Sony RX100 VII | Advanced Bridge Camera Review

Pros

• High continuous shooting speed
• Accurate autofocus
• Very compact body
• Large zoom (8x)

Cons

• Fairly high price

The professional autofocus system

Want to accurately capture your kids at play or action-packed sports scenes without having to lug around a big SLR or system camera? Sony promises to have just the right camera on offer with the RX100 VII: It is so compact that it fits easily into a jacket pocket, offers an 8x zoom and uses autofocus technology that is also found in top system camera models such as the Sony Alpha 9 or the Alpha 7 R IV. It automatically detects when people are in the picture and keeps the focus on the eyes in real-time when there is movement.

What can be expected of the picture quality?

Even though well-founded test reports are still pending, the RX100 VII will likely be on the same level as its predecessor RX100 VI. And the latter has already been convinced iumerous tests with its sensor in 1-inch format and outstanding image quality up to high ISO ranges around 1600. You will find more detailed information on the image quality here as soon as the first test results are available.The 7th version of the RX100 has also been slightly upgraded in terms of video: For the first time, it gets a microphone input, making it easier to record sound in high quality. The improved autofocus also comes in handy for videos. Otherwise, the already quite good equipment of the predecessor remains: 4K can be recorded with 30 frames per second and Full HD even with up to 120 frames - which you can be happy about if you are a fan of slow-motion recordings. At further reduced resolution, even 1,000 frames per second are possible. However, 4K recordings are limited to 5 minutes to prevent overheating. You can switch off this protective function, but the camera may stop recording itself after reaching a specific temperature. If you would like to edit your videos afterwards and make colour adjustments, S-Log2, S-Log3 and HLG are available as recording profiles.Compared to its predecessor, the RX100 VI, the camera offers few improvements. Although the autofocus system has been optimised, it was already at a very high level in the predecessor, which should be sufficient for most users.