Cameras have experienced a revolution since they slipped into our pockets. Traditional brands, such as Nikon and Canon, have seen competition from new players responding to a significant number of the shortcomings of the old and volumineux SLRs.
To post great photos on Instagram, you no longer need to know your way around. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO rise ... all this knowledge of photographers was no longer required. Your device had become smart and so had its camera lens.
In 2020, consumers' critical eye has further extended its expectations. It is no longer just the photos that are expected around the corner. On the internet, the content consumed is now published in video, and here again, smartphone manufacturers have developed increasingly seasoned technologies.
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It is in this chapter that Sony has decided to thwart the emergence of smartphones as real cameras by launching the ZV-1 . A compact expert that is aimed at everyone, not very expensive, very practical to take it everywhere and which aims to please the fashion of the format "vlog on the internet.
On its technical sheet, its arguments are of size. The small device, less than 800 euros , straddles smartphones and more professional hybrid devices. Difficult to know before having it in hand if the Sony ZV-1 is alsogood he claims it. Its integrated lens and sensor are not of the same standard as video devices like the Sony A6000 or products from the Lumix range.
A powerful lens, but limited by its focal length
I begin my test of the Sony ZV-1 by mentioning the integrated lens. It is a 24-70mm developed in partnership with Zeiss. Obviously, the product is not as high end as the advanced optics of the German brand. But it still offers nice features on paper, with an aperture of f / 1.8 in 24mm, and f / 2.8 on the rest of the zoom focal lengths. A very bright aperture can we emphasize, which should make the difference in low light.
In the video demonstration of the shooting possibilities of the device that j 've been able to achieve (available at the top of this article), we can easily see that the compact expert offers video quality to match with colors faithful to different moods, indoors and outdoors. It is possible to optically zoom in on rather distant subjects, which should be more than enough for a classic use of the Sony ZV-1.
As for short focal lengths, the Sony ZV-1 plunges to my taste. While it proudly sports a camera tag for vlogging, where first-person selfie shots are a classic, the 24mm angle isn't large enough to offer a fairly detailed background. Most of the time, moreover, I activated the digital stabilization mode developed by Sony and which cuts even more into the image, to offer a rendering closer to a 30 mm equivalent.
The sharpness of the optics offers quality and details superior to the services of a smartphone, and better in the face of certains classic entry-level and mid-range SLRs. However, it falls short of what full-frame hybrids like on the Sony A7s range with a good lens offer. For someone used to such a product, switching to the Sony ZV-1 as the main camera will not be worth it.
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To l 'comfortable in low as in high light
By its shots, the ZV-1 looks like an excellent photophone. Its wide-angle image is of quality, but it does not offer the same blur possibilities One of the reasons is the sensor: to be able to offer such a compact body format, Sony had to revise the size of the latter. It is a 20 megapixel 'one inch, the Exmor RS, allowing to shoot in 4K at 30 frames per second (no 60 frames per second in this format, too bad for slow motion). To situate, the size of the sensor is below an APS-C and a micro 4/3, and larger than a smartphone sensor.
In low light, the lens aperture is supported by the rather good rise in ISO (the sensitivity to light of the sensor), which is comfortable around ISO 800 forprovide a fairly exposed image without loss of quality due to the presence of noise. However, on paper, the sensor can go up to ISO 12,800 in video.
The Sony ZV-1 has an ND filter directly integratedThanks to the device © Presse-citron.net
Comfortable in low light, the Sony ZV-1 is also in the middle of the day, under a blazing sun. Among the excellent points in my test of the Sony ZV-1, there is the integrated ND filter , which makes it possible to attenuate strong lights and reflections in the event of very bright scenes. For the quality of the images, the rendering is optimal. For the more expert looking to use their camera in manual mode, the ND filter allows you to maintain a fairly slow speed (around 1/60) even in the middle of the day, while maintaining a large aperture for the rear blur. -plan.
Finally, in classic photo mode, the rendering of the ZV-1 shots are again straddling a smartphone and a reflex. We will still appreciate the pretty natural bokeh available, and which distinguishes the photos of the compact from those of a smartphone. On a larger shot, and with a scene outside, here is the renderingu:
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Satisfactory sound, except for "vlogging
The animated image would not be video without sound, especially on YouTube, for which it is essential that it be of high quality. For my test of the Sony ZV-1, my opinion is mixed . I was able to note excellent operation of the directional microphone with three internal capsules proposed for taking ambient sound, in particular by adding the small windshield supplied with the compact to avoid saturation linked to the wind.
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On the other hand, for vlogging, the voice is somewhat lost with the noises around. Although they are not omnidirectional (as is most of the time). time the case on internal microphones), the Sony ZV-1 microphones favor a global sound recording and is not precise enough to come to orient itself towards the voice of the individual, in particular To overcome the problem, Sony has all the same had the intelligence to integrate a hook type flash shoe allowing to mount a small microphone connectable via the jack 3.5 of the Sony ZV-1.
One of the best autofocus on the market
Many reflex and hybrid cameras shine with the quality of their images, but dive into the autofocus part. To make video, a fast focus and smart is very important. Here the Sony ZV-1 est simply excellent . Its different modes allow multiple possibilities, and the speed of execution is a pleasure to see.
To go further, Sony has developed a mode allowing products to be shown in front of the camera without focusing. remains on the face of the individual. Many YouTube product presentation channels have experienced this problem of being able to autofocus on a small object presented close to the screen. On the Sony ZV-1, the "C2 button activates a mode called" Product presentation, which tells the sensor to make transitions between focusing on the person and on the product presented on the screen as soon as the person approaches. her hand. In reality, this mode works very well. The autofocus is flawless on the Sony ZV-1.
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A miniature grip
This expert compact is difficult to handle with ease. To be easily transportable, the small box is very small in hand and access to the settings is not the easiest. We would have loved Sony makes the LCD screen fully tactile so that it is quick to make configurations. On the ZV-1's screen, touch controls are limited to specifying where you want to focus. Too bad, while the technology made it possible to make an interface perhaps a little more clever.
The screen of the Sony ZV-1 still stands out against the competing expert compacts: its hinge offers the possibility of tilting and turning the screen in various positions, a very practical equipment which may prove to be essential and which was lacking on its predecessor.
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We said it : the digital stabilization is very good, and it is possible to take quite decent shots with your hands up. But if you are going to use this device to film yourself or to take still shots (like our video by demonstration), we strongly advise you to equip yourself with the handle proposed by Sony for 100 € in the "Vlog Kit, allowing to control the ZV-1 by buttons connected in Bluetooth. This handle will allow you to have a better grip , to have more perspective if you are filming yourself in the first person, and finally to be able toput the device down thanks to the accessory's tripod function.
Battery, at the border of two more worlds
On the autonomy part, the removable battery of the Sony ZV-1 is much smaller than that of a conventional SLR. In video, it will be possible to record the equivalent of 45 minutes before the entire battery is exhausted. Its size, close to that of a smartphone, will allow you to charge the Sony ZV-1 using a portable battery. But beware, only a micro-USB connection is available for recharging . If you are used to USB-C, you will have to take care to bring the right cable to charge the Sony ZV-1.
In its box, the Sony ZV-1 does not is not delivered with a battery charger, it will be necessary to use the supplied cable, in USB. Too bad there again, as it could have made you want to equip yourself with a second battery and avoid having to immobilize the case while recharging. A new time,the Sony ZV-1 is placed between a smartphone and a conventional camera, with its advantages and disadvantages. On paper unfortunately, the smartphone and the classic hybrid will have more autonomy than the compact expert from Sony.
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Conclusion and review of the Sony ZV-1
At its launch, Sony announced a price in sharp decline: to please the greatest number and place the ZV-1 as the first camera of content creators on the internet, the Japanese firm had to display an affordable price. The compact expert thus costs 799 €, and can ores and already be found at a reduced price, with discounts of fifty euros.
The Sony ZV-1 is therefore better than a smartphone. It will add that cinematic touch to your videos, which is harder to shoot from. One of the only advantages of smartphones (and not the least) is the ability to quickly publish captured content without having to transfer files from device to device. The Sony ZV-1 has a mobile application for quickly find contentSD card on our smartphone, but the speed is not the same.
Finally, for experienced creators, the limitations of the sensor and the built-in lens will quickly become a problem. Although it is practical and with an autofocus among the best on the market, the Sony ZV-1 remains a compact that will not leave you the possibility of technically evolving by buying new lenses for example. Same thing for the vlog format, the angle is not wide enough for my taste to be able to make this Sony ZV-1 the most suitable camera.
You will therefore have to choose between a good smartphone, a GoPro camera, a DJI Osmo Pocket or a hybrid or SLR camera, if you want to know the alternatives of the Sony ZV-1. But otherwise, in the expert compact market, this new camera is strong, by once again democratizing access to video production for young budding videographers.
Sony ZV-1
799 €
We like
- Compact and simple
- Bright lens + ND filter
- Autofocus
- Price
We like less
- Limited wide-angle
- Charging and battery life
- Unexploited touchscreen
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