Sony Rxo Ii Continuous Auto Focus

The line between travel cameras, action cameras, vlogging cameras and just a "camera" is blurry these days. There's a lot of overlap between all the different types so does it really matter?

The Sony RX0 II is a ridiculously small camera that, because of its size, can be great travel, action or vlogging camera. And it's got a screen that flips up.

The RX0 II specs:

Flip up screen
1 inch sensor, 15MP stills in jpg and RAW
Waterproof 33 feet
Crushproof up to 440 pounds/square foot
Shockproof for drops up to 6.5 feet.
Up to 4k 30fps, 1080p 120 fps
Zeiss Tessar T 24mm lens.
59 x 41 x 35 mm (2.32 x 1.61 x 1.38″)
Up to 1000fps (at lower resolutions)

Size

First off, the RX0 II is tiny. It's basically a 6 cm by 4cm by 3.5cm block. The form factor doesn't isn't very ergonomic. There's no grip like larger cameras but no other action cameras have that kind of feature either. The size makes it very easy to carry in a pocket or in the palm of your hand.

That said, it would be nice if it was thinner. A larger but thinner camera would fit better in a pocket. This would be a tradeoff for using it like an action camera though. Always compromises.

If you prefer a more standard style camera that's slightly more versatile, the Sony RX100 series is very good with a little higher price tag.

Flip up screen

The back screen can pull out and flip up

The flip up screen is impressive on the RX0 II. It's somehow so small and waterproof but still clear and easy to use. It flips out for very low or high shots so you don't have to lay on the ground. It also flips straight up in selfie mode. The lens is only 24mm which isn't very wide but you can make sure you're in frame with the selfie mode.

The physical buttons around the screen are nice to use. Coming from Canon buttons and menu's, it's taken some getting used to the layout but if you used it regularly it wouldn't take long to remember the location of all the settings.

The playback on the flip-up screen rotates as it flips up and can rotate during recording as well.

Video Quality

The video quality on the RX0 II is solid. It can film up to 4K 30 fps and 1080p 120fps and looks great on the computer after.

The original version of the firmware didn't have continuous autofocus when recording but that's been fixed in a recent firmware update.

The quality of the footage is a bit limited by the stabilization when moving which is the next section.

Stabilization

The RX0 II has a bit of stabilization but not as much as the Hero8 or the Osmo Action. If you're on a tripod with it, it won't matter but hand holding while you're moving, you'll be able to tell. Most cameras don't have much stabilization so if you're coming from other cameras then it's not much different.

You can get more stabilization if you edit the clips in the Sony phone app but the resolution limited to 1080p.

Final thoughts on the RX0 II Camera

The RX0 II is an interesting little camera that I think is best suited for adventure travel or vlogging. Because it's waterproof and has a bit of stabilization it could work as an action camera in a pinch. Other cameras like the DJI Osmo Action or GoPro Hero8 work better as a pure action camera but don't have the image quality or the low light capability the RX0 II does.

If you have any questions about the RX0 II, let me know in the comments!

Do you want to see other cameras or gear reviewed? Post in the comments and we'll try and get our hands on to review!

~Ross