You're spot-on with the microphone Jack. A lot of people have been saying that it's an oversight which is ridiculous. Of course the R & D team and the product manager thought about a mic input and it was a conscious effort not to put it in there for exactly the reason you hypothesized.... cannibalizing their higher end products.
I keep hearing that the Mark 6 is a better video camera while glossing over the biggest problem - the removal of the ND filter, and minimising the implications of the slower aperture. The ND is essential for video to force the iris open. The slower aperture is very restrictive because at this size sensor image softening sets in due to diffraction between f5.6 and f8. An f1.8-2.8 lens has maybe 3 stops of iris with sharp images, while the newer lens has only 1 or 2 stops to play with and no ND filter to help keep in the sharp range. I see the Mark 6 as being great for the moms and dads who like the extra focal reach to get their kids playing sports, but anyone serious about their video is going to need the Mark 5. There is no shortage of serious videographers who buy these Sony compacts - it is to get the super slo-mo in an affordable package and to have reasonable 4K capability that fits in a pocket. Vloggers love the camera because of the level of capability in a package light enough to be held at arm’s length without any problems. The light weight and comparatively low price (by pro standards) means the camera can be put on a boom pole and put into locations for some effective creative footage that is not so easy to get with conventional equipment. Because it is mostly used for special effects including slo-mo the 5 minute limit is mostly not an issue and vlogging is generally best done in short takes. If Sony had been able to extend the lens zoom to 105mm but kept the f2.8 max aperture and ND filter they would have had a winner, but by going too long, too slow, and getting rid of the ND they hobbled the camera for anyone other than amateurs. The Mark 5 remains the best of the RX100 series. Especially for video.
Thank you for post your thoughts. I'm not sure to buy the rx100m5, the rx100m6 ( m7 is a lot more expensive ), or the canon g5xm2. I want it for travel and for when I don't want to take the reflex camera. And with all the info you put here I decide to buy the rx100m5a.
The mark V is quite a bit better in low light (see iPhone do review) , has nicer Bokeh and better in bright light. I couldn't recommend the 6 unless you really need a touch screen or telephoto.
The Mark 6 has a different lever for zoom. The Mark 6, you can see the bottom of the screen when the screen is flipped forward. On the 5, you cannot see the information. The Mark 6 goes to 4.5f almost immediately when zooming.
Always great work. I am wondering where they will go with the rx10 If I was shopping for a point and shoot the size factor difference between the rx100 just to give you 200-600 range is not worth it now. Any chance Sony will increase the sensor size of the rx10 line for better low light performance?
I was curious about the audio quality of the V and VI so I went to the Sony store just yesterday. The sound quality of VI is way cleaner with less noise than the V. I got the product consultant to hear it and he agrees with another point that both of us can hear the sound of the lens zoom on the V. So I'll take this and say that the VI will make a much better vlogging or 4k video camera.
The display of mkVI has apparent lower reflection than your mkV. Do you put any kind of protection films on your mkV or it is really a improvement in mkVI?
I have the Mark V and very happy with it. I do like the built in hand grip and increased zoom advantage of the VI. But I'll take the better glass on the Mark V. On a side note, since we are talking about cameras, I would like to mention that my new Google Pixel 3 cell phone gives me photos that I feel are on par with my Mark V under some conditions especially in dark lighting where the Pixel 3 Night Sight feature is very impressive.
Panasonic's 1" sensor cameras can take a 4k picture from video. Something sony can't. I own the mark 5 n love it. But I think Panasonic got sony beat. They both crop,sony crops a little less. No 4k 5 minute cap. Twice as cheaper (literally) eye afc on any if the Panasonic cameras is just as good as sonys even with my mark 5 super fast afc. Awsome channel bro been here since 10k subs
I have the M5 and love it! As stated in comments below...the bokeh is outstanding and it does very well in low light. I also have an HX80 which has a 30X optical zoom which really gets close but is a much slower lens..if I need that kind of zoom I usually use my Canon video camera or the Sony HX80... For still photography and portraits you can't beat the M5! Just an outstanding compact camera!
can we put only the RX 100 VI lens part to the RX 100 V body.. if we could do this then we could achieve something great camera. since the both RX 100 V and VI bodies are exactly same in size, looks and likely to be exchanged the parts of their bodies in one to another. if this is possible then we can get both camera in second hand then make legendary camera out of these two bodies in one.. :D
as a heavy video user - the lens on the mk5 with its ND and much higher aperture significantly wins over the much longer lens on the VI (anything beyond 70mm isn't so useful on a point-and-shoot body - i'm not sure why you think telephoto in this package is a strong video feature). I agree that the log modes ARE really valuable for video as you say - but less so for vloggers. Also 5-mins video is a pain for video use since this is likely a B-roll cam which you want to set-and-forget. You say that 5mins is fine because you'll be editing - within an 18min long single shot video :). In conclusion - the VI is a better photo cam, and the V is a better video cam
Thank you for your insightful video. I still believe the Sony RX100m5A is the best pocketable video camera to date due to its built in ND filter and faster aperture... can't wait to receive mine to check out the improved eye AF from the m5!
One thing I noticed is that the screen bezels are different between the two so not sure if the PCK-LM15 screen protector is compatible on the VI without cutting off the right side of the screen. The bezel on the V is thinner on the left side and on the VI it’s the opposite. Any thoughts?
I'm a travel vlogger and love my RX 100 5 for everything and just wished it had a microphone jack. What I was expecting from the from the Mark 6 was for its pricepoint: 1) Microphone Jack. (Obviously) 2) 4k - 60 FPS. (Come on my One Plus 6 phone gives me that) 3) An aperture of F1.8-4.5. (Since the lens is still a 24mm at its widest) That would have made it the perfect camera in my eyes :). Lovely comparison as always. Keep them coming. A huge fan of your stuff.
