Camera - Why is this so expensive?
Camera - Why is this so expensive?
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Discussion

Lostprophet

Original Poster:

2,549 posts

193 months

Friday 22nd January 2016
quotequote all
Why is camera so expensive? What is a full-frame camera?

http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/cyber-shot-compa...


DibblyDobbler

11,443 posts

221 months

Friday 22nd January 2016
quotequote all
Full frame = bigger sensor = better pics (simplistically!) - see below

Full frame cameras are normally quite big and heavy so it's very specialist/unusual/technically difficult to make such a small one.


neilski

2,563 posts

259 months

Friday 22nd January 2016
quotequote all
It means it uses the same size sensor as an old 35mm film camera.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full-frame_digital_S...

Simpo Two

91,486 posts

289 months

Friday 22nd January 2016
quotequote all
You're paying for (1) 35mm sensor (2) 'Carl Zeiss Sonnar' written on the front (3) small size compared to equivalent DSLR.

A mere £2089 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-DSCRX1-Professional-D...

You'll have the satisafction of knowing that, whilst your friends think it's worth about £350, it actually cost 6x as much hehe

Lostprophet

Original Poster:

2,549 posts

193 months

Friday 22nd January 2016
quotequote all
Thanks gents.

So it seems like it's a good camera! I guess by summer this will be a fair chunk cheaper.

boxsternoob56

223 posts

165 months

Bring on the clowns

1,339 posts

208 months

Saturday 23rd January 2016
quotequote all
If that seems expensive you should see this - and if it's compact you want maybe wait for the price to drop? And an even bigger sensor than '35mm'/ full frame!



It's pretty compact, but admittedly doesn't have autofocus (in fact you have to set the focus using the focus scale on the lens ring) or zoom, but light metering and EVF are now available, with or without an iPhone. And only c.$47,000 for a basic kit. Cough...


fido

18,515 posts

279 months

Saturday 23rd January 2016
quotequote all
same reason why the a7rII is a grand more than an a7R - you pay a big premium for the latest bestest Sony.

LC2

254 posts

197 months

Sunday 24th January 2016
quotequote all
Lostprophet said:
Thanks gents.

So it seems like it's a good camera! I guess by summer this will be a fair chunk cheaper.
I wouldn't bet on that...
The DSC-RX1R II can now be pre-ordered for £2.5k
( https://www.parkcameras.com/search/DSC-RX1R%20II )

The RX1 came out in 2013 and still sells for £2k, looking on Amazon the sellers state "1 left in stock", so that could indicate that there isn't a big stockpile of the original version waiting to be sold off cheaply.

Why would you want the RX1R II over the original?
Well for me, of the improvements, 30% faster AF has to be the important one as even the Sony DSLRs are considered a tad slow in to AF (at least compared to Canon/Nikon).


StuH

2,557 posts

297 months

Monday 25th January 2016
quotequote all
fido said:
same reason why the a7rII is a grand more than an a7R - you pay a big premium for the latest bestest Sony.
Well that and the 42.4mp Back-illuminated sensor which DXO rates the best ever - http://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Ratingswink, and the 399 focus points, oh and........

The same sensor that's now in the little RX1 mk2 - the original RX1R can be had for around £1300 second hand - the 35mm optics are stellar as well.

fido

18,515 posts

279 months

Monday 25th January 2016
quotequote all
StuH said:
Well that and the 42.4mp Back-illuminated sensor which DXO rates the best ever - http://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Ratingswink, and the 399 focus points, oh and........
Well I am a happy owner of an A7RII and didn't mind paying the premium .. in fact it's so good that my Leica M is up for sale.

DavidY

4,492 posts

308 months

Monday 25th January 2016
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The Sony RX1R is a fairly unique camera, there are very few high quality non-interchangable fixed (non-zooms) lens cameras. Although the AF is slow compared with a DSLR the image quality is very good.

Other similar cameras are the Fuji X100T (£900) and the Leica Q (£2900), both of these include EVF and in the case of the Fuji OVF as well. Each of these cameras has it's merits, but all are very capable cameras.

I've been a long time Fuji X100 user, and did consider the original RX1R, but in the end stayed with Fuji and went for interchangable lens options. I don't need ultra fast AF, so a good mirrorless solution suits me.

But back to the OP, yes it is expensive, but it's fairly unique, and no I wouldn't expect the price to drop much in 6 months time.

StuH

2,557 posts

297 months

Monday 25th January 2016
quotequote all
fido said:
Well I am a happy owner of an A7RII and didn't mind paying the premium .. in fact it's so good that my Leica M is up for sale.
Me too thumbup

ecsrobin

18,526 posts

189 months

Monday 25th January 2016
quotequote all
Lostprophet said:
Thanks gents.

So it seems like it's a good camera! I guess by summer this will be a fair chunk cheaper.
No chance, the Sony A99 for instance is 3 years old now. It has dropped in value by £500 in that time.

ukaskew

10,642 posts

245 months

Tuesday 26th January 2016
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I owned an RX1 for a while, bit of a bucket list thing, thankfully it didn't drop in value at all whilst I had it. Amazing sensor/lens combo, really was a pleasure to use.

Considering they've fixed all the obvious issues now with the RXRII I would love one, sadly can't really justify it.

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

278 months

Tuesday 26th January 2016
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I tried one out and it felt like any other point and shoot. Yes the optics are great but it just didnt prove to me why it was so expensive.

As for the a7r2.. I bought my a7r for $2000 including the metabones, new. the a7r2 is now $5200 here, they can sit on it. They have put the price up significantly (a recent $1000 rise) for no reason. Sony gear is typically worth a lot less after a year I'll pick one up used.