Interesting thread - and I learned something from this thread about those DPReview camera comparison images - definitely take those with a huge grain of salt!
I guess I'm a little surprised by some of the heated negative comments directed at Sony and this camera. Personally, I applaud Sony for pushing the envelop, and being one of the most innovative companies in the industry at this time (along with Fuji and Sigma).
Yes, this first iteration (RX1) is not perfect, but it's a really a major technical breakthrough that should open the door for further R&D efforts down this path, leading to more complete and refined offerings in the future. It should also be a kick in the *** to Canon and Nikon, who have been far too stagnant with regard to R&D and innovation. Nikon has been reaping the rewards of Sony's CMOS innovations, and Canon has been milking their existing technology for a long time, without any sort of breakthrough in quite some time.
OK, off my soap-box - here's how I personally view this camera...
I have an a99 for my DSLR use, and I'm very happy with it. Best IQ I've ever had in a camera, and that includes my M9 (which I no longer own). The a99 / Z24-70 combo is really impressive for IQ and video. Sony's latest generation of AF logic works very well, and I'm now using the a99 / 70-400G combo for shooting soccer (something that my former a77 struggled to do).
But, I absolutely HATE traveling with a DSLR. There's nothing worse than lugging a huge camera bag all day when traveling, or schlepping it through airports.
I picked up the RX100 for travel, and I'm extremely happy with it. So happy in fact, that I've decided to sell off my NEX-7 system, as it hardly gets used any more. The RX100 with the magfilter CPL gives me a great tiny travel kit.
But there are times when I want to take a critical shot when traveling - something that I want to have very thin DOF, beautiful bokeh, or print really large. In those moments, I always wish I had my a99/Z24-70 with me.
This is where the RX1 will fit in for me. As a travel kit, I'll bring the RX1 & RX100. The RX1 for critical work or where 35mm focal length works. The RX100 for zoom and as back-up camera.
To me, the RX1 is well worth the price - I view it as a miniature a99/Z35 fixed combo that I can take anywhere and stick in my coat pocket. I wish there was a built in viewfinder, but even without one, it's still worth the price to me.
So my new kit will be the a99 (Z24-70, 70-400G, Z135-f1.8), RX1, and RX100. The a99 for all my local work / sports shooting, and the RX1/RX100 combo for travel or walk-abouts.
I really hope Sony gets plenty of kudos and sales for this RX1, and continues to invest in this R&D path, as I'm sure an RX2 or RX3 would check off several more important boxes (features) for the pro/enthusiast and also hopefully drive more innovation from the other sleeping giants as well.