Sony’s pocket travel zoom gains the latest autofocus technology, says Andy Westlake, but fixes none of the line’s glaring faults

Impressive lens gives sharp images throughout its really useful zoom range; Very good image quality with reliable exposure and auto white balance; Sophisticated autofocus and rapid shooting means you should never miss a shot; Pop-up viewfinder and tilting screen give flexible compositional options,...

Tiny buttons and flawed control logic make for slow and frustrating operation; Poor battery life; not helped by the ill-judged default power-saving settings; Small; slippery body is far too easy to drop without an accessory grip; Tiny buttons and flawed control logic make for slow and frustrating...

The RX100 VII is a delight of a camera and an easy recommendation to make. There’s nothing that compares in this size category in terms of the range of features, autofocus capabilities, video prowess and performance as a general all-rounder.

A fantastic pocket-friendly camera that gives you a huge amount of power in a teeny tiny package. There’s a hell of a lot to love about the Sony RX100 VII - but the price will be a big stumbling block for many.

Pocket friendly; Good flexible zoom; Added video functionality

Slightly slippery design; Maximum aperture is f/2.8

First introduced in July 2019 , Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII is a 20.0MP Large Sensor Compact camera with a 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor, built-in Image Stabilization , Tilting touch screen and 24-200 mm F2.8-4.5 lens. Sony replaced the older RX100 VI with this model.

Built-in Wireless (Wi-fi); Bluetooth Connectivity; NFC Connectivity; Image Stabilization; Articulating Screen; 4K (UHD) Video; Touch Screen; Electronic Built-in Viewfinder; RAW Shooting; Face Detection Focusing; 20.0MP - High Resolution Sensor; 12.800 Max ISO; 921k dots LCD Resolution; 1/32000s...

No External Flash Shoe; Low Battery Life: 260 shots; Heavy Body: 302; No Environmental Sealing

Point-and-shoot cameras are trending toward the endangered species list. For typical, day-to-day photos and videos, there’s the smartphone. If you want to capture action, there’s the GoPro, and if you want to make art, there are higher-end cameras with larger sensors.

Excellent image quality; Flexible video options; Lens has a lot of range; Still fits in a coat pocket

A mic jack is great; but there’s nowhere to mount the mic; Still needs a headphone jack; Lens isn’t as bright as prior RX100 models; Expensive

There are some great little cameras in the Sony RX100-series, and the RX100 VII is arguably the best of all of them. However, it’s expensive for a camera with a 1-inch type sensor and it could use some form of grip on the front.

Best-in-its-class AF system; Stabilised 4K video; Great focal length range

Front lacks grip; Limited use of the touchscreen functionality

Not to be repetitive but this is the part of my reviews were I usually decry the lack of models who don‘t want to pose for studio portraits but nobody would ever, by any stretch of the imagination, consider the RX100 VII to be a portrait camera.

Models in the popular Sony Cyber-shot RX100 compact camera line share a similar body design and a 20MP 1-inch type sensor; they differ mainly by lens choice. As the seventh iteration (or eighth, if you count the VA), the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII is an updated version of the VI, which was the first...

From the absence of expected features to its lofty price tag, there's plenty to irk those drawn to the likes of the RX100 VII. And yet, with its strong image quality, detailed 4K videos and a class-leading AF performance, the latest addition to the RX100 line still manages to be one of the most capable compacts right now.

Fast, sticky face detection; High level of user control; Impressive AF speeds and adherence; Low noise at moderate ISOs; Solid build and pocketable form; Decent zoom range for a 1-inch sensor;

Lacks a built-in ND filter; Touch functionality still lacking; Still no in-camera raw processing; Corner softness at 24mm and 200mm; Expensive; Average battery life; Body not ergonomically designed

Sony proves once again that it has some amazing technology in its arsenal that be packed down into the tiniest of bodies. If you’ve got the cash to spend and you want the best possible camera for your pocket, this is without doubt the one to go for. For those with a more sensible budget, it’s worth looking at older RX100 models, as well as those from Canon’s Powershot range – particularly the G7X Mark III if vlogging is your thing.

Great image quality; Manual controls; Good video options;

Very high price ; No front grip ; Fiddly buttons ;