Scenes Seen… And A Few Thoughts: Sony ZV-1.

Scenes Seen: Sony ZV-1.

Nothing Earth shattering.

Another episode of documenting day to day life while looking for beauty hiding in plain sight masquerading as the mundane.

While not always, or even often, successful I find this an enjoyable pursuit nonetheless. Here are some recent attempts. Brought it with on the weekly chorus rehearsal run. Similar scenes on a rainy night.

Parting thoughts.

First the obvious.

This is not the perfect or best camera.

Obvious. But…

It is the camera that captures images that I would not have otherwise.

It balances accessibility and capability in a way that few other cameras can match.

Yes, it has a 1″ sensor. But a daggone fine one. But this sensor pays dividends. It makes for a truly pants-pocketable camera that has:

• Autofocuses better than any other truly small camera I have used.
• A 24fps burst rate.
• An f/1.8 to f/2.8 aperture.
• A built in automatically deployed ND filter.
• An optical and digital stabilization.
• 20MP.
• A mechanical shutter (Looking at you S9.) that goes up to 1/2000s and an e-shutter that goes up to 1/32000s.
• A hotshoe… Looking at you S9.
• Very close focusing at the wide end.
• More stuff. I could go on.

But that is only talking about stills. Ostensibly this is a video or vlog-centric tool. And with auto background blur, product showcase mode, 3 cell mic with dead cat… kitten? Ok, this is getting dark… tilty-flippy screen, 4K, gyro data for post edit motion smoothing, etc. it is great for that also. The 24mm thing? Not an issue for long arms McGee here. But Neewer sells a Franken adapter for you if it is. So no hobbled (No IBIS, ND filter, and slower apertures.) ZV-1 Mark II for me.

All that to say it puts quite a capable package in the literal palm of your hand. And also… look away instathreadface darling adherents. Everyone else bring it in. <Leans in.> Psst…

I prefer the ZV-1 to the GR series, X100 series, or even Sony’s own RX100 VII.

Ok, ok. Stop yelling at me. I said for me. Your mileage may vary. Why? I am glad I imagined you asked.

• You can actually buy one, unlike the GR and X100 presently.
• There is considerable savings to be had on the used market.
• Far less expensive than any of the others.
  • Has the same feature set, sans EVF, as the RX100 VII for much less money and I prefer the ZV-1 lens over the RX100 VII’s slower 24-200mm zoom lens.
• It is smaller than the X100.
• About the same size as the GR, but has an articulating screen and a mic jack.
• Has the faster aperture lens than all.
• Better AF.
• Manages a zoom without sacrificing a fast aperture.
• Has a screen that articulates the way I now prefer. (Former tilt only fan here, but I have come around… pun not intended.)
• Stealth. No one will pay you any mind with a ZV-1. Might not even realize that you have a camera at all.

Again, I come in peace. Personal preference.

Am I saying it can create a better image? No. Of course not. But if IQ were the main concern I would not reach for those other cameras either. And because of the traits above it is a camera that captures images I would not have otherwise.

There is only one ding I can level against it.

And it is not the lack of an EVF. As I have stated before after trading an RX100II for an RX100III specifically for an EVF years ago I never used it. An EVF on such a small camera was not as useful as I thought it would be. Plus, I am not a fan of the pop up mechanism. Short version. Not necessary.

Battery life.

I suppose that Pez or Chiclets sized batteries are to be expected on such a small camera. Not awful. But not all day ready either. Spare batteries did the trick. And this time I bought a handy two battery charging case kit (includes third slot for charging the battery you already have) that is working out great so far.

Sidenote: Lightroom AI Denooise is your friend and is pretty much a game changer. Allowed me to abuse shutter speeds at night with sky high ISOs with noise that could be cleaned up later. I would never post the before images. I first started doing this with older cameras but it works well with smaller sensor cameras as well. As good as slowing down and practicing better technique? No. Does it make for a usable image while allowing me to keep it moving? For my purposes yes.

Welp…

Another successful fit of capturing scenes seen.

Happy capturing.

-ELW