42 5 October 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Testbench CAMERA TEST
Forandagainst
Impressivelensgivessharp
imagesthroughoutitsreally
usefulzoomrange
Verygoodimagequalitywith
reliableexposureandauto
whitebalance
Sophisticatedautofocusand
rapidshootingmeansyou
shouldnevermissa shot
Pop-upviewfinderandtilting
screengiveflexible
compositionaloptions
Tinybuttonsandflawedcontrol
logicmakeforslowand
frustratingoperation
Poorbatterylife,whichis not
helpedbytheill-judgeddefault
power-savingsettings
Small,slipperybodyis far
tooeasyto dropwithout
anaccessorygrip
ALL
PR
CES
ARE
APPROX
MATE
STREET
PR
CES
Sony Cyber-shot
RX100 VII
Datafile
Sensor 20.1MP Exmor RS CMOS,
13.2 x 8.8mm
Output size 5472 x 3648
Focal length mag 2.7x
Lens 24-200mm equiv f/2.8-4.5
Shutter speeds 30-1/32,000sec
Sensitivity ISO 100-12,800
Exposure modes Auto, PASM, Scene, Panorama,
Movie, High Frame-Rate
Metering Multi, Centre weighted, Spot,
Average, Highlight
Exposure comp +/-3EV, 0.3EV steps
Continuous
shooting20fps
Screen 3in, 921,600-dot tilting
touchscreen
Viewfinder 2.36-million-dot OLED
AF points 357 PDAF, 425 CDAF
Video 3840 x 2160, 25fps
External mic 3.5mm stereo
Memory card SD / SDXC / SDHC (UHS-I)
Power NP-BX1 Li-ion
Battery life 260 (LCD), 240 (EVF)
Dimensions 101.6x58.1x42.8mm
Weight 302gSony’s pocket travel camera gains the latest
autofocus technology, says Andy Westlake,
but fi xes none of the line’s most glaring faults
S
ony revolutionised the
pocket camera in 2012,
with the original RX100
that employed a 1-inch
type sensor to give signifi cantly
higher image quality than
anything that had come before
it. Smaller-sensor cameras have
now lost favour with enthusiast
photographers, with only Canon
and Panasonic still challenging
Sony in this area of the market.
Since then, Sony has released
successive RX100 generations
practically yearly, while keeping
all the older models on sale. The
most signifi cant updates came
with the RX100 III that sported
a large-aperture short zoom and
a pop-up electronic viewfi nder,
and last-year’s RX100 VI that
adopted a brand-new 24-
200mm equivalent zoom. This
year’s iteration, the RX100 VII, is
outwardly almost identical to its
predecessor, with the same lens
and body design. But it gainsSony’s latest AI-based autofocus
system, a microphone socket and
a few other interface tweaks.
The problem, as is often the
case with Sony, is the price: at
£1,199 the RX100 VII costs
£50 more than its predecessor
did a year ago. But the VI is now
available for under £1,000, while
Panasonic’s long-zoom Lumix
TZ200 can be found for less
than £600. Canon now offers an
interesting competitor too, in the
shape of the £849 PowerShot G5
X Mark II with its large-aperture
24-120mm equivalent zoom. So
how can the RX100 VII justify its
astronomical cost?Features
On paper, the RX100 VII
has almost the same core
specifi cations as last year’s model.
It’s based around a 20-million-
pixel 1in stacked-CMOS sensor
that offers a sensitivity range of
ISO 100-12,800. The lens is theAtaglance
£1,199
● 24-200mm equivalent,
f/2.8-4.5 lens
● 20MP 1in sensor
● Pop-up electronic viewfinder
● Tilting touchscreen LCD
● 20fps shooting
● 4K video recording