January Pick: Sony RX100 MII

Happy New Year! To kick off 2015 I'm going to start featuring a photography-related item each month that will help take you to the next level or something that is just awesome and fun. This month, I'm featuring the Sony RX100 MII. This little powerhouse is really an extension of my own body - I bring it everywhere I go and it aside from being compact and discreet, it has most of the functionality of a professional dSLR not to mention a big 20-megapixel sensor! What's so awesome about this camera?! Here are some of my favorite features:

20.9 MP 1"-type Exmor R CMOS sensor
Carl Zeiss Lens
28-100mm equivalent F/1.8-4.9 lens
ISO 160-12800 - AMAZING low light capabilities
Nice depth of field when shooting at low aperture
3.0 inch tiltable LCD screen (makes shooting overhead and from below very easy)
HD video with full exposure control (MPEG-4/AVCHD)
Raw/JPEG/ Raw+JPEG

If you're in the market for a compact, point-and-shoot camera, I could not suggest a better camera than this one. Honestly, I never thought I would ever buy a non-Canon camera, but I am so glad I did. I didn't think twice about leaving my fancy Canon 5D Mk III and all of my lenses at home when I went to Iceland and Europe this year - I love this camera so much, and I hope you will too! CHECK IT OUT HERE Here are some example shots using the Sony RX100 MII. If you are a fellow camera nerd, you know that the newer model, the Sony RX100 MIII has been released... (don't have this model yet, who wants to buy it for me?)