Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

With an overall DxOMark Score of 66, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 comes in at 54^th place among all cameras tested on DxOMark, and takes first place among conventional digital compacts equipped with a zoom lens. Only the Fujifilm X100 with its APS-C sensor does better.

With a DxOMark Portrait Score of 22.6 bits, the RX100 places 54^th in terms of color depth among all cameras tested, and likewise is at the head of the pack of all conventional compacts tested (beaten only by the Fujifilm X100).

With a DxOMark Landscape score of 12.4EV, the 1" CMOS sensor offers a high dynamic range for a digital compact. It ranks 32^nd in the standings, tied with the APS-C sensor of the X100, and even surpasses several older-generation full-format reflexes such as the Nikon D700 and D3, and the Sony Alpha 850. By way of comparison, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II measured 11.9EV.

Low-light sensitivity: no miracles here with this 1-inch sensor, large and small at the same time, that fits in between the 1/1.7-inch sensors of the usual expert compacts and APS-C or 4:3 sensors of the hybrids and entry-level reflex cameras. Achieving 390 ISO and ranked 137^th for this criterion, the Sony RX100 remains the most sensitive of the small-sized expert compact digital cameras, second only to the very bulky Canon Powershot G1 X. The RX100 gains 1 stop with respect to the scores for the more conventional compact sensors, a gain directly tied to the sensor surface area.

The strengths of the Sony RX100 sensor

• The best color depth of all expert compacts with a zoom lens
• The largest dynamic range of all expert compacts with a zoom lens
• Significant progress relative to the 2011-generation 1-inch Nikon 1 sensors
• Sensitivity equivalent to the Nikon 1 despite 8 additional megapixels on the same sensor

The weakness of the Sony RX100 sensor

• A slight retreat in sensitivity with respect to micro 4:3 hybrid compacts and the Canon Powershot G1 X because of a smaller sensitive surface area.