Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm a producer/videographer/photographer for National Geographic and Discovery. For our documentary work, we now primarily use Sony FS7's, fabulous cameras that with accessories and a lens run in the range of $12-14K. We've been hunting for less expensive B-cameras that can produce both 2 and 4k footage that will intercut with the FS7, plus shoot great looking promotional stills. If you haven't noticed, it seems like Sony comes out with a camera every week these days trying to hit the sweet spot for those needs. They definitely came close with the A7S especially for its low light capability but sadly no internal 4K. Then came the A7R but it overheated. (As did the low end a5100 even at 1080P. We know. We tried them all.) Now comes the A7S II which hopefully can do it all but at a price with lenses and accessories that brings a total package between 4 and 5 grand. Then along comes this "sleeper" bridge camera the RX 10 ii. Is it perfect? No, but it's closer than anything we've seen yet. Battery life could be better. Sure it would be nice to have the super high level ISO level of the A7S that a full sensor provides. But for $1298, including a dynamite long zoom that's 2.8 all the way through, a superb LCD screen AND viewfinder, pro broadcast-spec video quality at both 2k and 4k at 50 and 100 MBPS (the TRUE test of "HD" quality), the ability to simultaneously record low rez mp4 files for off-line editing if you don't carry a mega-processor computer to edit 4k at full rez (Premiere Pro handles that beautifully) plus an unimaginable ability to shoot fabulous slo-mo, Sony hit this one out of the park in our opinion. AND IT DOES NOT OVERHEAT even after hours of continuous interview shooting. And for that purpose you can buy an AC adapter so not to need many batteries. (Each battery BTW lasts about 60-80 mins of continuous video recording.) In short, if you're a videographer/photographer needing to switch between low rez mp4 imagery for quick web uploads and Sony's fine XAVC S codec for broadcast work, AND shoot great stills along the way, this is the one and only camera we've found at this time that can do it. I see reviews here about it being bad in low light. That may be somewhat true if you stick to "auto" but if you dive into the picture profiles and use this camera as it should be used professionally, it holds up beautifully. There is simply no bigger bang for the buck. Even on a 60 inch screen, noise levels at 3200 and 6400 are so minor using the right picture profiles, no one would notice except someone used to working with $20-30K cameras. (FYI, for whatever reason, the noise shows up in low light much heavier on the camera's LCD than it does on a big-screen.) And as far as complaints about not having full documentation, it's all there for the reading online. Welcome to the 21st century. Very few manufacturers include heavy manuals with cameras as complex as this and I wouldn't even want to carry one when I can keep the full manual PDF on my smartphone. (It prints out to more than 300 pages.) This is NOT a camera for an amateur, at least not one who doesn't want to grow professionally. If you're looking for a point-and-shoot, it will definitely let you use it that way with everything set on auto but if that's your only goal you can get something far cheaper. Just as a 60 inch LCD screen needs to be tweaked way beyond the default settings to really appreciate the quality it can provide, this camera needs serious study time to really learn how it can shine. And once you spend that time, it is one amazing beast. We've now purchased several and they're being used not only as B-cameras to the FS7's but as A cameras on other shoots for broadcast. Yes the RX10 ii is that good. And if you want to take the time and effort to shoot SLOG-2 (Picture Profile 7) and perform color grading, it's unreal what this camera can do. IE a dynamic range of 12 stops! Unbelievable for that price. We now routinely shoot most footage in SLOG2 and add one of many varieties of LUT's when editing in Adobe Premiere Pro (some available at no cost online) to provide very good, very fast color correction. If video happens to need to be captured at the highest ISO's, above 6400, and noise is an issue, the NEATVIDEO noise reduction plug-in takes care of it beautifully in Premiere. Just be aware that if you plan to edit 4K native, on a Mac you need an i7 processor and at least 16gb of ram. But the Sony dual-record function mentioned above simultaneously creates low and high rez files for offline editing on slower machines. And yes, the camera does record time code. Anyone who claims this camera is too expensive at $1298 has no idea of the depth of what this it can do or doesn't want to spend the time learning. Its possibilities in terms of aperture, shutter, ISO, focus and codec variations are endless. And frankly, to those who complain it doesn't have a touch screen so you need to work the menus with the rotating wheel and button, this is not the camera for you if those are your priorities. The menu is complex for good reason. And personally I'd prefer working through it with a wheel than by putting my fingerprints all over the LCD that I need to use for it's real purpose, viewing my shot. You can definitely pick it up and start shooting great material on day one just by keeping it on "AUTO", but stand by to be amazed what it can REALLY do when you take the time to appreciate its professional capabilities. FYI, while Panasonic certainly moved mountains for budget-minded videographers with the GH series (we've used the GH4 extensively), the RX 10 ii is now our favorite 2k and 4k camera. It's definitely better in low light. Plus with lenses, the GH4 package would be more than double the RX price. And with external mic, headphone and HDMI ports, the RX is an indy filmmakers dream. It will be interesting to see how Panasonic counters Sony when it finally (heaven knows when) comes out with a GH5. But that too will require several lenses, placing it in the 3K+ territory. It is SO nice to toss one camera in a small backpack or in its custom shoulder case and be ready for anything. The RX 10 ii does it. And it's small factor allows the operator to "look like a tourist" at events where a full-size "pro" video camera would attract too much attention. For those concerned about the sound of the zoom motor being picked up by the internal microphone, yes, that does occur. But the solution is simple. Pick up a good shoe-mounted shotgun mic like the Rode Video Mic Pro (which you'd want to use regardless for any professional project) and add an inexpensive shoe extension or handgrip with cold shoes that place the mic a bit farther forward from the lens above or to the side of the lens. No zoom sound is recorded in that configuration. Especially if the operator keeps the camera input volume lower and takes advantage of the db boost from the mic. (High volume settings on any DSLR camera inputs pick up hiss from the relatively low end pre-amps in the camera.) Plus moving the mic forward with the extension creates more room to get the operator's eye close to the viewfinder (also excellent btw) if preferred to the rear viewing screen on sunny days. We're satisfied we've finished our search for the all-in-one camera we've been seeking. Will better ones be out in a few years? Of course. But with all the bells and whistles built into the RX 10 ii, it will work for us for years at an unbeatable price point for its features. PS … we have no promotional relationship with Sony whatsoever. We buy every camera just as a consumer does, so this is a totally unbiased opinion.