I’ve given up on my Giottos tripod. The dodgy leg is simply not standing up to the weight of my DLSR, so today I went out and bought a Sony RX100 II, based on some night images I’d seen from another photographer. The RX100 II fits into a pocket, and if it is able to produce equivalent images to a DSLR, it is a triumph of engineering.
After a reasonably clear morning, by afternoon it is overcast and rainy, so I decide to roadtest the camera in the worst conditions I can think of – a packed Champs Elysees in the twilight and evening. It’s still raining, but clears about 30 minutes after I arrive.
Based on a couple of hours of experimenting with the camera in twilight and night mode, I’m thrilled with the results. All of the images below are hand-held. Mind you, the camera software is doing a lot of the work here in producing images at unimaginable aperture and shutter speeds on a DSLR. There is more processing logic in this little pocketable camera that there was in the financial transaction processing systems I worked on in the ’90s. The Sony RX100 II has earnt it’s place in my camera bag!
Clearly whilst I consider the Champs Elysees the worst possible place to want to take night photos, the Sony is more than up to the challenge. What I can’t work out though is why there are pseudo-nativity scenes featuring panda bears and orangutans???? There is also some artistic licence taken with a scene featuring emperor penguins and the chicks, and what I think are meant to be Arctic foxes and wolves! No wonder people think there are penguins in the Arctic…
I still have a lot to learn about how to get the best out of the Sony, but given the images can only improve as I go, the Sony will be getting a work-out during the remainder of my time in Paris.
