Sony ZV-1F review – Pocket-sized vlogger camera delight

The new Sony ZV-1F is intended as a video-centric variant of the ZV-1 that was launched awhile back in 2020 with a lower price tag to cater to vloggers and content creators. With most of the casual end of the market oriented towards smartphones, is there a place for a vlogger oriented camera? Here’s our Sony ZV-1F review where we see if it’s worth your hard-earned cash.

Sony ZV-1F review – Build and design

For RM2,599, the Sony ZV-1F is, in essence, a video-oriented prosumer compact camera that is intended to be a step up from using a smartphone camera while being more affordable than Sony’s current workhorse for content creators, the ZV-1 which costs RM800 more.

In terms of design, our Sony ZV-1F review sample came in a shade of matte black that resists fingerprints well though it can also be acquired in white trimmed with silver.

The metal chassis is sized to about the dimensions of a Sony RX100 series camera and proves to be very pocketable with a modest 256g carry weight when fully loaded with a battery and SD card which is lighter than most other cameras though it still weighs more than a typical smartphone. Unfortunately, the camera lacks water or dust resistance so some care needs to be taken if you’re using it out near a pool, in the rain or near dusty areas.

Up front, the Sony ZV-1F has a Type 1  20.1MP Exmor RS CMOS sensor – the very same used in the higher end ZV-1 – but instead opts for a 20mm F/2.0  ultra wide angle fixed prime lens with a Zeiss Vario Tessar coating. 

As a concession to pare down its price tag, the camera eschews phase detection like that used in the higher end ZV-1 and instead only uses contrast-detection autofocus. There is also no sensor stabilisation and the camera relies primarily on electronic stabilisation for steady footage and crops the video to achieve this effect.

The front also has a small red indicator light to tell a user that the camera is in use. It also has a small raised grip on the right to offer better purchase when held.

The rear features a flip-out, tiltable 3-inch LCD touchscreen that lets you flip the display out and rotate it 180-degrees to allow for selfie videos when folded out. When folded flush with the casing with the display outwards, it can act as a viewfinder and can be folded inwards for safe transport. As another cost saving measure, the ZV-1F ditches the use of an electronic viewfinder and framing shots is only via the LCD which makes it harder to use in brightly lit scenarios. 

You also get several simplified physical controls on the side of the touchscreen including the notable Product Showcase mode button that toggles smooth focus transitions if you’re zooming between different objects and a subject’s eyes. The left side of the camera is bare save for the touchscreen hinge mechanism while the right features a series of ports for a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB-C port for charging and a micro HDMI port. You also get 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity.

Videos and stills are saved on an SD card accessed by a port that also has a slim battery bay with Sony providing one model NP-BX1 battery as standard. You also get a conventional screw port for tripods and other accessories. 

Up top, the ZV-1F has a cold shoe as another cost saving measure versus the use of a hot shoe, a directional 3-capsule microphone, the on/off, record buttons, a selector for still, movie and S&Q (Slow & Quick) mode as well as a handy Background Defocus button that artfully defocuses the background on demand though this can also be reassigned to another function.  Here’s how the Sony ZV-1F stacks up on paper:

Price	RM2,599
Sensor	20.1MP 1.0-type Exmor RS CMOS sensor
Lens	20mm equivalent F/2.0 Zeiss Tessar T lens
Focus Type	Contrast-detection AF
Display	3-inch TFT LCD touchscreen, 921,600 dots
Connectivity	USB Type-C, micro HDMI, 3.5mm stereo jack, WiFi N, Bluetooth 4.1
Battery	DC3.6V battery, 360 stills or 60 minutes video (quoted)
Size/Weight	105.5 x 60 x 46.4mm / 256g

Out of the box, you get the camera itself, a USB-C charging cable, a removable battery, a removable mic wind screen to cut out wind noise and the usual quick start literature. The camera is also compatible with the new GP-VPT2BT shooting grip which allows you to manoeuvre the camera around much like a selfie stick while offering easy control of zoom and recording functions while also acting as a tripod for static video capture scenarios.

Sony ZV-1F Review – Performance

Our Sony ZV-1F review sample has the ability to capture up to 4K@30fps video in your choice of MPEG-4, AVCHD and XAVC S formats with up to 4x digital zoom, features the ability to capture 5x slow motion using its Slow and Quick mode and 60x hyperlapse footage with both modes in 1080p in addition to stills.

The sensor also has a similar ISO range from 125-12,800 and you also have the option to tweak the video colour profile of captured footage with a variety of options including S-Log2, S-Log3, HLG, HLG1, HLG2, HLG3 and more though this hidden deep in the menus and is primarily for professionals who are looking to colour grade their footage.

The menus for the Sony ZV-1F have been simplified for novices and for vloggers with most settings accessible via the touchscreen as well as the top and rear controls with the menu layout optimised primarily for video capture. In keeping with its target audience, it even has a nigh bungle proof indicator that it’s filming as the display itself has a red border all around when you press record.

Of note is the addition of a Shot Mark feature in the firmware that lets you mark important highlights in footage for later editing and enables you to snip out 15, 30 and 60 second snippets for easy sharing to a paired smartphone; this feature dovetails nicely with what TikTok and Instagram reels typically use and the phone itself can be used to control settings and act as a shutter release.

The Sony ZV-1F also has Face Priority AE that recognises people’s mugs and ensures that faces remain consistently well lit in varying light conditions along with Eye Autofocus and a Soft Skin Effect mode to ensure skin tones look natural. The camera also has a score of Creative Look filters to give a specific aesthetic for stills, movies and images alike.

The articulated touch screen makes taking videos, TikToks and other content a lot easier as you’re able to immediately see what you’re doing onscreen while allowing for creatively angled high-up and low-down shots while the option to use a smartphone as a remote also makes setting it up on a tripod and using it from a distance a lot easier.

The lack of a built-in flash, a fixed 20mm lens and contrast detection along with the inability to capture RAW means that the ZV-1F takes a backseat in terms of capturing good stills for wide angle shots like scenery and wide group shots though a creative or fairly skilled user can eke out more creative shots in good lighting conditions.

Its inability to capture photos in RAW format is also somewhat of a downside for more serious photographers though, to be fair, its intended audience of vloggers likely won’t need it much. By and large, its raison d’etre is primarily video capture and in that regard, the ZV-1F excels.

Our Sony ZV-1F review sample does its best work on auto settings and automatically gets most of the settings right and can immediately get started filming right away. The contrast detect mode handles focus competently and is able to consistently keep subjects in focus while provided Bokeh Switch was able to easily keep the background artfully defocused in videos without having to tinker with aperture settings. 

Video in brightly lit conditions are excellent for YouTube and TikTok, offering good detail and dynamic range along with good handling of skin tones with the background defocus settings allowing for some very usable footage while the Product Showcase mode is perfect especially for influencers to showcase whatever they’re promoting without trouble. Performance in dim light isn’t as strong though footage is still usable albeit with some slight grain; you’ll need to invest in a video light for best results.

Captured audio is good with clear vocals for most videos though if you’re using it for a musical performance or something with softer audio, you’d do best with an external mic jacked to the mic port on the side of the camera.

On paper, the camera is rated for 60 minutes of video capture  or about 360 shots with a fully charged battery. Our Sony ZV-1F review sample lasted close to the official mark with a photo walk through Petaling Street and other parts of the Klang Valley for most of the day interspersed with short clips of about 3-15 minutes each throughout the day at points of interest.

Heavier users may likely need additional spare batteries but charging it is as easy as it gets as you can simply leave the battery in the camera and juice it via a USB-C charging cable. This setup is also ideal for live streaming using the camera.

Should you buy the Sony ZV-1F?

The Sony ZV-1F camera sets out to be an entry-level camera optimised for video capture and it by and large succeeds with user friendly controls, a host of useful settings ideal for vloggers and solid video performance. Its features make it ideal for crafting higher quality live streams, Instagram reels and content on TikTok.

You can add in the optional GP-VPT2BT grip and also acquire additional gear like a gimbal and field recorder microphone to capture better audio and steadier video to fully realise its potential though it is a solid starting point on its own.

If you’re looking for something that’s a step up from a smartphone and are looking to dip a toe in owning a camera system, the ZV-1F is worth a whirl the higher end and pricier ZV-1 is a more capable and pricier camera with better image quality.

Sony ZV-1F review sample courtesy of Sony Malaysia. For more details and to purchase please visit https://www.sony.com.my/electronics/cyber-shot-compact-cameras/zv-1f/