The Sony ZV-1F is a quick and simple camera with excellent photo capabilities that is perfect for grab-and-go vloggers. Together with the brand’s outstanding autofocus and face-tracking abilities and remarkable SteadyShot stabilization technology for smooth 4K video shooting, it boasts these features. Moreover, it has a completely articulated touchscreen with touch functionality, a Product Showcase mode, and a bokeh switch. Beginner vloggers who prioritize ease of use will love this, but more experienced filmmakers and photographers will need something more potent.
Sony ZV-1F: Release date and price
The Sony ZV-1F cost £550/ $499/ AU$845, and it went on sale on October 17, 2022.
At the time of writing, it didn’t appear to be available in the UK or Australia. An accessory and travel bundle that costs $598 on Amazon US includes memory cards, a flexible tripod, a case to keep your camera secure and dust-free, and cleaning materials.
The Sony ZV-1F’s handling is improved with optional add-ons like the GP-VP2BT grip, which costs $139.99 (£170) or $249 (AU) and provides additional stability when vlogging. This grip can function as a small tripod and as an arm extension.
Build and design
Unsurprisingly, because Sony goods are typically well-designed and well-built, that is also the case here. The ZV-1F is composed of plastic, but it is a premium, strong type that doesn’t creak. Despite the lens’ little protrusion, it is also small enough to fit easily in a jacket pocket.
The twisty, flip-out screen is a dream: it’s sharp, reasonably bright, can be pointed almost anywhere, and supports touch inputs. However, unlike the ZV-1, there is no room for a viewfinder or pop-up flash (you will find these on the more photography-focused Sony RX100 models, which use the same sensor). Having a shutter button for still photos and one to pause/start video recording is a nice touch, and another button cycles through the ZV-1F’s three shooting modes: photo, video, and S&Q. You also get a good selection of physical buttons that, despite sometimes being tiny, are well-placed and tactile enough (slow and quick).
The physical connections (a 3.5mm microphone jack, a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, and a Micro HDMI) each have their own small flap on the right side of the camera, making it possible to access the battery and SD card slots without having to remove or loosen any tripod or hand grip you may have the camera mounted to.
Given the emphasis on video and vlogging, a headphone jack would have been a clever addition, so that’s a red flag against this model (but the ZV-1 doesn’t either). The ZV-1 has the powered shoe, which is another significant advantage it has over this model for anyone planning to use Sony’s powered accessories. It also lacks Sony’s proprietary multi-interface shoe on top, instead sporting a “dumb” cold shoe that can accommodate the fluffy wind shield or non-powered accessories.
Features
The focusing performance of Sony’s cameras is well-regarded, with the best qualities being speed, accuracy, and tracking skills. Despite being quite effective in this aspect, the ZV-1F falls notably short of its more expensive stablemates since it employs contrast-based detection rather than hybrid detection. The AF searches occasionally and doesn’t quite lock on the first try, but it typically succeeds in the end.
The Product Showcase mode is helpful if you’re a vlogger who frequently holds things up in front of the camera, and it does have amazing eye and facial tracking, which keeps even shady subjects in constant focus during video recording.
There aren’t many additional features worth mentioning, but the camera has a single SD card slot, supports USB-C charging, and automatically detects when videos were shot in portrait mode – which is very helpful for TikTok/Reels creators who don’t want to manually rotate all of their clips before uploading.
Performance
The Sony ZV-1F is capable of recording video in one of two formats: XAVC S 4K (at 24 or 30 frames per second) or XAVC S HD (1080p at 24/30/60/120 frames per second). It can also capture images in a number of picture profiles, including S-Log2 and Hybrid Log Gamma. Under favorable lighting, its image quality is impressive despite its entry-level status since skin tones appear correct, detail is beautifully crisp, and the 1in sensor and f/2.0 aperture allow for the creation of some shallow depth-of-field effects (i.e. the subject in sharp focus, the background smoothly out of focus). The S&Q mode also provides gorgeous, fluid slow-motion film, which is ideal for those romantic b-roll inserts.
It’s not the ideal little vlogging camera, though; the image stabilization function (which is digital only; optical stabilization is not available) causes a somewhat pronounced crop to the frame when used, and things can get a little grainy in less-than-ideal lighting conditions. To fit yourself comfortably in the frame while shooting, you might have to uncomfortably hold the camera at arm’s length.
The three-capsule microphone’s audio quality is also outstanding, picking up the user’s voice clearly and crisply even while they are vlogging while out and about in windy situations.
Although while photography is unquestionably not the ZV-1F’s strongest suit, the 20.1MP still images it produces are decent. The lens and sensor provide vivid and colorful images in the correct illumination, but since there is no viewfinder, you must compose your photos on the screen. Given the product’s simplicity and entry-level status, it’s maybe not unexpected that there is no RAW shooting option.
