Sony RX1R III: Luxury compact camera with 61 megapixels
16.7.2025
Translation: machine translated
Completely unexpectedly, Sony is presenting a competitor to the Leica Q3. The RX1R III is essentially an Alpha 7RV with a fixed lens in a compact body without image stabilisation.
Sony presents the RX1R III, a surprising new version of its compact camera series with a full-frame sensor after almost ten years. The centrepiece is the 61-megapixel sensor from the Alpha 7RV. The RX1R III combines this sensor with a fixed 35mm f/2 lens from Zeiss with a central shutter. It is the same as the previous model.
The concept is similar to that of the Leica Q3 or the Fujifilm GFX100RF. Like Fujifilm, Sony does not have an image stabiliser - a decisive disadvantage compared to the Leica Q3. However, Sony's premium compact camera is a lot lighter and «cheaper». The specifications:
The autofocus system also adopts the technology from the Alpha 7RV, including the dedicated AI chip for scene recognition and tracking. The hybrid AF employees 693 points and covers around 78 per cent of the field of view. The bottleneck for speed is likely to be the relatively old lens. The camera recognises people, animals, birds, insects and vehicles and can focus precisely on eyes and heads. It records videos at up to 30 frames per second in 4K.
The electronic viewfinder offers a resolution of 2.36 million pixels and a magnification of 0.7x - relatively poor values that may be due to the compactness of the camera. The 3-inch LCD with touch function on the rear looks better. It also has a resolution of 2.36 million pixels, but cannot be opened.
Weighs only half a kilo
The completely redesigned housing is made of a magnesium alloy. It is kept simple and largely flat. There is no pronounced handle. A thumb grip, a protective cover and a lens hood are optionally available. The compact dimensions (113 × 68 × 88 mm) and the low weight (498 g) are remarkable for a full-frame camera. This makes the RX1R III even lighter than the Fujifilm X100VI, which only offers an APS-C sensor and a lens equivalent to 35 mm ƒ/2.8 - but an image stabiliser.
Source: Sony
According to the CIPA standard, the battery life is around 300 photos. A macro mode is available for close-up shots, allowing subjects from a distance of 20 centimetres to be photographed at a maximum magnification of 0.26x. Three image sections can be selected digitally using the «Step Crop» function: 35 mm (60 MP), 50 mm (29 MP) and 70 mm (19 MP). When shooting RAW, the full image is retained so that subsequent adjustments are possible.
The Sony RX1R III will be available from the end of July and can be pre-ordered from 16 July at 4 pm. It costs 4199 francs or 4900 euros.
Header image: Sony
Samuel Buchmann
Senior Editor
Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.chMy fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.
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