) but I have the chance to get the Mk II version for a steal/swap with an old work colleague. I also like the idea of having a smaller camera to take along instead of the larger one sometimes.

Did I mention I have serious GAS?

Any thoughts welcome.

 

[PeterDClark]

Ade, unless you’re hankering to own another body, I personally would go with a sharp prime 35 m lens for your A7III and skip this temptation . But I’d oust it’s the focal length that’s got you excited vs a “good deal for more crap from a mate” per your GAS comment

 

[Ade]

you're probably right - although in my defence, it has been an option for a while before I got "into" Sony gear.

My thoughts are also doing the swap and selling it later. Thing is, I have a small pot of funds raised from selling my previous gear and it's really burning a hole in my pocket..........

 

[Ade]

Ade, unless you’re hankering to own another body, I personally would go with a sharp prime 35 m lens for your A7III and skip this temptation . But I’d oust it’s the focal length that’s got you excited vs a “good deal for more crap from a mate” per your GAS comment

Couldn't help noticing you have an RX100.
Do you ever use that over your a7III?

 

[PeterDClark]

Couldn't help noticing you have an RX100.
Do you ever use that over your a7III?

I really like the pocketablility of my RX100 and tend to take it form casual and street, sometimes in a hike. The sensor is decent enough for social media and the lens range is super handy. It’s not going to beat out the A7III and GM glass but sometimes lugging that beast around sometimes leads to not bring a camera at all just snap with an iPhone which is dreadful so the RX come along.
P.S. The RX is tiny. My hands do struggle sometimes with just how small it is so there’s pros and cons for me.


p

 

[Ade]

Thats exactly my thinking re the RX1R. Lighter than a body and separate lens.
Might also need to own it to get it out of my system.

 

[spudhead]

Hi you need to be careful with the rx1r mk 1 and possibly the version 2, although the rx1r is an excellent camera and images are great , they can have an issue of dust getting into the lens and on the sensor , and its not a repair that even sony will do anymore. My son loaned my mk1 and took it to the grand canyon on his west coast trip last year and after taking snaps on a windy day in the canyon he reviewed the images on the hotel tv to find the sensor was covered in dust . He took it to a camera shop in sanfran and was told it was a common problem with the rx1r mk1 , and sony were aware of this issue and did at one point repair the camera which was a complete strip of everything down to and including sensor and lens. When he returned home to uk we were unable to get anyone to repair the camera, and on googling it ,we found it to be a common issue, so long story short be careful check the camera at all f numbers and check for dust because mine ended of with 12 large bits of grit in it and its useless.

 

[Ade]

Hi you need to be careful with the rx1r mk 1 and possibly the version 2, although the rx1r is an excellent camera and images are great , they can have an issue of dust getting into the lens and on the sensor , and its not a repair that even sony will do anymore. My son loaned my mk1 and took it to the grand canyon on his west coast trip last year and after taking snaps on a windy day in the canyon he reviewed the images on the hotel tv to find the sensor was covered in dust . He took it to a camera shop in sanfran and was told it was a common problem with the rx1r mk1 , and sony were aware of this issue and did at one point repair the camera which was a complete strip of everything down to and including sensor and lens. When he returned home to uk we were unable to get anyone to repair the camera, and on googling it ,we found it to be a common issue, so long story short be careful check the camera at all f numbers and check for dust because mine ended of with 12 large bits of grit in it and its useless.

Thanks for the advice but it’s too late
I exchanged an old Fuji X100 and a small amount of cash to get the RX1R ll and love it as a small carry round camera. It‘s in near perfect condition and has no signs of dust on the sensor or lens (just nervously checked).
It will never take the place of my a7lll mainly due to the fixed lens restrictions And I would rather it was the version l with the smaller sensor as 46mp is wasted on me. And the battery life is a joke.
Thanks for the input Gary, I wasn’t aware of the issue and think it might be the first two versions with the pop up flash that had the problem.

 

[spudhead]

I was told the dust enters via the battery door on the mk1 and yes you a fist full of batteries , but the images from the rx1r were awesome out of the camera even before editing so the mk2 must be great ?

 

[Ade]

I was told the dust enters via the battery door on the mk1 and yes you a fist full of batteries , but the images from the rx1r were awesome out of the camera even before editing so the mk2 must be great ?

They are, great for cropping. (a bit too large for me though)
Probably better for me for a walk around camera than a 35mm lens for my A7lll as I would also pack another lens, and another lens......
Think the battery door dust idea might be the problem for them too seeing as though it has to be opened every 20 minutes