New Sony Cameras

[bitsnpieces]

Well, Imaging Resource has some test shots from the RX100iv, and using that as a comparison of what the RX10ii will be like, I've compared their shots with the a65
a65 are all f/8 at 70mm
RX100iv are all f/5.6 at 25.7mm

RX10 ISO 125 http://www.imaging-resource.com/came...LI00125NR1.HTM
a65 ISO 100 1/20 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...A65hSLCON1.HTM
RX100iv ISO 125 1/25 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI00125NR0.HTM

ISO 200
RX10 http://www.imaging-resource.com/came...LI00200NR1.HTM
a65 1/40 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI00200NR1.HTM
RX100iv 1/40 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI00200NR0.HTM

ISO 400
RX10 http://www.imaging-resource.com/came...LI00400NR1.HTM
a65 1/80 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI00400NR1.HTM
RX100iv 1/80 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI00400NR0.HTM

ISO 800
RX10 http://www.imaging-resource.com/came...LI00800NR1.HTM
a65 1/160 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI00800NR1.HTM
RX100iv 1/160 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI00800NR0.HTM

ISO 1600
RX10 http://www.imaging-resource.com/came...LI01600NR1.HTM
a65 1/320 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI01600NR1.HTM
RX100iv 1/320 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI01600NR0.HTM

ISO 3200
RX10 http://www.imaging-resource.com/came...LI03200NR1.HTM
a65 1/640 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI03200NR1.HTM
RX100iv 1/640 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI03200NR0.HTM

ISO 6400
RX10 http://www.imaging-resource.com/came...LI06400NR1.HTM
a65 1/1250 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI06400NR1.HTM
RX100iv 1/1250 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI06400NR0.HTM

ISO 12800
RX10 http://www.imaging-resource.com/came...LI12800NR1.HTM
a65 1/3200 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI12800NR1.HTM
RX100iv 1/2500 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI12800NR0.HTM

Well, from the looks of things, it looks like the image quality hasn't caught up to APS-C yet, but it's pretty darn close.
What the RX100iv looks like compared to the a65 is a sensor without the AA filter, giving it something slightly crisper, but due to the smaller sensor size, it isn't able to capture all of the same detail the a65 is able to.

What I found interesting is that the translucent mirror in the a65 technically should cut off about 33% of the light it receives (which is why the noise performance of the SLT range isn't as great as comparative cameras) but based on the settings used, it seems like the RX100iv need more light to get a balanced image, compared to the a65. Could it be simply due to the size of the lens? Would the RX10ii fair any better?

What I did was try some noise reduction to compare the images and though both ended up looking nice, the RX10ii still had too many image artifacts. Once assumption could be the noise reduction - I believe on the RX100iv, it was turned off, thus we have all the artifacts.

So, I did the closest thing I could do to check the quality:
a65 ISO 6400 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...LI06400NR1.HTM
RX10 ISO 6400 http://www.imaging-resource.com/came...LI06400NR1.HTM - Noise reduction on low

The amount of noise is very similar, though the RX10 has slightly more, it does look a little more crisp. With the new sensor onboard, the assumption is that we should see an improvement.
One thing to note is that the RX10 is able to still capture some part of the pattern on the red fabric on the right until ISO 3200, compared to the a65 at ISO 6400. That's very close.
ISO 200 was the RX100iv's limit, losing all hope at ISO 400 already.

Obviously, I'll have to wait for an official RX10ii review to confirm results, but based the RX10 vs a65, there's high hopes that the rX10ii should have at least equal, if not, more image quality, even though it's a smaller sensor.

It looks like my upgrade to the RX10ii is becoming more justifiable - I'm happy. New features, everything.

[bitsnpieces]

Just to add on:

Alpha Rumours has released some image samples from the A7Rii:
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/new-s...amples-posted/
It's quite impressive
Is it perfect? Hm... Sony has a funny way of processing their JPEGs - it's improved from the old SLT models though.

Although there's no RX10ii samples yet, I've used the older RX10 images, all on noise reduction low, and using the sample photos from the RX100iv and RX10 as a comparison of what the RX10ii will be like, I've compared their shots to the a65

One reason I can think of that the images in the RX100iv look more crisp than the a65 is the new JPEG engine that Sony uses, beginning from the a99 or a77ii (can't remember)
I applied some sharpening on the a65, and it does look better (close infact, better in some parts), but the RX100iv still has a very slight edge (overall)

I'm really excited - the upgrade from a65 to RX10ii means I can still keep the same image quality (presuming), and have much better video recording capabilities.
Of course, I lose 4MP, wide and super telephoto lenses, bokeh, and battery life (there may be 1 or 2 more things, meh).
But the overall improvements, it's definitely looking more justifiable indeed.

My wife's has given me to buy it if I wanted it too, so that's a positive... (of course, that's after selling my current gear) lol