The Camera That Escaped The Hype Train: Sony ZV-1.
Subtitle: Get It Before The Price Gouging Trend Hits It.
Much of the text below is from an earlier post…
…where I mentioned that this is the camera I recommend to most folks.
Before that I wrote a post comparing it to one of the instathreadface darlings…
…the RICOH GR.
And it fared well. My abridged conclusion at the start:
Short version.
- If low cost is your main concern and/or you mainly intend to shoot video get the ZV-1.
- If stills quality is your main concern get the GRIIIx.
I still stand by that summary.
It was quite the bargain then, and is still quite the bargain now.
Not so much because it depreciated a great deal. More because, unlike nearly all other point and shoot cameras on the market, it has not appreciated… and it is in stock.
In fact as of the writing of this post, courtesy of a sale, the as new price is the same as the used price… And it is in stock I remind you. Even though there is a version II out,… that I am not a fan of personally.
Why? I am glad I imagined you asked. Easy. As summarized by Camera Decision…
The ZV-1:
- Costs less.
- Has IBIS.
- Done away with version II for the wider lens. That is a nope from me.
- I prefer 24-70mm focal length over the 18-50mm focal length.
- Faster lens at the tele end.
- And a 1″ sensor needs all of the help (light) it can get.
Now nearly all of this was in the first post. Why am I writing this one then?
There is a new sheriff in town.
Arguably, the main reason point and shoot prices are out of hand right now.
Unfortunate.
Great camera. But nothing justifies the current insanity. I refused to pay the used market tax. A used last gen X100V model is going for more than the new one. Theoretically. Because they never seem to stay in stock for more than a moment.
Insanity.
Thanks to my local camera shop, I was able to secure a new one before the recent price increase. If that did not happen, there was no way I was paying a markup for a used one.
But my thoughts trailed back to the ZV-1.
I have gone on about how good it is. Does it render the ZV-1 irrelevant in my little universe? In a word:
Nope.
This changes nothing. Well, compared to the GRIIIx a few things change. But the outcome is pretty much the same.
- Rather than being half the price of a GRIIIx, it is nearly a third of the price of an X100VI.
- Unlike the ZV-1 and the GRIIIx, the X100VI does have a flash.
- Unlike the ZV-1 and the GRIIIx, the X100VI does have an EVF… and a sort of an OVF… and a tiny corner screen dealie with the OVF…
There are some similarities also.
- Different small. But small.
- While the ZV-1 are properly shirt pocket tiny I carry the X100VI in a cargo pants or jacket pocket without issue. Few MFT, not many APS-C, and practically no full frame interchaneagble lens cameras can pull this off. Sure, and A7C II can do it technically but it feels like a boat anchor in pocket compared to the X100VI.
- Yes. Technically, there is the wildly priced RX1RIII… what a name… and the feature hobbled Panasonic S9, SIGMA fp, and BF… names again… but I would not have any of them. Personal preference for sure, but they ask for too much sacrifice to be viable daily carry alternatives. Sidebar… Money tree in hand I would have a silver BF and 45mm f/2.8 lens. Not for any good reason. I like the way it looks. Make sense? Nope. But it is what it is.
Moving on. Back to similarities.
- Fantastic lenses.
- These are all cameras that do a great job of capturing a moment.
- All reasonably fast.
- All are very sharp.
- All are capable, in their own way and to different degrees, of creating blurry backgrounds.
- While the Sony does not shine as much as the other two the Sony performs resepctably when it comes to colors also.
- TTL flash.
- As ridiculous as it may look, all are TTL flash capable.
- Have tested this on all three and it works well.
The ZV-1 does have one advantage over the larger sensor having bullies.
- Zoom lens.
- Combined with the f/1.8 aperture at the wide end, this is quite handy.
One other area where the X100VI does distinguish itself from the GRIIIx is video. Like the ZV-1, the X100VI is a strong performer in this regard, where this was a weakness with the GRIIIx. But still…
Is the X100VI better? On paper, yes… but it depends on what you are looking for. Here I will repeat my abridged format.
Short version.
- If low cost is your main concern and/or you mainly intend to shoot video get the ZV-1.
- If stills quality is your main concern get the X100VI.
It took a slightly longer path to get here, but the destination is the same.
A camera I have liked since I first tried it.
Unlike times in the past, I had no desire to part ways with this camera this time. I learned my lesson. After I wrote the post above, I let it go. Not because there was anything wrong with it. Because I was not using it enough. But I eventually regretted that decision and bought it back again.
And it has crushed it every time I took it out, including on an evening march.
In the midst of a later trade fit, it briefly found itself in a trade pile. But after I thought about it for a moment, I clawed it back. Why? Quite simply, I would have bought it again. Definitely. Inevitably.
<Made edits above. Pretty much a cut and paste festival from the last post here on out.>
And there is this.
It is great at a few things, and no less than very good at everything else.
Video.
Crushes it. Take a look at the video above. Compared it back to back with a fast lens and an APS-C camera body and I preferred the ZV-1.
- ND Filter so filming in broad daylight is not an issue.
- F/1.8-f/2.8 aperture means it copes well with low light as well.
- That small aperture provides good subject isolation.
- Tally light.
- Big fat record button.
- Swing around screen is perfect for this task.
- Unimpeachable AF. Product AF.
- Stores gyro data for post recording stabilization.
- More stuff.
Some site one ding.
The 24mm full frame equivalent not being wide enough.
This is a compromise I am happy to make. Because…
- I have been blessed with a healthy wingspan so it is a non-issue for me.
- If it were I would gladly buy a grip or handle, because…
- I much prefer the f/1.8 aperture and IBIS over the second gen ZV-1 which loses both of those features.
While video is great it is also good at what I use it for most of the time.
Stills.
- Again, the AF.
- I could go on and on, but I have never caught the AF slipping with this camera. Perfect for when you just want the pic.
- The colors.
- Not a single complaint here.
- The thin depth of field and background blur are impressive for such a tiny sensor.
- Very sharp lens.
- ZEISS at its ZEISS-iest.
- Close focus is amazing.
- It focuses alarmingly close for a lens not listed as a macro lens.
- IBIS.
- This tiny thing has the nerve to have IBIS.
- ND Filter.
- Mentioned already but I will mention it again.
- One button blackground blur.
- True for video as well but I forgot to metion it up there so I will throw it in here. As it says on teh tin it automagically maximized background blur which is perfect for novices or experienced folks.
- Controls.
- One could use this purely as a fully automatic point and shoot, but once you get the hang of it, this is a camera that lets you control everything if you wish.
- A very useful zoom range.
- A 24-70mm equivalent lens.
- Flash.
- As much as makes no sense it uses Sony’s TTL system so use a flash at f/2.8 and 70mm with a bounce flash and you can pull off a decent portrait in a pinch.
- A bunch of neat tricks baked in.
- Panoramic mode, styles or themes, you name it. Has more stuff than I remember half the time.
And on top of all of that there is this.
Ready.
- So small that it is easy to take anywhere.
- So unassuming that no one will pay you any mind.
- So fast to start up by just flipping the screen around you are not likely to miss anything.
- So solid at AF and exposure, you are not likely to miss anything.
The perfect camera when you just want the picture. And lastly there is this…
Affordable.
These run around $500 used.
Not what one would call cheap but I struggle to come up with a camera that can do just about everything for the same or less.
Even its near-functional twin spec-wise, other than an added EVF added, the RX100 VII, runs for a grand more new or used.
Yes, if you lean to video there may be a better option.
Similarly if you plan to take stills you may find a better option there.
But one that is adept at both? For less?
I have tried a lot of cameras and nothing jumps out as superior at being so well rounded while also being so compact and competent.
As capable of a moody grab…
…a tag along camera running errands with one of my kids…
…a street camera…
…and capture a crisp black and white.
There is only one downside that I can think of.
Chiclet/PEZ batteries.
Easily addressed. I ordered this case/battery dealie and carry it with.
Why carry with?
These batteries are so small that I lose track of them when I carry them loose. The case not only acts as a USB-C charger, helpful since the OG ZV-1 has the not aften used OG small USB port, but gives me a much better chance of them not disappearing on me.
One ding that should be put to rest is the no EVF thing.
After the release of much more premium/pricey also no EVF cameras that have garnered much buzz, such as the SIGMA BF and Fujifilm X-M5, this should no longer be seen as a downside.
I also believe it fits well with the use case for this camera. As mentioned in the video above have found that an EVF on such a small camera is not a good fit ergonomically. Also suits the from the hip run and gun type of phorotography I tend to do with this camera. Take a look at the NYC street pic samples below. The combination of IBIS, stellar AF, articulating screen, and small size makes for a discrete candid scene capturing combination.
After retrieving it from the trade heap, I quickly put it to use and it was once again confirmed how great this little camera is.
Just some quick pics while taking the long way to pick up food.
Product pics.
Here are some additional sample photos taken sinvce the last post.
Add all of that rambling up and price it at around $500 $600 used, and that is exactly why this is the camera I recommend when asked.
Largely because it does not matter what you throw at it.
Whether for video or stills, you will come away with a great end result.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 
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