Sony’s compact RX1R camera was released in 2013, yet a decade after its launch it still holds up as an amazing camera and my favourite camera for shooting reportage and street-style photos.
And while I’ve shot on my model all over Europe since its launch, I’ve fallen in love with it all over again for its black and white prowess. Check the gallery below for my favourite images I’ve taken over summer while out and about on the busy streets of Edinburgh.
I shot them all in RAW and JPEG, with the camera set to its monochrome picture profile, with added contrast. It gives a punchy look, which I emphasise further by typically looking for high contrast scenes, adjusting the exposure override to almost a full stop below neutral and then exposing for the highlights. The result is an often darker, low-key with a moodiness that I adore. Shooting using the profile at the time allows me to better visualise the final image, and while the JPEG will still show that profile (and therefore remind me of what attracted me to the image), the RAW file only displays in colour until I convert them.
Most of these images have had very little post processing done and in fact on several I actually preferred the straight-out-of-camera JPEG file, rather than my mono conversion of the RAW file.
I already loved the camera for its tiny size and amazing image quality and it makes for a potent reportage and street photography camera. It’s small enough to always carry with you and not to draw attention when shooting strangers on the street, but its full frame sensor and fixed 35mm Zeiss lens delivers some of the best-looking digital images it’s still possible to get.
It retailed for close to £3,000 when it first went on sale, and used models today are still well into four figures. That’s far from cheap, but it supports that old adage of ‘buy cheap, buy twice’. £3,000 is a big purchase in anyone’s books, but when this camera is still going strong and delivering incredible images a decade later, that initial investment, spread over that time period, actually becomes much more affordable.