Sony RX100 VII Comparison Review

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII is a fixed lens compact camera that was revealed to the public in July 2019 and is equipped with an one-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 20 megapixel.

Is the Sony RX100 VII a good camera? The RX100 VII has a Camera Elo of 2506. This rating puts the RX100 VII among the top 10 percent of all travel zoom compact cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (one inch cameras), the RX100 VII also ranks among the top 10 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 5-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Sony RX100 VII vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Sony RX100 VII alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Sony RX100 VII	102 mm	58 mm	43 mm	302 g	260	n	Jul 2019	US$ 1 199	amazon.com
2.		Canon G5 X Mark II	111 mm	61 mm	46 mm	340 g	230	n	Jul 2019	US$ 899	ebay.com
3.		Canon G7 X Mark III	105 mm	61 mm	41 mm	304 g	235	n	Jul 2019	US$ 749	amazon.com
4.		Leica C-LUX	113 mm	67 mm	46 mm	340 g	370	n	Jun 2018	US$ 1 049	ebay.com
5.		Sony RX10 II	129 mm	88 mm	102 mm	813 g	400	Y	Jun 2015	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
6.		Sony RX100 II	102 mm	58 mm	38 mm	281 g	350	n	Jun 2013	US$ 749	ebay.com
7.		Sony RX100 III	102 mm	58 mm	41 mm	290 g	320	n	May 2014	US$ 799	ebay.com
8.		Sony RX100 IV	102 mm	58 mm	41 mm	298 g	280	n	Jun 2015	US$ 999	ebay.com
9.		Sony RX100 V	102 mm	58 mm	41 mm	299 g	220	n	Oct 2016	US$ 999	ebay.com
10.		Sony RX100 VI	102 mm	58 mm	43 mm	301 g	240	n	Jun 2018	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
11.		Sony ZV-1	105 mm	60 mm	44 mm	294 g	260	n	May 2020	US$ 799	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Sony RX100 VII was launched in the US market at a price of $1,199. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check RX100 VII price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Sony RX100 VII features an one-inch sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.7. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Sony RX100 VII among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Sony RX100 VII	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	21.8	12.4	418	63
2.		Canon G5 X Mark II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.2	12.4	583	65
3.		Canon G7 X Mark III	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.2	12.4	583	65
4.		Leica C-LUX	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.1	12.3	481	64
5.		Sony RX10 II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	23.0	12.6	531	70
6.		Sony RX100 II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	22.5	12.4	483	67
7.		Sony RX100 III	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	22.4	12.3	495	67
8.		Sony RX100 IV	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.8	12.6	591	70
9.		Sony RX100 V	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.8	12.4	586	70
10.		Sony RX100 VI	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.1	12.3	478	64
11.		Sony ZV-1	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.2	12.6	669	66
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The RX100 VII indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the RX100 VII can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the RX100 VII has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2359k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.59x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Sony RX100 VII in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Sony RX100 VII	2359	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	Y	1/2000s	90.0/s	Y	Y
2.		Canon G5 X Mark II	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/2000s	30/s	Y	Y
3.		Canon G7 X Mark III	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/2000s	30/s	Y	Y
4.		Leica C-LUX	2330	n	3.0 / 1240	fixed	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
5.		Sony RX10 II	2359	Y	3.0 / 1229	tilting	n	1/3200s	14.0/s	Y	Y
6.		Sony RX100 II	optional	n	3.0 / 1229	tilting	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
7.		Sony RX100 III	1440	n	3.0 / 1229	tilting	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
8.		Sony RX100 IV	2359	n	3.0 / 1228	tilting	n	1/2000s	16.0/s	Y	Y
9.		Sony RX100 V	2359	n	3.0 / 1229	tilting	n	1/2000s	24.0/s	Y	Y
10.		Sony RX100 VI	2359	n	3.0 / 1229	tilting	Y	1/2000s	24.0/s	Y	Y
11.		Sony ZV-1	none	n	3.0 / 922	swivel	Y	1/2000s	24.0/s	n	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD can be tilted vertically to facilitate odd-angle shots in landscape orientation. This tilting design is often preferred, for example, by street photographers to a fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment, as it is more unobtrusive during shooting than a screen that flips out to the side.

One convenient feature of the RX100 VII is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Sony RX100 VII	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
2.		Canon G5 X Mark II	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
3.		Canon G7 X Mark III	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
4.		Leica C-LUX	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
5.		Sony RX10 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
6.		Sony RX100 II	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
7.		Sony RX100 III	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
8.		Sony RX100 IV	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Sony RX100 V	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
10.		Sony RX100 VI	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
11.		Sony ZV-1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y

It is notable that the RX100 VII has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

The RX100 VII has a zoom lens built in (9-72mm f/2.8-4.5), which, in full frame equivalent terms, provides a focal length range from 24 to 200mm. The camera is, hence, ready to shoot, while remaining more compact in size than an interchangeable lens camera with an optic that offers similar focal length and aperture specifications.

Further information on the features and operation of the RX100 VII can be found in the free online Sony RX100 VII Manual or on the Sony support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the RX100 VII handle or perform in practice. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Sony RX100 VII	4.5/5	..	4/5	..	4/5	5/5	Jul 2019	US$ 1 199	amazon.com
2.		Canon G5 X Mark II	4/5	+	4/5	82/100	..	4/5	Jul 2019	US$ 899	ebay.com
3.		Canon G7 X Mark III	..	+ +	4/5	81/100	4/5	..	Jul 2019	US$ 749	amazon.com
4.		Leica C-LUX	..	..	3.5/5	..	4.5/5	4/5	Jun 2018	US$ 1 049	ebay.com
5.		Sony RX10 II	5/5	+ +	..	82/100	4.5/5	4/5	Jun 2015	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
6.		Sony RX100 II	5/5	+ +	..	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2013	US$ 749	ebay.com
7.		Sony RX100 III	5/5	+ +	..	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2014	US$ 799	ebay.com
8.		Sony RX100 IV	4.5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jun 2015	US$ 999	ebay.com
9.		Sony RX100 V	4.5/5	+ +	..	83/100	4/5	4.5/5	Oct 2016	US$ 999	ebay.com
10.		Sony RX100 VI	4.5/5	+ +	..	83/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jun 2018	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
11.		Sony ZV-1	4/5	+	4/5	85/100	4/5	4.5/5	May 2020	US$ 799	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check RX100 VII price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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