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Ultimately, Sony has created a camera to show off what it can do with its latest technology. With its high asking price and fixed-length limitations, it seems unlikely that the Sony RX1 will sell in any great volume - but that's not really the point.
The Sony DSC-RX1 produces superb images, with a fantastic amount of detail, colour and dynamic range. It really is the best image quality you'll get in something of this size.
Of course, you'll have to be prepared to pay a lot for this ultimate combination of quality and portability, not just in terms of asking price, but also in terms of inflexibility.
A 35mm lens makes a good street photography lens, but unfortunately the camera is severely marred by a very poor battery life - if Sony can do something to tackle that particular problem, then it might win more favour.
We liked
It's beautifully constructed and offers fantastic image quality, in a package that is almost pocketable. You can carry this around and be sure to get ultra high quality images, along with a heap of creative modes, without doing your back in as you would with other full-frame cameras.
We disliked
For a camera that costs £2,600/AU$3,000/US$2,800, it's disappointing that you don't get a lot more in the box for your money. The battery life is so poor that you will need to purchase an additional one to make it a reasonable proposition, while a viewfinder would also have been a nice addition.
Final verdict
When this camera was announced it caused a lot of excitement. It's the world's smallest digital full-frame camera, and so it raised a lot of eyebrows.
Image quality is superb, but there are a fair few limitations that mean this camera could never be described as perfect.
It's exciting to see Sony producing a camera like this, because it shows exactly what the electronics giant is capable of. That's a good thing, even if it's not something that will be snapped up by a wide population.
