It's not easy making a slim compact camera that excels in low light. This usually requires a large sensor or a wide-aperture lens – ideally both – but both tend to result in a bulky camera.

Welcome to Mark II of the Sony Cyber-Shot RX100, a neat, surprising camera that could sit happily alongside an upper...

I've had the Mk2 for 1-2 months now & the photos seem to be of high quality but I have had problems with the AVCHD videos - there is a constant & irritating background noise on the audio, much like a distant helicopter or an old-fashioned film projector, which I have been told by Sony support to be...

Photo quality; build quality

AVCHD background noise; clunky menu interface

I've been using this camera for a few months. When I want great pictures without the need of a DSLR. This is a great addition to my DSLR full frame.

Affordable; excellent quality; Small; Superbe Filming Stability

Not As Much Fun To Shoot

My faithful carry and holiday camera came to its end and with a holiday quickly approaching I put my research head on. Lots to choose from re compacts but from the positive response from all and its manual features it was a no brainer.I have a full DSLR and all the lenses so this is for putting in...

Loads of features; Can adjust virtually everything; High quality images

Limited zoom

Stunning photo quality and a great all-rounder – and a price that's now a little easier to swallow

Sony's RX100 created a frisson of excitement when it was announced on 6 June because of its 'winning' combination of a small camera body plus a relatively large, high-resolution sensor.

You're looking for a pocketable; large-sensor digicam with PASM shooting modes; You want raw file capture and Full HD video recording; You don't mind having to dive into menus to adjust camera settings; You want good-looking photos at high ISO settings; You'd like a built-in flash

You want an optical viewfinder; You want interchangeable lenses; You require quick access to key camera settings; You don't like  in-camera battery charging

Don't let its small size fool you. The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II is capable of capturing beautiful photos and movies. It's not cheap, but it's the best compact camera you can buy if image quality is your main concern.

Beautiful photos and movies; f/1.8 3.6x zoom; Tilting 3-inch LCD screen; Wi-Fi with NFC

100mm on tele-end a bit limited; Full aperture range only at wide-angle; Slow shutter speed; Poorly placed red-dot video button

The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II is a pocket-sized camera with a large 20 Megapixel sensor and a 3.6x Carl Zeiss zoom with a bright focal ratio. Announced in June 2013, it's an upgraded version of the original RX100 launched one year previously.

Big sensor; pocketable compact form; Articulated LCD screen; Built in Wifi with NFC; Excellent low light & high ISO performance; Focus peaking; Hotshoe supports external flash; EVF and mic; Optional remote cable

Weak stabilisation; Slow f4.9 maximum aperture at 100mm; Digital zoom can't be disabled for movies; Screen isn't touch-sensitive; No miniature effect mode for movies