The Traveler. The All Around. The Stills Purist. The Saver. The Top of the Line.
Five different personalities assigned to the five different Sony RX100 cameras by Carey Rose of DP Review.
The RX100 | "The Budget Option"
DP Review's breakdown begins with the first model saying "The original RX100 was the first camera to put a relatively large 1"-type sensor into a camera you could consider pocketable, and it started a revolution. " Rose points out that the first model's features make for a serious bang for your buck-- "...a great option for budget-conscious folks that still want to have a camera with them all the time."
The RX100 II | "The Travel Option"
Rose is quick to point out one option that makes the RX100 II model especially handy for traveling, saying, "The RX100 II has the highest-rated battery life of all the models in the range..." Another key upgrade from the original model is the addition of wifi capability as DP Review notes"...the RX100 II offers quite a bit over the original model, with Wi-Fi in particular being a valuable addition." And with the highest-rated battery life of all the models, if you want to be able to shoot for hours without needing extra batteries, this is the model for you.
The RX100 III | "For The Stills Purist"
"The RX100 Mark III was a big jump for the series."
"The biggest changes from a usability standpoint are the addition of an industry-first pop-up electronic viewfinder, which will make sunny-day shooting much easier, and a much needed custom Fn menu for quick access to most features."
"The new 24-70mm equiv. F1.8-2.8 lens is a showstopper as well, providing excellent optical performance and faster speed compared to the previous lens, though it gives up quite a bit of zoom reach."
With this model that sits snuggly in the middle of the series, there are significant upgrades from the previous models and still more to be had if you are in need of just a bit more out of your point and shoot camera.
The RX100 IV | "All Around Capability"
"On the inside, though, you get a new sensor that's 'stacked,' meaning it has memory chips built right onto the back of the sensor itself, giving it incredibly fast read-out speed and buffering capabilities.
Rose attributes the upgrades in autofocus speed and low-light accuracy to "industry-leading sensor technology."
"Usability improvements include instant 1:1 magnification of the AF point in playback, and best-practice Auto ISO control that allows you to more finely dial in how you want the camera to bias the ISO as related to shutter speed."
"The RX100 IV clearly epitomizes Sony's new priorities regarding the RX100-series, with vast technological improvements under the hood, but only limited improvements to usability."
The fourth rendition of the RX100 series brings features like sharper JPEGs and 4K video that give it an edge on the RX100 III for those looking for the ability to shoot more than just stills.
The RX100 V | "For When You Have To Have The Best"
"[Y]ou get even more speed, even better 4K video, and a phase detection AF system that is the most advanced in its class."
"This is definitely a camera for speed freaks..."
"RX100 V is an incredibly powerful machine"
The RX100 V takes the RX100 IV one step further by advancing its features through sharper 4K oversampled from 5.5K, 24fps burst shooting and Eye AF.
Read more and get the full breakdown on each model's specs at dpreview.com.
