Focoro beta

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1

The Leica X2 looked like it was set to be the most expensive fixed-lens camera of 2012 (there had not been a camera at the $2,000 mark since 2009's Leica X1), but that looks like it will change with the release of the Sony RX1 at the end of the year which will have an expected price of $2,800.

The Leica X2—like the Leica X1 and Fujifilm FinePix X100—are fixed-lens APS-C cameras with a 35mm equivalent lens. The RX1, not dissimilarly, has a 35mm lens but a full frame 24MP 35mm sensor with a fast F2 Carl Zeis Sonnar T* lens. While the camera lacks an in-built viewfinder, it does have a pop-up flash and an exposure compensation wheel within easy reach. Refreshingly, the lens has a physical aperture wheel and, just in case you forget, a red ring at the base of the lens which proudly reminds you it has a full frame 35mm sensor.