SonyCyber-Shot DSC-RX100 V 20.1 MP Digital Still Camera with 3" OLED, flip Screen, WiFi, and 1” Sensor DSCRX100M5/B

This camera deserves a in depth review, so here it is. Having 10 months w/the camera.(Maybe I should also preface this w/: this my 1st mirrorless camera, I'm a DSLR shooter, primarily photo's)(My quality comparisons are coming from having a Canon 70D w/Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8)My most used time with this: most footage ever recorded was from my 3 day trip on the Timberline Trail in Oregon. I came home with - 1hr 34min 44's of video. Total of 33.6GB of data. 175 video clips and about 15 photo's. Ran through the 3 batteries I took multiple times and only drained my 10,000 mah Anker to 50%, that is fantastic. Shooting only 1080p @30p 50mbps. Take that into consideration when looking at the battery life section.I purchased this camera back in February of this year, specifically for backpacking vloggitty stuff, this camera is absolutely a winner. My review is mostly based on the video side of this camera, which IMO, is this camera primary use. (Note: I do not color grade the footage, I prefer the image SOOC, with manual controls, manual white balance.) First off this camera has the ability to shoot 4K at up to 30p 100mbps. The 4K image is stellar, sharp, very detailed and color is great. This camera does have the ability to shoot S-log which has pretty incredible dynamic range. 4K does have a 5 min limit, but personally with the way I film this is a non issue. Backpacking videos require video/clips no longer than a minute. I mainly shoot 1080p at 30p 50mbps, this footage is the easiest for me personally to work with. Even the 1080p image is very clear, I like the contrast this camera produces in video. No noticeable aliasing, very apparent w/my 70D. Again I'm a photographer 1st.THINGS I LOVE:Full manual controls:I can control every setting I need to, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, WB and the ND filter, excellent.Video image quality:It's great, want an ex. Youtube: Backpacking the Timberline Trail: 40.4 MilesBuild quality:This camera is mostly metal, built like a tank, protruding/telescoping lens is very delicate. 1 drop, game over.Battery life:Is a big one, not really sure which category this should go under. Really is goes under both. For me, this is not an issue.You can maybe get 20-30 min of total 1080p record time out of 1 battery. This is pretty close to what I've come to expect, which for how I use it, is excellent. On trail I would only go through about 2-3 batteries day. If i'm just going hiking I'm taking my full set-up, 10,000 mah Anker battery, 3 camera batteries (1 in the camera, 1 in my charger and 1 on standby ready to swap. Throw the battery in my camera into the charger, fresh battery in my camera, boom shooting again.)Size/Form factor:I love the size, it fits in my pa'lante packs shoulder strap pocket, will fit nicely in a coat pocket.The JPEG's:(I am a photographer who shoots RAW and edits every image. "This hurts to say I can't access these RAW files") I shoot with a Canon 70D, Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 ART and 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II and Nikon D810 w/35mm & 85mm. My version of lightroom does not open them, 10 months later this is an issue, solely on my part, I do not use CC. Will be going to CC in the near future. With that all taken in to consideration, I have the jpg's, I edit the jpg's and they look pretty good, I guess, for a jpg. I do shoot this camera RAW+JPEG so when I figure out the problem, problem determined, I can unleash the full potential of the RAW files. (NOTE: all attached images are jpg's SOOC,that I then edited in lightroom.)THINGS I DON'T LOVE:The screen:The screen itself is wonderful, ex. when vlogging w/ this camera, over time though the screen has developed a scratch line, horizontally, across the entire screen where a piece of metal sticks out. Doesn't affect camera usage but, the piece of metal serves zero function other than housing the release of the pop-up flash. Something to be aware of.The bottom of the camera:All plastic. One of the most, if not THE most, important parts of the camera, the battery door, is extremely thin, cheap and frankly crap quality. It has some play once opened, if it was in your pocket and not shut properly could snap off with ease. Take extreme caution w/ the battery door. The weight of the camera alone could snap it off.Nitpicking:The EVF, again, personally I do not use it, but could be better. The refresh rate inside in not very good, in real world use though, you will not really notice. Unless you use/coming from a higher end mirrorless.Battery life:Here's where battery life is laughable and really disappointing. If you shoot slo-mo, you shoot 4k or 1080p @120p the battery life in absolutely atrocious. You can expect a full, fresh battery to get you just maybe 10 min total record time of 4K, maybe 5-6 min of slo-mo (240p or 480p.) And 1080p @120p is much better but still probably less than 20 min.Build quality:I only mention this here, due to the delicate nature of the lens. When the lens is out, if you drop this camera, you just lost/wasted $999. Cannot stress this enough. When camera is off, folding screen tucked in and you drop it, it may survive.........once. Never dropped, I take extra care of this camera, but the potential in thereAny questions? Let me know.

Great camera for a point and shoot that gives a slightly better photo than most cell phone cameras. It's a compact alternative to a bulky 35mm that fits the gap between a quality high end 35mm and a good cell phone camera. It's a convenient niche item. The manual that comes from Sony, however is a disgrace. Sure, you can work your way through it, however there is no reason why a major manufacturer cannot provide an up-to-date set of instructions that can be used with ease. A niche item that is technically sophisticated, is not difficult to use, but can be difficult to master.

Carl Zeiss makes the best lenses, AND, Sony makes Nikon Dslr sensors, but, saves the most advanced sensor technology for itself (D850 is a notable exception, Panasonic derivative company made its sensor- source: Theoria Apophasis). You see where I am going with this.I have only tested the camera for stills so far. I have watched most YouTube reviews, all had great ratings including 4K and ultra slow motion(>900 frames/second!!!!!) EXCEPT 4K video time limit of less than 5 minutes and overheating issues.Consider this little camera as a dslr with a fixed zoom lens. Incredible sharp images at 24 mm focal length with mind blowing low light performance and autofocus speed. It loses its charm above 50 mm. But is does not bother me as I love 24 mm (23-24 mm is a sweet spot that even the hot seller Fuji xf100 carries). The only reason I am going to keep my D7100 is because I would like to use my telephoto lenses occasionally.You will not regret buying it. You can search that RX100 iii and iv are just about 100-200 dollars cheaper, and even if mark vi rolls out, you are unlikely to lose more than 100-200 dollars if you sell mark V to upgrade to VI.Pros:- small body: you don’t have to miss your next ufo sighting or supernova explosion or any other rare/precious moment ever- sharp as heck at 24-40s mm, uses every pixel to my eyes in this range- bokeh magic for subjects up-close(see the pictures)- macro capability: focusing distance about 5 cm at 24 mm focal length- automatic mode incredible: I can actually rely on it for most still shots- great user interface: dslr like functionality in manual mode, focal length, shutter speed and iso adjustments( after custom assignment of iso to a back camera button that is easy peasy)Cons:- although small, it is dense. More “Jacketable” than “pocketable”- not sharp at maximum focal length. This is expected of zoom lenses(compared to fixed focal length or “prime” lenses), unless you are going for >1500 dollar lenses on full frame dslrs- copying forward from other reviews from various sources: poor battery life(220 pictures), overheating when shooting 4K within 5 minutes: buy a bunch of extra batteries(37 bucks per battery + 32 bucks for external charger) and short battery life won’t be a problem anymore.Bottomline: if you are still not convinced to buy it, watch theoria apophasis(A strong Sony critique) on YouTube reviewing Sony RX 100 iii, and going Gaga over it. RX100 V is definitely a more upgraded version.