Vloggers review the Sony ZV-1 and love it
Non-vloggers review it and miss the point entirely
One of the reasons I’m extremely fascinated by the Sony ZV-1 camera and why you’ll likely be seeing a variety of posts regarding it is that it’s the first Sony product I’ve seen in a long time that’s focused. Cameras as a whole are nothing new for the company, and one of the reasons the Alpha line has been so successful is that each iteration typically addressed some pain point or want from photographers. The VZ-1 takes this idea to the extreme by being engineered with vloggers in mind — yes, it’s built on the frame of the RX100 and features the same 1-inch 20.1-megapixel sensor, but from button placement to software features, it’s designed to make vlogging easier.
Rightly so, for its launch, Sony sent the ZV-1 to dozens of reviewers who mainly live on YouTube, but even in that community, there exist many different kinds of content creators. While many might lump Jenna Ezarik, Peter McKinnon, Casey Neistat, iJustine, and Jared Polin together as YouTubers or content creators, the reality is much more nuanced. Some, like Peter McKinnon, create content by pushing the boundaries of cameras and videography, where others, like Jenna, are more focused on delivering tech news and reviews through their adventures. Both ultimately film themselves and ‘vlog,’ but there is a difference, and you’ll see that shine through in their reviews.
Jenna Ezarik
“What’s the perfect vlogging camera?” I can finally say, without any uncertainty that this is it.
iJustine
I am in love with this camera. It is really, really amazing.
Sara Dietschy
Yes, I’m buying it immediately.
Jared Polin
I just think that there’s way too many people that “think they want to be vloggers” and talk to the camera as if anybody, honestly really cares.
I highly recommend giving all the videos a watch, including Jared’s. Typically what he has to say regarding cameras is spot on, and I don’t think his criticisms are wrong here, per se. But he’s also not the target audience as you can tell by his opinion on vlogging in general¹ — of course, you’ll get more versatility if you buy a DSLR or APS-C camera and of course, you can build entire gear setups that give you better quality, maybe at a lower price point. That’s not who ZV-1 is aimed at.
What ZV-1 seems² to deliver so perfectly is an out-of-the-box experience that’s just right. Whether you want to start baking, creating makeup tutorials, talking tech, or vlogging your adventures, all you need to do is power on the camera, hit the big red record button, and you’ll end up with some pretty good-looking footage.
For many, that’s all they’ve ever wanted, and the Sony ZV-1 offers that for $750. Think Jared misses the mark and others like Jenna seem to be the right target audience for this camera? Or is he on to something?
¹ Remember, it’s not up to Sony to care about the validity of vlogging. Instead, their job is to assess the market, see if there’s a need/demand for a given product, and fulfill it as best as they can.
² I say “seems” because I’m going off of the opinion of others and not my own.
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