Sony RX1RII - The King of Street Photography

 

Pictured below: Sony RX1RII can certainly be labeled as a boutique camera, luxury camera, street photography dream camera or all three.

I desperately needed to get out of my barracks room today and clear my mind. I won't get into the details other than to say that my lovable little dog Oliver was attacked by the neighbors junkyard dog who hopped the fence. He got beat up with a couple puncture wounds but nothing broken. I was completely bummed out about getting the news, even more so that I am on the other side of the world here in Korea, unable to be with him.

But after a full day of semi-wandering the countryside, traveling on foot, train and bus, photographing anything that caught my eye, I feel much better. I was able to replace images in my head of my little dog in the jaws of a beast with it's teeth sunk into his skin, with all the people, places and things that I captured in the viewfinder of my Sony RX1RII 42mp compact camera.

Before you run off to buy one of these fantastic little cameras, let me give you fair warning that it will not come cheaply. Even used, this premium, professional camera is going to set you back at least 2000 USD, brand new it'll be more in the neighborhood of 3000 USD. But is it worth it?

Well, it depends what your needs and expectations are. As I am only able to speak for myself, I can say with a resounding yes! Although it has one major weakness, that weakness, which I will mention in a moment, does not detract from the fact that this camera delivers fabulous photos.

It is paired with a fixed 35mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar lens that is about a sharp a lens as I've ever used. The 35mm lens is a fantastic focal length for street photography and landscapes and while it's not my first choice in focal length for something like portraits, you can absolutely use it for portraits and getting amazing results. And don't forget, with a 42mp sensor, you can crop your images A LOT and still retain high resolution images. 

The Sony RX1RII utilizes the TINY Sony NP-BX1 battery. According to the official specifications, you can snap around 200 photos before exhausting the battery, which is way below average for a compact camera. I shot approximately 200 over the entire day and had to change the battery once, so I'd have to say that the official specs are pretty accurate. Still, changing batteries has never been a deal breaker for me and I brought along 5 batteries with me on my trip over here to Korea.

I did a short video review of this amazing little camera a while back and you can see it here - https://youtu.be/PeTRYQNohXQ

Other than that, enjoy the photos and thanks for visiting my blog.

All images shot in the area of Yangju and Uijongbu, South Korea.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Sony A7RII and RX1RII

Boyce Thompson Aboretum just East of Phoenix, Arizona

If you travel East out of Phoenix on highway 60, you'll find a little known desert oasis called Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Highway 60 offers a leisurely, scenic alternative to Interstate 10 for those traveling through Arizona and New Mexico. I was on the return leg of a trip from my home in New Mexico, to Phoenix and back, which included a stop at the Pima Air and Space Museum which you can read about and see the photo gallery in my previous blog post. For this trip I had brought along two cameras; the Sony RX1RII featuring a fixed focal length 35mm f/2 lens and the Sony A7RII with a manual focus Zeiss 50mm lens f/2 and a Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 lens. Both cameras feature an extremely high resolution, 42 megapixel sensor, I've included some cropped images so you can see exactly how much wiggle room high resolution cameras can give to a photographer, it's incredible really.

If you're traveling East, you can take Highway 60 to Highway 70, the two of which meet in Globe, Arizona, and you'll eventually find yourself in Lordsburg, New Mexico and can jump back on Interstate 10 to expedite the rest of your trip. This is exactly the route I chose to take on my return trip from Phoenix a few months ago. My hope was that I might see places and sights I might not otherwise get a chance to discover, I wasn't disappointed.

The Boyce Thompson Arboretum is officially designated as a state park but calling it a park really sells short the fact that it's marvelous and inviting oasis in the desert, complete with a lake and streams! For a small entry fee, guests can enjoy the foliage and wildlife that is found along several miles of well-maintained and manicured trails. 

I spent a couple hours enjoying a nice walk along the trails, taking in the sights and smells of herbs and flowers, it was extremely relaxing and delightful. There's so much to see, but you have to take your time and really pay close attention. I even encountered a few surprises along the way.

Below you can enjoy my photos and please consider making a small donation to help support my continuing artistic endeavors.

paypal.me/FelixMena

Here's the first of several examples showing the resolution power that the 42 megapixal Sony sensor can capture. Above is the original image, below you see how sharp the cropped image is, it retains a great deal of detail even when cropped more than 100%.

Another sample of the cropping capabilities, above the original, below the cropped image.

Another crop. Above the original image, below the cropped image.

Here are a series of 3 crops, above the original and the two images below have been cropped more than 100%, you can even make out fine details like the rivets and rust on the water tower.

Along the road home, New Mexico State Highway 9

If you're in Tempe, try out Snooze for a delicious breakfast and champagne mimosas.

The Arboretum offers a full schedule of fun and interesting events.

The drive home offered an endless number of breathtaking sights