The progress of 1" sensor cameras have come so far. I remember a few years ago I would only look at full-frame, now I find myself being impressed by just about any camera that comes out. The Sony RX100 IV is one that really caught my eye, on paper this hands down may be the best compact camera ever made, but what I'm more interested in seeing is how it carries itself on the streets. Does it fit my shooting style? Is it worth the upgrade from the RX100 III and is it better than some other compact cameras like the Ricoh GR II and Fujifilm X70... Let's find out!

Tech Specs

20.1 MP 1" Exmor RS BSI CMOS Sensor

BIONZ X Image Processor

Internal UHD 4K Video & S-Log2 Gamma

Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* f/1.8-2.8 Lens

24-70mm (35mm Equivalent)

2359k-Dot OLED Tru-Finder Pop-Up EVF

3.0" 1229k-Dot Multi-Angle Xtra Fine LCD

Slow Motion Video at 960 fps

Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC

ISO 12800 and 16 fps Continuous Shooting

Gear Used

Simple... The Sony RX100 IV, that's it!

Build Quality

The first thing I noticed about the RX100 IV was that it was noticeably heavy for such a compact camera. Not heavy in weight to where it was unbearable, I don't want you to get that impression, it's still extremely lightweight, but, heavy, in a sense that it was shocking. Sony obviously put a lot into this body. I've had cameras with similar exteriors and they feel like feathers compared to this unit. Again, not complaining, I'm actually a fan of the added weight, it made me feel like I was getting my money worth. To some that may be odd hearing in a review, but you'll be surprised how these little things provide you reassurance.

In terms of build quality, it was beyond solid. The unit kind of reminds me of the new iPhone, I felt like the frame was one solid casing. You know how most cameras have a front piece and then a back piece? This just feels like one piece, it's kind of cool. I'm not sure if these designs help protect the camera at all, but it's visually pleasing.

One thing I did notice about the camera was how scratch prone it was. I rented this from BorrowLenses, so I tried to be as careful as possible with it, but to no avail. The unit left my home with several scratch marks on the rear LCD. I mainly kept this on my wrist so I'm not exactly sure where they came from. So yeah... I'm going to rule this camera as scratch prone. Be careful!