Sony ZV-1 Review: Vlogging Shouldn’t Be This Easy
August 17, 2021Sensor type: 1.0 type / 20.1 Megapixels, Exmor RS CMOS sensor
Lens : 24-70 mm / Optical zoom 2.7x
Monitor type: 7.5cm (3.0 type) Vari-angle, Opening 176 Deg, Rotation 270 Deg
Size & Weight : 105.5 x 60.0 x 43.5mm (294g)
Connection : Wi-Fi / Accy Shoe / Microphone Jack
Resolution : High-resolution 4K ( FHD: 120p / 60p / 30p / 24p) XAVC S, AVCHD
AF : Wide 315 points / Fast Hybrid AF / Speed 0.03 sec
Battery: Approx. 260 shots / Approx. 130 min shots / Movie. 45 min
Rating: 9/10
Price: RM3,399.00
Sony is a maestro at creating good cameras. It’s entire range provides great autofocus abilities, dependable colour science and sensors that are in a league of their own. The company is partly responsible for YouTubers sprouting up all over the world. Instead of making people work for the results, the cameras meet them halfway by compensating for their lack in aptitude.
The same is true of the Sony ZV-1. Touted as a capable point-and-shoot camera for everyone, it stands out from the sea of mediocre “recreational” ones. Devices of its ilk aren’t taken seriously due to the presence of capable DSLRs and proper mirrorless cameras. If you’re a professional photographer or an aspiring one, you wouldn’t be caught dead with a point-and-shoot.
As good as they’ve become, said cameras lack the flexibility that came with higher-end cameras. But this isn’t so for the ZV-1 due to its unique position in the market. It’s far removed from the point-and-shoot category but “not quite there” in terms of professional camera prowess. It fills the gap between novice and professional.
It is equipped with a 20.1MP Exmor RS CMOS sensor and ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* Lens. And as such, it’s perfect for snapping quick vacation pictures and recording your daily vlogs. The compact size lets you conveniently tuck it away in a small bag or purse and at a moment’s notice, whip it out for a photography or video recording session.
What’s It like To Use?
The UI caters to both beginners and experienced phototakers. By using the scroll wheel, users can cycle between the various priority settings for aperture, shutter speed and exposure. It’s pretty intuitive allowing you to toggle between the various settings on the fly. This makes light work of adjusting the parameters to suit your shooting style.
That said, the magic of leaving the camera in full ‘auto mode’ cannot be understated. The software is incredibly good at setting things up for any scene. In a moment or two, the aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance are adjusted to provide the best possible results for any given scene. However, said results could be improved slightly with some manual tweaking.
This software is so capable that most people wouldn’t bother faffing about with the manual settings. Even the colour science works seamlessly behind the scenes to keep you isolated from the tedium associated with traditional camera setups. Herein lies the appeal of the ZV-1, it takes the guesswork out of the equation, allowing you to focus on getting the right shots.
In the old days mastering the art of professional photography required a great deal of time and patience. The learning curve was so steep that regular people didn’t bother with dipping their toes in the trade. As difficult as it may have been to capture decent pictures, recording good videos was exponentially tougher. The variables involved test your sanity.
Well, that’s the reason Sony introduced the ZV-1. Instead of having to practice for months to master photography techniques, this compact camera holds the entire wealth of said knowledge within its plastic frame. It already knows the best possible outcome is even before you point at a subject. Everything is set up as it should be.
Photographic Experiences
Given that there is decent lighting, the ZV-1 can pull off some great shots with good details. Its fixed Zeiss lens (24-70mm) can zoom in or out gradually to allow for better focusing. That said, it’s nowhere near as precise as a DSLR. The zoom toggle control is extremely sensitive and responds by two or three steps with a single touch.
Some trial and error is needed before you can master this feature. The ZV-1 has a 2.7x optical zoom but does offer 11x – 44x digital zoom. Refrain from using the latter to maintain a good amount of detail. By tweaking the settings you can get the camera to focus on a subject with a good bokeh effect or choose a more natural effect with a decent amount of depth.
The camera is also able to compensate for low lighting conditions by adjusting the exposure, aperture and ISO to allow for better results. It does this without much detriment to picture quality. Most point-and-shoot and basic DSLR cameras fail miserably in this scenario. The results are usually noisy, out of focus and completely washed out.
This isn’t the case for the ZV-1. Even in appalling lighting conditions the results are passable at worst – it’s a testament to how well this camera can cope with various environments. Keep in mind that though the results are significantly better than the competition, they do have noticeable background noise especially when the ISO is boosted beyond 1200.
I don’t think anyone would complain about this, especially when you factor in how little effort is needed to pull off pro-level shots. And for this I have to tip my hat to Sony’s engineers. Their attention to detail never ceases to amaze me. Their coding wizardry works so well that most users are completely oblivious to its existence.
Auto-Focus Features
The same is true of the ZV-1’s video recording abilities. Its autofocus works tirelessly to stay on target. This coupled with its facial recognition abilities, allow it to accurately track faces and movements with ease. In some cases it does take a second to refocus, but that is to be expected of a compact camera.
If you enable the product focus mode, the ZV-1 focuses on the object you want it to see instead of constantly focusing on your face. When using conventional cameras, one would have to hide their face for the autofocus to zero in on an object, which can make the outcome seem awkward. But the ZV-1 can tell the difference between the two.
This is why it’s a favourite of YouTube vloggers and budding reviewers. Instead of resorting to some form of trickery to get the autofocus to respond, the ZV-1 knows what it needs to do and executes it with great aplomb. As a result, videos look far more natural with a good process flow. It’s perfect for filming yourself preparing a meal or unboxing the latest gadget.
When used with Sony’s Bluetooth grip (VCT-SGR1), the ZV-1 becomes even more enjoyable to use. Not only does the grip double as a mini tripod, you can use it to enable recording or adjust various other parameters. It makes light work of tweaking the various settings in the midst of a vlogging session – convenience is the name of the game here.
Sony cameras are famous for their accurate colour science for videos and the ZV-1 is no different. Skin tone, surface textures and the environment around you look natural and well exposed. The image processing does well at maintaining a sense of realism in line with that of more professional cameras.
In stark contrast to regular point-and-shoot ones, the ZV-1 comes with a hot shoe mount that can be used for just about anything, including an external microphone. Unlike its predecessor, this camera has a 3.5mm mic jack, which grants users the ability to capture decent sound when fitted with a proper mic.
Though the onboard mic records decent audio, it can’t match the performance of an external microphone fitted with a fur windshield. The recorded audio sounds clean and balanced, similar to that of a regular DSLR or professional mirrorless camera. It is the perfect setup for someone who is beginning his/her journey in video production.
As you become more familiar with video recording, it would be prudent to invest in better hardware. That is why Sony introduced the ZV-E10 Video Creators and Vloggers Meet The Sony ZV-E10. It’s an amalgamation of the lessons learnt with the ZV-1 and incorporating them into the body of Sony A-series cameras. That said, some people don’t want to deal with the hassle associated with interchangeable lenses.
This is why the ZV-1 is still a relevant camera, a year after it was released. It’s a zero maintenance setup that can be used as a fun vacation camera or supplementary vlogging hardware to your professional camera rig. In fact, it is compatible with your existing gear, including the tripod mounting slot.
On a single charge the camera should last for about an hour and 10 minutes for a continuous photo taking session. For video recording, it should give you about 35-40 minutes of service life. The body can get a little warm to the touch during these sessions. However, it’s nothing to worry about.
From a beginner’s standpoint, the ZV-1 is the camera to have. It blitzes past most point-and-shoot cameras and embarrasses several basic mirrorless ones. But if you’re adept at using the controls of a DSLR, the ZV-1’s button placement and overall controls seem cumbersome.
What can be accomplished with a single step on a DSLR requires an extra step or two on the ZV-1. It isn’t a deal breaker but can prove to be an annoyance at times. The best way around this is to use the touchscreen interface and scroll wheel for setting adjustments. This is a compact camera so each button serves more than one function.
The problem will be less apparent to people who are familiar with Sony cameras because the layout and UI menus are similar to that of the A-series devices. At this point I’m just nitpicking at its probable flaws but the user demographic who want this camera, will be completely oblivious to my reservations.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity allow the camera to talk to PCs, smartphones and Sony’s grip controls. Transferring files from the ZV-1 is relatively easy with the use of the PlayMemories Home software. (https://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/www/disoft/int/download/playmemories-home/win/en/index.html). In case you didn’t know, it’s a free software from Sony that lets you manage, edit, and share your still images and movies.
Should I Buy One?
If you’re looking to take pictures on vacation, create simple how-to videos or conduct daily vlogs, the Sony ZV-1 is the best option. The software minimizes the work needed to capture crisp photos and videos. This is a maintenance free camera, so you don’t have to worry about lens damage, dust or other problems associated with regular DSLRs and professional mirrorless cameras.
However, if you plan on making a profession out of your photography or video recordings, the Sony ZV-E10 would be a better starting point. If it’s within your means, the Sony A6600 Review: Great Hardware Complemented By Clever Software or the Sony Alpha 7C, Smallest Full Frame Camera Ever! or Sony Introduces A7S III, A True And Worthy Successor to A7S II would be more “future proof” options. They allow for better expansion a few years down the line.
