Let me start by confirming that I am a still an urban photographer. London has always been and always will be my focus. But in the past year you'll have seen my work shifting towards sometimes adding motion.
This has happened through my cinemagraphs, timelapse and... slow mo.
I recently got my hands on the new Sony RX100 IV and while it is fun to use for street photography, I decided to test its slow motion capabilities in particular. Well it's pretty awesome for such a tiny piece of kit.
This compact camera was reviewed by many as being too expensive and not a vast improvement on the RX100 III.
I think they're missing the point.
This is quite a phenomenal little camera when you consider it can film 4K and up to 1000fps and still fit in your pocket. Just Google search slow motion cameras for an idea of costs. This can shoot 250fps at (near) full HD.
OK, the 1000 fps is barely usable, but there's no denying it's fun. Sometimes we need to remember how to have fun and rediscover the world around us... in a different way. That's what slow motion does!
In terms of photos, it's actually really very good. Of course it won't replace my Pen-F, Sony A7RII or E-M5 Mark II (which I since have sold) but it's not what it's here for. It packs a fairly decent sized one inch 20mp sensor and I was impressed by the IQ of the JPEGS. What is even more impressive are the RAW files from which a huge amount of detail can be recovered from shadows.
Put it this way, this is not a compact for everyone, it's an advanced to pro photographer's compact camera, clearly aimed toward people with an interest in video. It's really convenient if you want as much of a camera as you can fit in your pocket in circumstances where that's all you need or are able to carry.
Yes 4k can only be used for up to 5mn, but in my case I shoot very short sequences for my cinemagraphs so that's not a problem. Yes it overheats if used too long, but then what do you expect in such a tiny body packing so much inside?
Anyway, have a look at the video below, shot entirely in 250fps around London, I'd say for a compact camera it's pretty impressive:
Hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for more London slow motion in the coming weeks!
Nico