Amazing piece of tech, color me impressed.

[fotosean]

Since there is a dearth of user reviews re: this amazing piece of tech, I thought I would add my 2 kopecks.

There are times when I just want to throw a small compact or two in that great Peak Design 6L sling bag I have and not carry a bunch of lenses, multiple bodies, blah blah blah. Mostly thinking about overseas travel. Camera theft is on the rise, and outside of the obvious inconvenience of lugging around a backpack full of lenses and a couple of bodies around...well, u get where I am going with this. Small, inobtrusive, uber lite, and uber convenient. Going back to Italy next month, and going to Estonia in January...

I posted earlier about one I bought from the usually reliable MPB...return was no problem, the unit itself was fine save for a flaw in being able to hook up with the Imaging Edge app on my phone. (Sony did eventually acknowledge the issue, and sent me a fix but I had already returned the unit to MPB.) This time around I was able to find a NIB open box unit on the Best Buy app, $260 off retail, registered the unit, all good, full warranty, so a bit better than getting one thru KEH or MPB.

What I am amazed about is how good the AF tracking is on a 3+ year old point and shoot for subjects moving faster than me; not setting the bar very high there, but I digress.I tried it out first time on my German Shorthaired Pointer Lola, 9-year-old but moves like she was just whelped. Program mode, AF-C, Continuous H, Center focus point tracking, retrieving and running towards me...and there was not ONE out-of-focus shot in a 3-second burst after acquisition. Not ONE.

That's pretty flipping amazing out of something this small, in my book. Gonna try it out on hummingbirds at the feeders tomorrow. Will update this post with sample images, just like to do basic P-P thru the Topaz suite and On1 or C1. BTW, I always shoot RAW+JPEG, and the buffer kept up, exceeding expectations for something this size.

Minor gripe:

Something that fast and accurate really should have been equipped with UHS II SD card support. The tech was there when the M7 was released...

Would Have Been Nice, but I Get It Department:

Built-in ND filter would be ideal, but I'd rather have the longer reach of the M6/7 than the faster lens of the M5a and prior, and to put an internal ND, that would have had to require a completely new and more expensive lens design, and probably by today's tech something just not that possible in a tiny body.

Non-factor (Much Ado About Nothing Department):

Sony menu system. Is it different? of course. Do I prefer Nikon's menu system? The answer should be no surprise here. Is it really as poor as alleged? Nope. It is just different. After an hour of just getting familiar with it, I was absolutely fine with it. I understand all the new Sony mirrorless bodies they've rolled out a newer menu system that seems to be much better received. OK, fine, I get that too. But the menu system here was just fine, once one got used to it. I passed on a superb opportunity to pick up an almost NIB A7C last fall, and I wish I would have had a lens to shoot with it instead of just whipping thru the menu system and not finding it to my liking.

Bottom Line: WELL worth the price and the short learning curve. Now, if I could only find a Fujifilm X100V for low light and street...Boy Howdy, I would LOVE to visit Europe and never have to ever change out a lens.

HIGHLY Recommended. 4.5/5 stars.

 

[BertIverson]

Nice positive review. I have been shooting Sony 1" cameras for about 10 years. RX100M1, RX10M1, RX10M4. They are great. I post this "reply" to draw your attention to the new noise reduction tools available. I never shot the 1 " Sonys above ISO 1600 until I starting using DXO PhotoLab 5 about a year ago. Might I suggest you shoot a couple of RAW test shots at ISO 6400 and 12800 and run them through the trial version of PhotoLab. Must be RAW for this SW. Export as JPGs and examine at 100%. You will be surprised how noise-free and sharp they are. Here is one at 12800:

Feel free to check out noise and sharpness at 100%


ISO 12800 PhotoLab 5 DeepPrime Noise Reduction

Bert

 

[fotosean]

Nice positive review. I have been shooting Sony 1" cameras for about 10 years. RX100M1, RX10M1, RX10M4. They are great. I post this "reply" to draw your attention to the new noise reduction tools available. I never shot the 1 " Sonys above ISO 1600 until I starting using DXO PhotoLab 5 about a year ago. Might I suggest you shoot a couple of RAW test shots at ISO 6400


ISO 12800 PhotoLab 5 DeepPrime Noise Reduction

Bert

Super. I as a rule set max ISO on everything I own at no greater than 6400. I have not taken a ton of RAW files to look at so far but the few that I have, I didn't notice an appreciable amount of noise at ISO 6400. Ran them thru Topaz DeNoise AI anyway, and they looked even better...when I blew them up using Gigapixel AI. But SOOC, without any post-processing, I was very impressed.

Out of a 1" sensor...again, impressive.

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[BertIverson]

Hey fotosean,

Yes, it is the 1" sensors that need the noise reduction help at high ISOs. Since you have Topaz Denoise AI, you are all set for your RX100M7 pocket camera adventures. I see you have a great group of FF cameras too.

Raising ISO lowers the Photo Dynamic Range but I feel that HDR situations mostly occur when I do not need high ISO ie during full daylight. If HDR manages to occur when I need high ISO I just bracket (at high ISO) and merge in PP. So, when traveling, let the ISO on your RX100M7 go high whenever necessary. (Museums, large cathedrals, restaurants and other indoor events etc.)

Sadly, I now use a cell phone for my pocket camera but, in daylight, the cell phone does fine for snaps. My large RX10M4 is definitely not a pocket camera (big as a FF) but it covers 24-600mm eq at F/4 with focusing similar to your M7 and it fits in a simple camera case along with a Nissan i40 flash and spare batteries. At my age, I would not trade it for a Sony A1 system with 24-600 F/4 lenses (~$35,000 and big and heavy)

Cheers,
Bert

 

[tbcass]

Since there is a dearth of user reviews re: this amazing piece of tech, I thought I would add my 2 kopecks.

What I am amazed about is how good the AF tracking is on a 3+ year old point and shoot for subjects moving faster than me; not setting the bar very high there, but I digress.I tried it out first time on my German Shorthaired Pointer Lola, 9-year-old but moves like she was just whelped. Program mode, AF-C, Continuous H, Center focus point tracking, retrieving and running towards me...and there was not ONE out-of-focus shot in a 3-second burst after acquisition. Not ONE.

Agreed, amazing AF tracking and accuracy.

Minor gripe:

Something that fast and accurate really should have been equipped with UHS II SD card support. The tech was there when the M7 was released...

I think this belongs in the non-factor department because unless you hold down the shutter button and let her rip at 20 fps you should never fill the buffer which is where UHS II would come into play. I have owned my RX100VII for 15 months and never filled the buffer despite shooting sports with bursts.

I suggest you shoot RAW and develop with DXO Deep Prime noise reduction. I used to limit myself to ISO1600 but with Pure RAW I can use up to ISO 6400.

--
Tom

 

[Maxmolly7]

Nice summary.

If I ever make it onto a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, 2800km from my home, I will gladly take the Sony RX100VII with me as my only camera.

 

[Digital Nigel]

Nice summary.

If I ever make it onto a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, 2800km from my home, I will gladly take the Sony RX100VII with me as my only camera.

I was there in 2019. Here's a couple of pics of pilgrims celebrating their arrival in the square:







And the RX100 isn't bad at shooting dark chapel interiors, either:


ISO6400 (shot raw, processed in PL5 with DeepPRIME)

 

[Maxmolly7]

Thank you for the images, did you visit the City or, did you walk the trail?

I calculated about 4 to 5 month time of walking from my place so I need to wait until retirement.

May be I should take a shortcut and start in France as most people do? Then it can be done within 3 to 4 weeks.

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May THE LIGHT be with you!

 

[Digital Nigel]

Thank you for the images, did you visit the City or, did you walk the trail?

I was on a gastronomic tour of Galicia, so no walking any part of the trail. I was strictly a tourist, staying in the hotel adjacent to the cathedral (which features in the first two images), and travelling on a comfortable coach, not foot.

I calculated about 4 to 5 month time of walking from my place so I need to wait until retirement.

May be I should take a shortcut and start in France as most people do? Then it can be done within 3 to 4 weeks.

I can't comment, as I know nothing about pilgrimages. However, it looked like some people cycled the trail. I've no idea what the rules are.

 

[Maxmolly7]

There many different routes to walk. Historically you start where you live.

Loading…

en.wikipedia.org

 

[fotosean]

Hi Bert,

Hey fotosean,

Yes, it is the 1" sensors that need the noise reduction help at high ISOs. Since you have Topaz Denoise AI, you are all set for your RX100M7 pocket camera adventures. I see you have a great group of FF cameras too.

Thanks. Mostly APS-C, which I actually prefer in the FF vs. APS-C/M43/etc debate. I try to keep at least 1 current FF body in the stable for the rare occasions for landscape or portraiture. But my main interests are wildlife/BIF, macro, travel, and street, and I find that APS-C generally suits me just fine for my needs and interests.

Raising ISO lowers the Photo Dynamic Range but I feel that HDR situations mostly occur when I do not need high ISO ie during full daylight. If HDR manages to occur when I need high ISO I just bracket (at high ISO) and merge in PP. So, when traveling, let the ISO on your RX100M7 go high whenever necessary. (Museums, large cathedrals, restaurants and other indoor events etc.)

I will have to try that out. I used to set max ISO at 12800 on EVERYTHING and now prefer not to go above 6400 on anything not astro. Bracketing and merging in post is something I really need to start doing more often as a matter of habit, thanks for your suggestion.

Sadly, I now use a cell phone for my pocket camera but, in daylight, the cell phone does fine for snaps. My large RX10M4 is definitely not a pocket camera (big as a FF) but it covers 24-600mm eq at F/4 with focusing similar to your M7 and it fits in a simple camera case along with a Nissan i40 flash and spare batteries. At my age, I would not trade it for a Sony A1 system with 24-600 F/4 lenses (~$35,000 and big and heavy)

You and me both! Especially when traveling - as I get up there in years, I'm much more inclined to go as lite and compact as possible - and going an entire trip without lugging around a backpack with 1-2 bodies and a bunch of lenses, well, just would rather not. I've tried to find a Fujifilm X100V as a smallish compact body, as complimentary -low lite, weather sealed, fixed focal length ideal for street photography, but they are as rare as hen's teeth apparently, even thru KEH and MPB. Others may think this is silly but on travels, I would find it more convenient to have two small compact bodies with different skillsets and no changing lenses, just grabbing the one best suited for the task at hand.

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Location: Below the Tear Line
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fotosean.com

 

[fotosean]

Hi Tom,

Since there is a dearth of user reviews re: this amazing piece of tech, I thought I would add my 2 kopecks.

What I am amazed about is how good the AF tracking is on a 3+ year old point and shoot for subjects moving faster than me; not setting the bar very high there, but I digress.I tried it out first time on my German Shorthaired Pointer Lola, 9-year-old but moves like she was just whelped. Program mode, AF-C, Continuous H, Center focus point tracking, retrieving and running towards me...and there was not ONE out-of-focus shot in a 3-second burst after acquisition. Not ONE.

Agreed, amazing AF tracking and accuracy.

Minor gripe:

Something that fast and accurate really should have been equipped with UHS II SD card support. The tech was there when the M7 was released...

I think this belongs in the non-factor department because unless you hold down the shutter button and let her rip at 20 fps you should never fill the buffer which is where UHS II would come into play. I have owned my RX100VII for 15 months and never filled the buffer despite shooting sports with bursts.

Fair enough, although "teeing it high and letting it fly" with the ridiculous AF is certainly a major reason I wanted a M7. I have yet to fill the buffer, although I have really yet to run it out in a situation that I might. Perhaps for kicks and grins I'll try it out on backyard hummingbirds and see how it does. But for primary purposes (travel) yeah, I get your points. Which is why I listed it as a very minor gripe.

Other things that other reviewers listed as gripes (primarily the lack of a built-in ND) just don't apply to my use cases. I really don't see how even Sony could pack in an ND with this kind of reach without fundamentally changing the lens design, and thus the form factor of the body.

I suggest you shoot RAW and develop with DXO Deep Prime noise reduction. I used to limit myself to ISO1600 but with Pure RAW I can use up to ISO 6400.

See above reply to Bert. As I mentioned, I always shoot RAW + jpeg on everything, especially for travel just shooting RAW only is just not something I wanna do, immediate uploads of the jpegs to social media via Imaging Edge/Snapbridge/OI.Share when traveling is something important to me. I did briefly try to shoot RAW and quick edit thru On1's PhotoRAW mobile app, which is quite a capable app for what it is, but with the RAW files taken with the Pixel 6 Pro (the rare times I use it) u lose a lot of the functionality. With .NEF files, I just ended up spending a lot more time on it than I really wanted to when traveling. So, RAW + jpeg it is.

I do have to condition myself to get used to shooting at higher ISO, that much is certain. Old habits, not keeping up with modern tech/PP software.

I've heard really good things about Deep Prime. I use both the Topaz Labs suite and the On1 plugins, pretty happy with both. I slightly prefer Denoise AI over NoNoise AI, but am more used to the workflow with the On1 plugins (I go back and forth between PhotoRaw and C1 '22.) That may change though with Topaz getting close to releasing Photo AI 1.0 next month; I and a host of others are playing around with the beta right now and I find it very promising. Topaz and On1 take very different approaches to denoise and sharpening within the workflow, and I am just used to the latter.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions!

 

[fotosean]

I really do enjoy this little beast. I should have gotten one of these long ago, and now I am thinking I might need to add a Mk Va for the slightly faster lens.

Very minor denoise thru the Topaz Photo AI 0.7 beta, pretty heavily cropped. Colors are SOOC, wasn't great light, and still did pretty d@mned well if u ask me.



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Location: Below the Tear Line
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