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Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VII

Portability
61
Imaging
82
Features
93
Overall
86
Sony Alpha a1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII front
Portability
88
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VII Key Specs

Sony a1
(Full Review)
  • 50MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Bump to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 7680 x 4320 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 737g - 129 x 97 x 70mm
  • Introduced January 2021
Sony RX100 VII
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8-4.5) lens
  • 302g - 102 x 58 x 43mm
  • Introduced July 2019
  • Older Model is Sony RX100 VI
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Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VII Overview

Let's look more in depth at the Sony a1 and Sony RX100 VII, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and both are designed by Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the a1 (50MP) and RX100 VII (20MP) and the a1 (Full frame) and RX100 VII (1") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The a1 was revealed 19 months later than the RX100 VII making them a generation apart from each other. The two cameras have different body design with the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 VII being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief view of how the a1 scores vs the RX100 VII with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony a1 over the Sony RX100 VII

 a1 RX100 VII 
IntroducedJanuary 2021July 2019Fresher by 19 months
Display resolution1440k921kSharper display (+519k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VII over the Sony a1

 RX100 VII a1 
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony a1 and Sony RX100 VII

 a1 RX100 VII 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Touch display Easily navigate

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VII Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony a1 has got exterior dimensions of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 737 grams (1.62 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).

See the Sony a1 and Sony RX100 VII in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the a1 vs the RX100 VII.

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VII size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the a1 and RX100 VII is 61 and 88 respectively.

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VII top view buttons comparison

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VII Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizing merely by seeing technical specs. The visual below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the a1 and RX100 VII.

As you have seen, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The a1 with its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony a1 will produce more detail because of its extra 30 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics more aggressively. The fresher a1 is going to have a benefit in sensor technology.

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VII sensor size comparison

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VII Screen and ViewFinder

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VII Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony a1 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX100 VII Portrait photography advice
89
manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/400 seconds)
MP count great (50 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with face detection focus
supports RAW files
67
focusing manually
high flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
provides face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sony a1 Street photography factors
Sony RX100 VII Street photography factors
79
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW files
supports touch to focus
weather proof
great ISO range (32,000)
85
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
offers touch to focus
lighter than others (302g)
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Sports Comparison

Sony a1 Sports photography information
Sony RX100 VII Sports photography information
91
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
high frames per second (30.0 fps)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count great (50MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proof
better than average battery pack (530 per charge)
supports phase detect auto focus
71
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
high frames per second (20.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
provides tracking focus
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low battery power (260 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Sony a1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX100 VII as a Travel photography camera
74
better than average battery pack (530 CIPA)
weather proof
supports bluetooth
supports touch to focus
MP count great (50 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
77
lighter than others (302g)
supports bluetooth
offers touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
pretty wide (24mm)
low battery power (260 CIPA)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony a1
Landscape photography with Sony RX100 VII
88
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count great (50 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
great ISO range (32,000)
supports RAW files
weather proof
better than average battery pack (530 shots)
2 card slots
65
focusing manually
pretty wide (24mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
low battery power (260 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony a1 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX100 VII as a Vlogging camera
37
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focus
high quality video (7680 x 4320 pixels)
comes with external microphone support
does not posses selfie friendly screen
81
pretty wide (24mm)
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes microphone port
lighter than others (302 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VII Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony a1 and Sony RX100 VII
 Sony Alpha a1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha a1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
Class Pro Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2021-01-26 2019-07-25
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame 1"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 861.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 50 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 8640 x 5760 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 32000 12800
Max boosted ISO 102400 -
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO 50 64
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 759 -
Lens
Lens mount Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-200mm (8.3x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-4.5
Macro focus range - 8cm
Available lenses 133 -
Crop factor 1 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,440k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 9,437k dot 2,360k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.9x 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 30.0fps 20.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.90 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash options Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync -
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/400 secs 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 7680x4320 (30p, 25p, 23.98) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 7680x4320 3840x2160
Video file format XAVC S, XAVC HS, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 737 grams (1.62 pounds) 302 grams (0.67 pounds)
Physical dimensions 129 x 97 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") 102 x 58 x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 63
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 418
Other
Battery life 530 photos 260 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FZ100 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage media Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots (UHS-II supported) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots 2 1
Cost at launch $6,498 $1,298