Sony RX0 review: Hands on with the tiny GoPro rival
The Sony RX0 is a dinky camera packed with massive features, but can it usurp GoPro’s dominance?
GoPro has long held a firm grip on the action camera market for what seems like an age. Need to record your energetic thrill-seeking shenanigans? Chances are you’ll use a GoPro. But now Sony is looking to dismantle GoPro’s dominance with an entirely new action camera – the RX0.
Sony RX0 review: UK price, release date and specifications
- Camera: 15-megapixel, f/4.0
- Screen: 1.5in 4:3 TFT LCD
- Storage: microSD
- Battery life: 60 minutes (video, continuous shooting)
- Size and weight: 59 x 40 x 30mm (110g)
- Price: €800
- Release date: October 2017
Sony RX0 review: Design, key features and first impressions
There’s plenty to warrant your attention packed inside the Sony RX0’s dinky frame. It may not look like much, but it incorporates a 1in CMOS image sensor, which is capable of 15.3-megapixel stills and up to 4K video with a 24mm f/2.4 Zeiss lens; this sensor is far bigger than anything GoPro has ever produced.
The result is an image captured at a higher resolution, with potentially better results in low light. Typically, the larger the sensor, the greater the dynamic range, so you can expect shots with plenty of deep blacks and dazzling whites.
The RX0 is exceptionally small, weighing only 110g and measuring just 59 x 40 x 30mm. This a smidge smaller and lighter than GoPro’s current Hero 5 Black, and it doesn’t have the lens protruding from the front, either. In short, it’s a compact little camera that’s capable of being mounted in even the smallest of spaces.
And the RX0 is well suited for your go-getting lifestyle, with waterproofing up to 3m and up to 2m of shockproof protection. It can also withstand crushes of up to 200kg of pressure. This is a hardy action camera, no doubt about it, and you’ll be able to shoot in all sorts of environments.
As on the Hero 5, the small 1.5in LCD display on the back allows you to view footage on the fly and cycle through the many different shooting modes on offer. These include the option to shoot in super slow motion at 960fps, albeit at sub-HD resolution.
Multiple cameras can be linked together to produce 360-degree video via an optional ball-cage mount, which can connect up to 15 RX0 cameras at once. If you have a Sony smartphone with the PlayMemories app installed, you can link up to five RX0s and control them at the same time.
Sony RX0 review: Early verdict
At first glance, Sony’s RX0 does everything you should expect from an action camera. It’s small and light, can easily be mounted onto all sorts of accessories and is capable of producing top-notch footage. The only issue is the RX0’s wallet-shaking price.
Sony’s RX0 will set you back just shy of €800 (~£735) come October. This is a tricky sell, and is well over twice the price of GoPro’s Hero 5 Black. Sure, it looks like the RX0 does plenty more than its biggest rival, and I can still see this being a popular choice, but at that price it doesn’t look like it will displace GoPro’s rule over the action camera market any time soon.
