The Best Sony Camera for YouTube?
Is the Sony ZV-E1 just a stupid vlogging camera, or a hidden gem in the Sony line-up? Should you buy it over the A7IV?
Use Case
If your use case is primarily video centric, including vlogs, short films and indie movies, the ZV-E1 wins here. It features Full Frame 4K60 with no crop, is packed full of AI features and is very much a beginner friendly camera. It also offers some professional features, like S-LOG3, various picture profiles, and a host of other Sony FX3 hand me downs that make this camera a professional powerhouse. At its core the ZV-E1 is as effective as a Sony FX3 for $1000 less. You can even now find them slightly used for a few more bucks off.
The Good
Onto some of the features that make this a standout to me and a gimmick to some.
Cinevlog mode, is sort of cliche, but also pretty awesome. This saves time by adding letterbox bars in camera and comes with s-cinetone colors which are great, sometimes a tad warm for me, but the color science has come a long way in recent years.
Product showcase mode, face/eye AF models are great. The technology is getting really good and holds onto subject like glue. Therein lies the problem. If you wanted to show off something in frame you would hold whatever it is you are showing in front of your face to change focus. This mode is great for content creators. I show things in front of me and it is awesome to actually not have to worry, eye AF is accurate and fast, even on third party lenses and this mode is well worth it. This alone effectively made the ZV-E1 my A camera for video, replacing the A7IV.
Dynamic active stabilization, this almost replaces the need for a gimbal, but does heavily crop in, so keep that in mind if you are using prime lenses and choose focal length accordingly. Dynamic stabilization makes handheld shooting a breeze. I’m kind of over gimbal shots myself, the overly stabilized look is great, super appealing, I get it. But at the same time I think, great another video with a gimbal. It sometimes lacks emotion and in my opinion can take away from a scene.
Lens choices - as with all Sony E-mount bodies, you have a vast array of inexpensive lenses (samyangs, etc) all the way up to the creme of the crop the G Master lenses. There is something at nearly every price point, cheap zooms, cheap fast primes, etc. The same goes for all Sony camera bodies and was one of the primary reasons I chose Sony over Canon comparing A7IV vs R6 at the time. RF glass was just too pricey for me. Great quality, don’t get me wrong and I have a soft spot for canon as an old T6i Rebel user.
The not so good
Ergonomics, the body is small and difficult to hold with one hand. Lenses can make it feel extremely unbalanced, even a lightweight prime like Sony 50GM. This is remedied with a camera cage that includes a grip like the Small Rig cage. Even with a cage it is a super lightweight package for a video powerhouse, but weight definitely increases and is noticeable with a cage and a metal build lens like a Sigma or a zoom like Sony GM 16-35mm F2.8.
Photos - the 12MP sensor can get the job done in a pinch but it’s not really designed as a hybrid camera. The A7IV excels here with 33MP stills if photography is your first love. The ZV-E1 12MP though is great for taking thumbnails for YouTube and provides smaller raw files that still have a ton of dynamic range and ability to be pushed in post.
Single card slot, just something to note, I should knock on some wood but I have never lost footage due to a failed card, my time will come, but even on the A7IV I rarely shoot redundant. The dual card slot gives me the flexibility to shoot stills on one card and keep video on the second card, which is a great quality of life feature for run and gun style photo/video creatives. The fact that the ZV-E1 only has a single slot was not even close to a deal breaker for me.
So there is all of the good and a little bit of bad. I probably would not have bought this as my only camera. I was already in the Sony ecosystem with some nice lens options. If you are already in the Sony ecosystem and need a lightweight run and gun camera or want to add a B cam without going to a crop sensor like the FX30, the ZV-E1 makes a lot of sense.
I can’t see people who have not yet dipped their toes into mirrorless or the Sony line going and picking one of these up along with a lens or two. That just seems cost prohibitive to me when I think most beginners would just use their phone or look to a slightly cheaper option(point and shoot or fixed lens option) before spending thousands on an upgrade.
This is however a great entry level camera. If you know you will be still using it for years to come I can’t recommend it enough.
