Sony ZV-E1: Hands On Roundup

Today Sony announced the newest advanced vlogging camera, the Sony ZV-E1 which incorporates some of the most advanced features from the A7S 3/ FX3 as well as the A7R V with some of the vlogging capabilities of past ZV series cameras.

The ZV-E1 and the ZV line

Sony’s creator/vlogging line of cameras has the ZV initials and currently includes 3 cameras. The more basic 1″ sensor, fixed lens Sony ZV-1 and more recently ZV-1F, the APS-C mirrorless interchangeable lens camera – the Sony ZV-E10 and with today’s announcement of the new ZV flagship – the full-frame Sony ZV-E1.

All these cameras share several important features and design aspects, the main ones are the lack of a viewfinder, electronic shutter only, a major emphasis on video recording and vertical shooting, and special features that are relevant to content creation such as Product Showcase mode.

Sony ZV-E1 main features

First and foremost the Sony ZV-E1 is the smallest, lightest FF camera Sony has ever released (483g/17oz), lighter even than the aging A7C (509g / 1.1 lb).

As we mentioned the camera has no viewfinder (just like the rest of the ZV family but also the FX3 which the ZV-E1 shares much of its technology with) but also no mechanical shutter and although it can take stills images, this is clearly not the cameras main focus.

The camera has the same swivel screen as we have seen on many recent Sony cameras although not the advanced swivel-tilt screen of the more photography-oriented A7R V. Sony did add some touch capabilities to the menus on the new camera and you can now change most of the settings on the main screen including shutter, aperture, ISO, etc. (a great feature although one that other brands had for years).

The sensor is the same 12MP sensor as the A7S 3 and FX3 which should be great for low light and video capture. It can shoot up to 4K 60p and for whatever reason, the 120p mode will only be available in June 2023 (whether this will be a free or paid option and in which region we will have to wait and see).

The camera has a single SD card slot as well as a USB-C which can be used for both charging and powering the camera and for streaming up to 4K 30p, it also has a 3.5mm port for both headphones and mic and an HDMI port but sadly only a micro one (we would much rather see a full size one but Sony wanted the smallest camera possible and this comes at a cost).

The camera does support the multi-interface hot shoe which allows the use of many of Sony’s audio accessories and you can also find a stills/movie switch on top and a zoom rocker with the shutter and on/off switch all put together.

The top of the camera has a large 3 mic assembly with an option to be used in either auto/front/rear or all-around modes.

Despite its size (similar to the APS-C A6400) it uses the same NP-FZ100 battery which should provide up to around 140 min of video recording (the real-world usage will, of course, depend on the settings etc.).

The camera has some advanced video software features including a built-in timelapse, Product Showcase mode (which focuses on a product that is closer to the camera) as well as an auto frame feature which follows you in the frame using AF and crops in (good for moving walking subjects in the frame with wide angle lenses but so far works only in 16:9 aspect ratio).

If you are walking and talking there is a walking stabilizer that tries to keep you in the same place in the frame by cropping. The intelligent auto mode can automatically change the aperture to try and capture more than one subject in the frame if they are not at the same distance from the camera.

The new Dynamic steadyshot mode allows for better stabilization when moving the camera although it requires quite a bit of crop so this better be used with a pretty wide angle lens to begging with (almost 1.5x crop).

There is even a mode that allows for a more cinematic mode including a wide shot with black bars and the camera does include the same AI AF technology found on the new A7R IV making it the second Sony camera to integrate this AF system.

Sony’s official ZV-E1 video

Pricing and availability

The new Sony ZV-E1 available from early April 2023 starting at $2200.

Hands-on and reviews from across the web

There are already quite a few first hands-ons with the new Sony ZV-E1 – here are a few of them:

Chris and Jordan on the Sony ZV-E1 (in one of their last DPR videos)

Tony & Chelsea Northrup looking at the Sony ZV-E1

Gordon Laing in-depth review of the ZV-E1 camera

Gerald Undone on the ZV-E1

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Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.