The Sony RX100 VII positions itself as one of the top-tier point-and-shoot cameras available in the market. This seventh-generation model supports 8x lens advancement compared to its predecessors, along with an autofocus system that makes it to the top of the company’s high-end lenses.

It is the latest pocket-size camera of Sony products. This camera uses a 24-200mm lens, which is pretty impressive and easy to use with an excellent autofocusing system.

It can shoot videos at 20 frames per second with no viewfinder blackout. It has an enhanced AF and comes with a high price. This camera offers a zoom power that matches a full-frame lens.

It is a top-notch camera that you should try.

Sony RX100 VII Review

To know further details about this product, kindly read the information below.

Sony RX100 Specifications:

Product Brand	SONY
Product Dimension L x W x H	101.6 mm x 58.1 mm x 42.8 mm
Product Weight	302 grams
Video Quality	4K Ultra HD at 30p and 20p
Image Size	5472 x 3648 max pixel
Memory Card	SD, SDHC, SDXC
Viewfinder	The pop-up electronic viewfinder (EVF)
LCD	3 in tilting touchscreen (921k dots)
Max Burst	20 frames per second (90 frames per second for short burst mode)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

Product Overview:

The Sony RX100 VII is not the lightest but undoubtedly the slimmest compact camera on the market. It has a dimension of 101.6 mm in length, 58.1 mm in width, and 42.8 mm in height. It weighs around 302 grams without a battery and an SD card attached.

Since it is so tiny, it maximizes the portability feature as you can insert it easily into your pocket. This product is composed mainly of metal, which is why it bears a considerable weight.

The flash feature is pretty helpful for indoor photography.

This camera doesn’t have any protruding handgrip that will give you ease in handling, but you can purchase it separately from other third-party companies that offer camera accessories.

You will notice its physical features. There are buttons on the camera’s rear side, enabling you to start and stop videos. You can access on-screen the Fn menu and another text-based menu system.

It has a four-way function to help you navigate and choose options. Alongside the menu buttons, below is the button to play and delete photos.

Composition and Aesthetics

This camera has a smart-looking and compact design. At first glance, you will safely say that its physical features are the same as the Sony series. The sixth generation is one of the nearest models in that series that you can compare with the RX100 VII.

The only difference between the two is that the microphone socket is on the upper right portion of the camera.

It doesn’t flex nor feel fragile, but it feels relatively robust. The control layout has never changed; it functions similarly based on the previous models.

Lens and Controls

This camera has a 24-200mm equivalent lens. It offers an F2.8 – 4.5 maximum aperture range, which allows it to obtain an impressive zoom range. It is typically a point-and-shoot camera. It can shoot RAW or JPG images at a clear resolution of 20 megapixels.

This lens performs excellently. It delivers quick results. The only noticeable loss of resolution on its edges when you use it at 24mm, but this issue can be addressed by adjusting the aperture to f/5.6 or f/8. Although these are minor concerns, you will only notice them when you zoom in on the picture.

This camera has a rotating control ring around the lens to adjust the settings, and a small clicking wheel on the rear plate is used to change settings. This camera comes with a 3-inch touchscreen LCD to aid in focusing on the subject you want to highlight.

If you don’t feel like touching the screen, it also has an autofocus feature that gives you maximum convenience in taking shots and covering videos. You can also point the camera to your subject, half-press the shutter button, and recompose it to keep track of the subject.

By default, it has a faux shutter sound when taking a picture to indicate that you have already taken the shot. But you can set it to be turned off to continue silent imaging.

Ports and Battery

It is impressive that this camera has numerous ports inclusion despite its slight build. It has a sensor, foldable lens, battery slot, SD card slot, and cavity for the viewfinder to pull back whenever not used.

It has an outstanding full-size 3.5mm microphone socket. This camera also has a micro HDMI port and a micro USB socket.

The battery that is used for this camera is the NP-BX1 battery. It is a 4.5Wh unit capable of making  260 shots per charge.

Of course, the ratings of making the number of shots per charge vary depending on your shooting habits, and as per testing, it plays around 200 shots per charge. You must bring an extra battery to enjoy uninterrupted shooting sessions.

Especially when you are traveling or making a tour of a place, it is a good practice to bring extra ammunition to keep your camera operating. Or you can charge it through an external battery via micro USB if you plan an all-day photoshoot.

It has an automatic sleep mode feature, which saves energy in idle moments, especially when you forget to turn off the camera.

Sony RX100 VII – Menu Options

The Sony RX100 VII undoubtedly uses the same menu system as its predecessors. But it has a more elaborate menu system than those Sony series cameras. Why did we say that?

This camera has many different features and options, such as a function menu, autofocus menu, etc. One good factor in using this camera is a customizable menu tab that suits your needs.

Those options that you frequently use or adjust, and you can access them at your fingertips. Thus, you can set it up so that you don’t necessarily master the other options in the camera.

Instead, you will put an option wherein by pressing it. It will take you directly to your customized menu tab. Function (Fn) menu can store up to twelve functions in the camera’s menu, which means you don’t necessarily dig into the vast, confusing options. It has a four-way controller to dial the setting you want to pick.

Customization Button

This camera has four customizable buttons depending on which assigned function. These are the delete button, center button, and right and left directional buttons, which are part of the four-way controller.

These buttons can be re-assigned depending on your likings, such as for stills, video, and playback modes.

Adjustable Focus Ring and Autofocus

The focus ring for this camera can be adjusted manually to take the desired quality. It is pretty accurate as you use it smoothly, changing the focus ring. It has the option to use autofocus to maximize photo and video performance.

The company has redesigned its sensor to poll autofocus points and cover them with a phase-detection pixel. The camera sensor is a stacked CMOS sensor, meaning the company could build DRAM storage into the sensor to buffer large amounts of data that can be read on the chip.

The more extensive spread coverage of phase-detection elements on the camera sensor is a noticeable difference compared to the previous models.

As mentioned above, the RX100 VII gains real-time tracking autofocus that gives you ease when taking good coverage. It perfectly tracks moving subjects and can detect human faces and eyes.

It is also an applicable setting to track pets as well. This is useful if you cover videos on your pets, such as dogs, cats, etc. This camera has a hit rate of 20 frames per second. It has a built-in image stabilization mode to have smooth handheld shooting.

 

Real-Time Tracking

Real-time tracking means the camera can follow and focus on the subject. It is a notable feature of this gadget. Remember that real-time monitoring is not turned on by default. You need to explore it and focus on AF-C.

You must select the tracking from the focus mode options in the camera menu. When it is already enabled, the camera can identify the subjects and moves the focus area to keep up with their motion maintaining a half-press on the shutter button.

Real-time eye autofocus means the camera can detect eyes without you holding a separate button to focus. It is applicable when you are in video mode tracking animals, human subjects, and other creatures, which gives you a significant advantage in documentary filming.

The camera’s focusing system keeps up even at 20 frames per second. It has 90 frames per second burst mode in addition to the standard burst mode.

Single Burst Mode

This camera can shoot seven raw shots with fixed exposure and focus within a tenth of a second. It is advantageous when capturing moments of action such as balloon popping, a baseball bat hitting a pitched ball, etc.

All these seven frames trigger with a single press of the shutter button. It means you can get a higher chance of capturing the perfect moment where timing is critical.

Note that the focus and exposure of these shots are fixed. Moreover, to suit your need, you can option it to slow down the hit rate from 60 to 30 frames per second.

Movie Stabilization Mode

This camera offers a steady 4k video shot by turning on the movie stabilization mode. This feature combines a standard camera’s optical image stabilization and a digital IS. This added stabilization gives smooth filming, mainly when covering a tour, which contains a lot of walking and touring around the place.

It is inevitable when walking while filming a shake can ruin your video, but this will save you from this headache. It is available in both 4k and full HD shooting.

Efficient Connectivity

This camera enables the use of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Moreover, it has been enhanced through its connection via mobile apps. You need to download the free Sony Imaging Edge Mobile App, which is applicable for Android and iOS devices.

It controls the camera remotely and lets you copy photos from the camera to your cellphone without attaching chords on both ends. Furthermore, you can notice a single memory card slot on its physical feature with support for UHS-I SDXC media.

Pros:

•  Stabilized 4k video shooting
•  Good image quality
•  The Autofocus feature is exceptional.
•  Added microphone socket is very helpful.
•  Sharp zoom lens
•  Electronic viewfinder

Cons:

•  Complex user interface
•  Pricey
•  Features need to be explored to get the best settings.

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Conclusion

The Sony RX100 VII is a versatile camera for video and stills. Although it is undeniable that this camera, compared to the previous models, has the same lens, pixel count, body composition, image, and video quality, the question is, why would you venture for this product?

Because it has dramatically improved its autofocus feature, this camera allows you to take shots and video coverage. You will enjoy it since the built-in technology gets the work done.

The display tilting comes in very handy, especially for vlogging.

The real-time tracking AF does an exceptional job of sticking to the subject and minimizes the movements because of the movie stabilization feature. It is pretty compact and professionally built.

It has many options to offer in terms of the complexity of camera settings. Using the Fn Menu, you can easily customize the buttons to navigate your desired settings.

This camera is somewhat expensive, but it will give you value for your money.

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