Sony ZV-1F Vlog Camera

Sony ZV-1F Vlog Camera

The Sony ZV-1F is specifically designed for vlogging, or video recording, especially of yourself. If you start your videos by saying Hello Youtube please subscribe, don't own a modern flagship phone, and want the tools to be as simple as possible, this could be the camera for you.

Below are a bunch of reasons why this camera is perfect for this:

• An ultra-wide-angle lens, a suitable focal length when photographing yourself holding the camera in your hand. With a focal length equivalent to 20mm, your hand doesn't need to be completely straight to fit into the frame.
• Tally light so you can see when video recording is in progress
• Face and eye detection focus and exposure adjustment: the most important thing in the video, the person in the picture, is sharp and correctly exposed
• Good ergonomics and a handle on the camera means this stays with you on the go
• Plug the USB into your computer and the ZV-1F acts as a webcam!
• A good microphone and windscreen are included, the camera also has a microphone jack
• Larger so-called 1-inch sensor, meaning good image quality in low light

The Sony ZV-1F is a sister model to the more traditional Sony ZV-1 digital camera. This new model is clearly aimed at the above-mentioned videographer looking for simplicity, as this camera lacks the following features:

• RAW photography
• Optical image stabilization
• No zoom, i.e. fixed 20mm focal length
• No built-in ND filter
• Manual adjustments are difficult
• Slower autofocus

So if the 20mm fixed Carl Zeiss branded lens raised hopes for a pocket-sized landscape camera, your plans may change because this only produces JPG images.

The cameras also have optical image stabilization, so if you want to use the stabilizer while walking and filming yourself at the same time, you need to activate the electronic stabilization, which will crop the video image and the corresponding focal length will then be about 25mm. There is no stabilization for photos.

The Sony ZV-1 included an ND filter, which is useful for video recording, allowing you to adjust the shutter speed to better suit video recording. On the other hand, this camera has a 40.5mm filter thread, allowing you to use traditional filters.

The ZV-1F includes manual adjustments, but there are no additional adjustment dials, so when changing settings, you either have to fiddle around in the menus or let the automatic settings take care of the adjustments.

This camera uses a slightly different sensor technology than the ZV-1 and the autofocus works on contrast detection without phase detection pixels. This gets a bit technical, but in practice this means that the Product Showcase autofocus, which is appreciated by product reviewers, is clearly slower than in the big brother model ZV-1

Eco-friendly bonus: the camera is made from recycled plastic and painted with the most environmentally friendly paints.

Specifications:

• Sensor: 1' CMOS 20.1 megapixel image sensor
• Focal length 7.6mm, cine equivalent 20mm, no zoom
• Aperture: f/2 (min. f/8)
• Image stabilization: electronic and in video mode only (crops video image)
• Exposure adjustment -3 - +3 EV (1/3 EV steps)
• Video recording: UHD 4K 30P and FullHD 60P and 120P slow-motion videos
• Built-in stereo microphone
  
• 3.5mm jack for external stereo microphone, no headphone jack
• 3' flip-up touchscreen
• Hot shoe (so-called cold shoe, i.e. only for attaching accessories)
• HDMI micro and USB-C
• Bluetooth & WiFi
• Battery type: Sony NP-BX1 (approx. 260 shots on a single charge)
• Charging is possible even while shooting via USB with a power bank
• Size: 105.6 x 60 x 46.4mm
• Weight: 256g

Sales package includes: Sony VZ-1F camera, Sony NP-BX1 battery, USB-C cable, microphone windscreen and mount, wrist strap