Sony RX100 III | Advanced Premium Compact Camera (1.0-Type Sensor, 24-70 mm F1.8-2.8 Zeiss Lens and Flip Screen for Vlogging)

This is the first review I have ever written on Amazon. I have had this camera for a couple of years now. I bought it second-hand, and 2 years on it is still selling at the same price which is a testament to just how good this camera is. I stopped using my Canon DSLR as it was just too bulky and not convenient to carry around all the time. I was looking for a compact camera but didn't want to compromise on quality. I'm no professional but I wanted the option to play and learn; I didn't want a camera that held me back. Too much to ask for a compact camera? Apparently not...I won't exhaustivly list all the features, but focus on my experience with this camera...What I especially love about this camera:>The wi-fi remote function that links to my android phone- I can quickly pose people in group shots and immeadiately see on my phone how it looks, and then snap the shot while I am there.>Quickly transferring files to my phone or tablet using the Sony PlayMemorie app- Someone says 'send me a copy of that picture'. You never get around to it... quick transfer to my phone, whatsapp it to them within a few minutes, job done and I can forget about it.>Astrophotography on a compact! Due to its large sensor, you can get amazing shots of the night sky with the right settings. See my attached photos. How many times someone else with a cheaper sony camera sees my photo and asks me to show them how to take a photo like that, then you have to tactfully help them see that they just can't, not without that 1.8 f-stop and excellent high ISO settings.>The tilting screen, which lets you flip it almost 180 degrees for selfie shots (sorry to all you serious photographers, but I do share this camera with my wife), and for someone short like me, lets me lift the camera higher over a group of people and i can still see what I'm taking. The MKii doesn't have the same range of movement.>The view finder. I don't use this often, but the times i have needed it in sharp sunlight have been very valuable.>The pop-up flash can tilt. Pull it back with your finger and you can bounce it off nearby surfaces. Not a replacement for a proper flashgun though.>Can power the camera off a power pack. It only seems to work with some power packs and cables, but find the right combo and you can keep a power bank in your pocket and use the camera for extended periods without the battery dying>Being able to fit it in my suit pocket at weddings, or even my jeans pocket when on holiday. Convenience and performance are a powerful combo!What I miss with this camera:>No hotshoe. You can't attach a flash gun, although there are tutorials out there that show you how to use an optical slave flash unit.>Bigger zoom. With the MKiii Sony have given you a wider focal length as a trade off for a shorter zoom. To be fair, you gain more from having 24-70mm than having 28-100mm, but I do miss having a 'superzoom'. If you like taking pictures of the birds, maybe this would be a deal-breaker. If you like portaits, group shots and landscapes, this is a winner.This was an expensive purchase a few years ago, but I honestly feel it was a good purchase. It is a well built camera that has lasted me well and still holds its own years later, and I have no desire to change it. I think I will continue using this camera until it dies, then may consider buying the same one again (or its successor if I can afford it!).This has been my experience, I hope it helps you make your decision...

I often go into dimly lit areas of museums and galleries to photograph artefacts and exhibits and hate using a flash because of the reflections from glass. Also its great to take photos that don't need a long exposure in such conditions without needing a tripod to steady the camera. Its also easy to get arty with this camera altering depth of field etc etc, and the data saved with each photo does allow you to easily determine what settings you used (or if in auto/semi auto mode, what settings the camera used). Plenty of great functionality (I can either transfer photos over USB - I'm pretty sure the SD card shows up as an external disk when the camera is plugged into a mac, or I can use the program downloaded from the Sony website - or I can use a wifi connection to transfer photos to my Android tablet (again need a free app from Sony, available from the google store)I've not used or stored the camera in hazardous or challenging environments, or abused it (I put a 3rd party screen protector on it, and carry it in a case when not using it) but it has stood up to use well.The M3 does have a different lens to the M2, I think the difference is that the M2 has more zoom range (gets closer to far away objects). If I try and photograph the moon for instance, its a tiny circle on the M3 (and don't actually have an M2 to compare the results against, but I'm guess it might not be quite as small an image) Truthfully if I want to photograph the moon I probably need to mount it on a telescope, or get an SLR with a big zoom lens.Because the lens automatically retracts behind shutters on standby or shut down, I wouldn't go looking for any after market screw on adapter to extend the lens range (or add a filter, or a mount for a telescope)Probably amongst its best features are the reposition-able display, which allows you to compose selfies (rather than take about a hundred of them blind), and for days when you are outside and the sun is shining in a way that would obliterate an image on the screen, an electronic popup viewfinder that can focus the image at infinity (I think) so even people with bad eyesight can use it without glasses (or with glasses probably)As a point and shoot camera its very functional and high specification. Excellent images in all the conditions I've tried it. Light enough for me to carry around all day, fits in my jacket pocket when I want to carry it there.