The Sony ZV-1F is a compact vlogging camera with a Type 1 (13.2×8.8mm) sensor and a fixed 20mm equivalent lens. This is a camera clearly aimed at vloggers, and features a three-capsule mic and fully articulating screen for facing-the-camera video creation.
Sony ZV-1F Price and Release Date
The Sony ZV-1F price is Rs 109,400 in Pakistan and in US dollars it’s $499. This is $300 less than the launch price of the existing ZV-1 model. Sony ZV-1F is available for purchase live on Thursday, October 13, 2022. It is one of the best compact cameras for vloggers and content creators. It is simple to operate, portable, and easy to carry around without compromising the quality of output.
- Sony ZV-1F Price in Pakistan is Rs 109,400
- Sony ZV-1F Price in US is $499
Key specifications
- 20MP Type 1 (13.2×8.8mm) BSI CMOS sensor
- 20mm equiv. 7.6mm F2.0 lens
- Contrast detection autofocus
- 8-bit 4:2:0 video
- 4K up to 30p
- 1080 up to 120p
The ZV-1F is the company’s second vlogging camera to be built around a Type 1 sensor but uses a wide-angle, 20mm equivalent, prime lens rather than the 24-70mm equiv zoom on the ZV-1. Despite the significantly lower price, the ZV-1F can shoot 4K video at up to 30p using the full width of its sensor.
This combination of a wide lens and full-width readout allows it to deliver a usefully wide angle-of-view, even with digital image stabilization engaged (imposing a 1.23x crop and giving an approximately 25mm equivalent field of view).
A combination of cropping and Sony’s ‘super resolution’ upsampling allows the camera to offer a 2x ‘zoom’ despite the fixed lens. The camera’s 5.5K sensor means that anything beyond 1.4x zoom must be taken from an area smaller than 4K and upscaled, so you’re limited to ‘1.5x zoom’ in 4K mode.
The ZV-1F includes Sony’s ‘Product Showcase’ AF mode that uses face detection but gives priority to things held up close to the camera. Interestingly, though, the ZV-1F does not have on-sensor phase detection.
Compact cameras have become pretty rare, but we suspect there’ll be some photographers who are intrigued by the idea of a small, ultra-wide prime camera with a comparatively large sensor.
The first thing worth knowing is that the ZV-1F cannot shoot Raw files: it’s JPEG or movie only. There’s also no built-in flash and no hot shoe in which to mount one. The camera does offer full PASM shooting modes, though, so you can take control and shoot stills if you wish.
How it compares
The only real peer to the ZV-1F is the original, zoom lens ZV-1 and, of course, the higher-end smartphones that are a popular choice for vlogging.
| Sony ZV-1F | Sony ZV-1 | iPhone 14 Pro | Pixel 7 Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Compact Camera | Compact camera | Mobile phone | Mobile phone |
| MSRP | $499 | $699 | $999 (128GB) | $899 (128GB) |
| Sensor size | Type 1 (13.2×8.8mm) | Type 1 (13.2×8.8mm) | Type 1/3.6 (front) | Type 1/3.1 (4.6×3.5mm) (front) |
| Lens | 20mm equiv | 24-70mm equiv | 23mm equiv | 21mm equiv |
| Image Stabilization? | Electronic | Electronic | No | No |
| Autofocus type | Contrast-detection AF | Fast Hybrid AF (phase-detection AF / contrast-detection AF) | Phase detection and LIDAR AF | Phase detection and LIDAR AF |
| Video spec | Up to 4K 30p | Up to 4K 30p | Up to 4K 60p (Dolby Vision HDR) | Up to 4K 60p (10-bit HDR) |
| Screen | 3.0″ 0.92M-dot | 3.0″ 0.92M-dot | 6.1″ (2556x1179px OLED) | 6.7″ (1440x3120px OLED) |
| Media format | SD (UHS-I) | SD (UHS-I) | Internal / Cloud storage | Internal / Cloud storage |
| Connectivity |
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| Weight | 256g | 343 g | 206g | 212g |
