Verdict
It might be ostensibly design for vloggers , but the portability , performance and imaging mightiness of the Sony ZV - E1 full - frame camera make it appealing to anyone who want to make stunning video content . It ’s not a great choice for photos , however , and some substance abuser will miss having a viewfinder and dual South Dakota card slots .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Designed for the most demanding of vloggers , the Sony ZV - E1 mirrorless camera is certainly eye - catching on newspaper .
The small , lightest full - shape standardised lens vlog camera in the world ( now that ’s a mouthful ) , its portability and round-eyed controls make it ideal for on - the - hoof handheld and gimbal shot , while its declamatory sensor and sinewy imaging railway locomotive prognosticate excellent video timbre .
Sony also make mention of a master of ceremonies of AI - assist features ( not only to aid autofocus matter acknowledgment and tracking , but to also actively snip a chosen theme inside the frame ) , improve range of a function stabilisation and simplified control , the idea being to keep everything straightaway and easy .
The television camera ’s in high spirits spec and terms suggests it ’s gravel plenty to offer veteran videographers who are n’t frightened to delve deep into the camera ’s menus and come out tweaking scene to achieve their ideal paradigm performance . But is this really a photographic camera that suits every type of content creator , from newcomers to seasoned film maker ? allow ’s find out .
Design and handling
The Sony ZV - E1 is small and light , and that ’s a major part of its appeal . It weighs under 500 gee without a lens , but do be mindful that the latter can add importantly to that .
I reviewed it with Sony ’s high - character 20 - 70 mm F4 G zoom crystalline lens , which is turgid and slightly heavier than the ZV - E1 itself , but mate it up with something compact like the 24 mm F2.8 G prime lens and you ’ve got a really portable setup , specially compared to other full - frame sensor models in Sony and its competitors ’ kitchen stove .
The size has meant compromises , of line . There ’s no full - size HDMI here ( just a mini HDMI ) , only one SD visiting card slot ( and it ’s just for Mount Rushmore State cards too ; not compatible with the faster CFexpress cards we ’re start to see on a regular basis on other video - centric cameras ) and no electronic finder . The latter is n’t a plenty - breaker , but I did find myself missing it on a few social function when smart sunlight made the screen more or less gruelling to see .
manipulation can sometimes hurt when a camera is small , with buttons and grips being sacrifice in the name of slimming down , but I found the Sony ZV - E1 a pleasure to apply . I ’d suggest a vlogging hold of some kind to make it well-off to comport ( I used a Joby GorillaPod , but Sony does make the $ 139.99/£170 GP - VPT2BT handle that includes on - circuit card ascendance and doubles as a mini tripod ) , but the buttons are with child enough to regain easily .
As with other ZV range vlog camera , Sony has replaced the classic modality dial with a slider that switches between three shot modes : photo , video and S&Q ( tedious and ready ) . Once one has been selected , you could choose other setting – like aperture or programme antecedence – though the bill of fare screens .
There are also buttons to engage product show window AF mode ( for vloggers who will be holding object in front of the camera ) and to toggle between a clear and defocused background ( i.e. bokeh ) – two more nods to content creators who might not picture adjusting the AF or aperture preferences to accomplish these results .
The eubstance is well made and pretty knotty , with detritus and wet waterproofing on all major ports and button . It ’s not ‘ waterproofed ’ in the same path a GoPro is , so do n’t go dunking it in the bath , but it ’ll survive a light rainwater shower or a stumble to the desert just fine .
Finally , I was well-chosen to see a front count lamp on the camera . It shines red when it ’s record , immediately letting you screw if you ’re rolling or not ; a simple but worthful feature that too many telecasting - centrical mirrorless camera omission .
Screen
The 3 - column inch screen door is of the fully say vari - angle type , meaning it can flip-flop and twist out to be pointed in almost any focal point . It ’s the least you ’d expect on a television camera aim at vloggers , as it comes in utilitarian for composition when you ’re film or photographing yourself .
It ’s bright and clean , even outdoors on a cheery daytime . Sony has also promote its touchscreen UI to make it richer , which intend you may rap more on - cover buttons than before to shift preferences , and swipe up from the bottom to instantly enter the menu you ’d normally use the ironware ‘ Fn ’ button for ( this clitoris is still there , but it ’s on the back , so when you ’re self - filming you ’ll struggle to determine it ) .
As before , you could also tap on the CRT screen to position a focus point : tap on an object and the photographic camera will cut through it around the skeletal frame .
Features and performance
The headline feature on the Sony ZV - E1 , in my opinion , are the improved range of a function stabilisation and powerful autofocus tracking , both of which vloggers will take account .
Sony ’s SteadyShot stabilisation comes in four level here : off , Standard ( optical only ) , Active ( add some digital stabilization at the cost of a slight crop to the frame ) and Dynamic Active ( adds more belligerent digital stabilisation but crop even further ) .
If you want to record walk - and - talk vlogs , the Dynamic Active work out very well at reducing the bobbing background signal , but the inclemency of the craw means you ’ll want to utilise a wide - angle lens – perhaps even wide than the 20 millimeter lens I used . In any sheath , I think the overall stabilization is serious if not course - leading – Panasonic ’s late photographic camera seem a bit better at it .
Sony stay a skipper when it total to autofocus , however , and it ’s dead brilliant at locking onto a moving subject and keep it sharp as it moves around the frame . It ’s pretty apt at identifying them too , thanks to some AI assistance : you’re able to determine the Sony ZV - E1 to track human beings , beast , raspberry , insects , cars , trains and airplanes , and it ’ll in the main identify them rapidly and efficaciously . AF hurrying can be adjusted to your druthers too , and I really have no complaints about how it do on this camera .
More AI assist comes in with the new Framing Stabiliser characteristic , which let you to set up the camera and take the air around in the frame . It ’ll then lop in on you and track your trend , fundamentally ‘ stabilising ’ the footage – but I found it looked stilted and jolly odd .
Connectivity feel slightly ‘ thrust ’ here , what with the micro HDMI and single SD bill of fare time slot , but you also get a 5GbpsUSB - Cport ( which can be used for permanent power supply as well as charging and data transfer ) , 3.5 millimeter earphone and microphone sockets and a blistering brake shoe with Sony ’s Digital Audio Interface technical school . Bluetooth 4.2 and dual - band Wi - Fi are also usable .
While I suspect most ‘ serious ’ vloggers will be contribute an outside microphone for register the best potential audio , the built - in 3 - capsule stereophony mic here defecate for a solid backup if you ’re jaunt light . It has a cunning auto - directive designing that trace sound as it move around the tv camera , switch between mics as needed . you could gear up this manually too , but I found it chase a single vox well on its own and that the audio timber was fairly nipping and fair . There ’s an let in furry windshield too , which slot into the spicy shoe and reduces unwanted pounding on blustery Day .
Sony may offer straight-out transcription times on its pricier mirrorless telecasting cameras like theA7S IIIand FX3 , but you wo n’t observe that here : with no way for fancy cooling solutions , the ZV - E1 can overheat when show long 4 K clip . I managed about 25 minutes of 4K/60p transcription before it shut out down to chill off .
Battery life is decent : after 25 proceedings of constant transcription at 4K/60p , it was bear witness 75 % leave , which seems in line with Sony ’s claims about 95 minutes of plosive speech sound / get recording on a full charge .
Image quality
The Sony ZV - E1 ’s 12.1MP full - frame sensor seems to be the same as the one find on the much pricier A7S III and FX3 , so overall effigy tone is pretty much in line with those two : in other words , it ’s fantastic .
user have access to a wide range of picture profile , include presets for colour grading favourites like S - Log2 , S - Log3 and HLG , and Sony ’s well - regarded S - Cinetone setting , which delivers gorgeous colours right out of the camera , with no need to colour correct at all . I found this became my go - to while reviewing , and there ’s even a quick place setting to engage it directly from the touch screen : just tap the CineVlog button and the camera switch to S - Cinetone , 24fps and a 2.35:1 expression proportion for some simple cinematic outcome .
The large sensor means you could get excellent results in low - spark conditions , with little sign of digital noise . The camera can also record 10 - number video in most configurations , which means gorgeous , wide dynamic range and clean , smooth color graduation . Overall , it ’s arresting stuff from such a compact camera .
At the fourth dimension of reviewing , the camera can record 4 super acid at up to 60fps and 1080p at up to 120fps , but a coming ( and destitute - of - charge ) firmware update will duplicate those framerates ( confine the role of this extremist - gamey - speed capture to the S&Q mode , which essentially means they ’re intended for slow - movement use only ) .
photo feel like something of an second thought here , with no mechanical shutter on panel . They still take care great in general , but the Sony ZV - E1 is a telecasting camera first .
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Should you buy it?
:
squeeze a full - frame sensor into such a small dead body is no bastardly feat , and while concessions have been made , none feel like deal breakers . Great for vloggers and serious filmmakers too .
With still picture taking less important than television here , a model like the A7S III – which has a viewfinder and mechanical shutter – might suit intercrossed content creators better .
Final Thoughts
The Sony ZV - E1 is excellent for vlogging and will impress anyone who wants to make great looking videos . Cinematic image quality , choice aplenty and killer autofocus and stabilisation make it a arresting all - round movie car – and a succinct one at that .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every camera we survey soundly . We utilise set trial to compare features properly and we use it as our primary machine over the review time period . We ’ll always tell you what we get hold and we never , ever , bear money to review a intersection .
FAQs
This television camera is dead fine for photography , but it excels specifically at TV capture . I urge checking out ourbest cameralist for a in effect value alternative for picture taking .
If vlogging is your chief concern , then the Sony ZV - E1 is one of our top urge options .
Full Specs
