The Sony ZV-1 is a modified version of Sony's RX100 series aimed at vloggers and video enthusiasts. Does Sony have a winner? Chris and Jordan vlog their way through an episode to find out.
It's mind-blowing that you did all the selfie videos at high aperture when this camera really shines at f1.8 and footage looks amazing and vastly more professional than on a small sensor phone camera that can't isolate the subject ok video. Dpreview should hire some folks experienced in photography and videography to make their reviews.
Why isn’t anyone talking about the camera side of the ZV-1. I ordered one so I have better AF and tracking than my RX100V has plus the faster lens so my ISO is half of the Viii and it’s $500 less money.
Seems like a great upgrade other than no flash
I have zero interest in longer lens or slower lens in a 1” sensor I basically use instead of my iPhone. I use a7riv and a9 for photography.
Good point. I plan to do that as soon as I come up with something I couldn't do before. Two things come to mind so far. The ZV-1 blows the a9 out of the water with 24fps stills! At the beach in Florida’s blasting summer sun, this thing can ND filter and 1/32,000 of a sec. So combined that would be F1.8, @ 1/32,000, with ND filter @24fps! Can any other stills camera do that right out of the box with eyeAF while focusing and measuring exposure 60 times per second with live tracking @ base ISO!!!!! That's enough to make you dizzy!!! Oh, I heard it can do video too! Bonus!
Ted Forbes just did a review on the ZV1 for stills and it confirmed what I have felt about the camera. It is an extremely good point and shoot and 40% less than a RX100VII what's not to like? I miss the flash but that's it.
But that vignetting. When you crop it out, you almost have the same frame as you started with but now with a bit of distortion. The only feasible workaround is to mount it on a pole, selfie stick, or gimbal with extension to get a true wider view. Which most vloggers do anyway.
You have some points, and I’m going to test it next week. I’ll report and put some examples in my gallery. I’m looking for a solution. My null hypothesis is that it is no better than the 24-70 by itself.
For your information, that very point has been harped on for eons!!! Sony doesn’t believe in screens, much less touch screens! And they are unanimous in that!!! Please don't inquire about this again. You can buy a Sony camera if you want to, but Once you enter the Sony Sanctimonious, it is simply forbidden to talk of such things. If you really want to impress the Sony upper echelons, you should keep this flip screen with the screen side closed, out of sight. Lol
Were we watching the same video? Personally I thought the standard color was, if anything, slightly oversaturated. Regardless, it's the work of a moment to tweak the saturation (or any other color-related setting) up or down to your liking, after which you never have to adjust it again if you don't want to.
@ prophoto Price?, it’s the least expensive, and most capable rx100ish model they make. Must-have features? Please name them. Product segmentation? Illuminate us please. Product cannibalism. You understand Sony’s policy right. No ‘new’ model may include any new part as long as there is anything in the warehouse that could do the job....sort of.
The ZV-1is the least expensive RX100ish model but it is certainly not the most capable/feature-rich.
It is a much more focused product for vloggers.
Compared to the "real" RX100 cameras, it, therefore, lacks some features and functions for still photography. There is no EVF, no pop-up flash, and no control ring.
The ZV-1 has many things that the RX100 series does not have - a fully-articulated screen, a more effective microphone, a Bokeh control button, an updated and state-of-the-art autofocus system with product showcase mode.
So it is all about price, size, weight, must-have features, product segmentation, product cannibalism, etc.
I fail to see your point. Cameras capable of vlogging have been around for years so they haven't been waiting around for this camera to get started. In a recent poll here on DPR the results showed that the vast majority of DPR members do not shoot any or much video yet here we see all kinds of people weighing in on this camera's vlogging potential, people who probably have no interest in it.
Now that I think of it there were a lot of people shooting action/sports before there were action cams but that doesn't address my original point. How many people commenting on this camera actually are vloggers or plan on being one?
OK, to get you two out of your no exit loop, I've never vlogged, but I'm going to start. This camera spurred me to act. And it goes a long way toward making it easy to jump in and give it a try. Just for fun. And it is not like I have a busy schedule at present.
Maybe a common sight in LA but I don't see many doing it, (VLOGING). What you do see though is a disproportionate number of influential new media celebrities and camera reviewers putting VLOG video features high in terms of their priorities for recommendations, Much higher I expect than many of their audience need. Sony get this better than any other companies. More important to place product with iJustine and get an unboxing, than get a hard review from Tony Northrup. not to disparage either of those two individuals. both have there place, but i do think Sony more than others get the impotance of the former. so making a camera specificaly for them is not a bad idea.
2JoeA7R2 The problem is S_Conner is talking about something completely different from the point I was making. In addition his premise is a false one because there have been cameras just as suitable for vlogging, if not more so, for years. This camera doesn't change anything. If you wonder what my point is it's I am willing to bet that most of the people disparaging this camera have never vlogged, don't intend to, have no idea what makes a good vlogging camera and simply hate Sony.
Don't have much to add other than what others have said. Having said that, I did preorder one as it will be perfect for my travels and is a serious upgrade to my beloved old tiny travel cam, the Olympus E-PL5.
I recently bought the 20mm f1.8 G for my video and vlogging work and I've instantly become a huge fan of the wide focal length, despite preferring long lenses in photography. The flexibility of loose framing, cropping 4k to 1080p, showing other stuff in the frame, all useful and I'm really glad I went 20mm over 24mm.
I understand why they didn't develop a new lens for this camera but I really hope they do for the ZV-2/ZV-1b once this proves there's a market. A 16-35mm equivalent or maybe something like 20mm-50mm would be perfect.
I bought the Nebula tripod/selfie stick Casey suggested in his vid on this camera over at Camera Conspiracies on YT. And I bought it from his link to thank him for solving this difficulty of wanting more in the frame without killing bokeh with a wide lens.
Best I can do do is the link to the video. Then view the show notes with the little triangle on right below the video screen. About one screen down. Neither YT or AMZ would let me copy the stupid link. I guess they Don’t like selling stuff. And just for you, I just unboxed it. It's very well built! Very strong. Of course I knew Casey wouldn't be linking crap. I think it will be perfect for this use case!
Sony, Nice job, I see a lot to like in this camera! I ordered one. Could it be improved?, of course. But I'll let others Worry about that. The three features on this unit that really stand out for me are: one-button-bokeh, Product Showcase, and Face Priority Auto Exposure! So I got to thinking, how could/should these features be implemented on the a7-line. But these are general cameras not aimed at specialty areas like landscapes, weddings, sports etc. Yes, we can make and save whole camera setups to memory locations, but that still doesn't give us the power or speed of a one-button advanced feature like Product Showcase! What I want is the ability to assign toggled on/off one-button sequences of settings to the button of my choice. In other words, I want to be able to program my own advanced functions and assign them as I please!! With this we could create our own dedicated super cameras! Several of them! Power to the user!!!
I think there is much to like about this camera, made for quick and easy one-person video/content production, mainly targeted at those who want to keep it simple. Even the standard color profile is adjusted to fit the intended use of the camera. And for those who are more picky, there are lots of additional in-camera color profiles and other settings.
For those who want to work with more control and higher quality output, there is a vast amount of cameras available, additional gear and advanced post processing software to choose among.
The iPhone Audio recording is way superior than this ZV-1 when the subject is more than 7 feet away from the camera or when not speaking towards the camera's Mic. The Bluetooth Mic feature on the iPhone makes for this big difference and is so convenient. Audio is 50% of your video.
Yeah but the iPhone probably needs a white BT to Apple-BT adapter. And the Apple BT mic is more expensive than a camera. And you need to send the files over the air because you can't simply put the SD card in your laptop. Lastly you will need special Apple software to import or convert the Apple HEVC file format.
S_Connor, there is no adapter needed, all you need is a decent BT headset any brand. I use a PowerBeats 3 with FilmicPro and MoviePro apps.
tbcass, the golden rule for high quality audio recordings is to get as close as possible to the sound source, there is no magic Microphone than can get good quality from afar, so I'm 100% sure this ZV-1 is not the exception. Wireless Mics attached to the subjects have been the industry standard for this reason. Sony is betting that most amateur Vloggers and reviewers won't notice underestimate the importance of audio.
Why does this video skip on the single most important element? Really unprofessional from Chris and Jordan, and I think they need to film a follow up to correct this.
WOW.... Suddenly so many reviews on this camera appear on YouTube... Anyway, I think a camera designed to be a vlogging camera have an LCD that don't work with polarized sunglasses is a big minus.
Yep. Influencers get paied (directly or indirectly by "likes" induced by an early review permited by Sony). No one (even DPR) does anything but yet another "Is it the best vlogging camera ?" video. Everybody sticks to Sony's marketting guideline and never tries to take the device independently from Sony's marketting, by questionning other use cases. Typically, the hotshoe is mostly ignored.
Reading through these comments, the consensus and take away from the video is: The old iPhone XR trounces the new Sony for video. Better color, better stabilization, greater dynamic range, etc. I’d like to see more comparisons against some newer smartphones too. My guess is they all would show there is little to no reason for the Sony.
Yeahhh HDR vs SDR and 10 bit vs 8 bit, guess who will win ....... And most probably iPhone will not overheat .......... What is left - hot shoe, optical zoom, and better low light performance.........
A lot of people here would not have anything nice to say about the camera no matter how good it was...
If you are really interested how it compares to a modern smartphones (as well as other cheaper cameras like the M50) and not just by watching a single short few seconds clip, there are other reviews out there doing much more in-depth comparisons in more than just a short walk.
Check out Max Yuryev review for example, comparing it with the iPhone 11 Pro, I completely agree with Max’s conclusion, that the ZV-1 does clearly better job with video than a smartphone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOS9ffNr_r0
Just watching 5 seconds of video with Sony at 24 FPS and it’s horrendous stabilization shows just how bad it is compared to even an older iPhone. Any shill can tweak a phone to look not as good, but overall the iPhone looks superior in almost every way.
So you base you conclusion of a few second clip, and says the phone is “superior in all most any way”, clearly without looking at the link or any other review doing real in-depth comparison and you dare to call the them “shills”. That is humor :D
@Raynaud It's still the best compact camera. Excellent lens, ND, top-notch AF, good accurate colours SOOC. Video is sharp and detailed, for those who wants more freedom there are S-Log2 and HLG picture profiles. Why would anyone care about stabilisation when vlogger kit is just 100 more? The phone's colours are oversaturated, you can easily achieve that look with a vivid profile. Regards
Virtually any new smartphone is better. As we saw the stabilization with this camera, especially at 24p, is near worthless. The Touchscreen doesn’t work. The LCD is too dim in daylight. The LCD resolution is less than 1/3rd of a MP. You cannot access the SD/memory stick slot most of the time. It only takes older/slower SD cards. You can’t use a USB battery for longer shoots. You can’t transfer pics quickly via USB if at all because it’s USB 2.0 from 20 years ago. The LCD does NOT fully articulate. It can only point off to the side when vlogging. And as we saw just about any smartphone takes better video.
Anyone who has used an older RX100 knows how good or bad this camera is. That is all this is. Except it has an articulating LCD that does NOT fully articulate, and Sony has tried again to fix their poor color profiles.
What’s shocking is how bad IS is at 24p, and side by side with an older budget iPhone, it looks pretty awful.
Raynaud Your heavily biased opinions are useless to me. I own an iPhone 11 and it's video sucks and it's still quality is even worse. Ergonomics are horrendous. I bet when you use your phone for video you hold it in vertical orientation even when you plan to view the video on a TV or computer monitor..
I am with does not articulate crowd on this one, this is exactly why I do not buy Canon cameras too ie not enough DR. 179 deg is not enough nor the DR from canons.
It strikes me that this is a way of reducing the price of the RX100 series of cameras which had got a bit crazy. They have done this by bringing out a parallel "vlogging" optimised camera, which is basically an RX100 VA - lite. The reviews are good - a few gripes, most of which they can fix the the ZV-1a without much of a fuss. Looks like a plan to me.
Boy is the footage from the Iphone XR is jawdropping awesome next to the Sony. The colors, skin detail, dynamic range... everything! Go to 13:18 on the video to see for yourself. No wonder why Sony priced this camera at 750$ instead of 1500$. But I am afraid the game vs smartphones is hopeless.
Smartphone manufacturers know the constraints of their small sensors. That's why they have implemented HDR video, HDR photo, photo stacking in seconds etc., so that they can at least have a chance against camera manufacturers. I don't know why camera manufacturers aren't upping the game like adding back-illuminated sensor and adding silky smooth stabilisation for video. They have the technology and heck some even add it to their smartphones. Camera manufacturers still have the lead from smartphones but it won't be for long.
"I don't know why camera manufacturers aren't upping the game"
Because of money. Since the camera market is shrinking, the manufacturers are cutting costs in an attempt to keep profits up. The thing is that even if they upped the game and increased R&D spending, the camera market wouldn't start to grow again. Smartphones will always have the convenience factor, which is why consumers in general prefer them over dedicated cameras.
@Revenant IMO camera cut cost strategy totally is wrong, their still aim to high cost R&D proprietary hardware & software: own special but outdated processor, LCD, battery....
Smartphone maker (even small phone company like XiaoMi, OPPO) can cut lot of cost via share 3rd party vendors hardware : Snapdragon processor, Samsung OLED screen, .... no need spend must R&D.
Now, current camera maker only aim cut cost via cut feature. So, phone more and more features than camera.
IMO Camera maker suppose can use smartphone hardware: Snapdragon processor (since Fuji and Sony processor are ARM), use smartphone OLED screen; use same common battery across all brand, built firmware on top of WearOS (Android smartwatch OS); cheap liquid cooling pipe (use in gaming phone) for video heatsink.
I agree with much of what you're saying. There seems to be a deeply rooted culture or mindset of making things proprietary among most of the camera manufacturers, though. Not sure if this will change anytime soon.
@forest dream - 100% correct! They are just decades back with technology and try to invent hot water with every new model!!! same for lens mount and lenses. Everyone invent alone then cry out how expensive it is........ No innovation for 20 years digital! First they killed consumer video cameras, then P&S now they are sinking ILC market. No problem some China company will go and buy all intellectual property and start real innovation on their remains. We see this in cinema camera range already started. Will take some time for ILC but will share same fate.......
@s1oth1ovechunk Latest smartphone (e.g. USD 400++ XiaoMi 10 Pro) already start using 1/1.33" sensor. Nearly future, smartphone video IQ may similar / better than 1" sensor camera (especially smartphone very good in HDR).
IMO since camera has larger sensor and lens, it should has far far more better IQ than smartphone ( not just little better). It should be can achieve easy.
I not want just compare smartphone vs 1" sensor camera. I hope camera can far more aggressive improve, far more better IQ than smartphone. If camera maker just give lot excuse, did not want improve, will reject by market later.
No consumer want buy a extra special device which unable give far more better results.
Nobody want buy a sports car which drive little faster than normal car.
Broadcast standard image sensor is ~1/2.5" - HD/4K. This are cameras used for TV around the world. So no problem with smartphones sensors. Only problem is with lenses for now.
Yes, it looks fine at 720p or on a phone (sometimes), but shoot video with the latest mirrorless cameras and there is a world of difference. Is there any argument about this?
Sure, more than half of this difference are the better optics. So maybe I should have said the tiny lens is readily apparent?
Someone said smartphones can’t use image stacking for video which is incorrect. They can shoot 120-240 frames a second and use AI to combine frames for 24,30, or 60p video. They also can use multiple cameras and use AI to combine output even though the FoV does not match.
Yes, lens is real problem for now but it seems like they are improving. And combination with bigger and faster sensor + CPU/AI/corrections + multiple lens/sensor modules could become win/win situation. And they are already very close especially in situation with day light.
No, smartphones do not use image stacking in video. There is so much you don't understand about video processing and frame rates that is readily apparent in what you are posting that I don't even know where to start.
I'm not your digital photography and videography teacher. the random thoughts and plausible ideas you pull out of your head are not the same thing as reality....
s1oth1ovechunk, I didn’t say they currently do, I said they “can”, meaning it’s is very possible. I could have said that better. It is similar to frame interpolation, but would require a little more horsepower. At the moment they do very well using various techniques to improve each frame. This is why the old XR video looks so much better than the Sony video.
It doesn't make sense to me to trade temporal resolution for spatial resolution while filming video. Are you filming a static subject? Maybe take a photo then? Currently spatial resolution is usually exchanged for temporal resolution. This is why slow motion or hfr video is often lower resolution, or intelligently upscaled from a partial set of sensor pixels. I can see trading temporal resolution for color resolution, but the tiny camera sensors are already straining even at their least sensitive iso, cutting exposure time exacerbate s the problem.
It just sounded like you were presenting a strong contradiction for something that doesn't make much sense to me.aybe I misread your tone, but it seemed pretty: "actually..."
Digital stabilization looks pretty poor to me. Just look at the shimmering of the house on the right of Chris's head from 13:25: https://youtu.be/lbCznwAHi4Q?t=805
That and the tight crop from the digital IS make unsuitable for handheld vlogging as far as I'm concerned.
The lens isn't wide enough - but I guess that's the state of the camera market. More cost-effective to recycle an old lens that to sink R&D costs into developing a lens that's actually fit for purpose - something like a 20-50mm would be ideal. It sort of defeats the size advantage if you have to put the camera on the clunky selfie stick to get your field of view wide enough. You might as well put a wide lens on a mirrorless ILC - a wider lens needs less stabilization anyway.
Big mistake videoing at the same time with an older iPhone XR (which is under $500 now).
The iPhone looked 100x better, more dynamic range, better stabilization, and better colors. Maybe it was the ZV settings, but it didn’t look good in comparison.
Also, most internal mics sound bad, but this one was really bad.
Finally, it does not have a fully articulating screen. It does NOT articulate 180 degrees. And being a very old LCD that is low resolution and very dim is a big negative dive there is no VF. And once again we see Sony making a camera with a mostly useless touchscreen?
I would like to see more comparisons to smartphone because it looks like that phone in your pocket might be better than this camera for vlogging.
Would this be better than a Panasonic G85 for product vlogging? The prices are similar. The G85 has better controls but I suspect tapping to focus would be required.
G85 is much better obviously. It has a fully articulating, higher resolution, brighter, LCD. This one has a dimmer LCD that doesn’t fully articulate 180 degrees (despite what Chis said), and it touch functionality is mostly non existent. The G86 has a larger sensor and better stabilization too. Better controls, better grip, etc.
Thank you for your help. The ZV-1 definitely has some interesting features but I will admit it doesn't feel amazing to buy an older camera like G85 but does seem to have the features I want (except good autofocus)...but then again I've never had a camera with good autofocus (by today's standards) so....
One more issue is with the 10-25 zoom $1800 and weight 2.5 pounds and after all that it doesn't focus worth a... For a total of $2500. Sony $846 w/ 24-70 F1.8 with grip weight 1.1 pounds. Oh, and the Sony focusing is unreal, even on cat or dog eyes! Just insanely good! When doing product shots a camera on a tripod is stabilized. You are not planning on doing product work in the dark are you?
Sony recycled the fine 24-70/1.8-2.8 Lens once more from the RX100 V, Va, implanted it onto this ZV-1. I just can't imagine, it's being 2020....and Sony releases a Vloggers Camera...perfect for YouTubers and Narcissists...
What's with the wanton denigration of "vloggers"? I follow a number of YouTube vlog channels, and I don't consider any of them to be more self-absorbed than is the norm (a couple of examples: Scott Manley and EEVBlog).
Is it that photogs (whether pro or casual) aren't used to being the person in the picture, thus if someone else is the subject/narrator of their own video shoot it automatically equates to narcissism?
Vlogging isn't just holding a video cam at arm's length and shooting oneself yakking.
@Marc. Not every vlogger is like Logan brothers. There are really good YouTube channels that use vlogging cameras for different reasons. For instance some use for creating tutorials, some use it for teaching etc. Check out some channels like Tom Scott, standupmaths, 2veritasium, vsauce, SciShow, Captain Disillusion, Gerald Undone, Tony & Chelsea Northrup etc. YouTube is not like a TV channel where you can't select what to watch, so you are not stuck watching Big Brothers or other crap.
I didn't meant anything about vloggers, that's simply the opinion from Ivan, i was just wondering, that for these guys, a special camera was being made. Not true. Peace.
@2eyesee Seems like all the Sony innovations is from this years 2014-2015. And Canon innovation is from around 2008-2010. And this is it. After just change the box, buttons and some sensors.
The most useful improvement Sony could make for its APS-C and full-frame cameras would be to make the rear LCD fully-articulated, side-hinged, as with this camera. Taking it one step further, since not everyone wants that kind of screen, they ought to (on those larger cameras) make it easily user-changeable, and also offer dual-axis hinged like on the Fuji X-T3. Then the user can have exactly what he or she wants, and different operation at different times. Furthermore, if ever damaged, replacement by the user would be easy, no need to send the whole camera in for service.
Or Sony should just use the articulating screen mechanism from the Sony A77ii or A99ii. These are miles ahead of any other competitors product. they just need to be pushed to do it.
It's actually really cheap marketing. Just sent out a bunch of cameras and have influencers do the rest. It amazes me that other camera manufacturers don't understand that
@panther fan If overdone it becomes counterproductive and possibly the other makers know their audience will do their own research and not appreciate constant messaging on flawless products covering your every need followed by a succession of marks further perfecting perfection.
One person did remark on the phenomenon of Sony fatigue where the constant messaging can grind one down.
Sony pays a lot of people to create video content and post in forums. They can’t compete with with Canon with traditional marketing so you’ll see a lot them on YouTube and in all the forums.
@ Panther Fan, that's why I watch independent reviewers such as Gerald Undone, Tony & Chelsea Northrup, MobileTechReview etc. I saw the review of the new Sony camera by Linus Tech Media (Short circuit channel) and it seemed either they are sponsored by Sony (not saying Sony will cut-you-off for saying bad stuff) or they simply didn't care.
All of those reviewers are independant. Sony doesn't pay people, they just send cameras. And all the people you listed did a video on the new camera. So it works
Companies don't need glowing reviews, they need exposure. And that's what Sony gets plenty
Yeah surprisingly small YouTubers have posted videos basically saying "Sony got in touch and offered to send me a bunch of gear to try out!" They clearly just have a lending library of stuff and are constantly finding people to send it to. For the cost of a small locker of gear and the occasional damaged or stolen piece it's dirt cheap marketing. Even people who are trying to be nonbiased have a hard time with the reciprocity of such perceived generosity and are usually pretty positive in their vids. It's not malicious, just human nature.
A few have implied that if they review this and Sony is happy with what they say, Sony will give them more expensive stuff in the future.
When you look at this camera, it’s a warmed over rather old RX100 with a lot of issues. It’s not competitive, but Sony is getting a lot of people to review it.
I don’t mind the marketing. When we get a new camera in the market I find it useful to see many different perspectives, even if some of them tend to be overly enthusiastic. I treat it more like an ad the. An actual review and I make up my own mind.
Dear god the audio from that construction site. With no headphone jack, how is one expected to do an audio check to prevent that sort of thing? So much interest in frame rates, bit rates, etc. seems misguided when the basics of audio are ignored.
I agree on stabilisation, on my iPhone 11Pro is gimball style. Just compared footage from iPhone and an original slog2 clip of the Sony, I found the Sony clip not so bad, resolution compared to the iPhone seems lower (on 5K iMac display imported both clips in Resolve) but overall quality is better on Sony. I will go OT about iPhone, what disappointed me a lot is a strange issue, but nobody seems to complain about it: in pan or movements on continuos color surface as wall, sky, stone ground there is a big fluctuations of video levels (even with fixed exposure), not uniform but in horizontal grey stripes. I tried on other iPhone at the Apple store and all have same issue. My old iPhoneX has not it (just tested on my wife iPhoneX). I know is a mobile phone and not a prof camera but is a very strange defect. Probably the issue is from one of the last firmware upgrade and in my opinion is about noise reduction or recording from outside of the video framing area implementation.
On my 5k iMac and my 4K flat screen the Sony footage is sharper even compared to my iPhone 11 videos. IPhone 11 video seems Okay when viewed on a mobile screen but softer and have almost painted look when viewed on a bigger high res screen.
Ironically, I would buy it NOT for vlogging. It's a tiny camera with great AF and crisp 4k video. Perfect for a tourist that want to film his/her summer vacation with ease, in great colors and perfect focus. But for vlogging? It's 25mm at the wide end and something like 28mm with the stabilization turned on. Pretty useless vlogging device.
@Stefpix - have you been on vacation lately? For every person with a "normal" camera, there are thousands using just their phone... no viewfinder... it's a snap and pray world now-a-days... no framing needed... justt snap, move, snap, move snap and delete later.
I agree with you that it’s a nice compact tourist video camera but It’s not useless. Inconvenient but not useless for vlogging . People have been blogging with less wide lenses and less capable cameras for years.
Camera's should get smartphone connectivity. Just put in a smartphone chip and a data only sim so you don't need a phone. Why is this so hard to get? Sony makes smartphones, they should be able to do it. No hassle with connectivity through a phone anymore.
Very few people will want to pay $15-40 per month to have their vlogging camera connected to the internet all the time when the camera can transfer stuff to your cell phone easily enough.
If you vlog outside in that kind of lighting conditions I know three better alternatives; with a gimbal integrated and wider view (dji with add on lens):
Yeah the ideal "designed for vlogging" would be a gimbal camera like that but with 1" sensor, 20mm lens and variable ND. No need for electronic stabilization and you can use larger shutter angles and no crops. No need for articulating screen if the camera can rotate 360°. That would be amazing not just for vlogging but for taking all sorts of video.
The Osmo Pocket and others just have too small sensors and terrible video quality. You'd also want higher bitrate and not that terrible oversharpening and video processing. Maybe their next iteration?
But SirHarry is right, it's really clear what you'd want IF you'd design a camera for vlogging.
panther fan, of those 3, which one is the best for stand-alone/without-phone and actually without much extra's use? I need one of those for the wilderness. I have never had any of those and need simplicity, reliability of soft-and hardware and say "self-sufficiency", like tripod socket. Is the sound decent? is it possible to glue a patch of homemade wind muff tho any of them? Thanks!
@Video-vs-photo Yeah true. 360 cams would be perfect if they would record in insanely high resolutions. You could retroactively select your shot in editing. But with currently 4k or 8k you get 1080p or 720p quality at best.
Doesn't anybody value the hotshoe ? As a photographer, I've ordered a ZV1 to be able to use a proper deported flash and gain control over light (even with a super simple yet effective and creative setup such as camera in one hand and strobe in the other). People seem to miss the pinhole EVF and the unusable tiny built-in flash, but I value a hotshoe much more than both together.
And no studio flash, or big production strobe setups are of course not dead, but the "on-camera-flash" aesthetic has gone out of style over the past years.
And especially the younger generation has a strong aversion against flash photography, especially in social situations. It's a bit like smartphone ringtones. Cool in the 90s, but now frowned upon by everyone around you.
Also if you bother with a heavy external flash setup, you might as well also use a larger camera
I was actually thinking about people who are not fully satistied by smartphones in a first place. Everything I see in this video, I'm sure I can (almost) do it with my Pixel 4. I'm thinking about use cases which I cannot fullfill with my smartphone.
The "camera and flash, one in each hand" is cumbersome to use with a "proper" and larger camera such as my XT3, and is much better with my G7X, designed to be operated with only one hand (be the optical flash control only). This ZV1 with a reliable AF is obviously designed to be operated by one hand only (buttons rather than wheels and rings ...), and has a hotshoe so for my use case, it is perfect. Perhaps nobody cares but to me a 1"-sensored camera with a slow f/2.8 lens isn't enough to shoot indoor without additional light. With a flash unit, I get versatility : the camera in my pocket when I'm outdoor, which I cannot do with a XT3 (with eventually the flash unit in my bag) and a way to properly control light when I'm indoor.
I know that many young people won't take time for the flash learning curve. But DPR reviewers are grown up and obviously know about photography. IMO, a good review should make the effort of considering use cases which are a little bit off the marketing campain. The camera sacrifices an EVF and a flash (which some people would undoubtly appreciate) in favor of a hotshoe. I find weired to simply ignore what this does allow.
@tokumeino It's not about if the photographer is able / has learned to use flash. It is about if it is acceptable to the people he photographs. For many social situations, it is not. Especially for casual "with the friends", "with the family" at a concert/ festival whatever stuff. But even on events where you would expect a "real photographer" like wedding or similar it is increasingly popular to ban flash altogether. A teenager today would rather not take the photo than turn on the flash on their smartphone. Something even smartphone makers acknowledge.
Also, the combination doesn't really make sense. If you want to "fix" the lowlight inaptness of a small camera with a big flash setup, why not go for a big camera without this problem in the first place?
As I said before flash is still needed and popular in studio, portraiture or other "high effort" photography, but why would you use a ZV-1 for this?
Let's agree that we won't agree ;-) Social events involving friends and familly ARE on the countrary when I use this setup almost all the time, because friends and family of mine know what I'm doing and value the pictures and prints I send them since decades. It is more difficult for street where a flash is indeed more intrusive and less accepted. We fully agree on that.
With my XT3, I don't like the flash on my camera anyway, and I rarely "bounce" on the ceiling because of the "flatness" and the dark eyes it does produce. A flashgun in the left hand is much more fast and convenient than an orientable flash head, but it requires a "one handed" camera, which a larger camera is not.
With any camera, I have the flash in my left hand and beleive me, it's much more convenient with my G7X (optically triggered) than with my XT3 that does need both hands to get operated (but I gain an efficient wirless communication thanks to a Godox XPro or whatever).
"because friends and family of mine know what I'm doing and value the pictures and prints I send them since decades."
Seems like you and your subjects are just not in the age bracket we are talking about ;) Nothing wrong with that, but to go back to that ringtone analogy, you and your friends probably also still have ringtones on your smartphones, instead of 24/7 silent mode ;)
@tokumeino Actually usable hot shoe on 1" is good point! And you can get much better photos with proper light and 1". Compared to 35mm sensor and f1.2 lens and no flash. And this is muuch cheaper! And I do not think that flash photography is dead. Actually every smartphone has and use flash!!! So we can say nowadays flash is much more used from before. Yes this is not speed light but it is flash! And this toy is 1" with fast zoom lens and leaf shutter! So no need for HSS, hmm ......... you can use cheapest speed lights ...........
Leaf shutter ? Sweet... even better than I through !
I couldn't agree more with you about the f/1.2 thing. Besides vlogging, there are currently 2 other trends in photography : rectilinear ultra wide angle and razor-thin DOF. I don't like either, as I didn't like overcooked HDR in the 2000's.
I was really looking forward to learn about all the beauty secrets from Jordan. Which nail polish he buys or which hair wax he can recommend? But then, out of nowhere, it endet up being just another camera review.
So for now I will have buy the Sony, the mini tripod, a bottle of Fructis and wait patiently for the next video to find out about the secrets of this style guru.
An interesting scene starting at 13:10 -- side-by-side with the less expensive iPhone XR. The latter appears sharper, producing better skin tones, highlights and contrast to me.
I know this camera is targeted at vloggers but you miss one large target audience in your last part of the video. The typical holiday/travel video shooters you see on every vacation. -Tiny body -Easy Interface -Built-in ND filter -Best in class built-in microphone, and slomo capabilities
With all this blogging, people tend to forget that this is also one of the most capable regular video camera at it's size
PS: @Jordan if you like the new Standard color but want more DR/ less contrast you can do that. Contrast Curve, Gamma, etc... can be set separately from the color profile in Sony cameras
Agreed. It has a lot of useful features, compared to the RX100VA. And many people don't need a (tiny) viewfinder, exposure compensation etc.; though, the built-in flash would have been welcome.
Too bad it doesn't have at least another dial.
But for vloggers, 24mm is not remarkably wide, unfortunately... Especially with the additional crops, when adding electronic stabilisation, for instance.
I agree. I think this is an excellent camera for family vacations m. Certainly more capable and compact then any consumer video solutions out there. I’m planning to purchase one in the future for travel after all this virus and lockdown silliness.
Pity that Sony still uses my A9's bad touch screen. Also I have the same issue under sunlight: The LCD screen is just black. Is it result of a bad anti reflective coating? Maybe. Stabilization is still not good. You definitely need the optional selfie stick which adds to the cost and weight, and even then Apple XR does a better job to stabilize! I liked the product showcase mode and HLG mode. Directional microphone also seems to work well to block out environmental noises from sides and back of the camera.
It's simply screen brightness. The small 1240 mAh battery would be eaten alive if the screen could get as bright as a regular phone screen.
Regarding the stabilization. You only see the phone with a selfie stick, so I don't know how you come to the conclusion that without it works better than the Sony. And with both the phone and the camera using digital IS, the difference is not really that big
I compared DPReview's initial review with this one. Without stick, the footage is so bad that it is way better to just use a phone. With the Sony stick, it gets slightly better but still nowhere as good as m43 cameras or GoPro or Huawei's action camera. Not having a proper touch screen controls is also a bad decision because you cannot change settings when you are in front of the camera. You have to turn the camera to change aperture, ISO, exposure etc.. I think microphone, Hlg and product modes are selling points. They seem to be better than rivals.
@NexUser Again there is no comparison to a phone without a stick.
Also, the stick doesn't add any form of active stability. You just concentrate more on holding it steady with it. So I don't understand how you come to the conclusion that the phone wouldn't also get worse without it.
The phone front camera has 0 active stabilization. It is all just software IS
Nex your A9 screen goes ridiculously bright if you use the “sunny weather” screen brightness mode. I have no problem seeing my A9’s screen in direct sun. You just have to enable this mode manually. Put it in your custom menu for easy access.
As a wedding photog I will DEFINETLY get 1 for the easier shots. Will just pass it around and let the GUESTS do some of the recordings as a fun BTS. Kinda like what I did few years ago with instant film. It was FUN!
As a YouTuber this will change my ENTIRE setup. Will start with 1 but my PLAN is to get 3 of those and put around the office. Price will STILL be cheaper than a GH5 with a lens. LOL!!!! AND it is TRULLY pocketable.
GAME changer!
But WHY, WHY, WHY in 2020 is Sony still INSISTING on this outdated touch screen implementation? Thank the maker it has OUTSTANDING AF tracking.
(and an I-TOLD-YOU-SO to the trolls from the thread that said they trusted only DPReview and NOT some YouTubers on the subject of stabilisation: Here it is!!! Chris says that it IS improved and their findings are INLINE which all the links I posted before. Thats the diff between us that WORK with this on a daily basis and BRAND aficionados on this webzine.)
Of all the shortcomings, I find the lack of a proper touch interface the most puzzling (this applies equally to their higher-end cameras) . It would be especially valuable when one wants to change settings, navigate around, etc. on a camera like this, where there are few manual controls and dials. And it's not like a user-friendly touch UI is hard to figure out; my now 4 year old Pana GX80 manages to do a bang-up job.
I think Dtbb fancies himself as a social media influencer and is hoping he can generate enough heat to get paid. Maybe even get some free stuff from Sony. I'm serious - that's how it works.
He picked the wrong forum here ! The demographics of DPR are not the same as Instagram, to state the obvious ..
Vlogging is more popular than ever. In response, manufacturers have introduced specialty cameras for vloggers. But do you really need a dedicated camera to vlog? We compared the Sony ZV-1 and Panasonic G100 to an iPhone to find out.
The Sony ZV-1 and Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 are the first cameras we've seen that are overtly designed with vlogging in mind – and the changes they represent could have implications for the future of all cameras.
The Sony ZV-1 is the first overtly vlogging-focused camera on the market. We look at how it compares to the likes of the Canon Powershot G7 X III, both for vlogging and for photography.
The Sony ZV-1 is a modified version of Sony's RX100 series aimed at vloggers and video enthusiasts. Does Sony have a winner? Chris and Jordan vlog their way through an episode to find out.
Check out our first sample gallery from the Sony ZV-1, shot by our team at DPReview TV. Their full review of the ZV-1 is coming to a YouTube channel near you soon!
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In the first of a series of in-depth reviews of the best heavy duty 'Systematic' tripods, we're taking a look at the Gitzo Systematic Series 3 (GT3543LS). The big Gitzo is where it all started, so how does it hold up against today's competition?
In this week's episode, Chris compares the Nikon Z7 II and Sony a7R IV for landscape photography, with a close look at their displays, image quality, lens lineups and more.
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We've just completed our full review of the Zeiss ZX1. With a 37MP full-frame sensor, minimalist controls and Lightroom Mobile built in, it remains a refreshing – if quirky – take on the smartphone-meets-camera concept.
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The investors note states 'interest in and demand for cameras increased […] particularly for full-frame mirrorless cameras and interchangeable lenses.'
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