When the original 24MP Sony RX1 came out in 2012 it was amazing – a full frame compact camera with a fixed 35mm Zeiss lens. It was extraordinary, dazzling. The RX1R II arrived in 2015 with almost double the resolution, hybrid phase detect AF and a pop-up EVF – even better! These cameras were expensive but exceptional for the time. And now, at last, in 2025 we have a long awaited Mark III.
But maybe the wait has been a bit too long. A lot has happened since the RX1 first wowed the camera world, while almost nothing has changed in Sony’s camera design studio. This is basically the same camera, physically, as the RX1R II, except that the EVF is now fixed and doesn’t pop up.
The photographic community seems somewhat underwhelmed by what – let’s be honest – is starting to look less like a classic reborn and more like a bit of lazy box-ticking in a corporate roadmap. So what exactly IS disappointing about the Sony RX1R III? Here are some observations:
- That Zeiss lens sounds like the same lens that came with the original RX1 and which, I imagine, was designed for that 24MP sensor of 2012, not the 61MP sensor of today.
- The lens has a ‘macro’ mode which is nothing of the sort. It just brings the maximum magnification to a paltry 0.26x, which just about any modern lens will match without any pretence at macro capability.
- A 2.36m-dot EVF? At this price? It’s good that this camera has an EVF, because the original RX1 didn’t. But at this price you might have expected something a little better than the basic 2.36m-dot viewfinder you get here.
- Where’s the shutter speed dial? There isn’t one. Where Fujifilm and Nikon are creating retro cameras with physical shutter speed controls, Sony is not. The lens has an aperture ring, but without a shutter speed dial it’s just not the same.
- There’s no IBIS. Presumably the original RX1 body left no room for an IBIS unit, and Sony hasn’t redesigned the body, so there’s still no IBIS. The Zeiss lens doesn’t have OIS either. You’re going to need to watch those shutter speeds (oh, right, you can’t – lol).
- It has a battery upgrade, but only to the feeble and outdated NP-FW50. I guess, again, Sony couldn’t offer the more modern and far superior NP-FZ100 cell because it wouldn’t fit.
- You don’t get a lens hood. That’s an optional extra at around £150 / $199. And you thought CANON lens hoods were expensive…
- So yes, the pricing. At around £4,200 in the UK and $5,099 in the US, the RX1R III is substantially more expensive than both the A7R V and the A7CR, both of which have that sensor. Of course, the RX1R III comes with a lens where the other two don’t, but still. My feeling is that at this price you’re already in so deep you should just get a Leica Q3 and be done with it.
I do think the RX1R III reveals something else about Sony’s product roadmap and its approach to new camera launches, and that is its extraordinary reluctance to make any physical changes to its camera designs. A new sensor? No problem. A new dedicated AI processor? Fine! Change the body to add IBIS, a shutter speed dial, a better EVF? Forget it!
I think it also underlines what I think I will call Sony’s 3×3 product strategy. Each sensor has to go in at least three different bodies to get the best return on investment, and each body has to have at least three different sensors over time for the same reason.
It’s all becoming very predictable.
Sony RX1R III prices: $5,098 at B&H | £4,199 at Wex
Sony RX1R III alternatives
The Sony RXIR III faces stiff competition in 2025, both from the beautiful Leica Q3 and from a couple of smaller-format alternatives with real class and vastly lower prices. The Fujifilm X100VI is APS-C not full frame, and 40MP not 60MP, but it’s an iconic design with external shutter/aperture control, IBIS and a great viewfinder – and looks cheap compared to the Sony. Or if you are prepared to drop another sensor size, the Leica D-Lux 8 is more than just the Lumix LX100 II repackaged, it’s actually been reimagined, with real Leica design flair, and of course you get a zoom lens.
Leica Q3 prices: $6,735 at B&H | £5,400 at Wex
- Fujifilm X100VI prices: $1,599 at B&H | £1,599 at Wex
Leica D-Lux 8 prices: $1,915 at B&H | £1,450 at Wex
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