Sony RX10 V review: convenient, but comes with image quality trade-offs
The Sony RX10 V is a superzoom camera with all the pros and cons that come with that label. Its long focal length is good enough for wildlife photography too.
Fixed-lens cameras have gone out of fashion. These days, you either take snaps on your smartphone or if you’re a serious photography nut, you go ahead and buy an interchangeable-lens camera. Positioned somewhere between the two, bridge cameras have fallen through the cracks.
However, Sony is bucking this trend by bringing the RX10 V back to life. In 2026, the promise made by bridge cameras is an enticing one: a single lens that does it all is especially handy for travel. There’s less weight to lug around, no time wasted through changing lenses, no dust landing on a temporarily exposed sensor and no frustration over packing the wrong lenses. The 25x zoom lens covers everything from wide-angle to super-telephoto.
The mechanics of a superzoom camera
This convenience comes at the cost of having a small sensor. On the Sony RX10 V, the sensor measures in at 13.2 × 8.8 mm and is – misleadingly – also referred to as a one-inch sensor. It’s significantly smaller than a 35 mm or full-frame sensor.
Smaller sensors produce more noise and struggle more with significant differences in brightness, but there’s physically no other way around this. There are simply no 25x zooms in full-frame format. A 600-millimetre lens with the same aperture as the RX10 does exist, but it costs about 14,000 francs and weighs over three kilogrammes. In fact, the smaller sensor is the only thing making such a versatile lens possible.
The focal lengths I’m about to mention have been converted to the 35-millimetre equivalent. For instance, 600 millimetres means the field of view is equivalent to that of a full-frame camera with a 600-millimetre lens. The actual physical focal length of the RX10 is 2.7 times shorter due to the small sensor.
600 millimetres: handy for photographing birds
The main reason for using extremely long focal lengths in the 600-millimetre range is wildlife, particularly birds and insects. The latest generation of the RX10 boasts a significantly more advanced autofocus that’s designed to accurately detect these subjects.
As it turns out, the camera does a good job of recognising birds and lasering in on their eyes. I feel like it produces more rejects than a Sony interchangeable-lens camera. Though as long as the bird isn’t moving fast, that’s not a problem – at 30 frames per second, there’s bound to be one decent shot among the bunch.
The photo above was taken at ISO 100 despite the short exposure time, so image noise isn’t a problem. This was made possible by the f/4 maximum aperture at the telephoto end. The stork is also fairly prominent against the out-of-focus background, although they’re close together.
You can even take reasonably good photos of birds in the shade. The ISO 800 setting in the photo above is still within the sensor’s capabilities. All of the sample images I’ve used in this article are JPEGs, as Adobe Lightroom currently can’t read the camera’s RAW format.
Taking insect snaps isn’t a problem either
The autofocus easily detects insects too. A seven-centimetre dragonfly fills the entire frame at the shortest possible distance. The lens’s macro capabilities are good enough for scenarios like this.
Again, the photo was taken at 600 mm and f/4. Despite the small sensor, the background is almost completely blurred. Thanks to subject recognition, the camera focuses on the bug’s head, even though its rear end is closer. In this scenario, there’s no getting away from the small sensor’s disadvantages. The parts of the stalk illuminated by the sun are overexposed, as are the reflective parts of the dragonfly. There’s even noticeable noise in the dark background at ISO 640. You could certainly make some improvements with RAW editing, but you get the general idea.
Landscape photography: doable, but not ideal with this camera
Generally speaking, you can take landscape shots with any camera, including the RX10 V. However, you won’t get the quality you’d get with an interchangeable-lens camera. When you’re shooting against the light or in harshly lit environments, the sensor quickly reaches its limits. The superzoom lens isn’t particularly sharp either. Although the photos are clear enough to be viewed on a phone, tablet or laptop, things might get a little tricky when looking at them on a 75-inch TV. And, of course, when you zoom in on certain areas. You definitely need to stop down the aperture when shooting with a wide-angle lens. If you don’t, you’ll even notice the blurriness on small screens.
So, does that mean you might as well use your phone to take landscape photos? Not quite. Sometimes, the RX10 V’s zoom does come in handy when you’re snapping scenery. What’s more, the camera allows you to create background blur and aperture stars.
Portraits: just an extra
As a typical travel camera, the Sony RX10 V isn’t designed for portraits. If photographing people is important to you, you’re better off buying an interchangeable-lens camera with a fast lens. This is because the RX10 V doesn’t provide the shallow depth of field typically used in portrait photography – about 80 millimetres.
The maximum aperture at 80 millimetres is f/3.5. With this small sensor, the depth of field is equivalent to f/9.5 on a full-frame camera. That’s usually not enough to blur a busy background.
Video: a major step forward
On the previous model, 4K30 was the highest video quality setting. Now, we get 4K60 without cropping and 4K120 with cropping – a significant improvement.
The subject recognition feature also works in video mode; the sensitivity and transition speed are adjustable. I’m struck by the fact that focus breathing is barely noticeable. Plus, the image stabiliser allows you to shoot without a tripod, even at maximum zoom. This is helpful when you’re taking photos too. After all, it’s easier to frame a shot if there’s no wobbling.
A less impressive video feature, however, is the display’s fold-out mechanism. You still can’t rotate it 180 degrees. On the bright side, it now has a red recording light on the front.
Although you can see rolling shutter effect, it isn’t particularly pronounced. It falls solidly into the average category. Another nice little detail? You don’t need to press any buttons to adjust the aperture ring while recording videos. All in all, there’s nothing groundbreaking about the video function, but it’s alright.
In a nutshell
Good travel camera
The Sony RX10 V’s zoom lens covers a vast range of focal lengths, spanning 24 to 600 millimetres (35 mm equivalent). This means you’ll be prepared for almost any situation you encounter on your travels – especially since the lens provides enough brightness, even at the telephoto end. With the cutting-edge autofocus system, photographing birds and insects is seriously easy – and the 600-millimetre lens really does come in handy for this.
If it’s atmospheric portrait shots you’re after, the RX10 V isn’t the camera for you. Instead, an interchangeable-lens camera with a fast lens would be better suited to your needs. Landscape photos taken on the RX10 V turn out well, as long as you don’t zoom in too much. With its complex optical design, the lens isn’t particularly sharp.
Broadly speaking, you should bear in mind that the image quality isn’t a patch on a full-frame camera. Though that’s always the case with superzoom devices. After all, the 25x zoom is only made possible by the small sensor. Going for this camera over an interchangeable-lens variety basically means trading image quality for convenience.
If a superzoom camera suits you, go ahead and get one. It’s unlikely we’ll see a better superzoom hit the market anytime soon. Put off by the hefty price tag? Think of the lenses you’d need for an interchangeable-lens camera, and the RX10 V might not look so bad after all.
Pro
- No need to change or buy lenses
- Autofocus works well for wildlife (including birds)
- Fast aperture in the telephoto range
- Good image stabilisation
- Fast
Contra
- Image quality doesn’t come close to that of an interchangeable lens camera
- Too much depth of field for portraits
- Display can’t be rotated 180 degrees
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
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