Sony introduced today a new 1″ vlogging compact camera – the Sony ZV-1 Mark II. The new camera joins a growing list of vlogging cameras from Sony which aim to fill the needs of all types of vloggers.
Vlogging cameras in all sensor sizes
In recent years Sony really took the concept of vlogging to a new level by introducing not one or two but at the moment 5 different models. The original ZV-1 (which will not be removed from the line for the time being) with a 1″ sensor, the newer ZV-1F with a 1″ sensor and a fixed 20mm lens, as well as the more advanced ZV-E10 APS-C camera with interchangeable lenses and finally the vlogging flagship – the ZV-E1.
The new ZV-1 Mark II will be the next generation of the original ZV-1 but will integrate some of the features from ZV-1F and the advances introduced in the flagship ZV-E1.
The new Sony ZV-1 Mark II
Sony ZV-1 Mark II – what’s new?
One of the biggest changes of the ZV-1 MKII compared to the original ZV-1 is the wider zoom lens. Unlike the ZV-1F which has a wide-angle prime lens (20mm) and the original ZV-1 which has a 24-70mm equivalent lens, the new ZV-1 MKII has a ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* 18-50mm f/1.8-4.0 lens. This means that you now have a much wider lens which is better suited for vlogging although you are going to miss the more telephoto side of the lens that you had in the original mode and the lens itself is also slower (the original ZV-1 had an f/1.,8-f/2.8 equivalent lens).
The body is very similar although the 1/4″ 2- thread is more on the side like some of the newer ZV models to not interfere with the battery door.
Like a few other new Sony models, it has a smart option to record audio from 3 different mics from specific directions or automatically. There is also MI-Shoe with support for the external ECM-G1 microphone (and a 3.5mm mic connector on the side although still no dedicated headphone option sadly).
The new camera has an improved touchscreen operation which Sony claims will provide a “smartphone-like” experience.
One really interesting feature that the ZV-1 II has is a built-in ND which allows working in brighter lighting although it is not very powerful (we are still waiting for a truly functional VND option on Sony’s interchangeable line of cameras by the way). Sadly there is no sensor image stabilization on the camera. digital stabilization will crop the frame but since this camera has a wider lens it is not as bad as the original model.
When it comes to video the 20MP fast-stacked sensor can shoot up to 4K 30p (or 1080p at 120p) and adds S-Log2 and S-Log3 profiles but the camera is still limited to 8-bit files so the actual results are somewhat limited (there is also no S-cinetone which seems to belong only to 10bit Sony cameras).
The camera has some pretty surprising stills capabilities as well with 24fps continuous shooting in both JPEG and Raw, with a very impressive 800 images buffer (in JPEG).
Pricing and availability
The Sony ZV-1 Mark II should be available around mid-June 2023 for just under $900.
Hands-ons from around the web
There are already quite a few hands-on reviews of the new Sony ZV-1 Mark II online – here are a few of them:
Gerald Undone with a quick look at some of the features of the Sony ZV-1 Mark II
Chris Nicholas and Jordan Drake from PetaPixel with the ZV-1 Mark II
Jason Morris comparing the ZV-1 to the ZV-1 M2
Becka from the Verge comparing the ZV-1 II to the recent Canon V10
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Iddo Genuth 
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