11Jan Sony RX10 with the XLR-K1M adapter – First impressions
The weather was nice this afternoon so I took the opportunity to run a few quick tests with the Sony RX10. After a little bit of playing around in the menus I can safely say that the Sony XLR-K1M mic adapter works perfectly with the RX10 camera. Simply slide the smart adapter into the camera’s hot shoe, turn off auto gain and you start getting good clean audio from the XLR-K1M mic. Note that since the proprietary hot shoe takes up the only mount on the camera, you’ll need a flash grip to make things work. The one used for testing is only $12 on B&H.
The Sony XLR-K1M’s included microphone is pretty decent, though not world changing. In the few tests I’ve done so far I would put it just above the audio quality of a RODE videomic pro, with a little bit better side rejection and a bit more reach. The controls on the XLR-K1M adapter cover everything you’ll need, with phantom power for both channels, 0db to -20db attenuation, low pass filters, and individual volume controls for each channel, you shouldn’t have a problem setting up audio.
Audio monitoring is pretty easy with the built in headphone jack, though you’ll have to adjust the headphone output levels via the menu. The HDMI port is a micro instead of a mini which is the same size you get on a Gopro Hero 3. It’s a little more fragile but it also keeps the camera nice and compact. Basically this is a full fledged all in one video camera, with a nice built in lens, and good low light performance, that also happens to be a good point and shoot.
It’s pretty easy to configure a clean HDMI output on the Sony RX10, in this case I have it plugged into the SmallHD DP4 monitor. No blinking or screen dropouts and you still get full display on the cameras built in screen. Video quality on the Sony RX10 looks nice though you do lose a little bit of the shallow depth of field with the 1 inch sensor. High ISO performance is in the range of a 5d mark II body with 3200 ISO and under looking pretty decent. I’ll try and get some test clips posted sometime next week.
I have yet to test out the wifi and remote phone apps for the Sony RX10 and I was surprised to find that the camera has a built in 3 stop ND filter which is pretty impressive for a camera this small. I’ll be playing around with the camera some more over the next week or so and posting more thoughts on the Sony RX10 and XLR-K1M audio adapter as I get used to it’s operation. So far it’s a pretty impressive camera, it would probably be perfect for ENG work and filmmakers who really need to travel light.
January 11th, 2014 at 4:59 pm
Does it matter that there isn’t a shock mount for the included mic?
What about vibration noise?
If you used this hand-held or on a monopod, do you pick up noise from your hands?
January 11th, 2014 at 5:04 pm
You can’t tell from the photos but the included microphone is in fact in a rubberized shock mount. The included microphone has a rubber boot that fits inside of the clamp on mic housing that has a bunch of little rubber fingers giving you plenty of suspension for the on board microphone. I’ll post some photos tomorrow if I have time.
January 11th, 2014 at 6:24 pm
This camera has been all the buzz for months in the dv forums. Some are saying that it’s nearly as sharp as the c100. Look forward to seeing if that is the case. Might make a good b-cam.
January 11th, 2014 at 6:36 pm
Well I have the c100, 5d mark III, and RX10 in the studio, I could probably compare all three. I’ve been meaning to post High ISO c100 results for awhile. Maybe I’ll play around with the 3 cameras tomorrow and do some high ISO testing. The c100 has been very disappointing in that regard, high ISO stuff like really really grainy, and i’m talking above ISO 1600.
February 11th, 2014 at 5:48 am
Thanks Deejay, I’ve been wondering about this setup. It looks good but $2k is pretty steep so in trying to do a lot of research on it. I’m interested in how its HDMI out compares to the HDMI of the C100, 5D3 and D5300/D7100/D5200 because I’ve heard the RX10 is actually better but I’ve yet to see proof. As far as there K1m, could you please compare it to the H4n, H1 and a juice link preamp?
Thanks and keep up the good work!
February 11th, 2014 at 7:13 am
Finished filming the review a few weeks ago, just trying to find the time to edit it all together. The $2k price is pretty high, you can save a few hundred on the K1m-XLR adapter if you buy it on ebay. The adapter includes a $250+ microphone which is why it’s priced so high. I should have the full video review up at the beginning of next month.
February 12th, 2014 at 2:42 am
Great, looking forward to seeing and hearing the difference. How about an opinion preview, did you find the RX10 and K1M a suitable budget replacement for an FS100 or C100? I’ll be renting one of those three very soon.
February 12th, 2014 at 9:42 am
It’s easier to use than the FS100, the image sensor isn’t as large so low light isn’t great above 3200. Built in IS is really nice and the focal range at f2.8 is very nice to have in such a small body. If I wanted to buy a camera, had $2k to spend, and didn’t want to spend money on anything else (i.e. lenses and audio gear), I would say the RX10+K1M is a pretty solid option.
February 13th, 2014 at 7:16 pm
Thanks for the response! Usable ISO 3200 sounds pretty good, I used to get by on that with the old 5D2 anyway. Looking forward to the rest of the review.
March 29th, 2014 at 10:06 am
Thank you for the article. what is the arm that you used to hold the XLR adapter?
March 29th, 2014 at 12:28 pm
It’s a Flash bracket
. You can pick them up for around $7 on Amazon.
February 7th, 2015 at 2:01 pm
Hi, how do you adjust the headphone output levels via the menu? I can’t find it. Thanks!
February 7th, 2015 at 3:52 pm
I actually ended up just using one of these. I couldn’t find the headphone controls either.
April 16th, 2016 at 1:58 pm
Assuming you can use a boom mic as well
April 22nd, 2016 at 8:50 pm
Yes.