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Sony NEX-7 vs Sony RX100 VA

Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A) front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
77
Overall
63

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony RX100 VA Key Specs

Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Launched December 2011
Sony RX100 VA
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 299g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Released July 2018
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Sony NEX-7 vs Sony RX100 VA Overview

Following is a extensive comparison of the Sony NEX-7 versus Sony RX100 VA, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Compact and both of them are sold by Sony. The sensor resolution of the NEX-7 (24MP) and the RX100 VA (20MP) is fairly well matched but the NEX-7 (APS-C) and RX100 VA (1") boast different sensor measurements.

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The NEX-7 was brought out 7 years earlier than the RX100 VA which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 VA being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the NEX-7 scores vs the RX100 VA with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Sony RX100 VA

 NEX-7 RX100 VA 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VA over the Sony NEX-7

 RX100 VA NEX-7 
ReleasedJuly 2018December 2011More modern by 80 months
Display resolution1229k921kClearer display (+308k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony NEX-7 and Sony RX100 VA

 NEX-7 RX100 VA 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony RX100 VA Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-7 offers external dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs) and the Sony RX100 VA has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") and a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Compare the Sony NEX-7 versus Sony RX100 VA in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the NEX-7 versus the RX100 VA.

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony RX100 VA size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-7 and RX100 VA is 84 and 89 respectively.

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony RX100 VA top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony RX100 VA Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizes purely by looking at specs. The picture here may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the NEX-7 and RX100 VA.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The NEX-7 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Sony NEX-7 will give greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively. The more aged NEX-7 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony RX100 VA sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony RX100 VA Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony RX100 VA Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-7 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 VA as a Portrait photography camera
77
manual focus
good MP (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
66
manual focus
high flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
provides face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Sony NEX-7 as a Street photography camera
Sony RX100 VA as a Street photography camera
76
screen tilts
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
86
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
supports RAW formats
lighter than average (299g)
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-7 Sports photography details
Sony RX100 VA Sports photography details
61
good MP (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great battery life (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
lack of phase detect autofocus
70
silent mode (1/32,000s)
max frames per second high (24.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
provides tracking focus
sensor has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery pack (220 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-7 Travel photography highlights
Sony RX100 VA Travel photography highlights
70
great battery life (430 shots)
good MP (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
no Timelapse function
does not offer selfie friendly display
76
lighter than average (299 grams)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
rather wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
no Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (220 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography information
Sony RX100 VA Landscape photography information
72
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
good MP (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
great battery life (430 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
no Timelapse function
66
manual focus
rather wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
supports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
not so great battery pack (220 CIPA)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-7 Vlogging factors
Sony RX100 VA Vlogging factors
35
includes face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has microphone socket
does not offer selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
81
rather wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly display
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect autofocus
high video quality (3840 x 2160 resolution)
lighter than average (299 grams)
no mic socket
Photography Glossary

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony RX100 VA Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-7 and Sony RX100 VA
 Sony Alpha NEX-7Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A)
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha NEX-7 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A)
Type Advanced Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-12-13 2018-07-13
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 6000 x 4000 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 16000 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW images
Min enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 25 315
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Max aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 921 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.73x 0.59x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Max silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames per sec 24.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.00 m 10.20 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Rear Sync, Flash Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 400 grams (0.88 lb) 299 grams (0.66 lb)
Physical dimensions 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 81 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 24.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1016 not tested
Other
Battery life 430 photographs 220 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NPFW50 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images)) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $699 $998