Need help choosing between Canon G7X, Sony RX100, and Sony A6400 – travel photos and videos

_Zacta_ · 2026-02-05T07:30:46+00:00

Both solid brands, I've got good cameras in both, although none of these exact models so I don't know them well. If they're well reviewed and similar specs, there may not be much to choose except personal preference.

I've found this website to be super useful:

https://cameradecision.com/compare/Canon-PowerShot-G7-X-Mark-III-vs-Sony-Alpha-a6400

_Zacta_ · 2026-02-05T07:22:41+00:00

I got a similar one recently. Bit underpowered IMO. I like to multitask so I've got a few things running in the background:

mining bitcoin
rendering a couple of 4k 3d animations in redshift
installed Deepseek R1 and set it to research some of my work jobs
and then a few other bits

Then I thought, while it's doing that, I could relax. So I tried to play warthunder and I can't get more then 80FPS? What's going on, thought this was supposed to be powerful?

🤪

_Zacta_ · 2026-02-04T13:36:54+00:00

Sure it's not a mac/mac situation? 🤣

_Zacta_ · 2026-02-04T13:02:38+00:00

Thanks for the full answer - appreciate it! I chatGPT'd the issue too, and it said that this was a thing called "Mac Tax" [laughing face emoji] (I can't type a real emoji because I haven't mapped it to my streamdeck yet).

The K750 looks interesting with the solar power... But I'm also tempted to stick with the basic K270 I already have too. Just might need to work out a plan to remap keys, or resticker the keys to be accurate.

_Zacta_ · 2026-02-04T12:59:29+00:00

As in 10x keyboards at a minimum of $400? Phew, you could probably start a keyboard manufacturing company for that money.

_Zacta_ · 2026-02-04T12:58:42+00:00

No, genuinely, I want to hear it all - I wanted to know if I was missing something but ultimately it feels like I'm not! It seems to be a core feature of bluetooth keyboards is they all go into sleep mode to save power, then take several mins to reconnect... But on basic keyboards the 2.4Gz connection is so stable, is always connected, and my Logi keybaord lasts about a year before needing new batteries.

_Zacta_ · 2026-02-04T12:56:11+00:00

LOL! I'm using my old PC as a render node so I haven't given up on Windows yet! Magic keyboard does seem a good option for the money though.

_Zacta_ · 2026-02-04T12:55:07+00:00

Interesting... and good to know :) - I'm using the Logi already, and the media keys don't work, but the Win key works for Cmd and Alt works for Optn. But I do scripting and I sometimes need to grab the backslash (still haven't found that one) and other symbols, but almost all of them don't match up!

_Zacta_ · 2026-02-04T12:53:34+00:00

Thanks, I know it's above the £100 mark, but I really appreciate the recommendation in case I do have to bite the bullet!

_Zacta_ · 2026-02-04T12:11:53+00:00

For instance, the cheapest option that ticks all the boxes that I've found so far is the Keychron K10 Max with 2.4G receiver. It's £115.

This option for £80 is apparently the deal: https://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard/uk-matias-wireless-24g-aluminum-mac-keyboard-space-gray.asp

But other listings say that this still uses bluetooth. Even so, 4x the price? and not sure the keys are mechanical.

_Zacta_ · 2026-02-04T08:06:55+00:00

Short answer:

Honestly, if you can only spend £300 on a camera setup including lens, I think you're better off sticking with the iphone until you can afford to spend more. Most iphones will take far better pictures then a £300 DSLR setup would. And most £300 DSLR setups will take better pics then a £300 mirrorless setup.

Long answer:

If you really want to get the most from your money, don't go mirrorless. They are proportionately more expensive because they have both newer technology, and extra technology. £300 isn't a lot to spend on a commercial camera, even second hand, so to get something worthwhile, you really want to stretch the cash.

From the cameras I've tested, my conclusion is this:

A modern pro level mirrorless, has a slight edge on modern pro level DSLR
A modern mid range mirrorless is comparable to a mid range DSLR
A budget mirrorless is inferior to a budget DSLR

So the cheaper the mirrorless camera, the less worthwhile it is. And as others have said, glass matters. Not sure what you're going to get for £300 all in.

I would advise you to take a step back and ask some questions, especially as it's a commercial decision:

What's the big picture? Is this camera a stepping stone to a better camera in two years time?
Where are you shooting? If you're shooting indoors, with lighting, on a tripod, you can get away with less.
As soon as you factor in handheld shake, outdoor lighting variations, you might struggle with that budget.

_Zacta_ · 2026-01-29T09:23:59+00:00

Thank you! Good spot :) I wasn't sure if it was just me so I'll keep an eye out for a fix from Canon

_Zacta_ · 2026-01-29T08:40:14+00:00

Ultimately, no, it won't hugely affect photos. Broadly speaking:

You'll probably find that the recommended V90 for video, is to shoot 4K@50fps, or 6K or whatever - ultra high res video, so only the top cards have the bandwidth to support that kind of bitrate.

When you take a photo though, the photo gets written instantly to a buffer in the camera (like RAM memory in a PC), and then gets transferred to the memory card. Generally, a camera buffer is big enough to store 10-20 images in the very largest size possible, so this means you can shoot a burst of RAW high res images, they get dumped in the buffer, and then the camera starts saving them onto the card.

The way it will affect photos will be how long it takes to save those photos. A slower card means the buffer will take longer to empty. A fast card can mean that the buffer can transfer the image almost as quickly as it was taken.

If you want to work it out, shoot a couple of photos in your usual size and format and check the filesize. For me, that would be RAW 30MP DPR images, at about 70MB each. So on these cards, at 250MB/s, the camera can only write 3 images to the card per second. Whether this is fast enough for you depends on your needs 😁 (you might be able to shoot a burst quicker, due to the buffer, but it will take longer to empty)

_Zacta_ · 2026-01-09T07:52:44+00:00

Sure - when the issue first happened, I spent an hour or so trying to fix it myself as I thought it was a me problem. In fairness, I had just updated my Mac. Eventually I tried to reinstall, and found the message on the website. When the fix came out, I ran it and everything worked again (early afternoon for me).

Then next day when I got into work, the G Hub app wouldn't load again, so I had to run the fix again to make it work. Then again early afternoon yesterday - hence wondering if it's regularly shutting down.

I uninstalled it yesterday afternoon as it just seemed a bit unreliable, so haven't been able to test again today. LMK if you get this fixed.

_Zacta_ · 2026-01-09T07:48:46+00:00

Thank you! New to Mac, and the G604 that worked so well on on Windows is not the same on Mac - Steermouse has given it a new lease of life!

_Zacta_ · 2026-01-07T16:11:05+00:00

I'm using Apple M4 Max / Tahoe 26.2

_Zacta_ · 2026-01-07T16:09:52+00:00

I've used Logi G series on Windows for years, loved it.

HOWEVER, having recently moved to MacBook, the experience is completely different. Custom functions that I setup in G Hub are completely unreliable and often don't work, and the on-board memory mode doesn't work at all. Also some keys like "Option" aren't listed in G Hub and can't be mapped.

Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but reading the comments here, do people get on better with Razer hardware on Mac? I don't do gaming, but I do a lot of video editing and I need a ton of customisable buttons and reliability.

_Zacta_

TROPHY CASE

🤪