Sony today announced the successor to its entry-level vlogging-centric camera that was first introduced three years ago. Known as the ZV-1 II (or “Mark Two”), the new shooter is revealed to come with several upgrades over the original, though mostly surrounding its built-in features department.
Externally, the design and measurements of the new ZV-1 II closely resembles the 2020 model, with the button placements and 3-inch 921,000 dot flip-out and rotatable LCD touchscreen remains unchanged. Like the original, it does not come with an electronic viewfinder (EVF) nor does it feature any form of weather resistance. Similarly, also found onboard is a multi interface shoe, a USB-C for data transfer and charging, a 3.5mm mic jack and Micro HDMI port on the side, as well as a tripod mount at the bottom.
And even though it may appear unchanged, the newer model actually comes with a wider Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* fixed lens, which offers 18-50mm equivalent zoom and f/1.8-4 aperture. Without a doubt, its zooming capability is shorter than the ZV-1’s 24-70mm lens, but Sony insists that this range is much well suited for blogging instead. On that note, you are still able to zoom further digitally via the built-in Clear Image Zoom function, which increases the focal length from 50 to 100mm “without any appreciable loss in image quality.”
Under the hood, the ZV-1 II is equipped with the same 20.1MP 1-inch stacked Exmor RS sensor and Bionz X image processor, which enables for continuous shooting at up to 24 photos per second via electronic shutter and up to 4K resolution videos at up to 30fps. Additionally, it has an ISO range of 100 to 12,800 that can be further expanded up to 25,600, built-in three-stop ND filter, hybrid auto-focus system with 315 phase detection and 425 contrast detection AF points, as well as an onboard Optical Steadyshot and Active SteadyShot stabilisation features.
All of the signature features offered on the original ZV-1 makes a return on the newer model; including modes such as Product Showcase, Background Defocus, and Live Stream Mode. Moreover, it also comes with S-Log2 and S-Log3 gamma and HLG curves for recording in greater dynamic range, in addition to numerous Picture Profiles and Creative Looks image enhancements, as well as the all-new Cinematic Vlog feature. The latter lets you shoot automatically in the widescreen Cinemascope aspect ratio (2.35:1) at 24fps.
It’s also worth mentioning that the camera uses the same NP-BX1 battery as its predecessor. As before, Sony claims that it too offers 45 to 75 minutes of video recording or a total of 260 still shots on a single charge.
The Sony ZV-1 II will be available in Malaysia from July 2023, and is priced at RM3,999. For colour options, the new vlogging camera will be offered in either White or Black.
(Source: Sony Malaysia press release / official website)
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