Hi I'm Gordon from camera labs and this Is my review of the Sony zv E1 a full Frame mirrorless camera aimed at video Creators it packs the sensor an Ibis From The a7s Mark III into a smaller Body with no viewfinder but a bunch of Features designed to make filming easier Especially if you're a team of one Launched in March 2023 at around 2 200 The zv E1 becomes the fourth model in The zv Range and Sports both the largest Sensor and the highest price in the Series to date the original zv1 was Essentially a reworked RX100 Mark V for Vloggers employing the same one-inch Type sensorin 24 to 70 Zoom but dropping The viewfinder and adding an improved Microphone as well as some helpful new Filming modes it's still available for Around 750 dollars the follow-up zve E10 Essentially did the same trick with the A6400 inheriting its unstabilized aps-c Sensor and the chance to swap lenses but Again dropping the viewfinder and Gaining the improved microphone it costs Around seven hundred dollars for the Body alone or around 800 with the 16 to 50 kit Zoom Sony then added a new Version of the zv1 called the 1f which Swapped the zoom for a fixed 20mm Equivalent Prime making it more suitable For handheld vlogging but most of us Could guess that a full-frame zv model Wouldn't be far behind enter the latest
Zve E1 which essentially takes the 12 Megapixel sensor with Ibis from The a7s Mark III and following earlier models Drops the viewfinder and adds the Improved microphone plus some new AI Based Vlog friendly filming modes in These respects it could be seen as a Simpler more affordable version of the A7 S3 or perhaps a consumer-focused fx3 That's optimized for vloggers well size Wise maybe a video oriented version of The a7c however you choose to describe It the zve E1 is unashamedly aimed at Videographers sure it can still take Photos but this is not not designed as a Hybrid camera if photos and video are Equally important to you you will be Better served by the similarly priced A74 okay let's get on with the reviews Starting with the design and controls Here's the zve E1 on the left alongside The a74 on the right the latter also Representing other models in the full Frame Alpha range in terms of size most Obviously from the outside the zve E1 Like the fx3 and other zv models slices Off the viewfinder head to become much Shorter in fact it becomes one of the Smallest and lightest full-frame cameras To date at least those with Ibis and Without viewfinders as you look around The bodies you'll notice the zve E1 has Just one control dial although like Sony's other video focus cameras the
Shutter release includes the Spring-loaded rocker for adjusting the Zoom be it digital using clear image or Optical with a compatible power zoom Lens from the top you'll also notice There's a simpler layout lacking the Mode dial of traditional cameras and Instead just relying on a simple switch To set it between photo video and the S And Q slow and quick modes also note That generously sized red record button And one dedicated to background defocus To its right to put the size into Perspective again here's the zve E1 on The left but this time alongside the A6400 on the right coincidentally the Camera I used to film most of my videos Including this piece to camera the zve E1 is a little large in every Dimension But is still striking how similar they Are in size again the main feature Benefits for the a6400 here are its Built-in viewfinder not to mention a High resolution sensor that's more aimed At hybrid use but the zve E1 counters With a larger full-frame sensor Ibis Stabilization a better built-in Microphone on all those new filming Modes oh and if you prefer the zve1 is Also available in white although I don't Believe Sony goes as fast to offer a Matching version of the 28 to 60 kit Zoom like other zv models to date There's no viewfinder leaving composite
Edition and Playback entirely down to The three inch screen with 1.04 million Dots again like earlier models it's side Hinged allowing it to flip out to face You twist up and down or fall back on Itself for protection it is of course Touch sensitive and Sony's introduced a New set of shortcut icons accessed by Swiping left and right or up and down These provide quick access to many Filming options from the defocus level To the microphone Direction and the Handy on a body which has fewer physical Controls on the left side of the body Are three flaps behind the top one are a Three and a half mil microphone input And a USB C Port the latter supporting Charging power delivery and UVC UAC Output for use as a standard USB webcam And in a nice upgrade it'll even now Stream over USB in 4k up to 30p the Larger flap in the middle opens to Reveal a single SD card slot so sadly no Dual slots for backup no support for Faster CF Express Taipei cards which in Turn limits the maximum video bit rates To 600 megabits per second I realized Earlier zv cameras also only had one SD Slot and understand there's always Losses when making bodies smaller but For a camera at this price aimed at Higher end videographers well the Inability to back up to a second card Will be a reason that some of them will
Choose the a74 or spend more on the A7 S3 instead meanwhile behind the third Port at the bottom of a micro HDMI port And a three and a half mil headphone Jack yep I'm afraid that's right the Cursed micro HDMI port rather than the More robust full-size supports of the A74 and S3 and the zve E1 also lacks the Raw video output of the S3 now at this Point you might be getting a little Concerned that the zve E1 is also Compromised battery life but I'm pleased To report that it still takes the same Fz100 pack as the larger models in the Range Sony quotes 95 minutes of video Recording on a full charge but it really Does depend on the video quality and the Potential for the camera to overheat Like other recent Sony cameras you can Set the auto power off temp setting to High and allow the body to become very Warm to extend recording times with this Setting enabled I managed to record 52 Minutes and 25 seconds of 4K 50p and That was in xavchs video before the Camera became very warm and shut itself Down albeit with roughly two-thirds of The battery remaining the larger bodies And heatsinks of the other models in the Alpha range though should allow longer Recording times even effectively Unlimited in some conditions Switching to 1080 50p footage I managed Just over 2 hours and 20 minutes on a
Single charge on the zve E1 and you can See that clip still running just Overlaid above my head right now and in The corner of the screen you'll also see That that battery is about to run out Any moment now I can however happily Report that for this test the camera did Not overheat on the top left of the zve1 Is one of Sony's multi-interface shoes Complete with the extra pins to support Digital audio accessories and to its Right is a three capsule internal Microphone which allows you to switch Between patterns there's an auto mode Which records sound from all around Unless the face is detected at which Point it will concentrate on sound Coming from the front of the camera Alternatively you can manually select Front all directions or rear for when You're narrating behind the camera like Earlier zv cameras the E1 is also Supplied with a wind Muffler that slides Onto the hot shoe Sony supplied my test Sample with the version for the white Body but the effects is still the same So let's hear how those modes compare Starting with the microphone set to Front but initially without the muffler Attached so you're gonna hear some Pretty bad wind noise don't worry it Won't be for long Right I've now slid that wind Muffler Accessory onto the hot shoe at which
Points it neatly covers up and hopefully Protects the microphone modules I'm Filming this with the 2860 kit Zoom at 28 millimeter I'm about two foot or Approximately 60 centimeters away from The camera and again it is recording Audio using the built-in microphone now The zve E1 actually has several Different modes for the microphone and I Currently have it set for the pattern to Pick up sound from in front of the Camera so it should be concentrating on Me and not what's behind or to the sides And what's actually behind the camera is The C so I'm going to try on another Setting to see whether you can hear the C a little bit more clearly as promised I'm now recording this with the Microphone Greatest Alternatively why not set the microphone To record sound from all around in front For me and also behind you so you've got Some more of the Ambient sound of the Sea and everything that's going on Around me I'm now positioned behind the Camera about one foot away or around 30 Centimeters which is roughly the Distance that you might have the camera If you were hand holding it and viewing The screen I'm using the windshield on The built-in microphone and I have the Audio set to rear so it should be Picking up me and not the sound of the
Sea in front of me now I've switched to The microphone facing forward I'm still Speaking for about 30 centimeters or one Foot behind the camera but you shouldn't Go to hear me as clearly as before and Instead you should be hearing the sound Of the sea much more clearly now I have The zv E1 microphone set to all Directions hopefully picking up sound From in front so the sound of the sea And also the sound of me narrating from Behind again from about one foot or 30 Centimeters distant from the microphone Okay now for the sensor which as you Already know is inherited from The a7s Mark III this has 12 megapixels which in Turn allows the zve E1 to record 4K Video without additional cropping Binning or over sampling it simply Slices off the top and bottom in order To achieve the 16×9 shape and just Starts recording it since there's no Spare pixels to deal with the sensor Readout can be faster than high Resolution models which should in turn Mean reduced skewing from Rolling Shutter artifacts without incurring the Cost of a stacked sensor to find out Here's the zve1 at 50mm panning back and Forth at 1080 25 P where I'd say there Really is minimal skewing visible and Now for comparison at 1080 50p again Staying pretty well behaved next at 4K 25p where there's still nothing bad to
Report even with pretty severe movements Back and forth so if it's making you Feel a bit ill and finally at 4K 50p Which again looks pretty good to me this Result is in stark contrast to other Non-stat sensors with high resolutions That have to factor in delays from Processing more pixels again while the Zve1 is designed for video first it can Still take photos if you like or be it At a maximum resolution of 12mp pixels Further cementing its intended use for Video Sony's also seen fit to remove the Mechanical shutter on the zve1 so unlike The S3 you only have a fully electronic Shutter for still photos while Electronic shutters have the benefit of Silent operation they can suffer from Artifacts including banding under Artificial light and again skewing from Rolling shutter here's a burst of Stills I took at the camera's top speed while Quickly panning from side to side while The skewing isn't as bad as many high Resolution models when using their Electronic shutters it is still visible Here with the bottle leading to one side Since the zve E1 has no mechanical Shutter to solve this problem still Shooters should be cautious about Photographing anything in fast motion But again this camera isn't designed for Photography and as I showed you earlier The rolling shutter artifacts for video
Is actually much lower than most Non-stacked high resolution sensors in Terms of video the zve E1 unsurprisingly Inherits most of the quality options of The S3 at least those within the speed Of its SD slot so you can film 1080 from 24 to 240p or 4K from 24 to 120p the Latter making it one of the most Affordable full framers with 4K 120 Capabilities well hang on there not Quite yet as you may have noticed in the Menus there's no mention of 1080 240 or 4K 120 at the time I made this review as For some unexplained reason they're not Ready for the launch of the zve1 instead Sony tells me they'll arrive on a free Update in June so the zve E1 will have 1080 240 and 4K 120 capabilities but not Until June 2023 the video quality Unsurprisingly matches the a7s Mark III Given the same modes but again the speed Of the SD slot does prevent the zve E1 From offering the highest bitrate Options it also lacks raw output over HDMI and like all Sony consumer cameras Today doesn't offer Cinema 4K or open Gate options but both incidentally Available on the Lumix S5 Mark II that Said you're still getting Sony's latest Xavc HS option for 10-bit 4K as well as Intra options for 1080 and 4K eagle-eyed Sony owners will also notice that log Shooting has been moved out of the Picture profiles and into its own menu
This makes much more sense to me it's Much easier to find now although it does Mean that the picture profile list now Has a gap where they previously were Here's a clip I filmed in s-log 3 and The potential for dynamic range is Shared with the a7s mod 3. the zve E1 Also allows you to import and preview Alert when filming or even bake it right Into the footage saving you from an Additional step in editing if desired I Believe this is already available on the FX models and will hopefully come to the S3 in the firmware update a similar Capability is also available on the Lumix S5 II the zve1 also finally Includes a dedicated time-lapse mode Which generates a video from images Captured at intervals of up to one Minute in this mode good no Stills Recorded So is for generating video only Next up the product showcase mode not New to the zve E1 has been seen on Several Sony cameras before but it Remains a really useful feature when You're presenting this kind of video Especially now deployed with the Benefits of a full frame sensor and this Potential for shallow depth of field Effects and speaking of which I'm using The 28 to 60 millimeter kit Zoom at 28 Millimeter F4 to give you an idea of What you can achieve at this end of the Range and I'm recording the audio with
The built-in microphone which is Concentrating on subjects in front of The camera such as me and the way that Product showcase mode works is that if You are the only subject on the frame Well it's going to use face Knight Detection to keep you nice and sharp but As soon as you bring something closer to The camera in this case the subject then This will take priority this is the Thing that the camera will focus on even If your face is still in the frame Remove the object face becomes sharp Again bring the object back in again and It will focus on that although do be Aware of the minimum focusing distance For the lens that you're using now of Course you'll be aware of the rather Awkward technique that you had to use Prior to modes like these where face Detection was so effective you would Actually have to cover your face with The product rather casually you'd go oh Hey guys I just want to show you this Tape measure in front of my face now Because as soon as you'd move it away it Would focus on you but not with this Motor this works really well and it also Works with very small subjects which Traditionally presented a bit of a Problem Um for this kind of video If you do ever Film any cosmetic videos or watch any of Them again you'll be very familiar with
The presenter trying to casually Position whatever it is right in front Of their eyes in order to foil the face Detection but there's no need to do that Now you can just hold it to the edge of The frame and you remain present nice And blurred in the background so not a New feature but still a very useful one To have One of the more frustrating aspects About being a one-person content creator Is that when you're stood in front of The camera well there's nobody stood Behind it to operate it to adjust things Like the lens focal lens or the camera's Position and what you're left with is Generally quite static compositions with You rooted to the ground too afraid to Move left and right too much lest you Actually fall out of the frame entirely But the zve e1's new auto framing Feature which I have enabled now will Actually crop in on you and use those Spare pixels around the edges to move The frame left and right automatically As you move left and right and how does It know when to do it well it uses face Detection to actually follow your face On the frame and readjust that Composition it's as if the camera is Actually being moved left and right However I can assure you that the camera Is completely static at this point I'm Using the 2860 at 28 millimeter and it
Very much is static right in front of me But again by tracking my face and Agreeing for it to be in the middle of The frame it is given that impression That there was somebody actually behind The camera operating it here's some more Examples showing the initial zooming Process and the subsequent panning all Of which can be adjusted in the menus You can even choose to record the Cropped version to the SD card and Output an uncropped version over HDMI or Vice versa if desired but in a missed Opportunity the auto framing mode won't Let you choose a different aspect ratio So all of the crop footage is in the Traditional wide 16×9 shape imagine how Good it would have been to automatically Crop a tall 9×16 shape for vertical Video which could keep you in the frame As you move left and right while Simultaneously recording a traditional Wider version even if only in 1080P this Could become even better if Auto framing Also had access to the full height of The sensor in an open gate mode I've Suggested both of these to Sony but in The meantime the zve E1 does have a Bunch of other tricks up its sleeve have You ever done one of those Walkie-talkie pieces to camera where you Think you're walking at a constant speed But you generally slow down when you're Trying to make a point and then speed
Back up again and it's really hard for The camera operator to actually keep you Roughly in the middle of the frame it's A bit of a disturbing experience With the zve e1's new framing stabilizer Mode though which I have enabled now the Camera will automatically crop in a Little bit on your face and use the Space around that crop to move the Composition around and that's being Driven by face recognition so even if I Speed up or slow down a bit or even if The camera operator is also speeding up Or moving unpredictably I should still Be kept in a constant position in the Frame in this case towards the middle of The frame but you can position the Subject wherever you want it doesn't Have to be a human subject either One of the best things about having a Reliable face and eye tracking system is That it's a one-person content creator You can stand in front of the camera Fairly confident that you're going to be Sharp even when you've got the Background nice and blurry behind you I'm filming this with the Sony Fe 20 mil 1.8 which in intelligent auto mode which I'm using for a very specific reason Right now is currently set to F 2.8 but What happens when a second person enters The frame Well normally you'd be stuffed But the zve E1 when set to intelligent Auto has a very neat trick it can detect
Multiple faces and actually adjust the Aperture automatically to ensure that Everybody is in sharp Focus so it's Actually closed now from F 2.8 to f11 And then when that person leaves the Frame well the aperture should Automatically open up again nice and Gradually to put you against that nice Blurred background again so the camera Has now returned the lens to F 2.8 and Will about where we started this were Well in the previous example but it is Hampered somewhat by only currently Being available in intelligent auto mode Which in turn means having no control Over the shutter the aperture or ISO now I deliberately used an F 1.8 lens here But in daylight without an ND the camera Automatically closed it to no larger Than F 2.8 robbing me of a potentially Blurry background so I'd really like to See the multiple face option available In the manual modes too now for some Handheld vlogging starting with the zve E1 fitted with the Fe 20mm 1.8 prime Lens at 1.8 of course but without any Stabilization so let's fix that straight Away by enabling standard steady shot Which here is using sensor shift Ibis Alone allowing you to film without crop Next I've enabled active steady shot Which does incur a crop but delivers Less wobbles now I always thought that Active studyshot was applying additional
Digital compensation but Sony now tells Me that on the full frame Alpha for Cameras it's actually still only using Sensor shift but in a broader range Which necessitates a crop the bottom Line is the footage is more stable but It's obviously a bit tighter new to the Zve1 though is dynamic steady shot which Takes active mode and now adds Additional digital compensation which Incurs a further crop still but ironing Out more wobbles that said with this Additional crop my 20mm is now acting More like a 28 which has arguably become Too tight for handheld vlogging at least When holding the camera with both hands To illustrate the effect of the various Stabilizer crops here's a static view Filmed with the 2860 kit Zoom at 28 with Ibis alone so this is uncropped next for Active steady shot which again applies a Crop to allow the censorship system to Operate over a broader range and finally The new Dynamic mode which applies Additional digital compensation for Potentially steadier footage albeit with An even tighter crop to further Illustrate the crop here's the original Clip filmed with Ibis alone for an Uncropped result now I've superimposed a Red frame where the outer edge Represents the coverage when you're Using active steady shot which works out At about a 1.12 times field reduction
And finally the outer edge of the green Frame represents what you'll get with Dynamic steady shots which by my Calculations works out at about a 1.44 Times crop as always these crops mean That you'll need very wide lenses if You're a handheld vlogger especially if You're using both hands which in turn Means the 2860 kit Zoom just isn't going To cut the mustard on the left is the 20mm Prime at 1.8 and on the right is The 28 to 60 kit Zoom at 28mm F4 both Using standard steady shot Ibis without A crop and already the 28 is arguably Too tight next here they are with active Steady shot making the 28 on the right Uncomfortably close and finally his both With Dynamic steady shot delivering the Least wobbly footage but with the Greatest crop factor but while the 2860 Isn't wide enough for handheld vlogging In front of the camera it can be great When used with Dynamic stabilization When you or someone else is behind the Camera instead but again if you are Handheld vlogging in front of the camera You will ideally want a 20 or even wider Still Okay so to wrap up this section on Handheld vlogging I'm filming this with The zve E1 and 20 millimeter 1.8 at 1.8 And I am using Dynamic image Stabilization but I'm holding the camera One-handed at full arms length so it
Really is wobbling around this is Normally a very unstable holding Position for me so hopefully it looks All right to you and I'm recording the Audio with a built-in microphone I've Configured it to record audio from the Front and since it is a very breezy day I do have the windshield attached before My final third date I'm going to Showcase the last new mode on the Z ve1 Called cinematic Vlog this changes the Aspect ratio to a wider 2.35 to 1 shape Changes the frame rate to 24p and Applies softer moodier tones you can Adjust this style but here's some clips That I filmed with the default settings See you in a minute Thank you Foreign The zve E1 becomes Sony's most powerful Consumer camera aimed at video content Creators delivering the quality and Those frame rates of the a7s Mark III in A smaller more affordable body with the Benefits of genuinely improved Stabilization a better quality built-in Microphone and a bunch of cunning modes To make filming easier especially if You're a team of one I enjoyed the new Modes especially Auto framing whether The camera was on a tripod or handheld But for me it is a real missed Opportunity not to offer a vertical crop Option again imagine being able to
Record horizontal and vertical versions Simultaneously with the camera Automatically keeping the subject Centered on both this could be even Better still as Sony equipped its Cameras with open gate to access the Full height of the Sansa fingers crossed These will come at some point there's Also no getting away from the price of The zve E1 which is getting on for three Times that of the earlier models in the Series sure it's still a cheaper way to Enjoy the excellent a7s Mark III sensor With some more Vlog friendly modes but As a compact zv camera you're limited to A single card slot micro HDMI port and Potentially short recording times now These may not be such a big deal in the Subway 100 category but when a camera Costs over two grand you can't help Becoming more critical and these losses Could rule it out for some for Professional use now there are of course Plenty of Alternatives that are roughly Similar price or be aimed more at a Hybrid shooter including Sony Zone a74 Canon's EOS R6 and Panasonic's Lumix S5 II all deliver high resolution photos With the benefits of dual card slots Mechanical shutters longer recording Times and built-in viewfinders while two Of those models also sport full-size HDMI ports with the Lumix additionally Boasting open gate facilities the zve E1
Counters with 4K at 120p reduced rolling Shutter a better built-in microphone and Those in enhanced vlogging modes as I Said at the start it's unashamedly aimed At videographers and especially One-person content creators it's Certainly capable of great looking Results but ultimately you'll need to Weigh up the pros and cons to see if it Is exactly the right fit for your Personal needs oh and remember if you're Handheld vlogging in front of any camera Especially with both hands remember that You'll ideally need a lens that's why Doing 24 mil especially when applying Those enhanced stabilization options Which in turn makes the Sony 28 to 60 Kit Zoom less than suitable I'd love to Hear what you think in the comments and Whether the zve1 is the camera that You've been waiting for in the absence Of a sponsored section in this video you Can also help me out with a like and a Follow if you're not already watching me You're not following and if you're Feeling extra generous I'm always up for A coffee or you could always treat Yourself to my own camera Photography Book there's links for everything Including the latest zve E1 pricing in The description below thanks for Watching and I'll see you next time bye Bye
