Sony RX100 has a
20.0MP 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Sony NEX-7 has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.
Below you can see the RX100 and NEX-7 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony RX100 and Sony NEX-7 Cameras
As seen above, Sony NEX-7 has a 3.2x Larger sensor area than Sony RX100. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Sony RX100 and Sony NEX-7 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that NEX-7 has a better overall score of 81, 15 points higher compared to RX100's score of 66.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Sony RX100
66
22.6 bits
12.4 Evs
390 ISO
Sony NEX-7
81
24.1 bits
13.4 Evs
1016 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Sony RX100
or the
Sony NEX-7 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1-inch versus APS-C),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
