Sony ZV-1F

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The Sony ZV-1F is a cheaper version of Sony’s very popular ZV-1 Vlog camera and is targeted to noon-photographers who are just getting into vlogging. It is Sony’s most affordable Vlog camera priced at US $499 (about $200 less than the ZV-1). So, what are the main differences between the two Vlog cameras?

On the minus side, the ZV-1F has a fixed 20mm F2.0 prime lens instead of a zoom lens. (It does have up to 4.0x digital zoom.) It inexplicably does not use Sony’s famous hybrid phase-detect/contrast detect Eye AF, choosing instead to use a slower (but still fast and accurate enough) contrast detect only AF. It also does not have the ZV-1’s fancy MI shoe, opting instead for a regular hotshoe. It loses the built-in ND filter (though the lens takes 40.5mm threaded filters). It does not shoot RAW. All of that may not matter to the audience the ZV-1F targets.

On the plus side, the 20mm focal length is a bit wider and is better for including the vlogger and surrounding. It has USB-C charging (versus the ZV-1’s microUSB) so you can plug the camera in and record for a longer time than just the battery would allow. It also has a better, friendlier and more intuitve touch user interface than the ZV-1. It’s all good improvements.

Everrything else is pretty much the same as on the ZV-1, which means that the ZV-1F is pretty much as good a vlog camera (and webcam) as the ZV-1 — at $200 less.

Like the ZV-1, the ZV-1F features 20.1MP resolution on a 1-inch sensor. It is not a mirrorless camera (since the lens is not interchangeable), but a compact camera with a fixed prime lens. The lens is a 20mm (equiv.) wide-angle with a F2.0 aperture. There is no EVF. On the back, the 3-inch 921K-dot Touchscreen LCD is Vari-angle (i.e. fully-articulating) and can therefore face forward for selfies.

The ZV-1F has Sony’s unique “Product Showcase Setting” which prioritizes nearby object and will perform a focus transition from you to your featured product (without you having to hide your face), and then back again to focusing on your face/eye when you remove the product from before the camera. This one feature alone should convince many of you who showcase products in your videos. You can also turn on Face Priority AE so that the camera ensures your face is always properly exposed. There is also the always popular Soft Skin effect. Other features include Hyperlapse, Slow Motion, Creative Look, Remote Shooting, Vertical Videos, Shot Mark (in-camera best scene selection), and easy Live Stream by connecting one cable.

The ZV-1F also has a “Background Defocus” button right on top of the camera. Press it and the camera will open the aperture to its maximum setting of F2.0 — no filter or digital effect here, but real optical defocusing.

Video is recorded in 4K/30p, and slow-mo effects can be done in 1080/120p. The video can be digitally image stabilized (Active Stabilization), but there is a crop factor. The battery allows you to shoot about one hour of 4K video, and you can shoot longer by plugging the camera via the USB-C port.

When facing the camera, you want to be sure you are recording and a tally lamp lights up red to indicate you are now live; a bright red border also frames the image on the LCD.

That fuzzy thing on top of the camera is not a microphone, but a “deadcat” windscreen placed on top of the directional three-capsule mic (by attaching onto the hotshoe) to cut out noise caused by windy conditions when shooting outdoors.

If you need more professional sound recording, you can also attach an external microphone onto the hotshoe and via the analog 3.5mm mic jack. Attach the ECM-G1 to clearly capture sound directly in the front of the camera—cutting down on unwanted noise from elsewhere — or record your voice from a distance with the ECM-W2BT wireless microphone.

The Sony ZV-1F will appeal to a beginner vlogger desiring an easy way to start vlogging at an affordable price with a camera that is as straightforward to use as a smartphone. If you are keen to start vlogging, either at home or walk-about, and do not currently have anything set up, then I would recommend the Sony ZV-1F kit with the wireless Bluetooth grip. The Sony ZV-1F is available either in black or white finish.

Related Links:

• Sony ZV-1F Press Release
• Sony ZV-1F Technical Specs
• Sony ZV-1F Instruction Manual
• Sony ZV-1F Software & App Download
• Sony ZV-1F Firmware Updates

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• Sony ZV-1F Vlogging Camera