Sony ZV-E1

12.1MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
Product Showcase Setting
3″ 1.04M dots Vari-angle Touch LCD
Directional mic with wind screen
4K/60P(120P) & 1080/240P Video
Cinematic Vlog Setting
5-Axis 5 Stops IBIS
Auto Framing
Dust- and moisture-resistant

QUICKFACT SHEET

The Sony ZV-E1 is Sony’s flagship full-frame vlog mirrorless camera targeted to the professional vlogger with features as automated and practical as possible for a one-person crew production setup. Sony has upped the ante with a full-frame vlog mirrorless camera with all its latest imaging, AF and processing technology crammed into a compact and light body. It meets the requirements of professional vlogging without requiring the user to understand video jargon to easily use the professional features on this camera. Creating professional-looking cinematic video content for demanding clients has just become much simpler.

With the introduction of the ZV-E1, Sony seems to be shutting off all its competitors: there is the ZV-1F (1-inch sensor, fixed prime lens) for beginner vloggers, the ZV-1 and ZV-1 II (both, 1-inch sensor, fixed zoom lens) for the TikTok and YouTube crowd, the ZV-E10 (APS-C sensor, mirrorless) for the professional vlogger on a budget needing much better image quality, and now the ZV-E1 (full-frame sensor, mirrorless) for even better image quality and all the features, connectivity and accessories a content creator might ever need in a professional setting.

The ZV-E1 is based on the A7S III / FX3 and has added all the features that were missing in the ZV-E10:
– 4K/60P (no crop) and is upgradeable to 120P (10% crop; not available in some countries and regions)
– Full HD/240P
– 10-bit 4:2:2 capture
– 5-axis 5 stops IBIS
– Cinematic Vlog Setting (S-Cinetone profile)
– In-camera Timelapse
– 3-in. 1.04M-dot Vari-angle Touch LCD
– Sony’s new Menu
– 3-capsule microphone with variable directivity (Front, Rear, All Directions, Auto)

Like the other cameras in the ZV line, the ZV-E1 is first and foremost a vlog camera targeted to the needs of video-first content creators. (Do not even try to figure out if it will suit your needs as a stills photgrapher; it could, but then you might also just end up being very frustrated.) It goes one further than the other competing vlog cameras in that it tries to hide the complexities of using a complicated camera by replacing intimidating video technical jargon with everyday words and expressions: for example, you will adjust brightness up and down instead of dialing in an exposure compensation; you adjust color instead of white balance; and you simply press the Background Defocus button instead of opening or closing the aperture. In other words, the ZV-E1 targets those professional content creators with no professional video production background, and makes professional video production more intuitive and approachable to a non-technical audience.

By automating as much as possible the tasks of a dedicated video operator, it purports to enable a single individual to produce a professional-level vlogging or livestreaming video where a team would have been needed in the past.

For example, AI-based Auto Framing uses the AI-based subject recognition technology to automatically crop the frame to keep the subject in a prominent position when shooting movies. The framing is continually adjusted so that the recorded footage looks like the subject is being followed by an experienced camera operator, even though the camera is mounted on a tripod and there is no other person but you in front of the camera. In addition to the camera automatically recognizing a subject and initializing tracking, any other subject can be selected for tracking by simply touching it on the camera’s monitor or the Creators’ App on a smartphone.

Another feature is Multiple Face Recognition where the camera will automatically adjust aperture and focus on multiple recognized faces in group shots, so you don’t have to worry that only people in the foreground are in focus while the faces of people in the back are out of focus. In fact, it will automatically open or close the aperture to decrease or increase depth of field as each new person enters or leaves the scene. No manual aperture adjustment is required.

A third very practical feature is the improved Intelligent 3-Capsule Microphone. The ZV-E1 now adds variable directivity to its 3-capsule microphone. The microphone is designed to clearly capture the voice of your main subject. You can set the microphone’s directivity to Front, Rear, All Directions or Auto (where the direction of the microphone will adjust to follow a talking person walking around the camera or the person in a group who is talking).

For added creativity, Cinematic Vlog Setting allows you to choose a film look without having to know anything about color grading. For example, the very popular S-Cinetone is now included in the ZV-E1.

The ZV-E1 has both an intervalometer and in-camera Timelapse.

What Is the Difference Between Intervalometer and Timelapse?

Timelapse photography enables you to capture a subject or scene as it changes over time, replayed in a short time-compressed video. So, for example, you could obtain a timelapse of a flower opening up, or even a plant growing up from the ground, of ants eating up a dead insect, of the rotation of the earth (as viewed by the movement of the stars), etc. all happening in a matter of seconds.

To create this speed-up time effect, an Intervalometer (or Interval Timer) is required. The Intervalometer allows you to capture one shot every so many seconds, minutes or even hours (the time interval), starting immediately or at a set time, for a number of intervals or for a set time period. You’ll end up with dozens or even hundreds of individual shots. Depending on how long you intend to be capturing individual shots, you may need to be able to power your camera externally.

You would then download these individual shots into your computer and combine them in an appropriate software to create a timelapse video. So, when you read that a camera has an Interval Timer or Intervalometer, that is the feature they are talking about. The camera just takes the individual shots, but does not create the timelapse movie from the shots.

However, combining these individual shots yourself manually in post-processing can be a laborious process, though many photo editing software now includes a timelapse feature allowing you to simply select the shots you want to include in the timelapse and automatically creating the movie for you. Since you still have all the individual shots, the Intervalometer is a powerful feature that allows you to be quite creative.

Enter in-camera Timelapse as a feature. This is a simplified Intervalometer. Like the Intervalometer, it also captures one shot at specified time interval for a time period, but does not save them as individual shots. Instead, it combines them in-camera into one timelapse movie, and saves that movie only. So, you will not have access to the individual shots later. It is a much simpler process and yields an immediate result.

The ZV-E1 now features a fully touch-enabled LCD display not just for Touch AF like on the ZV-E10, but also to select Menu items and settings. So, you now have intuitive smartphone-like on-screen touch controls for all the video functions.

For those content creators who are visually impaired or who prefer hearing over reading, a new screen reader will read the menu settings aloud.

The Sony ZV-E1 is not for novices or beginner content creators. For them, the Sony ZV-1F is ideal. The Sony ZV-1 II targets most of the TikTok and YouTube content creators. The Sony ZV-E10 suits the professional content creator on a budget. Professional content creators with exacting client demands for excellent image quality now has the Sony ZV-E1.

Sony ZV-E1 with optional Bluetooth wireless shooting grip GV-VPT2BT

If you are a professional content creator with no video production background, the Sony ZV-E1 wants to empower you with a compact and lightweight full-frame mirrorless vlog camera that produces superb image quality on its full-frame sensor that will satisfy your clients’ exacting requirements for high image quality. It is dust- and moisture-resistant and so can be used in challenging weather conditions. It is packed with very practical features that allow you to function as a one-person production team. Whether vlogging or livestreaming, whether giving online lessons or showcasing products, whether appearing solo or with guests, the ZV-E1’s excellent Face/Eye AF, Product Showcase Setting, Multiple Face Recognition, Active Framing and Intelligent 3-Capsule Microphone make sure that you can just concentrate on your delivery without worrying about the technical details.

If you are looking to buy a professional dedicated vlog camera, it is not just about comparing technical details on paper. Other competitors have similar or even better features. However, only the Sony ZV-E1 brings together all the vlogging and livestreaming features you’ll need in an intuitive and easy-to-use practical package that takes away the complexity of producing high quality videos. It takes care of the techical details; you concentrate on being creative.

Note that since the ZV-E1 (2023, US $2,199.99 and CAD $2,999.99) is a mirrorless camera, it does not come with a lens. A kit variation including the compact full-frame 28-60 mm F4.5-5.6 zoom lens is also available for an estimated retail price of US $2,499.99 and CAD $3,399.99.

Also, more and more camera (and other electronic gadget) manufacturers are skimping on traditional accesories so you might need to purchase additiional accessories (especially if you intend to use an external power source to power the camera). They assume you already have such accesories and therefore do not include anymore a USB cable, A/C adapter or even battery charger in the box (in the guise of being ecological and reducing electronic waste). So, if you don’t have these, factor them into the price of purchase.

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