My Sony RX100 IV Travels to Camp Shelby, Mississippi

When I received orders to report to Camp Shelby, Mississippi for a week-long course, I had to decide on which camera to take along. I wasn't sure how much free time I would have to shoot photos, or what I would take photos of, but as the saying goes "Everything is a Picture".

I always travel as light as possible and despise checking in a bag, but this time I had no choice due to the amount of military gear I had to take. As a result, I also checked in my backpack, why carry anything at all since I have to wait at baggage claim anyway? With this in mind, I decided to bring along my Sony RX100 IV.

The Sony RX100 IV is so small, it fits easily and comfortably into ANY pocket. It's the perfect travel camera. The best part about sticking this mighty might in your pocket is that you don't have to sacrifice quality for size. The Sony RX100 IV packs a 20.1 megapixel sensor and captures the images with a BIONZ X image processor. The lens is impressive for a point and shoot, Zeiss 24-70mm f/1.8. The video this little camera captures is super good. I was searching for better words to describe the 4k video but "super good" works just fine. I recently shot an import car video, the majority of which I shot in 4k with the RX100 IV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6cLCBOiEt8

Now, about Mississippi. Coastal Mississippi is quite beautiful. I arrived early in the day, any picked up my rental, but myself and another fella had to wait for a third guy to arrive later that evening as we were all ride sharing. That left me and my new friend the entire day to explore Gulfport and Biloxi.

Once we checked in at Camp Shelby, there wasn't much to capture other than what was going on at my class, so you'll get a glimpse of a little military training, I also shot some pictures at the Mississippi Army Museum.

My little Sony RX100 IV remains one of my favorite cameras and is definitely my favorite travel camera, although, next time out, I am going to take my Leica D-Lux (Typ 109) and see if it can give the Sony a run for it's money.

My Sony RX100 IV sit atop a 19th Century era cannon at the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Camp Shelby.

The best BBQ I enjoyed all week was at Murky Waters in Gulfport. This bar and grill features live blues on the weekends and also features some fabulous photography by a local photographer named Neil Ladner. 

The images adorning the walls of Murky Waters are by Neil Ladner. They are quite impressive and add a distinct local flavor to the restaurant. See more of his work at his web site http://www.gulfportraits.com/

Fishbone Alley is a local spot for night life and features some colorful artwork and graffiti.

Murky Waters BBQ

I had the brisket and pulled pork. It was AMAZING!

Coastal Gulfport features some impressive colonial/plantation style homes. The homes pictured here are located directly across the street from the Gulf of Mexico and sit on high ground.

Head East on Hwy 90 along the coast from Gulfport and you'll end up in Biloxi, Mississippi. Home to Keesler Air Force Base. The base is home to a private dock where we took in a lovely sunset.

The deep South hosts some amazing sunsets. The Sony RX100 IV captured it in all its glory.

An M60 Patton Tank at the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum.

A view of the sunrise from inside Camp Shelby.

The barracks, my home for the week.

We did some good training and the cadre were nice enough to let me shoot photos for the day.

This training simulated a raid on a village. Our job was to evaluate the training.

Sony RX100 IV shown with optional red leather cover and Grippie hand grip.

Sony RX100 IV

This blog post is dedicated to the amazing Sony RX100 IV.

It is a wonderful camera. I like it.

Here is a picture of the Sony RX100 IV.

And here is another picture of the Sony RX100 IV.

Sony RX100 IV.

"Grippie" - High Quality Grip for Sony RX100

There's no doubting that the Sony RX100 IV is the best compact digital camera available today. There are very few weaknesses to be found in this outstanding camera but if there was one worth mentioning, it would have to be that there is no grip surface to speak of, in fact, the RX100 is small (which is fine, it's a compact camera after all) but the right hand side of the camera is smooth, slick and straight. I don't really have a lot of confidence in my grip when I'm holding and shooting, until now.

(Review continued below, scroll down...)

Buy it now...

The "Grippie" for the Sony RX100 is extremely well made. It's machined CNC'd from aero grade aluminum and is custom made and designed specifically for the RX100. As you can see in the pictures, when it's attached it looks like it's an integral part of the camera. 

- Once attached, the grip can be pushed down, sliding so that it actually extends the grip for those with larger hands or for added comfort. 

- This grip in no way interferes with the memory card / battery compartment at the bottom of the camera.

There are other so-called grips available for the RX100 but they can't hold a candle to the "Grippie". Most of them are just a small rubber piece that doesn't give anywhere near the same comfort nor are they made nearly as well. This thing is SOLID. There's another aluminum grip on the market but the design is inferior in many ways. Most notably, it attaches to the bottom of the camera via the tripod screw mount and therefore blocks the battery / memory card compartment, which as I mentioned, the "Grippie" does not do. So be sure you are buying the "Grippie" if this is an issue for you.

How does it attach? The grip attaches via a sticky application surface made by 3M. You simply remove the thin cover from the sticky surface of the grip, align it on the surface of the camera and press down and hold. That's it. Be sure to wait before using the camera to give the grip time to adhere properly.

A word of caution when attaching your "Grippie" to your camera, be sure to clean the surface of the RX100 with the included alcohol swab, press down firmly and let the grip sit for an hour or two before using it. I made the mistake of trying to use it right away and was left scratching my head as to why the grip wasn't sticking. But then I read the instructions and it was all clear to me. Haha. The manufacturers could improve upon the packaging by bringing to the buyers attention to read the instructions before using the grip. Also, an alcohol cleaning swab and extra sticky piece are included, but it's not obvious because they are tucked in between the fold of the packaging which is difficult to tell because the packaging is so thin and there's nothing to indicate that it's there.

But I digress...

I was not originally intending to keep the grip on my camera as I wasn't sure how much I would like it. But after using it for a couple weeks, I can't see myself shooting my RX100 without it. It's THAT good. At $49 USD it does cost more than the other grip options, but you get what you pay for and what you get with the "Grippie" for your RX100 is by far, the best grip attachment for your compact camera, bar none. It's so good that I would even recommend to Sony that they include one of these with each camera!

The sticky portion of the grip is made by 3M and it provides a very firm attachment to the camera.

As you can see, the grip looks like it was made for the camera from the factory. 

Looks and feels great!

Top view.

Really looks great!

Extended.

Grip can be extended downward for those with larger hands or simply for a different feel.

Buy it now...

The Changing Colors of Mount Soyosan

Even though I've lived literally right next door for more than two years, this past Friday was my first visit to Mount Soyosan, South Korea. The summit overlooks my barracks room at Camp Casey and I've been meaning to visit since I first arrived. With my time running short I made it a point to make my first visit with a new photography friend, Brian Harris, a military veteran who was once stationed in Korea and now makes his home here with his beautiful wife Jumi.

Brian had mentioned (on Facebook) his desire to photograph some of the changing colors as fall has started to set in, so I sent him a friendly invite to Mount Soyosan.

According to the locals, we go a bit of a late start to make a complete ascent to the summit, nonetheless, we enjoy a vigorous hike and snapped a handful of nice photos...

Thanks for coming to visit Brian and Jumi and I'll see you again soon.

Photos shot with Sony A99 and Sony RX100 IV.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much water on the mountain. I plan on going back after a good rain.

Fall is coming!

I also shot with one of my 35mm film cameras. Olympus OM10. I had loaded it with black and white film before I knew I was going to Mount Soyosan. Ugh. Stay tuned for photos.

Brian Harris