The Sony ZV-1 stays the most effective vlogging cameras you should buy, regardless of arriving again in 2020 – however that will not be the case for lengthy if new rumors a few sequel are appropriate.
The dependable Sony Alpha Rumors (opens in new tab) claims {that a} “trusted supply” has revealed {that a} new Sony ZV-1 successor will launch by “the tip of Might”. Should you’re seeking to purchase the most effective low-cost cameras for vlogging, then, it could be sensible to carry off for the following few weeks.
Sadly, these are the entire particulars we have now concerning the Sony ZV-1 Mark II (which can or will not be its official title) proper now, with the anticipated specs solely more likely to arrive within the run-up to the launch.
However the arrival of the Sony ZV-1F final yr, and our personal experiences with the ZV-1, have given us a good suggestion of the sort of issues we would wish to see within the ZV-1’s successor. So this is our wishlist of 5 options and adjustments that would make it one of the best low-cost vlogging digicam for fledgling YouTubers.
5 issues we would wish to see in a Sony ZV-1 Mark II
1. A wider most important lens
One of many largest restrictions of the Sony ZV-1 was that its lens was simply barely too tight for handheld vlogging, notably while you factored in a crop whereas utilizing Energetic SteadyShot stabilization.
The Sony ZV-1F improved on this with a set 20mm f/2 lens. We would wish to see this lens on the ZV-1 or an excellent wider zoom equal, given the present mannequin’s 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 lens does offer you some compositional flexibility.
Provided that no earlier digicam in Sony’s RX100 sequence (which the ZV compacts are based mostly on) had a lens that was wider than 24mm, we would say the 20mm fastened prime is the most definitely, however one thing even wider could be very best.
One other enchancment that we loved on the ZV-1F was that it has Sony’s newest menu system, which incorporates some smartphone-style touchscreen methods. You may swipe up from the underside of the display to make use of frequently-used settings or faucet the display’s management icons to alter aperture.
We would wish to see Sony lean even tougher into this, giving the ZV-1 Mark II a real smartphone-style really feel that has the pace and responsiveness of a smartphone just like the Sony Xperia 1 Mark IV. That will be a boon for each newbies and extra superior shooters, notably because the ZV-1 lacked touchscreen menus.
3. Higher webcam powers
The Sony ZV-1 in the end managed to get webcam powers with a firmware replace, however its high quality was hampered by a disappointing 720p most decision.
We would wish to see this bumped as much as no less than 1080p on a ZV-1 Mark II, provided that decision comes as normal on one of the best webcams. If Sony provides a few of its newest face-tracking autofocus – maybe even among the AI-powered methods seen on the Sony A7R V – that would assist make it one of the best vlogging-webcam combo round.
4. Much less rolling shutter
One of many video high quality weaknesses of the Sony ZV-1 and ZV-1F is a few noticeable ‘rolling shutter’, which may make straight traces in your scene (like signposts and buildings) look wonky in the event you pan the digicam rapidly backward and forward.
This may very well be fastened by pairing a sensor with quicker read-out speeds with a more moderen Bionz XR processor, which is what we would wish to see in a ZV-1 Mark II. May Sony even go greater than the 1-inch sensor within the ZV-1? That will even be welcome, although it might be a break with custom for this measurement of Sony digicam.
5. 10-bit shade depth
Now that even the GoPro Hero 11 Black gives 10-bit shade depth, it appears cheap to anticipate it on a contemporary Sony vlogging digicam. That wasn’t the case on the ZV-1 and even the Sony ZV-E10, however we would anticipate Sony to supply the characteristic on a ZV-1 Mark II.
The good thing about 10-bit shade is that it offers you a far wider vary of shades to edit with when doing shade grading – so whereas it is a comparatively superior characteristic, it might give the ZV-1 Mark II a wider enchantment than the extra beginner-friendly ZV-1F.