A large-sensor pocket-size 20-megapixel camera that can shoot low-noise, high-quality images through its fast f/1.8 Zeiss zoom lens, and features DSLR-type controls that are highly customizable - sound too good to be true?

Compact; Good image quality; Fast aperture at wide-angle; Good balance of features

Fixed lens; Slow aperture at telephoto; Some time and effort to master menu and features

We bought this camera to replace our older one Sony Powershot G-12 (which we lost). And to our surprise I loved it from the time I took into my hands. This is just simply one great pocketable camera that will out-run most of the bigger competitors in the yard.

Great Display; Wonderful Image Quality; Impressive at low light; genuinely pocketable; Guild build quality..

The price could slightly bite; bet this camera is well worth it

Surpringly small for a 20.2-megapixel camera with a large (13.2x8.8mm) sensor, the RX100 is made of metal and equipped with a large stabilized Carl Zeiss T* 28-100mm (equivalent) f/1.8-4.9 lens with four aspherical elements. The RX100 is definitely shirt-pocket size when the lens is retracted.

A compact with heavyweight features yet a lightweight body. That's the proposition offered by Sony's good-looking RX100, which encases a larger than average one-inch CMOS sensor, enabling a plentiful 20.2 megapixel effective resolution within an aluminium chassis.

Palm-size compact that is reassuringly solid; Larger-than-average sensor and resolution given its proportions; Bright and fast lens; Ability to control functions via twist of the lens ring; Neatly incorporated pop-up flash.

Pricey for a compact without an interchangeable lens; Tiny rear plate buttons require fingernail precision

A compact with heavyweight features yet a lightweight body. That's the proposition offered by Sony's good-looking RX100 , which encases a larger than average one-inch CMOS sensor, enabling a plentiful 20.2 megapixel effective resolution within an aluminium chassis.

Hand-held Twilight uses the same trick as High Dynamic Range, but to get a steady, decently lit shot at night without a tripod. And Picture Effects lets you add 13 different effects to your photo. Illustration turns it into a line drawing; miniature makes it look like a scale model, etc.

Best photo and video quality of any pocket camera; Quick-shooting; Full manual control; Fits easily into a jacket or pants pocket

Smooth finish is hard to grip; some say; Very few buttons to handle lots of tasks; Flimsy flash stalk and USB/card doors

Best camera I've ever bought, and I'm a professional photographer with quite a few SLR's. It's expensive, but I've never regretted buying it. I've taken some stupidly good photos with this camera!

There's no denying the advantage of a DSLR, but there's also a distinct benefit to having a camera that can fit in a pocket. Enter the Sony DSC-RX100, a camera that attempts to bridge the gap between compact and SLR.

Customizable front control ring; Large image sensor; Manual; settings and controls; 10 fps speed priority burst mode; Superior; low light performance

No optical viewfinder; Average 3x optical zoom; More expensive then some competitors

I spent 2 hours in the SONY Store playing with this camera and took one hope right after. I am very happy with what this tiny package can provide. The construction is also very solid.

Compact; powerful; reasonable price

Short Battery Life; no optical view finder

Last year's Sony RX100 has proven popular with both critics and consumers, becoming the top-selling premium compact camera at various points over the past 12 months. Here on TechRadar it won the title of best premium compact camera , beating the likes of the Canon G15 , Nikon P7700 and the Fuji X20...