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Last year we thought high-resolution cameras with electronic viewfinders and non-interchangeable lenses were dead ducks, soon-to-be victims of D-SLR price slashing. Then Sony created the Cyber-shot DSC-R1, a model that bridges the gap between EVFs and D-SLRs. The Sony R1 offers exceptionally low noise, a wide dynamic range, and (unlike most of its competitors) a fast, true wide-angle zoom. Ask yourself: Do you really need interchangeable lenses?
Its sheer specs set a new standard for electronic viewfinder (EVF) cameras: ten megapixels of resolution and a top sensitivity of ISO 3200. But what makes the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 different from all other EVFs is the size of its CMOS image sensor. It’s as big as the image sensors in many, if not most, digital SLRs—and over five times the area of the CCD sensor in Sony’s previous top EVF, the eight-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-F828.
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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1
10.3 megapixels/ CMOS image sensor
5X zoom (24-120mm equivalent)
2-inch LCD monitor (tilt/swivel)
About $1,000
A groundbreaking model that combines the convenience of an electronic viewfinder camera with the image quality of a D-SLR.
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Why would you need five times more space to accommodate 25 percent more pixels? Resolution isn’t the reason. A larger sensor permits larger pixels, and larger pixels produce images with lower noise at a given ISO, all else being equal. In fact, we found that compared to other EVF models, the new Cyber-shot provides about two stops of additional, usable sensitivity. ln practice, this means you can shoot handheld in much lower light levels without an EVF camera’s usual trade-off in image quality.
Opting for the bigger chip meant Sony had to make a slightly bigger camera body, and, more significantly, a lens with longer actual focal lengths to produce comparable angles of view. The R1’s quick-focusing 5X Zeiss zoom gives the equivalent of 24-120mm (and a fast f/2.8-4.8) on a 35mm camera. Many EVF models offer more telephoto power, but Sony smartly chose to limit the long end of the focal-length range to keep the lens compact.
Like any EVF, the Cyber-shot R1 displays a “live” image on its LCD monitor, which lies flat on top of the camera, hinged at the back—as if low-angle composition and waist-level shooting were its first priority. (You flip up the screen for arm’s-length composition.) Once you’re ready to shoot, so is the R1: Its shutter response is quick and quiet, with very little delay between shots. To us, that sounds like a digital SLR.
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