20.1MP stacked back illuminated 1″ Exmor RS CMOS sensor w/ DRAM. Large aperture 24-70mm1 F1.8-2.8 ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* lens
Fast Hybrid Autofocus and Real Time Eye Autofocus and Real-time Autofocus tracking
Side flip-out 3.0″ LCD screen that also tilts up and down for easier to compose selfie shots
Quickly switch between two modes of defocused background bokeh
Specification: Sony ZV-1 Camera for Content Creators and Vloggers, White (DCZV1/W)
Batteries
1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)
Product Dimensions
10.54 x 5.99 x 4.32 cm, 294.84 Grams
Date First Available
Oct. 21 2020
Manufacturer
Sony
Place of Business
SAN DIEGO, CA, 92127 US
Item model number
DCZV1/W
Country of origin
China
13 reviews for Sony ZV-1 Camera for Content Creators and Vloggers, White (DCZV1/W)
3.2out of 5
★★★★★
★★★★★
4
★★★★★
2
★★★★★
3
★★★★★
1
★★★★★
3
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★★★★★
Carlos –
Dudé mucho, pero valió la pena. Es de plástico pero si se siente de calidad, incluso está pesada. El tamaño es muy bueno, no necesitas una maleta extra para transportarla. Es muy sencilla de utilizar y las funciones automatizadas para el desenfoque y presentación de producto funcionan muy bien. La pila en verdad le dura muy poco. Lo bueno es que la puedes conectar directo a la luz o a una batería externa. Si no te quieres complicar en el uso y gastar más en lentes o preocuparte si configuras bien los parámetros es la ideal.
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★★★★★
Rob –
I’ve been live streaming with a Canon SL2 for the last couple of years, but after moving from a white studio to a matte black studio I wanted to upgrade to a camera with “better” low light performance. After watching hours of YouTube reviews, I plumped for the ZV1.
I’ll preface what’s about to come by saying that I know my way around a camera. I’m no David Bailey, but I can adjust settings to get the image I want/need pretty well.
After waiting a couple of weeks for the ZV1 to be shipped, I was excited when it finally arrived. That excitement wore off within an hour, and the Sony is now back in its box and ready to be returned. Here’s why.
1) The small sensor doesn’t cope well with fine patterns and creates HORRIBLE moire. The larger APS-C sensor on the Canon copes far better (there’s still some moire, but it’s a lot less noticeable) 2) The ZV1 registered insane amounts of flicker from my background lights – again, the Canon has no problems with them. 3) The zoom on the Sony SUCKS. On most cameras, you can get exactly the zoom you want by rotating a ring. On the ZV1 you only get a rocker button with a severe delay. So, by the time it realizes you’ve stopped zooming, it’s already gone way past the focal length you wanted. You’re then into a game of cat and mouse, tapping the rocker one way, then back the other, and so on until you get somewhere near the zoom you were trying to achieve. 4) The f1.8 lens’s low light performance isn’t noticeably better than my Canon’s f4 kit lens. Even the Bokeh effect is pretty much indistinguishable
So, back to the drawing board. I’ll look at the A6100/A6400 again, or maybe stick with Canon and just go to the SL3.
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★★★★★
Mindy –
I’m a semi-professional photographer and I always jump on the chance to review cameras because I love them. This one is such a unique product that I’m really excited about it. My review will mainly be a comparison of whether or not you should get this camera (the Sony ZV-1) as opposed to a DSLR or even smart phone.
*DO NOT get this camera if your main interest is still photographs. If you want still photographs then the DSLR is what you want. This camera has the added perk of taking photos, but the main focus of this is video content sharing.
*The highlight of this camera is the ease of use. You really don’t need to know technical things like which aperture to choose, which ISO or shutter speed, it does everything for you. It has auto focus (which is much better than on DSLRs) and the flip screen makes it easy to monitor yourself while you’re recording.
*The size of this makes it far superior to a DSLR. This thing is *tiny* and so lightweight. If you get the accessory kit with the wireless grip/tripod, you are good to go. This is especially good if you vlog while walking or need to be active when speaking to the camera.
*Has slow-mo capability, time-lapse, bluetooth and wifi.
*Benefits over just a regular ‘ol smartphone: The image sensor on this is much bigger and better. With image sensors, the adage is “the bigger the better” which is why DSLR cameras have such an advantage (but they’re also too big to lug around) This makes your image quality much higher. The microphone on this is also way better too. (With the DSLR, you would need to buy a separate mic.) You are free to buy a separate mic with this camera as well but the mic that it comes with is pretty good right out of the box.
*Things that could be improved: The software it comes with is rather limited. Especially for editing videos, though on the plus side, you may not need to do too much editing if you are the type that just does your vlogging in one continuous take.
*The lenses are built in/ not interchangeable. This is good in that you have everything you need at all times, but bad if you scratched/cracked your lens you would need to buy a whole new camera.
*There’s no flash – this shouldn’t be an issue for vloggers though. Just wanted to mention in case someone was still thinking of getting this solely for still photography.
*The battery life was middling. It wasn’t great but I’ve seen other cameras perform worse. If you feel like you’re going to be having long sessions, I would consider getting a second battery just in case.
Overall, I think this is a great and versatile camera for those who vlog or create video content. The price is higher so you can buy a DSLR at this price point, however if you’re not into technical things or would rather something more user friendly then this is definitely the route to take.
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★★★★★
Lowly medical intern –
It’s a useless and expensive product. Basically it hooks up to your camera which allows you to hold the camera using a handle instead of holding the camera itself. Why would I pay 100 dollars for that when there are much cheaper alternatives available. In addition, as a stand it’s useless because one leg is longer than the others and the legs are all really short
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★★★★★
Pneudraulics –
This vlogging centric camera has a fatal flaw that makes it useless for vlogging. The tripod mount is integrated into the battery cover. Meaning, every time you have to change the battery, you have to remove the tripod mount to do so. And if you’re on the move, like one who is vlogging tends to be, it’s a major hassle every time you need to do a battery change. Also, the SD card is integrated into the cover as well, so be prepared to do an awful lot of tripod mounting and dismounting if you buy this camera.
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★★★★★
Shannon Smith –
Ended up sending back the vlogging kit as it’s was useless. It’s always disconnecting from the camera and doesn’t even have a power on/off switch. The handle is also uncomfortable in your hands as well as too short
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★★★★★
Eduardo Guarneros –
Increíble cámara, muy compacta y ligera pero con una calidad de imagen y video superiores, recomiendo invertir en una buena tarjeta SD con alta velocidad de lectura/grabado para poder sacar provecho de la grabación en 4K. La funcionalidad para enviar fotos y videos a cualquier celular a través de la app de Imaging Edge de Sony es muy buena para compartir o publicar fotos sin necesidad de una computadora, aunque los videos en 4K toman varios minutos para enviarse por el gran tamaño que tienen.
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★★★★★
Enns –
I liked a lot about this camera, but in the end I returned it because for some reason it didn’t take good video for me. Perhaps there was a technical issue with it, I don’t know. I replaced it with another camera that I am very happy with so I suspect it could have been a one faulty issue.
What I liked most about the camera: It is light weight and VERY convenient to carry and use. The facial tracking is also extremely good. the new microphone system is fairly good. But the VERY best thing about the camera is that it can be powered via USB battery pack, so if the battery runs out of power you can either put in a fully charged battery or simply hook up your USB Battery pack for power. This is the feature that I miss most on the Panasonic camera I ended up with. A feature that vloggers who do product reviews is that it has a feature where you place an item in front of the camera and it will quickly focusses on the object (sometimes too quickly – but you can adjust the speed) then when you pull it away it will promptly find your face and focus on you again. For people who do this type of video this is the best camera for the job.
The image stabilization in video mode is okay.
If you want to do 4K video it does crop out a bit too much and makes you look like the camera is too close to your face. you can compensate if you have an selfie stick to keep the camera further from you, but at arms reach you will probably not be satisfied.
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★★★★★
Josh K –
First one I received was a full price new model and was incomplete, didn’t include the SD card and had obviously been used, battery was already installed, so I returned it.
Anyway, second one was all there… and it’s great. Makes handling and using your Sony mirrorless camera a breeze. I use my camera as a webcam for meetings too so the mini tripod functionality is great, easy to adjust.
Glad I picked it up.
1 star deducted for the fact it is a little expensive and the first one I received being incomplete.
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★★★★★
Liam –
Bought this for my wife to vlog with and she loves it, colours are nice and natural and has lots of features packed in. Only drawback we noticed so far is that some lights while dimmed causes banding on the camera while recording which didn’t happen on the canon g7x mark ii
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★★★★★
Jay Dee –
Love it. Take a getting us to it coming from the M50 but offers a lot. Love the 4K since my M50 auto focus would work. The ZV1 have a flawless autofocus and like the HLG2 rec 709 option for colour grading.
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★★★★★
Daniel Desjardins –
Great improvement over my iMac webcam but the tone on flesh looks a bit syntethic even with the softener turned off
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★★★★★
Hakim –
Beware that the camera comes without a charger. It’s kinda a bad move especially for those who never owned a sony camera before.
Carlos –
Dudé mucho, pero valió la pena. Es de plástico pero si se siente de calidad, incluso está pesada.
El tamaño es muy bueno, no necesitas una maleta extra para transportarla.
Es muy sencilla de utilizar y las funciones automatizadas para el desenfoque y presentación de producto funcionan muy bien.
La pila en verdad le dura muy poco. Lo bueno es que la puedes conectar directo a la luz o a una batería externa.
Si no te quieres complicar en el uso y gastar más en lentes o preocuparte si configuras bien los parámetros es la ideal.
Rob –
I’ve been live streaming with a Canon SL2 for the last couple of years, but after moving from a white studio to a matte black studio I wanted to upgrade to a camera with “better” low light performance. After watching hours of YouTube reviews, I plumped for the ZV1.
I’ll preface what’s about to come by saying that I know my way around a camera. I’m no David Bailey, but I can adjust settings to get the image I want/need pretty well.
After waiting a couple of weeks for the ZV1 to be shipped, I was excited when it finally arrived. That excitement wore off within an hour, and the Sony is now back in its box and ready to be returned. Here’s why.
1) The small sensor doesn’t cope well with fine patterns and creates HORRIBLE moire. The larger APS-C sensor on the Canon copes far better (there’s still some moire, but it’s a lot less noticeable)
2) The ZV1 registered insane amounts of flicker from my background lights – again, the Canon has no problems with them.
3) The zoom on the Sony SUCKS. On most cameras, you can get exactly the zoom you want by rotating a ring. On the ZV1 you only get a rocker button with a severe delay. So, by the time it realizes you’ve stopped zooming, it’s already gone way past the focal length you wanted. You’re then into a game of cat and mouse, tapping the rocker one way, then back the other, and so on until you get somewhere near the zoom you were trying to achieve.
4) The f1.8 lens’s low light performance isn’t noticeably better than my Canon’s f4 kit lens. Even the Bokeh effect is pretty much indistinguishable
So, back to the drawing board. I’ll look at the A6100/A6400 again, or maybe stick with Canon and just go to the SL3.
Mindy –
I’m a semi-professional photographer and I always jump on the chance to review cameras because I love them. This one is such a unique product that I’m really excited about it. My review will mainly be a comparison of whether or not you should get this camera (the Sony ZV-1) as opposed to a DSLR or even smart phone.
*DO NOT get this camera if your main interest is still photographs. If you want still photographs then the DSLR is what you want. This camera has the added perk of taking photos, but the main focus of this is video content sharing.
*The highlight of this camera is the ease of use. You really don’t need to know technical things like which aperture to choose, which ISO or shutter speed, it does everything for you. It has auto focus (which is much better than on DSLRs) and the flip screen makes it easy to monitor yourself while you’re recording.
*The size of this makes it far superior to a DSLR. This thing is *tiny* and so lightweight. If you get the accessory kit with the wireless grip/tripod, you are good to go. This is especially good if you vlog while walking or need to be active when speaking to the camera.
*Has slow-mo capability, time-lapse, bluetooth and wifi.
*Benefits over just a regular ‘ol smartphone: The image sensor on this is much bigger and better. With image sensors, the adage is “the bigger the better” which is why DSLR cameras have such an advantage (but they’re also too big to lug around) This makes your image quality much higher. The microphone on this is also way better too. (With the DSLR, you would need to buy a separate mic.) You are free to buy a separate mic with this camera as well but the mic that it comes with is pretty good right out of the box.
*Things that could be improved: The software it comes with is rather limited. Especially for editing videos, though on the plus side, you may not need to do too much editing if you are the type that just does your vlogging in one continuous take.
*The lenses are built in/ not interchangeable. This is good in that you have everything you need at all times, but bad if you scratched/cracked your lens you would need to buy a whole new camera.
*There’s no flash – this shouldn’t be an issue for vloggers though. Just wanted to mention in case someone was still thinking of getting this solely for still photography.
*The battery life was middling. It wasn’t great but I’ve seen other cameras perform worse. If you feel like you’re going to be having long sessions, I would consider getting a second battery just in case.
Overall, I think this is a great and versatile camera for those who vlog or create video content. The price is higher so you can buy a DSLR at this price point, however if you’re not into technical things or would rather something more user friendly then this is definitely the route to take.
Lowly medical intern –
It’s a useless and expensive product. Basically it hooks up to your camera which allows you to hold the camera using a handle instead of holding the camera itself. Why would I pay 100 dollars for that when there are much cheaper alternatives available. In addition, as a stand it’s useless because one leg is longer than the others and the legs are all really short
Pneudraulics –
This vlogging centric camera has a fatal flaw that makes it useless for vlogging. The tripod mount is integrated into the battery cover. Meaning, every time you have to change the battery, you have to remove the tripod mount to do so. And if you’re on the move, like one who is vlogging tends to be, it’s a major hassle every time you need to do a battery change. Also, the SD card is integrated into the cover as well, so be prepared to do an awful lot of tripod mounting and dismounting if you buy this camera.
Shannon Smith –
Ended up sending back the vlogging kit as it’s was useless. It’s always disconnecting from the camera and doesn’t even have a power on/off switch. The handle is also uncomfortable in your hands as well as too short
Eduardo Guarneros –
Increíble cámara, muy compacta y ligera pero con una calidad de imagen y video superiores, recomiendo invertir en una buena tarjeta SD con alta velocidad de lectura/grabado para poder sacar provecho de la grabación en 4K. La funcionalidad para enviar fotos y videos a cualquier celular a través de la app de Imaging Edge de Sony es muy buena para compartir o publicar fotos sin necesidad de una computadora, aunque los videos en 4K toman varios minutos para enviarse por el gran tamaño que tienen.
Enns –
I liked a lot about this camera, but in the end I returned it because for some reason it didn’t take good video for me. Perhaps there was a technical issue with it, I don’t know. I replaced it with another camera that I am very happy with so I suspect it could have been a one faulty issue.
What I liked most about the camera:
It is light weight and VERY convenient to carry and use. The facial tracking is also extremely good.
the new microphone system is fairly good. But the VERY best thing about the camera is that it can be powered via USB battery pack, so if the battery runs out of power you can either put in a fully charged battery or simply hook up your USB Battery pack for power. This is the feature that I miss most on the Panasonic camera I ended up with.
A feature that vloggers who do product reviews is that it has a feature where you place an item in front of the camera and it will quickly focusses on the object (sometimes too quickly – but you can adjust the speed) then when you pull it away it will promptly find your face and focus on you again. For people who do this type of video this is the best camera for the job.
The image stabilization in video mode is okay.
If you want to do 4K video it does crop out a bit too much and makes you look like the camera is too close to your face. you can compensate if you have an selfie stick to keep the camera further from you, but at arms reach you will probably not be satisfied.
Josh K –
First one I received was a full price new model and was incomplete, didn’t include the SD card and had obviously been used, battery was already installed, so I returned it.
Anyway, second one was all there… and it’s great. Makes handling and using your Sony mirrorless camera a breeze. I use my camera as a webcam for meetings too so the mini tripod functionality is great, easy to adjust.
Glad I picked it up.
1 star deducted for the fact it is a little expensive and the first one I received being incomplete.
Liam –
Bought this for my wife to vlog with and she loves it, colours are nice and natural and has lots of features packed in. Only drawback we noticed so far is that some lights while dimmed causes banding on the camera while recording which didn’t happen on the canon g7x mark ii
Jay Dee –
Love it. Take a getting us to it coming from the M50 but offers a lot. Love the 4K since my M50 auto focus would work. The ZV1 have a flawless autofocus and like the HLG2 rec 709 option for colour grading.
Daniel Desjardins –
Great improvement over my iMac webcam but the tone on flesh looks a bit syntethic even with the softener turned off
Hakim –
Beware that the camera comes without a charger. It’s kinda a bad move especially for those who never owned a sony camera before.