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Jan 14, 2024

Sony ZV

Sony continues to bet big on vlogging cameras, following up a spate of

Sony continues to bet big on vlogging cameras, following up a spate of entry-level ZV series video specialists with its most capable made-for-YouTube model yet. The ZV-E1 ($2,199.99, body only) squeezes a stabilized full-frame sensor into a stunningly small body with a clear-sounding mic and plenty of AI features that expand what creators can do without the benefit of a crew. Its stabilized sensor is a boon for handheld work, and along with a clear-sounding mic it allows you to get great results without a boatload of accessories. The ZV-E1 is the first made-for-vlogging camera to earn top marks and our Editors' Choice award.

The ZV-E1 is Sony's fourth ZV series camera. The series gets its name from its target audience, youthful Gen-Z content creators, and its intended use case, vlogging. The ZV-E1 is even more vlog-focused than its predecessors, as photo features take a back seat, and the form factor isn't as well-suited for straightforward cinema applications as an FX3 ($3,899.99). If you're on set and have access to a crew, the FX3's more extensible frame and active cooling system make better sense.

Vloggers often work alone as both camera operator and on-screen talent. This type of content creation is where the ZV series excels. Quality in-camera microphones, front-facing LCDs, and digitally stabilized 4K are included in every model, even the budget-line ZV-1F point-and-shoot.

The ZV-E1 adds sensor-based in-body image stabilization (IBIS), so you can skip using a gimbal in many cases, and its full-frame sensor is capable of a shallower depth of field when compared with the APS-C ZV-E10 (or Nikon's similar-minded Z 30). Despite the housing, the larger imager, and IBIS, the ZV-E1 isn't that big at just 2.8 by 4.8 by 2.1 inches (HWD) and 17 ounces without a lens, versus 2.5 by 4.5 by 1.8 inches and 12 ounces for the ZV-E10. The ZV-E10 and Nikon Z 30 use APS-C image sensors, not full-frame, which limits wide-angle coverage and depth of field control versus the larger full-frame format.

Its frame makes the ZV-E1 the smallest stabilized full-frame camera out there. We can point to the Sigma fp and fp L as the reasons for the stabilization caveat. The fp series is similarly video-minded, but has a more accessory-friendly cinema form factor; where the fp is meant to be the starting point for a custom-built rig, the ZV-E1 is meant to get good results out of the box.

Even though the video features are at the forefront here, Sony opts for a mostly traditional form factor. The ZV-E1 doesn't look too much different than other viewfinder-free ILCs. A decent-sized handgrip is included, along with a swing-out LCD for monitoring, supporting handheld use. The body is resistant to dust and splashes, and while Sony doesn't go as far as to assign it an IP rating, you can feel comfortable using it under gray skies.

There's a tripod socket, of course, so you can lock the ZV-E1 down for static shots. We expect many creators will add the $139.99 Sony GP-VPT2BT Bluetooth Shooting Grip and Tripod, a clever add-on that swaps forms between tabletop tripod and pistol-style grip. The match of IBIS and digital stabilization is effective but does crop the view of lenses, so you may want to add a gimbal, too. The DJI RS 3 Mini seems like the ideal match, from a size and feature set perspective.

You can get the ZV-E1 as a body only and pick your own lens, or get it in a kit with the tiny FE 28-60mm F4-5.6 zoom for $2,499.99. The 28-60mm isn't quite wide angle enough for arm's length self-recording, however, so if that's your style of video you'll want to look at a different lens. I tested the camera with the FE PZ 16-35mm F4 G and FE 20mm F1.8 G, a pair of lenses that make a lot of sense for vlogs and are still slim enough for comfortable handheld recording.

The ZV-E1 body style is handheld, so its control scheme follows. The shutter release is atop the handgrip, with the Record button just behind it. Sony includes a zoom rocker around the shutter to set the focal length of power zoom lenses and squeezes the power switch in just to its right. The Background Defocus (C1) button and a control dial round out the top plate controls. The Defocus function swaps between a wide open and narrow aperture with a single button press, so you can get blurry background footage without having to cycle through f-stops.

Instead of a Mode dial, the ZV-E1 has a toggle switch to swap between stills, video, and slow-and-quick video (S&Q) recording modes. You'll need to dive into the on-screen menu to switch between Program, Aperture, Shutter, or Manual exposure modes. The Fn button (on the rear) launches an on-screen menu to set the shooting mode, along with other sundries.

Another customizable button, C2, is on the rear and toggles Sony's lossless Clear Image Zoom, which provides 1.5x punch-in for 4K and 2x for 1080p recording. The aforementioned Fn button is just below it, along with a flat command dial, and playback and menu controls.

The ZV-E1's buttons and dials are just one aspect of the control scheme. The 3-inch monitor is just as important. Sony uses its colorful touch-enabled menu system and leans into virtual touch boxes for quick access to some of its more useful video features. This is good news for creators working without a crew or camera operator—the myriad automated framing assists are useful, and this puts them right at the surface.

The LCD looks good and sharp, with accurate color, wide viewing angles, and adjustable brightness. As you'd expect from a vlog camera, the screen swings out to the side and flips around to face forward for self-recording. It shows a bright red border when recording, and the ZV-E1 includes a tally lamp, giving you a visual indicator when footage is rolling.

Sony is joining the chorus of brands adding some type of artificial intelligence to its product line. Let's be clear, we're not talking about ChatGPT here. As much as I'd like a vlog camera that could write a script or jump in and co-host a segment, that's not what the ZV-E1's AI is all about.

Think of the ZV-E1's intelligence as a virtual camera operator. The AI starts with autofocus, which offers subject recognition for subjects ranging from people to bumblebees, a system introduced in the stills-focused a7R V. These features continue here for stills and video.

For people, the focus system goes beyond face and eye recognition; it also identifies bodies so it can do things like keep focus on your head, even if you turn away from the camera. Practically speaking, focus is more consistent and is less prone to drift to the background versus cameras that rely on more rudimentary subject detection. The metering system is tuned to keep faces properly and consistently exposed too, for better results when dealing with inconsistent lighting.

It's not just better focus. The ZV-E1 uses subject detection for its Auto Framing and Framing Stabilizer features. Single camera operators can use Auto Framing to regularly zoom in and out during a take for more dynamic A-roll.

If you're operating the camera and recording a multi-person scene, Auto Framing is used to pan from one subject to another with a tap on the rear screen. The camera is also smart enough to rack aperture to swap between a shallow depth of field look for when presenting solo and to stop its aperture down to get multiple people in focus when it recognizes more than one face.

Framing Stabilizer comes in handy for walk-and-talk footage. It keeps you centered (or steadily positioned off-center) for self-recorded video. It introduces a pretty decent crop in order to do its job, but works well and delivers steady results. In-body stabilization can't do this on its own.

The ZV-E1 also introduces a digital crop to boost stabilization. It has two levels: Active and Dynamic Active. Active is already included in Sony cameras and crops the frame slightly to smooth out jumps and jitters from handheld footage. Dynamic Active is new to the ZV-E1; it uses AI subject detection for more effective stabilization, especially when paired with long lenses.

For YouTubers who review gear, a Product Showcase focus mode is included. This pops focus to subjects in the foreground, so you can show them off to your audience, and jumps back to your face once you pull them out of frame. It's worthwhile to try Product Showcase and Auto Framing together, as the angle changes can add some dynamism to presentations.

Subject recognition is used for audio, too. The in-camera mic supports forward, rear, or omnidirectional pickup, and can be set to shift focus forward automatically when a subject is detected in the frame.

The ZV-E1 is powered by the long-lasting NP-FZ100 battery pack, good for around 570 photos or 95 minutes of video recording. A USB-C port is included for on-the-go charging or plugged-in power and supports 4K30 or 1080p60 UAC/UVC streaming. This lets you use the ZV-E1 as a webcam with audio, with a couple of limitations. Picture profiles and 2.35:1 CineVlog are not available for live streaming, but effects like skin softening, and special focus modes like Product Showcase are still there.

Despite having enough power to go for an hour and a half, the ZV-E1 isn't built for long-form recording, at least not if you're into 4K60 video. I had no problems with heat at 4K24; the ZV-E1 is able to record continuously until its memory card fills or the battery depletes when using a cinema-friendly frame rate. But at higher frame rates heat is a real concern for long recordings; the ZV-E1 turned itself off due to excessive heat around 40 minutes into a 4K60 clip.

Video is recorded internally to SDXC media, the single card slot supports UHS-II transfer speeds. A micro HDMI port is included if you want to plug into an external recorder, along with 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks. A multi-interface shoe supports digital mics and doubles as the mounting point for the included windscreen.

A companion app is available for Android and iOS smartphones. Pairing is easy enough—the camera shows a QR code and includes Bluetooth to speed up the initial setup. Dual-band Wi-Fi is on board for remote control and file transfers.

The ZV-E1 marks a move away from Sony's long-running Imaging Edge mobile platform, however, so you'll need to load a new app: the Sony Creators' App. At press time the Creators' App only works with the ZV-E1 and ZV-1F, but a representative from Sony tells us support for more models is incoming.

The camera also includes some accessibility features. A screen reader is included to assist creators whose vision may not be able to clearly resolve the text shown on the 3-inch screen. The reader can be set to speak menu selections at different speeds and volumes.

The ZV-E1 is built around an image sensor that's made specifically for video. The 12MP resolution is lower than mainstream hybrid stills-video cams, but is perfect for 4K recording. When cropped down to the 16:9 ratio for video the sensor delivers pixel-for-pixel 4K without any line skipping or pixel binning. Of course, this means that 6K and 8K recording are out of the question, but those pixel counts are beyond the display capabilities of most TV sets and do nothing to improve picture quality for viewing on phone and tablet screens.

There are a number of frame rates, compression formats, and color profiles from which to choose, too many to fully list here. For 4K you can pick between XAVC HS, XAVC S, and XAVC S-I, while only the latter two formats are available at 1080p. XAVC HS uses HEVC compression for smaller files and requires the most computing power to edit. For frame rates, you can pick between 24, 30, and 60fps in most modes, though XAVC HS curiously omits support for 30fps recording. At 1080p the frame rate goes up to 120fps. Fast playback and in-camera time-lapse are also available in the S&Q mode.

Higher frame rates are coming via a future firmware update. Sony is adding 4K120 and 1080p240 support "very soon" after release, though it cannot commit to a date. There is some reason for the delay—while the firmware update is free for customers in North America, Sony indicates that there are regions in the world where these features will come via paid upgrade. If you're reading this review from somewhere outside of the US and Canada, you may have to pay extra for slow motion.

Most recording modes support 10-bit color sampling (a few are 8-bit) at 4:2:0 or 4:2:2. This gives editors who want to take control and color-correct footage room to edit video recorded with a flat S-Log picture profile. The ZV-E1 may not offer cinema-friendly features like 3:2 open gate recording or ProRes, but still delivers malleable footage.

You can get great-looking color out of the camera without edits if you like. It's worthwhile to stray away from the basic color, vivid, and neutral profiles and try S-Cinetone. Sony includes it in the Picture Profile menu and wisely brings it closer to the surface in the form of a one-touch CineVlog mode. CineVlog crops the frame down to a wide 2.35:1 aspect with 24fps recording, slows down focus transitions, and applies the S-Cinetone profile with your choice of color tone.

For still photos, the ZV-E1 is a little more limited. Its 12MP sensor has a huge exposure latitude, with an expanded range that goes from ISO 80-409600. You can pick between JPG, HEIF, or Raw formats, with the latter giving the most room to edit tone and color. The resolution isn't huge, but we don't have much else bad to say about the photo quality. A fully electronic shutter is restrictive, however, as it prohibits you from doing any sort of off-camera flash photography.

We're a few years past the introduction of Sony's first made-for-vlogging camera, the ZV-1 compact, and it looks like the company has worked out some of the early-generation quirks that added caveats to their performance. We liked a lot about the ZV-E10 mirrorless, but wished it had a stabilized sensor, as well as Sony's refreshed menu system.

The ZV-E1 answers both gripes, and does a lot more too. We're hearing a lot about artificial intelligence these days, and here it proves to be an effective assistant operator. It also ups picture quality to full-frame, for blurrier backgrounds when you want them, and makes it easy to adjust the look of your footage, even if you're not quite an expert on f-stops and shutter angles.

Sony leads the pack in the vlogging camera space with four models, but its competitors aren't ignoring the market. The Nikon Z 30 and Panasonic G100 are lower-specced options, more similar to the Sony ZV-E10. Big names like Canon and Fujifilm have models in their lineup that are very good for video, but none are made just for vlogs. The Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Fuji X-H2S have great feature sets for cinema, but scream for an external microphone for clear audio. As for the AI camera assists, the ZV-E1 is the only ILC we’ve seen with them. They are reminiscent of the auto-tracking features from the Livestream Mevo, but the ZV-E1 is a much more creatively focused device.

In all, the camera is a dynamo for vloggers and could be a good fit for some indie film projects too, assuming you can live without internal ProRes recording. Photo features take a back seat to video, but that decision helps to make the ZV-E1 a better camera for its intended audience. We like it enough to name it our Editors' Choice winner in the emerging space; it's the first made-for-vlogging camera to earn our top award.

Sony's full-frame ZV-E1 camera delivers fantastic results for videos and vlogs thanks to a stabilized sensor, S-Cinetone color, and a number of AI-powered features to assist creators operating without the benefit of a crew.

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