Sometimes the hype around a camera feature can far exceed it’s worth, so when Sony began talking about the 24-600mm zoom on the RX10 Mark 4 (IV) you have to wonder just how good it could be.

This large body camera with a fixed lens (why would you need interchangeable lenses when this one is capable of 24-600mm zoom?) should be an amazing all-rounder – so we’ve given two away thanks to Sony and we’ll get those reader reviews in the coming weeks.  Additionally, EFTM’s camera expert Rob is taking it for a spin and will share his thoughts soon.

But what’s it like right out of the box?  For me, it’s a stunner.

Looking just at the zoom, it’s bloody outrageous that this level of zoom is even possible on a camera like this – sure the price is $2600 so it had wanna be good, but check out this zoom:

Hazy day in New York, so not a great example of clarity, but check out the ZOOM!

Yep, standing in the same spot

So it’s without question – I’m impressed – no, blown away by the zoom.

I even took it for a spin at the local Fireworks night.  Sadly, I didn’t pre-learn where all the settings were, but I got enough done to show it off:

Not expert shots, but without any learning about the camera, I was happy with the result.

Next up, what does our pro shooter Rob think – and our average Dads?  Stay tuned!