PRODUCT OF THE MONTH: SONY ZV-1 II

The electronics behemoth has recycled the best bits from its original lockdown-era vlogging camera, adjusted the focal range and stuck the ‘II’ on the end. BPI News asks if a bigger price tag makes it worth stocking and selling?

Everything is costing us more during this cost of living crisis, and new cameras are no exception. With a suggested price tag of £870, inflation has caught up with the Sony ZV-1 II, recent update to the three-year-old ZV-1, which had a more modest £699 SRP back in 2020. For exactly that £170 price differential your customers could additionally invest in a very useful GP-VPT2BT wireless grip, also from Sony. Now they just get the camera itself. So what is there here to attract fresh custom? Particularly because this second iteration largely takes the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach.

Well, we get the same one-inch sensor as its predecessor with an identical 20.1 megapixel resolution, married to a Bionz X generation processor. However, rather than sticking with the fairly conventional 24-70mm equivalent focal range of the first generation ZV-1, the Mark II’s reach now starts out wider at 18mm equivalent and stops shorter at 50mm. The thinking here is that the camera’s target audience of video bloggers – or ‘vloggers’ – will be able to show more of their surroundings when recording pieces to camera; handy if your specialism is travel videos. While that ultra wide 18mm introduces the possibility of visible barrel distortion when recording at arm’s length, in practice that doesn’t appear to be significantly the case. Not to a noticeable level in any event.

Sony now describes the ZV-1’s touchscreen as ‘basic’, so that’s been overhauled here too and now feels

Though results didn’t wow us as much as those from larger sensor cameras, we have to factor in the portability of the package here, which manages to be both robust and relatively compact”

Spot the difference: A more responsive touchscreen and a focal range that starts out wider are the major welcome changes on this second generation model, but other than that it’s retained much from its predecessor more intuitive, with a greater number of operational features accessible with a simple screen tap. That’s perhaps just as well as the screen is the hub of this device, not only in terms of feature selection but framing our shots too, in lieu of any traditional eye-level viewfinder. The 3-inch LCD does offer further flexibility in that it’s of the vari-angle variety, though settings can be tricky to read in bright sunlight. In terms of image quality, though results didn’t wow us as much as those from larger sensor incorporating mirrorless cameras or DSLRs, and we did spot instances of purple fringing in high contrast shooting scenarios, we also have to factor in the portability of the package here, which manages to be both robust and compact at the width of two packs of playing cards. This means that, while it’s still bulkier than the other alternative of simply using a smartphone, we’re more likely to take it out and about with us for everyday shooting than a full frame mirrorless or DSLR. The relatively short zoom range also forces us to get close to our subjects – no issue, of course, if our primary aim is shooting selfies. www.sony.co.uk

A dead cat style windshield provided for our review sample slips quickly onto the ZV-1 II’s vacant hotshoe, or is removed just as easily. Alternatively an accessory ECM-B10 shotgun microphone is available for those wanting to boost sound quality further, though in fairness results from the one built-in are pretty impressive. Our one grumble is that there is no USB lead or mains charger provided with the camera – which provides the opportunity for retailers to piggyback these as an additional sale.

Comparable alternatives to the Sony ZV-1 II, to also pitch to your customers?

You only have to examine our recent news pages to find the suggestions of Canon’s recently released PowerShot V10, a very different looking device also featuring a one-inch sensor, or the APS-C sensor incorporating Fuji X-S20, which has a much more traditional design yet boasts portability and a dedicated Vlog mode. With the content creator bubble seemingly not having yet burst, there is arguably more choice than ever before for those seeking a hybrid device that’s as adept at shooting video as stills.