Sony Vlog camera ZV-1 | Digital Camera (Vari-angle Screen for Vlogging, 4K Video) ZV1BC- Black

Edit, my original review is below which is untouched. It still is good.However, I decided the camera is hampered by not having a large enough field of view.This is solved with the addition of the Ulanzi wide angle lens. Using the wide angle lens and a small gimbal like the Crane M2/ M3 is a superb setup with active stabilisation off, but the Ulanzi lens makes it much better even with active stabilisation on. So maybe budget to also buy the lens, which also makes the camera heavier and a bit bigger, although it’s still small.Original review:I have a Panasonic G9 and a thousand pound worth of lenses for that which shoots sublime video and has amazing stabilisation. However, it’s a pain to lug around, particularly when on holiday. So whilst it’s a fantastic pro level camera, I often was not using it as I simply couldn’t be bothered lugging it around.I wanted a smaller, compact and easier to transport camera that was more unobtrusive. There’s no perfect camera on the market. The Canon G7X Mk2 only does 1080. The Mk3 is slated for all sorts of issues. Sony has just brought out a new APC ZV, but you need to buy a lens, it’s larger with the lenses on, and it has rolling shutter issues. Having carefully weighed up all the options, I picked this.I am very pleased. The autofocus is outstanding (something that couldn’t be said of my G9), and in fact is as good as the latest £3000 Sony full frame. That is saying something on a camera of this size.The stabilisation is OK. Could be better, and it crops in on the full strength setting. There is something called Catalyst Browse, which is free to download to the PC/ Mac, and used the camera’s data to stabilise the image in post. This works really well, but only really at high frame rates, and videographers will know you like to set a 180 degree shutter speed, which basically means twice the frame rate- so 50 or 60 on this when filming 4K 24, 25 or 30 fps (unfortunately it doesn’t do 4K 60fps) which isn’t really a fast enough shutter speed for Catalyst Browse to work at its best. So if you want to use catalyst browse, be prepared to shoot at higher shutter speeds, which isn’t the end of the world if you upload to YouTube. Or just use the inbuilt stabilisation carefully or stick on a gimbal.The customisation options on the camera are amazing for something like this- again just as you will find on the high end Sony full frame ( older style menu). This means an amateur could feel quite overwhelmed if delving into the menus, but the more experienced will appreciate this. Fortunately the run and gun shooter is well catered for, by just leaving it on auto, but you won’t quite get the top end results you could get by setting it all up manually and shooting in HLG Log profile for example. Then again, I’ve been doing stuff like this for years, and then it all needs editing correctly in post- I just don’t have the time so will probably just shoot on standard with a 180 shutter speed most of the time.4K footage looks great. I have noticed that even in cloudy light outside I have to apply the built in ND filter when shooting with the aperture wide open and shutter speed at 60. The ND filter is a welcome addition (this is basically sunglasses for your camera so you can keep the aperture open wider in lighter conditions to get the blurred backgrounds) but not strong enough in bright sunlight to mean I still don’t have to close the aperture a bit.You can buy a unofficial stick on 52mm thread, and add a wide angle lens ( I may not bother as I don’t Vlog, which is where it improves the camera to give more space in shot) or add on a variable, stronger ND filter which I may well get.Make sure you buy extra batteries. It isn’t bad but you need at least 2 spare, and you can pick up an unofficial charger and 3 batteries for around £20 on Amazon.Overall, I’m delighted with this tool, and will lose it a lot.I also got the Sony handgrip free with mine. Maybe it’s not worth £130 but it is an extremely nice tripod and Bluetooth controller, very high quality and I am very pleased with that too.

I bought this as soon as it was released to replace my Canon M50 which was a camera I loved but I needed something lighter and more compact.I've very impressed with the image quality and the plethora of features the ZV-1 has and on the whole I am very pleased with it.It's not without it's faults however and in my opinion, and depending on your style of use, it does need some customisation and accessories to make the most of it.I have added a Small Rig cage which allows you to mount other items to the camera with ease and also means you can open the battery/SD card door without needing to remove the tripod if you are using one. I also occasionally use an external mic but in all honesty this really isn't necessary as the built in mic really is very very good and of course keeps the footprint low when travelling. It also gives you a better grip with the camera.In early 2021 Sony updated the firmware which allows you to use the camera as a webcam (both image and sound - yey!) however you really should use a dummy battery connected to 5v power source as I've found that if you use the battery and connect to power the battery will still drain.I would also recommend a spare battery or two. The batteries are tiny and really don't last long with heavy use.Finally I've ordered the ULANZI 18mm wide angle lens which attaches via an adhesive mount you screw the lens into. This opens up the field of view a little and very useful.The main negatives on this camera (which can mostly be sorted with accessories) are the narrow field of view, the poor battery life, the placement of the battery/sd door (not an issue if you use the camera handheld) and the image stabilisation whilst 'good' simply cannot compared to say a modern iPhone/GoPRo/DJi Osmo Action. (I have a Zhiyun Crane M2 gimbal for this). Finally the screen isn't a full touch screen, you can only touch to focus or track an object.Overall a great camera that can suit many different needs from point and shoot, to vlogging, to zoom/teams meetings, one camera to rule them all! Despite it's slight niggles worthy of a 5 star rating.Having said all this however, I recommend you watch some guides to make the most of it and to help navigate and understand Sony's ridiculously over complicated menu system. It's well worth spending the time understanding this and also customising the cameras buttons for your most used features.

After comparing the ZV-1 to the G7X MKiii, We brought this to supplement the main camera on our YouTube channel.The video quality is so high that we now use it as our main camera. It is a tiny pocket rocket of a camera.The autofocus is amazing, the colours are good and 4k image is great and the audio means we no longer use an external mic.Consstabilisation is only OK, plastic build quality - although glad the money has gone on the insides, unlike the G7x MKiii that looks and feels good, but performs badly.If you are looking for a compact VLOG camera, this is the one to buy.