Sony NEX-7 vs Zeiss ZX1

Below is a in-depth review of the Sony NEX-7 and Zeiss ZX1, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Sony and Zeiss. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the NEX-7 (24MP) and ZX1 (37MP) and the NEX-7 (APS-C) and ZX1 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor size.

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The NEX-7 was announced 7 years prior to the ZX1 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Zeiss ZX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the NEX-7 matches up against the ZX1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha NEX-7 and Zeiss ZX1. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony NEX-7 Gallery and Zeiss ZX1 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-7 has physical dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs) whilst the Zeiss ZX1 has dimensions of 142mm x 93mm x 46mm (5.6" x 3.7" x 1.8") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Look at the Sony NEX-7 and Zeiss ZX1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the NEX-7 against the ZX1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-7 and ZX1 is 84 and 67 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to see the difference in sensor measurements only by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the NEX-7 and ZX1.

As you can see, each of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The NEX-7 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Zeiss ZX1 will render more detail with its extra 13MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images way more aggressively. The older NEX-7 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.