Sony RX1R III

The RX1R III packs a 61MP full-frame sensor into a compact body, paired permanently with a ZEISS Sonnar 35mm f/2 lens. There is no interchangeable mount here. The lens and sensor are built as one unit, and that is the defining trait of this camera.

That setup suits photographers who work deliberately at a single focal length. The 35mm frame covers street, travel and everyday documentary subjects well, and step crop modes offer tighter 50mm and 70mm views when a composition calls for them.

Close work is handled by a dedicated macro ring, and exposures use a leaf shutter. Motion is covered too, with 10-bit 4K recording available when you need it.

At the heart of the camera is a full-frame sensor with resolution that gives you generous scope for cropping into a frame or printing large. Packing that into a compact body means the flexibility travels with you without hauling a big kit.

The built-in ZEISS Sonnar T* 35mm f/2 covers a useful focal length for people, places and everyday scenes. Its f/2 maximum helps you keep sensitivity low in dim interiors and separate a subject from a busy background when you want shallow depth.

Focusing starts at 11.8 inches in normal use, and switching in the macro setting drops the minimum distance to 7.9 inches. At 0.26x magnification this is comfortable close-up range rather than life-size work, but it still opens up food, flowers and small details without carrying another lens.

Exposures are made with a leaf shutter, mechanically rated up to 1/4000 sec. That is the fastest mechanical speed supplied, a ceiling that can matter when you shoot the f/2 lens wide open in bright conditions.

Video tops out at 4K, recorded at up to 30fps. That covers standard delivery for online and general projects, though the supplied modes stop there, with no higher frame rate listed for slow-motion work.

Recording is 10-bit 4:2:2, which holds far more colour information than basic 8-bit capture. If you grade your footage, that translates into smoother skin tones and less banding when you push skies and shadows around.

S-Cinetone gives footage a cinematic tone straight out of the camera, and the creative looks let you set a consistent style without building a grade from scratch. For quick-turnaround work, that saves real time in the edit.

The fixed 35mm lens shapes your video as much as your stills. It encourages a documentary style of shooting, and with nothing above 30fps supplied, this is a camera for considered footage rather than fast-action clips.

The standout feature is step crop shooting. It crops to three fields of view: the full 35mm frame, a 50mm view at 29MP and a 70mm view at 15MP. You carry one lens but effectively work with three focal lengths, at a falling cost in resolution.

The macro control is a physical ring rather than a menu option. Engage it and the lens focuses from 7.9 inches at up to 0.26x magnification, so close work becomes a deliberate, quick switch rather than a hunt through settings.

Framing is through an electronic viewfinder, which shows exposure and colour as the sensor records them. That preview lets you judge the final look before you ever press the shutter.