Sony RX100 vs Canon G7X

Introduction

The Sony RX100 is an excellent, enthusiast-oriented camera that has firstly appeared on the market on June 6, 2012, but since its release date, even today, it is among the best and most purchased digital cameras on the market, that was even named as one of the ‘Best Inventions of 2012’ by TIME.

On the contrary, the Canon G7X was introduced on the market on September 15, 2014, as a new camera in Canon’s lineup. Interestingly, this camera didn’t appear as a successor of any camera, but instead, it was to compete with Sony’s RX100.

From the very beginning, I’m sure that you already have a clue that the battle is going to be intense, and that both cameras are strong enough to satisfy the needs of numerous photographers. However, which one is better, is often the most frequently asked questions from the photographers, and today, I’m going to give the best and most accurate answer I can regarding this question, so stay tuned and read until the end in order to have a better insight of what’s special about these cameras.

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Head To Head Comparison

Sony RX100

The Sony RX100 features a handsome-looking, matte-black painted, ultra-compact body that was crafted by using plastic and aluminum, hence, it is lightweight enough to offer you an exceptionally convenient experience regardless of the amount of time you’ve spent on shooting images!

Furthermore, on the top plate of its body, you can notice that the control layout is really well-made, since each button is placed in an intuitive fashion with the intention to allow the photographer to access them quickly and effectively any time he/she wants.

Namely, the top plate houses a power button, a zoom switch that does not only look solid, but it is also very easy to use, as well as a mode dial that grants you access to plenty of modes including, the manual, semimanual, automatic mode.

On the rear, the first thing you’d notice would be the 4-way controller that is surrounded by 4 buttons, and what’s interesting about the 4-way controller is that since there’s no mechanical release for the flash, you can activate the flash mode via the 4-way controller.

In the middle, there’s a fairly large, 3″ 1,229k-dot screen which is surely one of the biggest highlights regarding this camera, due to the fact that it is bright, and capable enough to distribute crystal clear visuals regardless of your viewing angle!

Also, color accuracy is fantastic and the only situation where you would have a bit of inconvenience would be while you’re shooting under very bright sunlight, otherwise, it is great! Since we are talking about the screen, I’d like to mention two things, the first is a positive thing because the display uses Sony’s TruBlack technology and has an RGGW structure.

The second is the lack of touch-sensitivity which is my only complain regarding this product so far, and to be honest, I really think that if Sony has made it touch-sensitive, I would have considered it as a cherry on the top!

In terms of the physical connections, the Sony RX100 has a USB 2.0 port, micro HDMI port, accepts SD and memory stick media, and the best part – it is Wi-Fi and NFC-enabled, hence, you can easily share your captured content to compatible devices, and without a doubt, Sony did an excellent job here.

Speaking of the performance, the RX100 utilizes a 1″, 20.1MP Exmor CMOS sensor, an impressively fast continuous shooting rate of 10 fps, 25-point AF, high-speed BIONZ X image processor that ensures a fabulous performance even in low light, and a native ISO range that stretches from 125-6400 which can be expanded up to 25,600!

First of all, I would like to inform you that the RX100 allows you capture JPEG and RAW format images, and what’s also interesting is that the included image processor does an amazing job in handling the noise across the ISO sensitivity levels.

Namely, images taken between ISO 800-1600 have a truly excellent level of details, color accuracy, and here, the presence of noise is minimal, you’d really have to put effort in order to recognize it, however, if you’re going above ISO 1600, the amount of noise starts to rise progressively in conjunction with the noise reduction, and and at ISO 3200, the noise appears a bit more, however, images are still usable.

At low ISOs, if you’re shooting under an appropriate amount of sunlight, the image sensor produces brilliant results that will surely satisfy you.

Obviously, at higher ISO ranges the amount of noise is getting more prominent, and that’s why I’d advise you not to push the ISO limits of the camera because the noise does really overcome the image quality.

Last but not least, the RX100 records 1080p videos at 60 fps, and honestly, I personally like the footage quality because it is filled with numerous, well-defined details and strong color accuracy, and I really think that you will like it as well!

Sony RX100 Sample Footage:

 

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Canon G7X

The Canon G7X boasts a rounded, matte-black finished, pocketable body made of metal which is accompanied by a decent number of controls that are spread in a well-organized fashion throughout the top and rear part of the body. Unfortunately, this unit lacks a grip, but Canon has managed to include a matte texture and a bigger thumb grip in the back to support your finger as much as possible, and overall, the body is really good from any aspect, whether the size, weight or ease of use!

On the top, the control layout consists of two dials such as the mode dial that sits on the far right, and an exposure compensation dial that sits underneath. Also on the top, but this time on the left-handed side, you can find a flash which has a maximum range of 7 meters, and a shutter button with a zoom switch.

On the rear, controls have similar organization as the RX100, since on the right, sitting in the middle, there are 4 buttons that surround the controller which sits at the center, and as was the case with the RX100, the left side is completely free of buttons. The only difference regarding their design is that the RX100 has some buttons on the rear-top part, while the G7X doesn’t.

In addition, this unit lacks a viewfinder, however, the 3″, tilting 1,040k-dot touchscreen will be there to help you adjust its position and achieve excellent results from various viewing angles, since it can go up to 180-degrees, hence, it is really helpful especially if you opt to take self-portrait pictures. At this point, the G7X offers more advantages in comparison to the RX100, mainly because of the fact that its screen is touch-sensitive, something that the Sony Rx100 clearly lacks.

In terms of the connection options, on the left-handed side, neatly positioned under a plastic cover, the G7X houses a micro USB port, micro-HDMI port, and as was the case with the RX100, this unit also has a single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards, and it is both, Wi-Fi and NFC enabled. So, here, the result is a tie because both products share the same functionalities.

Now, let’s see what are the included components, and how are they going to affect your shooting experience once you start shooting.

Well, the G7X packs a 1″, 20.2MP CMOS sensor, a DIGIC 6 Image processor that will help you achieve great results in terms of capturing photos and videos because the imagery and the footage will look lifelike with minimal occurrences of noise. But hey, its native ISO range of 125-12800 ( which is expandable to 25,600), the 31-point AF and the continuous shooting rate of 6.5 will help you tremendously, because you can shoot a variety of different photography styles, starting from landscape and all the way up to sports.

Once you start shooting, you will be amazed by the results, especially if you take pictures at ISO 400, due to the fact that at this level, the noise levels are so minimal that you will unlikely notice it unless you put a huge effort. The same thing happens up to ISO 1600, hence, the best results are taken between these levels. Starting from ISO 3200-6400, images tend to have noise, although it isn’t problematic, and once you reach the top native ISO level of 12,800, noise starts to overcome the image, hence, I’d advise you not to rely on this level unless you really have to.

RAW format images at ISO 3200-ISO 6400 have plenty of details and look better than JPEGs, and even at the highest settings, they are a bit better than JPEGs.

Before we move to the next section, I’d also like to inform you that the color reproduction is fantastic, since the color of the images taken are well-saturated, and they look indeed lifelike, exactly as you’d expect from a camera that was made by Canon!

In the end, although the Canon G7X lacks 4K capability same as the RX100, still, it is strong enough to record 1080p videos at 60fps, and in comparison to the RX100, both of them perform mostly at the same way, because as you may already know, both of them record 1080p videos at 60fps. Hence, the result is a tie once again.

Canon G7X Sample Footage:

 

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Sony RX100 vs Canon G7X Feature Comparison

	Sony RX100	Canon G7X
Camera Type	Point-and-Shoot	Point-and-Shoot
Megapixels	20.2	20.2
ISO Range	125-6400;25,600	125-12800
Flip-Out Screen	Yes	Yes
AF Points	25 AF points	31 AF Points
Viewfinder	No	No
Touchscreen	No	Yes
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	CMOS	CMOS

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Conclusion

Finally, we reached the part where we have to conclude all the things I said previously, and finally decide which camera would suit your preferences the most.

Personally, I’ve found this article and comparison to be very entertaining because both cameras offer advantages that can boost the experience of the photographer on the highest levels, while at the same time, both of them have their own cons which is yet another proof that nothing is perfect in this world, and that cameras aren’t different at all!

Design-wise, both cameras share nearly the same body size and weight, since they are tiny enough to fit into a moderate-sized pocket.

Both cameras have a 3″ screen, however, Canon has an aspect ratio of 3:2, whereas the Sony has a 4:3 display which in practice means that Sony provides up to 4% greater surface area or 7% less area in terms of the live view image. However, Canon G7X has a touch-sensitive screen in comparison to the RX100 who underperforms at this aspect, hence, the G7X is a lot more convenient to use.

Moreover, the Canon G7X has a 31-point AF, whereas, the RX100 has a 25-point AF, and in terms of the video output, although both of them record 1080p footage at 60 fps, Sony has a larger section of frame rates and receives more points from me.

Overall, I’d go for the Sony RX100 because it costs less than the Canon G7X and the performance is really good for its price tag.

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