Sony may have only released the RX100 VI last year, but the company is already back with an updated model called the RX100 VII. (Technically, it’s called the “Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII,” but that’s a name no one will ever use outside of a product catalog.) The new model is the first RX100 to offer an external mic port — a long-requested addition — as well as Sony’s real-time tracking and real-time eye autofocus systems that it introduced on the A6400 and A9.
Sony’s latest RX100 camera finally gets a mic jack
The RX100 VII was built for vlogging
The RX100 VII was built for vlogging
Borrowing some of Sony’s best high-end features
The lens on the RX100 VII is the same as last year’s model: it’s a 24-200mm zoom lens with an f/2.8-4.5 aperture that offers up to 8.3x optical zoom. The 20-megapixel 1-inch sensor has been upgraded to a stacked sensor using similar technology as the full-frame version that’s found on the A9.
There’s also a new “Single Burst Shooting Drive Mode” that takes seven still pictures at up to 90 fps with a single shutter press. It’s designed to give photographers better odds of getting the shot they wanted.
The most important addition might be the added 3.5mm mic port, which means that content creators will actually be able to use the RX100 VII as an all-in-one device for recording video without having to worry about the poor results from the camera’s onboard mic.
Sony seems to know that the RX100 VII is going to be particularly appealing to vloggers: the company will also sell the RX100 VII in a “Shooting Grip Kit” that includes the camera, a handheld grip (with active video and photo shutters built in), a microphone bracket (mic sold separately), and two rechargeable batteries. Combine that with the video performance that Sony claims is even better than the already-good RX100 VI and the flip-up screen that can face forward, and you’ve got a pocketable and powerful vlogging machine.
The RX100 VII will be available later in August 2019 for $1,200 for the camera alone. Later in 2019, the aforementioned Shooting Grip Kit bundle will be available for $1,300. It will be available for preorder at B&H Photo and Adorama later today.
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