One of my New Year’s resolutions was to set up a dedicated Facebook page for my photography. That’s done!
Another was to buy a new compact camera that I could grab and go for a daily walk or hike. There’s a wide range of options out there from single lens to zoom lens to interchangeable “smallish” bodies.
I did a fairly unscientific poll of a few photography Facebook Groups I belong to for recommendations and they came back with the following:
With these recommendations in mind, I also decided to check a few video reviews as well, including the following:
Fuji X100V: 5 Reasons I have to eat my words
Best camera for your pocket? Ricoh GR III, Sony RX100 VII, LUMIX LX100 II, Canon G5X
OFFICIAL Nikon Z50 Real World pREVIEW | a Mini Z6 / Z7?
OFFICIAL Sony RX100 VII Hands On PREVIEW | A MINI a9?! (vs RX100 VI vs a9)
After reviewing these videos, and reading as much as I could, I had my mind set on checking out the Fuji X100V and the Sony RX100 VII.
Fuji X100V
Sony RX100 VII
Aside from the specs and the reviews, it’s really important to get my hands on these cameras because ergonomics and the experience of using the camera are so important to me.
With that in mind, I headed out to my local camera shop, Looking Glass Photo.
Looking Glass Photo
With Covid precautions in full force (temp check, hand sanitizers, rubber gloves, customer limits), I headed up to their main counter and requested to see the Fuji and the Sony.
Fuji X100v
The first thing I was surprised about was just how big the camera actually is. (“How big is it!?”)
I knew it wasn’t quite pocketable, but at 5” x 3” x 2” and weighing in at a just over a pound, it was a pretty substantial camera. Definitely solid in the hands with durable, “hearty” controls.
I pulled the EVF up to my eye and tried to simulate a typical manual shooting scenario where I might be inclined to adjust aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
You’ve got the aperture control right on the lens dial where it should be, shutter control in a large top dial, and another dial which was defaulting to a repetitive shutter control. I can only assume and hope that the additional dial could be reprogrammed to ISO if I wanted.
I didn’t love the dedicated dial for shutter (see large dial above) as it didn’t quite “glide” as easily as I might like, but perhaps I could get used to it. The EVF was very nice, but the shutter sound (if one cares about that) was a bit feeble (others have commented on that in reviews as well).
With a fixed 23mm (35mm equivalent) pancake lens, the camera is still compact enough even if it wouldn’t easily fit in a pocket. I was hoping to check out the wide angle adapter to add on, but Looking Glass did not have it in stock (and it’s $350!) The Associate told me that the adapter itself is not that easy to get on and off like a normal lens so that might be a nuisance too.
Sony RX100 VII
The Sony RX100 VII is a different camera altogether. From it’s significantly smaller size 4 x 2.29 x 1.69" and weight 10.65oz, it’s smaller sensor (1” versus the APS-C in the Fuji), to it’s 24-200 zoom range, it’s not a true apples to apples comparison with the Fuji (ha! get it?), but many compare the two anyway.
What makes this camera attractive is its compact size for sure. I am looking for something I can grab and go with and this certainly fits that bill. One major quirk is the EVF itself - it’s not only much smaller than the Fuji, but you have to push a lever to have it pop-up like a flash in order to use it. I’d just as well have it be permanently up and sacrifice the sleekness of it being able to be drawn down.
Note the pop-up EVF. Doesn’t quite pop. You have to push a side switch to get it up.
Once I did play around with the controls, I was pleasantly surprised with the ability to control the aperture and shutter speed easily in manual mode. Again, there’s the question of which dial might be able to be programmed to change ISO as needed.
Is that a camera in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
The big drawback of this - and to a certain extent the Fuji - are the ergonomics. There’s just nothing to hold on to with the Sony at all. And many in reviews have talked about the possibility of dropping this small camera when on the go.
Comparison
There are so many different specs to compare with these two cameras. The Associate at Looking Glass felt like as much as you get great versatility in the Sony, the image quality in the Fuji, because of the larger sensor and prime lens, is going to be much better. On the other hand, the Sony does have image stabilization and the Fuji does not.
Here’s a quick comparison of the other specs in writing and in video below.
What about the Fuji XT-30? Nikon Z50?
The Associate then asked “What about the Fuji X-T30?” It’s about the same size (actually smaller and lighter) and price ($100 less) as the 100V but has interchangeable, mirrorless lenses (including a solid 18-55 kit lens). That’s pretty impressive.
Fuji X-T30
Being able to change lenses obviously provides more flexibility, but then we’re talking about an interchangeable lens camera - and is that really a grab and go? Not really. But apparently the Fuji does have sleek pancake primes, so maybe it’s worth a look?
Since I already have the Z6, I also thought “why not check out the Z50?”, the smaller interchangeable Nikon in this category. I checked that out in store, and of course, it felt great in my hands and familiar, but again, it’s not at all a pocketable, compact camera.
Decision?
So where does that leave me? Unfortunately, I’m not sure.
While my iPhone is getting me by, it’s not really a camera, so I am still committed to getting a smaller camera for on the go. B&H Photo and many of the other larger retailers do offer 30-45 day money back guarantees, so I might do a little try before I buy comparison…?
Here’s a good article outlining many more of the technical differences between the two.
What do you think?