Sony ZV-1F: Cheap vlogging camera with 1-inch sensor presented

With the ZV1 and ZV-E10 last year, Sony had launched two exciting vlogging cameras that mutated into a real blockbuster within a very short time. Now they announced a new variant with the Sony ZV-1F, which relies on a 1-inch sensor and comes with a fixed focal length. We have summarized all the info.

Sony ZV-1F: All info on the new vlogging camera

In the past two years, a real market has developed around the so-called vlogging cameras. As the name suggests, these are aimed primarily at content creators who are looking for a compact and high-quality camera for their own video recordings.

The new Sony ZV-1F marks a complement to the ZV-1 and turns out to be even more affordable with an MSRP of 650.00 Euros (in contrast to 799 Euros for the ZV-1). Both models use the same Exmor RS 1.0″ CMOS sensor with a resolution of 20.1 megapixels, but otherwise differ greatly from each other.

For example, the new ZV-1F relies on a fixed focal length of 20mm (35mm equivalent), while the ZV-1 still featured a 2.7x optical zoom lens for focal lengths of 24mm – 70mm.

Once again, the lens comes from Zeiss and it’s in the form of the Tessar T* with 6 elements in 6 groups. An aperture of f/2.0 is offered, and via digital zoom “Clear Image Zoom” there is after all a magnification of up to 4x, or up to eight times zoom if you can live with limitations in image quality.

The ZV-1F also lacks the built-in gray filter (ND filter), which made the ZV-1 so special back then and was also conspicuous by its absence on the ZV-E10. An ND filter enables long exposures, for example, where you can render the water silky smooth.

Videos in 4K at 30 frames per second

In addition to photos in 20-megapixel resolution (5,472 x 3,648 pixels), the new Sony ZV-1F vlogging camera is of course specially designed for recording videos. Here, the camera records in maximum 4K quality at 30 frames per second. Slow motion recordings are possible in 1080p with 120 FPS.

However, a look at the technical specifications shows that the camera is hardly suitable for photographers: Sony has dropped the optical image stabilizer (SteadyShot), and only electronic stabilization is used here, although the image section is cropped. Photos in RAW format for later editing in Adobe Lightroom or other programs are also simply not possible.

The Sony ZV-1F can shoot stills and video up to a maximum of ISO 12,800 and features the manufacturer’s powerful autofocus, including eye detection and animal detection along with subject tracking. However, the ZV-1F uses the less accurate contrast autofocus, while the ZV-1 offers the better phase-detection AF model.

Display and ports

Like the ZV-1, the new Sony ZV-1F does without an electronic viewfinder. A rear display measuring 3.0 inches is used for image monitoring. It offers a resolution of 921,600 pixels, can be opened 176 degrees and rotated 270 degrees.

You can therefore fold the display forward to always keep an eye on the image composition when taking photos or videos. You can also focus better thanks to touchscreen functionality.

The ZV-1F has a USB-C port that allows you to use the camera as a webcam. There is also a micro HDMI and a 3.5 mm jack. The camera communicates wirelessly via Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n in the 2.4 GHz band.

On the other hand, the multi-interface accessory shoe for connecting external microphones, flashes or similar accessories has been reduced. With dimensions of 105.5 x 60.0 x 46.4 mm (width x height x depth), the new model is minimally larger than the ZV-1, but weighs around 40 grams less at 256 grams including battery and SD memory card.

Price and Availability

The new Sony ZV-1F vlogging camera is available for pre-order now directly from Sony or from Amazon. It has an MSRP of around 650 euros and is scheduled to start shipping on October 28. You can find more details on Sony’s product website.

There are two exciting alternatives, however, and they come in the form of the Sony ZV-E10, which not only relies on a larger APS-C sensor, but can also be equipped with new lenses via interchangeable lenses. It’s currently on sale for only 629.00 euros and is probably the better choice at the moment.

Fittingly, Nikon also offers the Z 30, a vlogging camera with interchangeable lenses that was only introduced in June 2022. However, this is considerably more expensive as a kit in conjunction with the 16-50 mm lens and is currently priced at 944 euros.