Sony’s ZV-1 launched again in Might 2020 and we nonetheless suppose it is the very best vlogging digital camera of its form. However now Sony has made your determination a bit of trickier by launching a extra reasonably priced model with a barely blended bag of options.

The Sony ZV-1F is in some methods a step up from the unique Sony ZV-1 (which is able to stay on sale), and in others a regression. Its fundamentals are the identical; it is a 20MP 1-inch compact digital camera that may shoot 4K/30p video with the sort of pure bokeh, or background blur, that smartphones nonetheless battle to provide.

The ZV-1F’s two major variations from the ZV-1 are its lens and person interface. One in all our few complaints about its predecessor is that its 24-70mm f/1.8-2.Eight lens can generally be a bit of tight if you happen to’re vlogging handheld, quite than on a tripod. The ZV-1F makes an attempt to resolve this by as a substitute providing a wider 20mm f/2 lens.

It is a disgrace that lens is not fairly as brilliant on the ZV-1’s, and photographers will miss the flexibleness of getting zoom. However in concept, the ZV1-F ought to nonetheless supply the shallow depth-of-field that smartphones just like the iPhone 14 Professional and Google Pixel 7 are attempting (and infrequently failing) to simulate with their ‘cinematic’ modes.

Sony additionally says that the ZV-1F consists of some new, smartphone-style touchscreen methods. Not like the ZV-1, which solely allow you to faucet the display to drag focus, Sony’s new vlogging digital camera helps you to swipe up from the underside of the display to make use of frequently-used settings, or faucet the display’s management icons to vary issues like aperture.

However the ZV-1F additionally has some odd limitations. Essentially the most baffling is that its autofocus system, which might be the ZV-1’s standout function, makes use of an older contrast-detection system, quite a hybrid setup than consists of each contrast- and phase-detect know-how for dependable monitoring.

Sony advised us that this should not make a number of distinction in most vlogging conditions, and the brand new mannequin does have a better variety of focus factors than the ZV-1 (425, in comparison with 315). However that is one thing we’ll have to check and it does put the ZV-1F extra in step with older rivals just like the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III, which additionally solely makes use of contrast-only autofocus.

The opposite bodily variations from the ZV-1 are that the ZV-1F fortunately now consists of USB-C charging, quite than microUSB, but additionally replaces the ZV-1’s hotshoe (which prices equipment like a shotgun mic when you use them) with a less complicated coldshoe.

In any other case, the ZV-1F is way the identical because the ZV-1, with a 3-capsule microphone (with a bundled windscreen accent), digital stabilization, and the helpful ‘Product Showcase’ mode which makes the autofocus setup perfect for YouTubers who do product critiques. The opposite closing change is the pricing: the Sony ZV-1F will probably be available for purchase from mid-October for $499 / £549 / AUS$849.

Evaluation: Flying too near smartphones? 

Within the two years because the unique Sony ZV-1 launched, smartphones have made sometimes aggressive strides in video capturing efficiency – most notably in modes like Apple’s ‘Cinematic mode’ (just lately aped by the Google Pixel 7 sequence), which might apply a simulated background blur to their movies in an try to copy a brilliant prime lens.

In reality, Sony itself has seemingly made a ZV-1 killer within the type of the Sony Xperia Professional-I, which additionally has a 1-inch sensor and has a ‘Video Professional’ interface that appears similar to Sony’s high-end mirrorless cameras. So is there now any actual level to cameras like the brand new ZV-1F?

The margins at the moment are definitely getting high-quality and loads is dependent upon your most popular kind of smartphone. A compact digital camera just like the ZV-1F, for instance, provides gives high-quality video seize in a pocketable type issue for individuals who have mid-range smartphones or don’t need an Xperia cellphone. The Xperia Professional-1 additionally does solely use a portion of its 1-inch sensor, so a ZV-1F does nonetheless (on paper) have better light-gathering powers.

However the ZV-1F additionally reveals that Sony is not fairly as dedicated to the entry-level sector of its video cameras as it’s with professional fashions just like the Sony A7S III. The Sony ZV sequence, which additionally consists of the Sony ZV-E10, is assembled from the components left behind by a few of the firm’s older stills-focused cameras. The ZV-1 and ZV-1F, for instance, come from the identical gene pool as Sony’s RX100 sequence compacts.

It is a disgrace the ZV-1F’s autofocus has seemingly regressed with its contrast-only system and we would wish to see much more smartphone-style person interfaces. However the ZV-1F might, on paper, nonetheless struggle its method into our information to the very best vlogging cameras because of its new prime lens and comparatively reasonably priced price ticket.