How do you follow up a classic? Last autumn, we called Sony's then-new RX10 II "the best bridge camera ever" - but less than a year on, it's already got a successor.

Compared to its peers, the RX10 III is the best all-around bridge camera on the market. The 1"-type stacked CMOS sensor offers the same (that is, very good) performance as its predecessor, while the new lens reaches from a wide angle of 24mm all the way to 600mm without any real optical compromises. The high-quality video continues to be a big draw, and barring some ongoing UI and customization concerns, ergonomic updates have made the camera more comfortable to use in the real world.

World travelers, family vacation photography, videographers looking for a high-quality all-in-one solution.;

Peak action and sports photography, those looking for smaller, pocketable solutions.;

The latest addition to Sony's RX10 fixed-lens long-zoom series of cameras, the Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III replaces the 24-200mm (equivalent) zoom lens in the RX10 II with a new Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 8.8-220mm f/2.4-4 lens that covers a wide, 25x optical zoom range equivalent to 24-600mm in 35mm format.

I bought this to complement my M4/3 ILC kit. I thought it would save a lot of lens changing so I could keep my big zoom on my Olympus OM-D E-M1 II. When I decided to do a Kenyan safari I decided the Sony would probably manage everything on its own to keep luggage down, and it did so magnificently.

Sony's original RX10 was a groundbreaking camera , delivering image quality that was well beyond that of other long zoom designs, with a tough, weather-resistant build. The latest iteration, the Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III ($1,499.99), triples the zoom range of the original while adding some of the...

1-inch image sensor; 25x wide-aperture zoom lens; Quick autofocus; 14fps burst shooting; Raw image capture; Dust and splash resistant body; EVF and tilting rear LCD; Monochrome information LCD; Wi-Fi with NFC; 4K video capture; High-def slow motion

Very expensive; Omits internal neutral density filter; Lens hood blocks flash at wide angles

Sony created the large-sensor, long-zoom camera segment, and now it provides its object of desire. The Sony RX10 III is a bright-lensed, beautifully-built DSLR alternative with triple the zoom reach of its sibling, the RX10 II.

Versatile all-in-one replacement for a DSLR or mirrorless camera; Great handling and build; Excellent image quality; Spectacular zoom reach; Swift performance with generous buffer depths; Extremely capable video capture; Comprehensive remote control; Quick-and-easy image sharing

Extremely expensive for a fixed-lens camera; Fairly heavy for fixed-lens camera; Somewhat soft in the corners at wide-angle or tele; Noise reduction intrudes at higher sensitivities; No built-in ND filter; Not as fast when shooting raws; Slow buffer clearing

As its name suggests, the RX10 III is the third iteration of Sony's RX10 bridge camera, building on the appeal of the RX10 II (which Sony continues to market and sell) by boosting the optical zoom's reach.

Brilliantly versatile; ots of zoom range; fun HFR shooting mode; quick autofocus; decent low-light performance

No touchscreen; large and bulky; restrictive price tag

Sony's RX10 III is the latest in its line of high-end premium bridge cameras. It comes less than 12 months after the RX10 II was announced, but the company has said that both of the cameras will exist at the same time, offering two different options to consumers.

A solid camera with an excellent feature set. There are almost too many options from video to stills, all driven off a complex menu system. Photo quality is excellent, but the focus seems a bit off at times.

I have owned this camera for about a month now, and I love it. The zoom range is to die for, and the image stabilisation is excellent. I previously owned the Panasonic FZ1000 and the image quality on this Sony puts the Panasonic to shame, colours and exposure on the RX10 iii are spot on.

Great Picture Quality; Superb Video