How to get the perfect slow motion shot with the Sony RX100 IV

The Sony RX100 IV can record slow motion at up to 1000 frames per second (fps). 1000 frames per second means 40x slow motion. These slow-motion recordings make actually unspectacular events suddenly sensationally exciting. Especially in sports or in nature, things can be visualised that would otherwise remain hidden from the eye. This option was previously only available to very expensive professional cameras.

Cameras

Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX100 IV

24 - 70 mm, 20.10 Mpx, 1"

70

Cameras

Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX100 IV

24 - 70 mm, 20.10 Mpx, 1"

70

In the so-called High-Frame-Rate mode (HFR), you can choose between different options. On the one hand, it is possible to choose between 250, 500 or 1000 frames, and on the other hand, the user must decide between a quality priority and a time priority. In quality priority, recordings of two seconds are possible. In time priority, up to four seconds are possible, but there is a considerable loss of quality.

Quality in HFR mode

The quality in HFR mode varies greatly depending on the setting. It should be noted that the camera output is always Full HD, which means that the recordings are scaled up to 1920x1080 pixels. In addition, the camera crops the image considerably as the frame rate increases. This means that the entire sensor is no longer read out, resulting in a zoom effect. This is therefore strongest at 1000fps and only a small section of the image is recorded.

Shutter at the end or at the beginning

In the HFR settings menu, there is also the option to start the video either at the end or at the beginning. If you select the "Trigger at the end" option, the camera buffers the last two seconds (four seconds in time priority mode) in the buffer memory to write them to the SD card as soon as the red video button is pressed.

The "Shutter release at start" mode is now self-explanatory. The camera saves the following two seconds on the SD card.

And off you go!

To start with: operation in HFR mode is somewhat complicated. If you want to record, the camera must first switch to standby mode, in which all other functions are reduced to save resources. Sharpness, zoom etc. must therefore be set beforehand. After recording, the camera needs around 20 seconds to process and save the file.

Depending on the situation, this is too long and the next exciting object has already moved again. A fact that you should always bear in mind.

My tips and thoughts

I prefer the "release at the end" mode - as we all know, you usually want to capture a certain action. And if you only have two seconds available, you're on the safe side with this mode.

In addition, ten times slow motion in 250fps mode is usually already a very good choice. The resolution of 1824x1026 pixels is almost full HD (1920x1080) and the video is also extremely slow. In the Sri Lanka video, I filmed in time priority mode, so the resolution is only 1676x566 pixels.

A difference to the quality mode is clearly noticeable.

Therefore: always film in quality mode and at 250fps.

And one more thing: A super-fast SD card is a must, unfortunately you can't do without it.

Memory card

Sony SDXC Card UHS-I U3

SDXC, 64 GB, U3, UHS-I

6

Memory card

Sony SDXC Card UHS-I U3

SDXC, 64 GB, U3, UHS-I

6

For me, this compact wonder is the ideal companion that I can and want to have with me everywhere. Be it on my backpacking trips, where weight and size are important, or in the mountains when skiing, biking or hiking.

RX100 IV compared with the 5th generation

Cameras

Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX100 V

24 - 70 mm, 20.10 Mpx, 1"

25

Cameras

Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX100 V

24 - 70 mm, 20.10 Mpx, 1"

25

The successor to the RX100 IV, the Sony RX100 V, has been on the market for a few months now. The two models look practically identical from the outside. Only a few details have changed under the bonnet. For example, it is now possible to record for twice as long in HFR mode, i.e. eight seconds. The autofocus is also said to have been further improved. It now focuses in 0.05 seconds. The previous model still took 0.09 seconds. The camera can now also take up to 24 full-resolution photos per second. A total of up to 150 at a time. With the predecessor, it was still 16 photos per second and the buffer was full after just 45 photos.

All in all, these are marginal changes that are hardly relevant for most users. So it's up to you and your budget to decide which camera to choose.

Cameras

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC RX10 Mark II

24 - 200 mm, 20.20 Mpx, 1"

5

Cameras

Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX10 Mark III

24 - 600 mm, 20.10 Mpx, 1"

20

By the way: If you find the compact RX100 IV or V too small and want a little more zoom range (24-600mm), you can also opt for the Sony RX10 II and III. These cameras have the same 1-inch sensor with a resolution of 20 megapixels and are also capable of recording slow-motion films at up to 1000 fps.

And now: have fun!