According to recent rumours, Sony is preparing to announce a new camera at the end of the month. It’s reported to be called the Sony ZV-E1. Along similar lines to the Sony ZV-E10, this will be another interchangeable lens vlogging camera. Except, this one is expected to be a full-frame camera. Not only that but it’s said to feature the same sensor as the Sony A7S III and Sony FX3 cinema cameras.
This will be Sony’s first full-frame camera targeted directly towards vloggers in their ZV series. One could argue that the Sony A7c was the first full-frame vlogging camera from Sony but with the higher 24-megapixel resolution and relatively limited video features – it has no 4K60 video, for example – it wasn’t truly dedicated towards vloggers. By the sounds of this one, though, it should be a dream come true.
More video focused
According to Sony Alpha Rumors, the new camera is based heavily on the Sony A7S III. As such, this means it’s definitely more video-oriented than the compromise we saw with the Sony A7c. While the A7c does work for vlogging, being a very lightweight camera and having basic video features, it was really more of a general-purpose camera (like the regular A7 series) with a flippy-out LCD.
And speaking of the A7c, the new camera is expected to have a similar body, although it’s not designed to be an upgrade or replacement for it in Sony’s lineup. That one will still be around as a general-purpose lower-end vlogging camera. And it’s one that also does quite well for stills if photography is still something that’s important. The ZV-E1, though, looks like it’ll focus on video, with stills barely even being a thought. With it being based around the A7S III, it is also expected to shoot not only 4K60 but also 4K video at 120fps with no crop and pixel binning.
- Based on the Sony A7S III
- Similar body to the A7c
- The same 12-megapixel sensor as the A7S III and FX3
- 4K60 and 4K120 video with no crop
- No pixel-binning
- Extended ISO capabilities up to ISO 409,600
- Same AF system as either the A7 IV or A7R V (not yet confirmed)
- Cheaper than the A7S III
As it’s part of the ZV series and based on the A7c body, I think we can expect it not to have an EVF. After all, it’s not really needed for vlogging. It sounds a lot like it’ll be a mini FX3 at a significantly lower price but with the same full-frame sensor. The one big questions surrounding the sensor is whether or not it’ll have IBIS like the A7S III and FX3 or if it won’t, like the APS-C format ZV-E10. I would certainly hope that it does.
What autofocus system?
There seems to be some debate about which autofocus system it uses. It’s said to have either the same AF system as the A7 IV or the one from the A7R V. The latter of the two is the more advanced, offering enhanced AI features for subject detection and tracking. The autofocus system from the Sony A7 IV certainly isn’t terrible by any means. But the A7R V is better.
One might expect that a hypothetical ZV-E1 would receive the newer and more advanced AF system from the A7R V, but for vloggers, where you’re primarily filming yourself, perhaps not. It will also be interesting to see if this camera features the focus breathing correction features added to other Sony bodies recently. I don’t expect that racking focus will be a big use for a camera like this, so Sony might skip implementing this one.
An announcement is expected on March 29th, according to SAR, but I think in the two weeks between now and then, we’ll start to see a few leaks of both specs and photos. For now, all we can really do is hope that the specs are correct. A full-frame vlogging camera with a feature set similar to the A7S III, but at a lower price, will be very welcome to many YouTubers.
Do you want a full-frame vlogging camera? Or will you stick to cheaper, smaller sensor bodies?
[via Sony Alpha Rumors]
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