Sony Vlog Camera ZV-1 II + Sony 256GB SF-G Series Tough Memory Card + Sony GP-VPT2BT Handgrip Sony - Review 🏆

The Sony ZV-1 is a compact mirrorless camera that is specifically designed for vlogging and video content creation. Released in 2020, it is one of Sony's first cameras aimed directly at the growing vlogger and influencer market.

The ZV-1 packs many of Sony's latest imaging technologies into a lightweight, pocketable body. Key features include a large 1" sensor, a bright 24-70mm equivalent zoom lens, 4K video recording, and a side-flipping rear touchscreen ideal for selfie shooting.

Sony also added some unique vlogger-oriented features, like a Product Showcase mode that quickly shifts focus between subjects, a background defocus function for blurred backgrounds, and a hot shoe mic mount for improved audio. Physical controls provide easy access to settings like face tracking, wind noise reduction, and stabilized video recording.

Overall, the ZV-1 aims to provide excellent video quality and audio in a compact form factor, with lots of tools specifically designed for solo content creators and vloggers. This review will take a deeper look at how well the camera performs for that purpose.

Design and Handling

The Sony ZV-1 has a compact, lightweight design that makes it easy to carry around. Despite its small size, it still feels sturdy and well-built. The body is constructed out of high-quality plastics that resist scratches and scuffs.

The camera includes an integrated grip that allows for comfortable and secure handling. The grip has a textured rubber coating that prevents slipping. It nicely contours to the hand, with an indented space for the fingers to curl around. Even those with larger hands should find the grip size sufficient for a solid hold on the camera.

The compact form factor and lightweight body make the ZV-1 an excellent travel camera. It can easily fit into a jacket pocket, purse, or small bag. The portable design doesn't compromise on image quality or features, packing a large 1" sensor into the small camera body.

Overall, the design promotes effortless portability without sacrificing comfort and usability. The integrated grip strikes a nice balance between keeping the camera compact while still allowing stable handheld operation.

Image Quality

The Sony ZV-1 features a 1-inch 20.1MP Exmor RS CMOS sensor paired with an impressive 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T wide-angle zoom lens. This combination delivers excellent image quality with crisp detail and vivid color reproduction.

The large sensor size enables good low light performance, allowing you to shoot in dim conditions up to ISO 12800 with minimal noise. This makes the ZV-1 a versatile choice for both daytime and nighttime shooting.

The fast f/1.8-2.8 maximum aperture provides nice background blur for portraits and subject isolation. You can achieve a shallow depth of field for pleasing bokeh, especially when zoomed in near the 70mm end.

Overall, the image sensor and ZEISS lens in the ZV-1 deliver outstanding still photos and 4K video. Images show good sharpness from edge to edge when shooting wide open. The lens maintains excellent resolution from the center to the corners.

Video Recording

The Sony ZV-1 is an excellent camera for shooting high-quality 4K video. It can record 4K video up to 30fps and 1080p video up to 120fps for smooth slow motion footage.

One of the standout video features is the inclusion of S-Log2 and S-Log3 gamma profiles. These profiles allow you to capture a higher dynamic range and more shadow and highlight details. This gives you more flexibility in post-production to color grade your footage to get a specific look you want. S-Log2 is ideal if you need to match the ZV-1 footage with other Sony cameras, while S-Log3 provides the widest dynamic range.

For slow motion, the ZV-1 has an HFR (High Frame Rate) mode that allows you to shoot Full HD video at up to 120fps. When played back at normal speed, this will appear as smooth 4x slow motion. The quality at 120fps is excellent with crisp detail. Slow motion can be very useful for highlighting moments and motions when vlogging.

Overall, the video capabilities make the ZV-1 a great choice as an affordable 4K vlogging camera or B-cam to use alongside other higher-end Sony cameras. The codec is the efficient XAVC S format which provides high video quality without huge file sizes.

Autofocus and Face Tracking

The ZV-1 features Sony's fast hybrid autofocus system, which combines phase and contrast detection for quick and accurate focus acquisition. It includes real-time tracking and eye AF for both people and animals.

Real-time tracking can continuously follow a moving subject, maintaining sharp focus even if they temporarily move behind an object or turn away from the camera. This is great for vlogging, interviews, and any video with a lot of subject movement.

Eye AF detects and focuses precisely on a person's eyes for beautiful portraits. It works automatically when a face is detected without any special mode needed. The eye AF is highly reliable at finding and tracking eyes, even from angles or when wearing glasses. This ensures pin-sharp focus exactly where it's needed for stunning headshots.

For pets and other animals, the ZV-1 has an Animal Eye AF mode. Just like the regular Eye AF, it can detect eyes and lock focus right on them. So both human and pets will stay in crisp focus at all times when recording.

The autofocus capabilities of the ZV-1 make it a very capable camera for vlogging and video creation where maintaining sharp focus on a moving subject is essential. The face and eye tracking are highly advanced but easy to use, ensuring you stay in focus without having to adjust settings.

Built-in Microphone

The ZV-1 is equipped with a high quality directional 3-capsule microphone that delivers clear, crisp audio recording. It features a furry wind screen that greatly reduces wind noise when shooting outdoors. The mic is specifically designed for vlogging and recording yourself, as it focuses on capturing audio from the front of the camera.

The 3-capsule design allows the mic to pick up great stereo sound. There's left, right, and center mics that work together to provide strong directional recording. This results in clear narration or speech from the front, while reducing sounds from the sides and rear of the camera.

The furry wind screen on the mic is very effective at minimizing wind noise when recording outside on a windy day. It prevents distracting wind interference from ruining your footage. This allows you to capture high quality audio clearly focused on your voice even in less than ideal outdoor conditions.

Overall, the built-in mic is a great feature for vlogging and self-recording. It's designed specifically to capture clear narration or speech from the front of the camera. With the 3-capsule directional design and furry wind screen, it delivers great audio quality for outdoor shooting. This is a major advantage of the ZV-1 for content creators and vloggers.

Vlogging Features

The ZV-1 is designed with vlogging in mind, featuring various settings to optimize video recording. The Product Showcase setting is ideal for product reviews, as it shifts focus to the subject while slightly blurring the background. The side-flipping 3.0” touch screen rotates 180 degrees to allow selfie-style framing. There is a directional 3-capsule microphone on top for clear voice pickup, as well as a mic input and hot shoe to connect external microphones. The body has a lightweight and compact design for easy one-handed recording. You can charge the camera via USB during recording for uninterrupted power. Overall the ZV-1 packs helpful tools into a portable form factor suited for vlogging and video creation.

Battery Life

The ZV-1 is rated for around 260 shots per charge according to CIPA standards, which is on the lower side for a mirrorless camera. However, CIPA ratings are conducted with the rear LCD activated and should be taken as a minimum expectation.

Real world battery life can vary greatly depending on usage. When recording video, the ZV-1 can record continuously for around 75 minutes. For vlogging specifically, the camera has decent stamina that should get you through a day of casual shooting.

Enabling features like face detection, image stabilization, and Bluetooth will drain the battery faster. Overall the NP-BX1 battery pack provides sufficient power for the intended audience and use cases of this camera. Having a spare battery is recommended for longer shoots or all-day events.

Connectivity

The Sony ZV-1 has a good range of ports for connecting external mics, headphones, or other accessories. On the side there is a 3.5mm microphone port and a micro HDMI port. On the bottom is a multi terminal USB port that can be used for charging, data transfer, or powering the camera for long shoots.

For wireless connectivity, the ZV-1 has both Bluetooth and Wifi built-in. The Bluetooth allows you to easily pair devices like wireless mics or remote controls. The Wifi gives you the ability to transfer photos to your mobile device, remotely control the camera, or live stream video directly to sites like YouTube. This makes it great for vlogging since you can monitor yourself and stream without any wires attached. The Wifi signal is strong and pairs quickly with phones or tablets.

Overall the physical and wireless connectivity of the ZV-1 covers everything you'd need for vlogging, filming, or streaming. The ports are conveniently located and having Bluetooth and Wifi built-in makes it very flexible for wireless accessories or sharing content.

Summary

The Sony ZV-1 is an excellent vlogging camera that packs many great features into a compact body. Here's a quick rundown of the pros and cons:

Pros

• Excellent image and video quality for its size. The 20MP 1-inch sensor captures detailed, vibrant photos and 4K video.
• Fast and accurate autofocus, especially for faces. The Face Priority AF ensures you stay in focus when vlogging.
• Very good built-in microphone that minimizes wind noise.
• Useful vlogging features like Product Showcase mode and Background Defocus function.
• Intuitive touchscreen interface and easy to use.
• Long battery life, up to around 2 hours of 4K recording per charge.

Cons

• No in-body image stabilization. You'll need stabilized lenses to avoid shaky footage when shooting handheld.
• Rolling shutter effect can distort fast motion.
• No headphone jack for audio monitoring.
• Touchscreen doesn't flip forward for selfie shooting.

Overall, the ZV-1 delivers excellent image quality and a great set of features purpose-built for vlogging and content creation. For those looking for a compact, lightweight camera optimized for video, the ZV-1 is one of the best options out there. Its great autofocus, audio quality, and long battery life make it a fantastic choice for vloggers and content creators.