Dearly beloved, we're gathered to celebrate the Sony RX10 IV – a camera that Sony has just laid to rest, and that I will miss dearly.
Yes, it seems that the RX10 IV (or the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 IV, to give its full name) is no more. According to Japanese outlet Asobinet, all the big retailers have listed it as discontinued – and while there is still stock here in the west, Sony Alpha Rumors is reporting that there won't be a replacement once stock runs out.
It's a sad day, as the RX10 IV is still the best bridge camera you can buy for pure image quality despite being launched all the way back in October 2017.
Yes, its 24-600mm zoom range is eclipsed by the likes of the Nikon P1100 (with its ludicrous 24-3000mm zoom) but for me it's absolutely perfect. Here's what that range actually looks like:
I know that 600mm is a drop in the ocean compared to 3000mm, but the Sony camera has a nice big 1-inch sensor so you can actually pull good image quality from the long-range shots rather than getting muddy results.
I leave the RX10 IV by my window to watch the wildlife in the trees behind my house – and it's ideal for capturing things shots like the one below, when the squirrels chill out for a spot of sunbathing on the branches.
Use cases like this are common for bridge camera shooters, who love them for general wildlife spotting – which makes it all the more interesting that Sony is letting the RX10 line peter out.
Both Nikon (with the aforementioned P1100) and Panasonic (with the Lumix Lumix FZ80D / FZ82D) have launched new models, and they're proving popular with the public – so it seems that there's plenty of life left in bridge cameras.
Despite the resurgence in popularity, though, Sony seems to be sunsetting its RX10 range – much in the same way that its sister series, the RX100, is being left t slowly die despite the enormous Renaissance of compact cameras.
Anyway, I'm tipping a little beer on the curb for the Sony RX10 IV. We'll never see its like again (from Sony, at least… at least, for now).
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