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How to Use the Sony RX100
The Sony RX100 is one of the most popular premium compact cameras ever made. With a 20.2MP 1-inch Exmor CMOS sensor packed into a body that fits in a jacket pocket, it punches way above its weight class for image quality. But there’s a lot packed into this small camera, and the menu system takes some getting used to. Here’s how to set it up and start shooting.
Getting the Camera Ready
Before you do anything else, charge up and set the basics:
- Insert the battery into the camera and connect it to a power source using the included USB cable. The charge light turns on while charging. Once it’s done, unplug and remove the battery pack.
- Pop in a memory card (sold separately). SD and SDHC cards work. If you plan to shoot a lot, grab at least a 16GB card.
- Turn the camera on and set your language, date, and time when prompted.
Understanding the Controls
The RX100 uses a control wheel on the back for navigating menus and adjusting settings. Spin it to scroll through options, and press the center to confirm. The Function button gives you quick access to commonly used settings without digging through the full menu.
The mode dial on top lets you pick your shooting mode:
- Intelligent Auto: The camera reads the scene and handles everything. Good for quick shots when you don’t want to think about settings.
- Program Auto (P): The camera sets exposure, but you can adjust ISO, white balance, and creative settings.
- Aperture Priority (A): You set the aperture (f-stop), and the camera picks the shutter speed. Great for controlling depth of field.
- Shutter Priority (S): You set the shutter speed, and the camera picks the aperture. Useful for freezing motion or creating motion blur.
- Manual Exposure (M): Full control. You set both aperture and shutter speed yourself.
- Memory Recall (MR): Loads a set of saved settings you’ve previously stored.
- Scene Selection (SCN): Pre-built profiles for specific situations like portraits, night scenes, or fireworks.
Adjusting Key Shooting Settings
The RX100 gives you a lot of control over how your photos turn out. Here are the most useful settings and where to find them:
Focus settings: Go into the menu to select your focus area. Options include center, flexible spot, and multi-point. Central Lock-On AF tracks a subject once you’ve selected it. In dim conditions, the AF illuminator helps the camera find focus by projecting a small assist light.
Drive mode: Choose between single shot, continuous shooting, and self-timer. Continuous shooting is handy for action shots where you want to fire off several frames in a row.
White balance: Adjust color tones to match your lighting. Auto works well most of the time, but you can switch to presets like daylight, cloudy, tungsten, or fluorescent. For tricky mixed lighting, use the custom white balance option to dial in the exact color temperature.
Creative features: The Function buttons can be customized to give you quick access to face detection, soft skin effect, red-eye reduction, grid lines, auto review, and auto object framing. Spend a few minutes setting these up the way you like, and they’ll save you time in the field.
Shooting in Manual Mode
If you want full control over exposure, switch the mode dial to M. Here’s how it works:
- Use the control wheel to set your aperture value.
- Press the bottom of the control button to switch to shutter speed, then adjust with the control wheel.
- Watch the exposure meter on screen. When it reads 0, you’ve got a neutral exposure. Go positive for brighter, negative for darker.
- Set your autofocus point and half-press the shutter to lock focus before taking the shot.
A few things to keep in mind with manual mode:
- ISO auto can’t be selected in manual exposure. You’ll need to set ISO manually.
- If the ambient light is outside the camera’s metering range, the indicator will flash.
- The brightness on the LCD may look slightly different from the final saved image, depending on your settings.
Playing Back and Managing Photos
After a shoot, press the playback button to review your photos. Scroll through images with the control wheel and press the center button to select one for a closer look.
To delete a photo, select it, press the delete button, and confirm. You can also switch to an index view (thumbnail grid) for faster browsing, play back videos, or scroll through panoramic images you’ve captured.
Using the Wi-Fi Features
The RX100 has built-in Wi-Fi, which lets you send photos to your smartphone using Sony’s Smart Remote feature. You can also control the camera remotely from your phone, which is handy for group shots or tripod setups where you can’t reach the shutter button easily.
To set up a Wi-Fi connection, go into the main menu on the LCD and look for the wireless settings. From there, you can connect to your phone or join a Wi-Fi network.
Tips for Getting Better Results
The Sony RX100 rewards you for learning its settings. Spend time exploring the menu, try each shooting mode, and experiment with manual controls. The more familiar you get with the camera’s options, the faster you’ll be able to adjust and grab the shot you want when it matters.
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