Thoughts on the Sony ZV-1
As an amateur vlogger, like many others who are interested in this field, I have wanted camera makers to create a camera for this space for quite some time. While many have added features that will improve the experience when Vlogging, as far as I can tell, Sony is the first company to release a camera specifically designed for Vloggers. Announced yesterday, the ZV-1 looks like a pretty perfect camera for my Vlogging needs.
There’s been lots of posts about this in the past 24 hours, and lots of you tube videos going over the specs and so on, so I’m not going to go over all that again. Instead, I want to share my own feelings on this and why, I would strongly consider getting one. But first, a quick recap…
If you missed it, the ZV-1 is a new camera from Sony. It is essentially an optimised version of the RX100 series that has been created specifically for Vlogging. To this end it features a fully articulated screen, a much better microphone, an improved grip, an internal ND filter, and some tweaks to the onboard software to make it easy for vloggers.
The Compact Vlogging Camera
As with any creative endeavour, and as with any field involving photography, there are a wide range of options and skill levels when it comes to Vlogging. Some go for DSLRs with lots of attachments to achieve the best possible cinematic quality. Others, want a smaller and more compact offering.
One of the most popular cameras for Vlogging for a long time has been the Canon G7XII. This is the camera I use, and I got most of my favourite you tubers used this camera and swore by it. I’ve used mine for several years now, and I was pretty happy with it, as it works fine for what it is. There were always some areas that really needed improvement, and Sony have addressed all of these with the Z-V1.
But before I get to those, I want to address some of the straw-man criticism that has come out in the last 24 hours. Some (commenters and the odd reviewer) are complaining saying this isn’t fit for purpose because you can’t vlog properly with a 24mm equivalent lens. This really annoyed me reading all of these arguments, because they’re just not true.
As I said, one of the most popular cameras (by a long stretch too) is the Canon G7XII (I don’t know if the version 3 has the same popularity yet) which has the exact same focal length, and there are thousands of vloggers on YouTube who use this every day, and started their channels with this camera. To suggest that it not suitable for vlogging with a lens that has the same specifications as one of the most widely used and popular cameras for vlogging is the strawiest of straw man arguments.
Would it be nice to have a wider lens? Sure, but that would undoubtedly have compromised the quality, and probably have limited the f1.8 aperture when wide. Does it make it useless for vlogging? Not even remotely.
(Incidentally, there are wide converters available for the RX100 series, so if you really need a wider lens, you can get it with an add on)
Ok, rant over…. (For now ;-) )
It’s the Sound, stupid
The biggest issue with the previous RX100 models, and the Canon G7XII has always been the sound. All of these cameras have pretty shitty microphones built in. On top of that, it was only recently that newer versions of these models have audio in, but they didn’t have a hot shoe for mounting a better microphone. And even if they did, it would block the flip up screen. Sony has addressed both of these issues.
The new ZV-1 comes with a much improved directional built in microphone, who’s pedigree comes from Sony’s high-end camcorders. Judging by the samples posted on YouTube, it is a huge improvement over previous models. It also comes with a wind muffler (often referred to as a dead cat). On top of that there is a hotshoe for mounting an external microphone, in addition to an audio in jack. Not only that but the hotshoe is a smart hotshoe so you can mount one of Sony’s microphones which will connect to the camera directly bypassing the need for external cables, although the power draw limits the usability of this.
According to Philip Bloom (see review below) the pre-amps are really good in this camera too, which is something often overlooked by people when looking at a camera for video.
For me, audio is the biggest issue with my G7X2, more so than the lack of 4K. What I normally do is record the audio separately using my iPhone and Rode SmartLav. With the Zv-1 I would ahem a lot more options and I can plug directly into the camera. I know the newer Canon G7X3 and RX100 cameras also have audio in, but they have no direct way to mount a camera.
The only real issue is the lack of a headphone output, but this is also missing on all other compact cameras. It’s a shame though, but maybe the next version Sony?
Other useful features
There are a lot of other really useful features on this too, but as I said at the start, I didn’t want this to be another specification list. But the things I am really excited to try are the face auto exposure priority, because on the G7X2 that’s actually one of the big issues with it. I normally set my exposure manually, but there are times when walking in and out of shade where it really helps to have auto exposure, especially here in Ireland where the weather is constantly changing.
Other things like the auto bokeh button are really useful too. I know people are criticising this as, and I quote, “features for kids” but most of those people have probably never tired vlogging. When you’re shooting all by yourself, and trying to do other things at the same time, every feature that saves you time and makes things easier is welcome.
By far the best review of this camera
Lots of bloggers, Vloggers and journalists were given review units of this camera, and there are some good reviews out there, and some not so good reviews (and some down right click bait). But the best and most comprehensive review by far that I have seen is from Philip Bloom. If you don’t know Philip, he is a professional film maker and was one of the early pioneers of using small cameras for broadcast work. He is a professional cinematographer, but he doesn’t expect this to be the equivalent of a broadcast camera and is very fair and judges it for what it is, while giving it a comprehensive review. If you watch any review of this camera take the time to watch this (it’s longer than most, but way better)
