Vlogging gets easier and easier these days as camera makers and even smartphone makers compete for the attention of content creators, influencers, and even professional videographers who want a compact and handy companion so they can record their musings, reviews, and daily observations. Even in airsoft, vlogging is getting to be pretty much what airsoft YouTube channels and Facebook pages have been doing these days.

Sony wants to be that handy vlogging companion and after teasing us with their vlogging product, announced yesterday the Sony’s ZV-1, a compact camera that probably will be the vlogging camera champion when it gets released next month.

But wait! Isn’t that a Sony RX100?

It is indeed a Sony RX100, as the ZV-1 is based on the RX100 Mark V but has been made a more video centric compact camera aimed at vloggers. It takes some of the features from the RX100 Mark VI and VII such as the industry-leading autofocus system. It has a 1” inch sensor, captures 20mp stills, records 4K videos up to 30fps or 1080p videos at 120fps, can give a blurry background (or what photographers call “Bokeh”), and comes with a fast f1.8-2.8  24-70mm lens.

It has a pivoting flip-out screen, which is what many vloggers look into a camera as they usually work alone and for taking selfies. It comes withits own microphone that is adequate enough for capturing audio but what is important is a microphone jack. The ZV-1 has the 3.5mm jack and a camera shoe so you can mount an external mic or a wireless mic receiver. Unfortunately, Sony left out a headphone jack.

What many love about Sony cameras is their awesome autofocus features, and the ZV-1 is no exception. It has continuous auto-focus tracking and real time eye tracking during video recording.

As for stills it can shoot up to 20 frames per second and can capture good images which the RX100 series are known for.

The “Background Defocus” makes sure the vlogger is front and centre of the video and whilst the “Product Showcase” is a good feature for product reviews and unboxing videos which for product reviewers, is a very much welcome feature without doing manual adjustments. Face priority exposure ensures that your face is correctly exposed even under lighting changes.

Vloggers will need good accessories to vlog properly with the ZV-1 and Sony has the GP-VPT2BT, a wireless shooting grip with Bluetooth connectivity. With it you can have control over the ZV-1 without the need for cables such as zooming and recording and can also be used as a mini-tripod when hands-free shooting is called for.

For professional videographers, the ZV-1 has S-Log gamma for colour grading and picture profiles to meet certain aesthetic requirements.

Now, whilst it is good for vlogging, there is something that needs to be improved upon and that is stabilization. Checking this preview video from DPReview.com, we are not impressed with its stabilization feature and the GoPro Hero 8 and OSMO Action or Pocket are superior in stabilization albeit they do not have many of the features that the ZV-1 has. Thus, we cannot recommend the ZV-1 as a camera that can be used in the midst of an airsoft firefight where there is a lot of movement, or for any fast moving activity.

Other than what we have found to be shortcomings, the ZV-1 is indeed a promising vlogging tool for anyone wanting to have an active YouTube channel or Facebook Page. We still need to know more details if it can be used for livestreaming as it is becoming a must for vloggers to be able to livestream and Sony has promised to make a webcam functionality in the future.

The Sony ZV-1 will start shipping on the 11th of June and for those ordering from now until the 28th of June, they can order it at US$749 and after that, it will then be US$799. The The ACCVC1 Vlogger Kit which contains the GP-VPT2BT will be available in June with a special introductory offer of $50 off when purchased together with ZV-1 at participating retailers.