Sony NEX-5R vs Sony RX100 VII

Let's look more closely at the Sony NEX-5R vs Sony RX100 VII, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Sony. The image resolution of the NEX-5R (16MP) and the RX100 VII (20MP) is pretty well matched but the NEX-5R (APS-C) and RX100 VII (1") posses different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The NEX-5R was unveiled 8 years prior to the RX100 VII and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 VII being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a quick summary of how the NEX-5R grades vs the RX100 VII with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha NEX-5R & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII. The full galleries are provided at Sony NEX-5R Gallery & Sony RX100 VII Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-5R comes with external measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 VII has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7") having a weight of 302 grams (0.67 lbs).

Compare the Sony NEX-5R vs Sony RX100 VII in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the NEX-5R and the RX100 VII.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the NEX-5R and RX100 VII is 89 and 88 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to imagine the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading through technical specs. The graphic below should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the NEX-5R and RX100 VII.

As you have seen, both cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The NEX-5R having a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Sony RX100 VII will give greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older NEX-5R is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.