Sony ZV-1 , the new compact high-performance camera with a well-defined target audience: vloggers. That is the best way to understand the manufacturer’s latest proposal and why it has incorporated certain details. Let’s get to know it a little more, so you can assess whether or not it could be your next camera.
Sony ZV-1, thought for vlog
It would not be fair to say that this is a camera only for YouTubers and vloggers , but the truth is that due to Sony’s own approach and some of its most visible characteristics it is difficult not to think about it.
The Sony ZV-1 is the new camera from the Japanese manufacturer, a high-performance proposal that we already learned about a few days ago. We did not know its specifications, but we could see details such as the body, the folding screen or accessory that prevents the wind from affecting the audio recording and is known as deadcat or dead cat.
Focusing first on the design, the aesthetics of this ZV-1 is a mix with what has been seen in the RX100 range (a reference with the Canon G7 in issues of compact for vlogging) and some other compact of the brand. With those rounded edges and that little grip it looks like a comfortable camera to hold. Small, and that for those with large hands will still be a problem but in part somewhat more pleasant than the latest RX100.
Anyway, the folding screen is the most striking . Sony is not prone to this type of solutions, despite the fact that many users have asked it for active and passive, but this time it seems that they have paid attention and when you want to record, that deadcat or another possible accessory that you placed in the flash shoe would not be a problem that would make it difficult to see what appears on the screen.
Therefore, at the design level it seems that Sony has done very well, correcting those small details that were attributed to its RX100 family. And the detail of including the foretaste directly is something that is appreciated. They would have embroidered it if the handle that they also launched a few months ago was, but there is still a future pack that includes it.
A high performance camera
Staying only with aesthetics and that folding screen in this new Sony ZV-1 would be a mistake. Because it would be useless if the important thing, the video recording, is not up to the task.
The camera includes an interesting technical sheet and very much on par with its most advanced compacts:
- CMOS EXMOR RS sensor with 20.1 MP resolution
- Non-interchangeable lens with focal length 24-70mm , 35mm equivalents
- Aperture F1.8 and F.28 at the ends of the focal
- 3 ″ touch OLED display
- Maximum 4K video resolution at 30 fps
- Slow motion up to 120 fps at FHD resolution
- Logarithmic and HLG image profiles
- 315-point hybrid AF ( focus with face and eye tracking )
- Maximum ISO 25,600
- External microphone connector
If you know the subject of cameras and the range of Sony in particular, with proposals such as the latest Sony A6600, you will see that its technical capabilities are quite striking. Although this time there will also be a series of extras that will play an important role. These are features designed to facilitate video recording for less advanced users and, above all, in situations where speed prevails.
This new Sony ZV-1 integrates two function buttons that activate two features that will allow your videos to look better, or at least more attractive. The first is the Bokeh function . It is a false blur, something that with such an opening in manual mode and controlling light and exposure would not be necessary, but when you close the diaphragm this option will allow you to reduce the depth of field and make the background appear out of focus. Do you notice that artificial point? Yes, but the cut seems precise and in certain situations it surely gives that more artistic point.
The second button that activates is an ultra fast AF mode . Something that Sony already offers with its cameras, but this time the idea is that everything that comes into the foreground focuses quickly. This for those who make video showing products on camera will be very useful.
These two characteristics plus the 315 points of the hybrid focus system, the good performance of the brand with high ISO values and the new exposure mode that measures the person’s face will favor those more striking results in a vast majority of situations. It also incorporates stabilization options, so you do not have to resort to a gimbal for video cameras.
Availability date and price
The Sony ZV-1 has already been officially presented and will be available in July at a price of 800 euros. Yes, it is a high cost that this camera will have and that will make it be judged much more demanding.
First of all in terms of image quality, because there are other cameras for video and vlogging that are very interesting. And within the Sony catalog, even sacrificing details such as portability or the folding screen, there are models that win in other details such as having interchangeable lenses. And then the issue of autonomy, that if it is intended for vloggers it is logical that the duration is the maximum possible.
