The best Sony RX100 III deals in September 2023

The best Sony RX100 III deals compact camera

The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III is a premium, pocket-sized camera with superb low-light performance, thanks in part to a fast aperture of f/1.8 at the wide-angle end of its lens reach, and a pretty respectable f/2.8 achievable at maximum zoom.

Such a bright aperture enables us to shoot close ups – here, as near as 30cm away from the subject – and also to achieve attractively soft bokeh effects, with our subject staying sharp but the background progressively blurring.

Shopping for the RX100 III can be confusing. The RX100 is now in its seventh generation, and although the latest Sony RX100 VII is the most recent, and least five versions are still on sale including the RX100 III. 

Read more: Sony RX100 III vs RX100 IV vs RX100 V vs RX100 VI vs RX100 VII

OK, so the RX100 III’s actual lens reach may be modest, stretching from 24-70mm in 35mm film camera terms, and offering the equivalent of a 2.9x optical zoom, but this camera is all about precision engineering the best compromise between compactness and picture quality.

Resolution here is 20.1MP, which is standard for Sony across its compact camera range. Image processing is taken care of by a BIONZ X X processor – the same one as found in its DSLRs and SLT (Single Lens Translucent) cameras. 

Familiar controls include a multi directional dial/scroll wheel at the back and bottle top-type shooting mode dial at the top. Plus, there’s a pop up OLED electronic viewfinder, which will please any enthusiast who likes to shoot with the camera held up to an eye. 

Picture wise, even on dull days we’re pleased to report that the RX100 Mark III holds its own, shoehorning in bags of detail to every frame while that bright maximum aperture does the job of selectively blurring the background and bringing detail to the fore for a 3D-like effect. Furthermore, it's great to find that common issues such as fringing affecting images where bright skies contrast with dark foreground aren’t problematic here.

To conclude, anyone picking this up as a more pocket-friendly, occasional alternative to the DSLR or CSC they already own will feel well served.

Similar cameras: Sony RX100 V, Sony RX100 VI, Panasonic TZ100 / SZ1000 

Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Not the newest RX100 model, but great value if you don't need 4K or super-fast burst rates

Type: Compact | Sensor: 1in type | Megapixels: 20.1MP | Lens: 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 | Screen: 3in tilting screen, 1.228million dots | Viewfinder: EVF | Max burst speed: 5fps | Max video resolution: Full HD (1080p) | User level: Enthusiast

Excellent image quality
High-quality electronic viewfnder
Short zoom range
No 4K video

Read more:

The best Sony cameras

The best compact cameras

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Sebastian Oakley
Ecommerce Editor

For nearly two decades Sebastian's work has been published internationally. Originally specialising in Equestrianism, his visuals have been used by the leading names in the equestrian industry such as The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), The Jockey Club, Horse & Hound and many more for various advertising campaigns, books and pre/post-event highlights.


He is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, holds a Foundation Degree in Equitation Science and is a Master of Arts in Publishing.  He is member of Nikon NPS and has been a Nikon user since the film days using a Nikon F5 and saw the digital transition with Nikon's D series cameras and is still to this day the youngest member to be elected in to BEWA, The British Equestrian Writers' Association. 


He is familiar with and shows great interest in medium and large format photography with products by Phase One, Hasselblad, Alpa and Sinar and has used many cinema cameras from the likes of Sony, RED, ARRI and everything in between. His work covers the genres of Equestrian, Landscape, Abstract or Nature and combines nearly two decades of experience to offer exclusive limited-edition prints to the international stage from his film & digital photography.