Nikon Z30 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon Z30 and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon Z30 was introduced in June 2022 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV was introduced in June 2015. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Z30 over Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV over Nikon Z30.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon Z30 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV have 3.0" screens with 1,040k dot and 1,229k dot resolutions respectively. Nikon Z30 has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Nikon Z30 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Electronic Viewfinder on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,359k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon Z30.

Nikon Z30 features a 20.9 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 369 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 100 - 204,800 in boosted mode. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV features a 20.1 megapixel 1-inch Stacked CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 77.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 125 - 12,800 and expands to 80 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV has Stacked CMOS sensor. The key feature of such sensor is its three-dimensional structure, which consists of multiple layers of semiconductor material and circuitry stacked on top of each other. This allows the sensor to have dedicated layers for image capture and signal processing. This separation allows for faster data readout, reducing rolling shutter effects and enabling high-speed shooting and video recording. It is also more power-efficient.

Nikon Z30 is equipped with EXPEED 6 processor and can take pictures up to 5568 x 3712 resolution. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV is equipped with Bionz X processor and can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3:2 (3888 x 2592, 2736 x 1824), 4:3 (4864 x 3648, 3648 x 2736, 2592 x 1944), 16:9 (5472 x 3080, 3648 x 2056, 2720 x 1528), 1:1 (3648 x 3648, 2544 x 2544, 1920 x 1920) with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

No Low-Pass Filter on Nikon Z30

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon Z30. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV has an image stabilization.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac/b/g/n 2.4/5 GHz on Nikon Z30) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Nikon Z30

Nikon Z30 has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.2) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

NFC on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Nikon Z30 has a Micro HDMI and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon Z30 comes with EN-EL25 battery pack with battery life of 330 shots and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV comes with NP-BX1 battery pack with battery life of 280 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon Z30 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo card slot.

Shutter

Nikon Z30 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon Z30, and up to 1/32000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/2000 sec with mechanical shutter on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV. Nikon Z30 can shoot continuously up to 11.0 fps. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV can shoot continuously up to 16.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon Z30 has Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF system with 209 focusing points and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV has 25 focusing points. Nikon Z30 has detection range from -4.5 to +19 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon Z30 ranges from -4 to +17 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Nikon Z30 and ±3 range on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon Z30 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV.

Flash

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV has a built-in flash with maximum range of 10.20 m at Auto ISO. Nikon Z30 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Nikon Z30 and 1/2000 sec on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV.

Nikon Z30 body has dimensions of 128 x 74 x 60 mm (5.04 x 2.91 x 2.36") and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV body has dimensions of 102 x 58 x 41 mm (4.02 x 2.28 x 1.61"). Nikon Z30 weighs 405 g (0.89 lb / 14.29 oz) and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV weighs 298 g (0.66 lb / 10.51 oz).

Nikon Z30

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV

128 mm

74 mm

102 mm

58 mm

74 mm

58 mm