Sony RX100 V Image Quality Comparison

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Below are crops from our laboratory Still Life target comparing the Sony RX100 V's image quality to its predecessor, the RX100 IV, as well as both of its nearest 1-inch sensor-based compact camera rivals, the Canon G7X II and Panasonic LX10. For good measure, we've also compared it against a compact with an even larger sensor, the Panasonic LX100, as well as a similarly-priced mirrorless camera with a far larger sensor, the Sony A6300.

NOTE: These images are from best quality JPEGs straight out of the camera, at default settings including noise reduction and using the camera's actual base ISO (not extended ISO settings). All cameras in this comparison were shot with our very sharp reference lenses. Clicking any crop will take you to a carrier page where you can click once again to access the full resolution image as delivered straight from the camera. For those interested in working with the RAW files involved, click these links to visit each camera's respective sample image thumbnail page: Sony RX100 V, Sony RX100 IV, Canon G7X II, Panasonic LX10, Panasonic LX100 and Sony A6300 -- links to the RAW files appear beneath those for the JPEG images, wherever we have them. And remember, you can always go to our world-renowned Comparometer to compare the Sony RX100 V to any camera we've ever tested!

Sony RX100 V vs Sony RX100 IV at Base ISO

Sony RX100 V at ISO 125
Sony RX100 IV at ISO 125

Given that they both share the exact same 1-inch sensor size, 20.1-megapixel resolution and BIONZ X image processor, you might expect the Sony RX100 V and its predecessor, the RX100 IV, to have identical image quality too. Even at base sensitivity, though, the RX100 V turns in the better performance of the pair. It's just slightly (but noticeably) crisper in the mosaic label and fabric swatches, and yet the sharpening haloes are no more prominent in the bottle crop than those of the RX100 IV. The newer camera also renders the color of the difficult pink swatch more accurately than did its predecessor.

Sony RX100 V vs Canon G7X Mark II at Base ISO

Sony RX100 V at ISO 125
Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 125

The Sony RX100 V also shares the same sensor size and nearly-identical resolution with the 20.2-megapixel Canon G7X II. Despite that outward similarity, Sony's camera performs noticeably better at base sensitivity. In fairness to Canon, the G7X II has somewhat more modest sharpening haloes in the bottle crop. However, the Sony RX100 V's mosaic label and fabric swatches are crisper, and it better holds onto the fine thread pattern in the pink swatch which is largely lost by the Canon. The RX100 V also renders the color of the pink swatch better, and shows more contrast in the difficult red swatch.

Sony RX100 V vs Panasonic LX10 at Base ISO

Sony RX100 V at ISO 125
Panasonic LX10 at ISO 125

The Panasonic LX10, too, shares the same 1-inch sensor size and 20.1-megapixel resolution as the Sony RX100 V. Once again, though, we have to give the nod at base sensitivity to the Sony, although its a close-run thing. Just as in the comparison with the Canon G7X II above, the Panasonic LX10 shows less prominent sharpening haloes in the bottle crop, but is also less crisp than the RX100 V in the mosaic crop. The LX10 does well with the thread pattern in the pink swatch, but renders the color as rather too cool. However, while contrast is a little lower than that of the RX100 V in the red swatch, the Panasonic LX10 renders its color more realistically, with lower saturation than the Sony.

Sony RX100 V vs Panasonic LX100 at Base ISO

Sony RX100 V at ISO 125
Panasonic LX100 at ISO 200

And so we come to the first comparison with a camera that doesn't sport a 1-inch sensor. The Panasonic LX100 instead opts for a Four Thirds-format sensor with almost double the surface area of the imager in the Sony RX100 V, coupled with a much lower resolution of just 12.8 megapixels. At base sensitivity, this approach doesn't yield dividends, with the Sony RX100 V showing significantly more detail in the mosaic label and fabric swatches. The RX100 V again renders the color of the pink swatch much more accurately too, although the LX100 manages better with the color of the red swatch and has less prominent sharpening haloes.

Sony RX100 V vs Sony A6300 at Base ISO

Sony RX100 V at ISO 125
Sony A6300 at ISO 100

Finally, we've decided to pit the RX100 V against an APS-C sensor-based camera, specifically the Sony A6300. Both cameras have the same list price, but the A6300 isn't going to fit in your pocket, and nor does it come with a lens at this price. However, if you can justify the added bulk and the cost of a lens or two, the Sony A6300's larger, higher-resolution 24.2-megapixel image sensor gathers significantly more detail in both the mosaic label and fabric swatches. And it does so without having to rely on as much sharpening as the RX100 V, leading to less prominent haloes too. The RX100 V does a much better job with the color of the tricky pink swatch, though.

Sony RX100 V vs Sony RX100 IV at ISO 1600

Sony RX100 V at ISO 1600
Sony RX100 IV at ISO 1600

But enough of the low-ISO comparisons. How does the Sony RX100 V perform as you crank up the sensitivity? At ISO 1600-equivalent, the Sony RX100 V's early advantage has been reduced. Noise levels are pretty similar to those of the RX100 IV, and like that camera, the RX100 V's noise reduction processing is a bit heavy-handed. That leaves a blotchy, mottled look for the mosaic label, and wipes out the thread pattern in the fabric swatches. The RX100 V does best its predecessor in terms of the color of the pink swatch, though, where the RX100 IV gives it a rather magenta hue.

Sony RX100 V vs Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 1600

Sony RX100 V at ISO 1600
Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 1600

With the sensitivity dialed up a bit, the Canon G7X II turns in a performance that's rather closer to that of the RX100 V, even if we'd still give a tip of the hat to the Sony. Both cameras are pretty similar on the noise and detail front, with the RX100 V perhaps having just a very slight edge. The G7X II's mosaic label doesn't look quite as mottled, but it has sacrificed more of the finer pattern between the dark mosaic tiles. Sony also does a bit better with the hue of the pink fabric swatch.

Sony RX100 V vs Panasonic LX10 at ISO 1600

Sony RX100 V at ISO 1600
Panasonic LX10 at ISO 1600

The Panasonic LX10 turns in a noticeably less noisy image than its Sony and Canon rivals at ISO 1600-equivalent, as you can see in the bottle crop. However, in doing so it has sacrificed even more of the fine mosaic label detail than the Canon did, and has lost almost all detail in the red fabric swatch as well.

Sony RX100 V vs Panasonic LX100 at ISO 1600

Sony RX100 V at ISO 1600
Panasonic LX100 at ISO 1600

It's once the sensitivity has been raised to ISO 1600-equivalent that the larger sensor size of the Panasonic LX100 starts to come to the fore, as you can see from its less-noisy bottle crop. Its resolution disadvantage has also been largely negated, with its larger pixels not so prone to noise as those of the Sony RX100 V, and hence a lesser degree of noise reduction needed. It still can't quite hold onto as much detail in the dark areas of the mosaic label but it's a close thing. Sony definitely does a better job with the fabric swatches, though.

Sony RX100 V vs Sony A6300 at ISO 1600

Sony RX100 V at ISO 1600
Sony A6300 at ISO 1600

Not surprisingly, the much larger sensor of the Sony A6300 puts it in a class of its own. Compared to all of these pants pocket-friendly (or coat pocket, for the LX100) cameras, the A6300 does better on almost every front. Noise levels are lower in the bottle crop, there's far more fine detail and none of the noise reduction mottling in the mosaic label. The A6300 is also the only camera that could hold onto the thread pattern in the pink fabric swatch, and also does better than the rest with the red swatch. Really, the only thing preventing a perfect score is that the RX100 V does a better job with the color of the pink swatch.

Sony RX100 V vs Sony RX100 IV at ISO 3200

Sony RX100 V at ISO 3200
Sony RX100 IV at ISO 3200

Finally, we come to ISO 3200-equivalent, and here the Sony RX100 V's noise reduction does a somewhat better job than that of its predecessor. Not in the mosaic label or fabric swatches, where detail has been lost about equally by both cameras, but in the bottle crop. The RX100 V's result is noticeable better here, with less of the mottled, noisy look shown by the RX100 IV.

Sony RX100 V vs Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 3200

Sony RX100 V at ISO 3200
Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 3200

Things are much closer between the Sony RX100 V and Canon G7X II at ISO 3200-equivalent. Both cameras show similar noise levels and retain similar amounts of detail in the mosaic label and fabric swatches. The RX100 V still has a slight edge, though, with more contrast in the pink swatch and just slightly more of the finest details in the mosaic label retained.

Sony RX100 V vs Panasonic LX10 at ISO 3200

Sony RX100 V at ISO 3200
Panasonic LX10 at ISO 3200

Panasonic's more aggressive noise reduction shows itself again at ISO 3200-equivalent. In the bottle crops, the LX10's image is noticeably less noisy. However, the Sony RX100 V's mosaic label, while itself rather mottled, is noticeably better than the blotchy, muddy label in the LX10's rendering. Sony still does better with the hue of the pink swatch, but in other respects the fabric swatches are pretty much a wash between the two cameras.

Sony RX100 V vs Panasonic LX100 at ISO 3200

Sony RX100 V at ISO 3200
Panasonic LX100 at ISO 3200

By the time we reach ISO 3200-equivalent, the Panasonic LX100's larger sensor and lower resolution are both really playing their part in keeping noise levels to a minimum. The LX100's bottle crop is much cleaner than that from the RX100 V. And while it is still just a little behind the Sony in terms of detail, it's only by a miniscule amount when one considers their difference in sensor resolution. Sony does still do a good bit better with the hue of the pink fabric swatch, though.

Sony RX100 V vs Sony A6300 at ISO 3200

Sony RX100 V at ISO 3200
Sony A6300 at ISO 3200

Lastly, we come to the Sony A6300. Here, there's simply a night and day difference: The APS-C sensor-based camera is better in almost every respect than its pocket-friendly sibling. The RX100 V does still do a better job with the hue of the pink fabric swatch, though.

Sony RX100 V vs. Sony RX100 IV, Canon G7X Mark II, Panasonic LX10, Panasonic LX100, Sony A6300

Sony
RX100 V
ISO 125
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
Sony
RX100 IV
ISO 125
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
Canon
G7X Mark II
ISO 125
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
Panasonic
LX10
ISO 125
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
Panasonic
LX100
ISO 200
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
Sony
A6300
ISO 100
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
Detail comparison. If you wanted proof that sensor size makes a difference, this comparison offers it in spades. The A6300, with the largest and highest-resolution sensor of the group, is well ahead of the rest even at base sensitivity, and holds onto that lead across the range. The Panasonic LX100, meanwhile, starts off at a disadvantage due to its lower resolution, but quickly catches up as we ramp the sensitivity. And finally, we come to the four 1-inch sensor cameras. The winner has to be the Sony RX100 V, with the Canon G7X II nipping at its heels. The Panasonic LX10 and Sony RX100 IV round out the field.

 

Sony RX100 V Print Quality Analysis

Very good 24 x 36 inch prints at ISO 80 to 125; a nice 13 x 19 inch print at ISO 800 and a good 8 x 10 at ISO 3200.

ISOs 80 to 125 deliver very good prints at 24 x 36 inches, with vibrant detail, rich colors and a nice overall "pop" to the printed image. Larger prints are certainly fine for wall display purposes up to 36 x 48 inches.

ISO 200 also yields a nice 24 x 36 inch printed image. There are only mild traces of visible noise in a few flatter areas of our Still Life test target, but it's still a very good print with nice color and contrast overall.

ISO 400 begins to introduce a bit of softness in the red channel as well as a touch more noise in flatter areas of our test image. A reduction in print size to a still lofty 20 x 30 inches tightens things up nicely, and delivers a very good image.

ISO 800 is where most 1-inch-sensored cameras start to display signs of ISO strain in larger printed images, and the Sony RX100 V is no exception. A further size reduction to 13 x 19 inches allows for a very good print here and minimizes most noise reduction artifacts. There is a bit of mild noise in a few areas of our target, but plenty of fine detail and full color remains.

ISO 1600 delivers a 13 x 19 inch print that isn't bad for this ISO and sensor size! It in fact almost passes our good grade, and is definitely usable for less critical printing applications. But in order to pass our official "good" seal we recommend remaining at 11 x 14 inches and below here. Most all contrast detail is now lost in our tricky red-leaf swatch, which is a typical phenomenon for all but the top cameras at this ISO, but otherwise this size yields a quality print.

ISO 3200 produces an 11 x 14 inch print similar to the 13 x 19 at ISO 1600, and one that almost passes our good grade. However, the 8 x 10 print here is quite good and, despite the obvious loss of contrast detail in our red-leaf swatch as well as the expected minor noise in a few areas of our target image, still looks quite good overall and delivers full color and nice detail.

ISO 6400 is a relatively difficult ISO for this sensor size to muster in prints, but you can still expect a good 5 x 7 for your family room. There is a bit of muting now in the colors, and the overall pop is not quite there, but it's still a fairly good print.

ISO 12,800 turns in a 4 x 6 inch print similar to the 5 x 7 at ISO 6400, and one that just passes our good seal which is not bad at this ISO for a 1-inch sensor to be able to pull off.

The Sony RX100 Mark V turns in a solid performance in the print quality department for its sensor size, and doesn't disappoint in the expectations we had for it. Several ISOs in the middle range almost bumped to a print size higher than its predecessor the RX100 IV, but in the end there hasn't been any significant increase in overall print quality since the RX100 II. Indeed, the real technological advances have mostly come in the speed and video departments, which are certainly good reasons to upgrade. If you're new to this line you can expect quality prints up to ISO 3200 for 8 x 10's, which is a good limit to suggest for most all 1-inch-sensored cameras if you intend to print your photographs for anything but casual purposes.

 



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