Sony Cyber-shot RX100 MkII leaks with WiFi and tilting display

Sony's Cyber-shot RX100 wasn't short on fans, and the new RX100 MkII looks set to build on that reputation, with the first details of the sequel cropping up in the wild. It seems Sony's engineers couldn't resist a little tinkering, according to the manual leaks shared by Sony Alpha Rumors, with a new tilting display added to the compact body.

There's also a hot shoe on the top, for slotting on accessories like a secondary flash should the pop-up flash prove insufficient. Inside, the RX100 MkII has apparently gained WiFi; if it's anything like what we've seen on the Sony NEX-6, that'll be used for easier offloading of photos as well as sending shots directly to a smartphone for sharing. Sony also has a remote control app for phones, which allows its WiFi-equipped cameras to be used hands-free.

The original RX100 found fans because Sony got the basics right: the sensor and the optics. On the sensor side, the company used a 1-inch, 20.2-megapixel Exmor CMOS, which was physically around four-times larger than what you'd commonly find in a point-and-shoot. That means more light and lower noise, Sony promised.

As for the optics, Sony slotted in an f/1.8 Carl Zeiss lens with a 3.6x optical zoom, relying on a new aspherical lens system which helped reduce bulk.

The result was a pocket-scale camera that could punch well above its size in terms of image quality. The only real drawback was the price, which at $650 was considerably more than other compacts.

According to the site, Sony will take the wraps off of the RX100 MkII officially come June 27. It'll apparently arrive alongside another new camera, the Sony RX1-R, described as a "high resolution" version of the original RX1, which packed a full-frame sensor into a compact body.

VIA Engadget