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Vlogging

Sony’s ZV-E1 is a cut-down FX3 in a vlogging form factor

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Sony has now officially announced the new Sony ZV-E1 (buy here) mirrorless camera. It follows on with the general theme of the ZV-1 and ZV-E10 in that they’re targeted primarily towards vloggers. In many ways, it seems to be just as good as the Sony A7S III and Sony FX3 – at least on paper. It contains the same full-frame 12.1-megapixel sensor capable of shooting 4K video at up to 120fps (in a future firmware), but there are some key differences.

Well, there’d have to be. When the A7S III and FX3 cost $3,499 and $3,899, respectively, and the new ZV-E1 costs $2,198, you know there are going to be some compromises somewhere. Let’s take a quick look at the specs and see where Sony’s skimped to bring the price down as low as they have.

Sony teases upcoming ZV-E1 full-frame vlogging camera coming on March 29

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Sony Taiwan has posted a teaser image to Instagram for an upcoming vlogging camera. This is expected to be the recently rumoured full-frame vlogging camera, the Sony ZV-E1. Similar to the Sony ZV-E10, the ZV-E1 will be a camera specifically focused on vlogging – as the slogan above confirms. General video will be secondary, and photography will barely be a consideration. It’ll still shoot photos, but I wouldn’t hold out hope for advanced features.

It’s said to be based around the Sony A7S III, including 4K 120fps with no cropping and no pixel binning, using the same 12-megapixel sensor found in both the A7S III and FX3. The ISO capabilities are also rumoured to extend up to ISO 409,600, although it’s unclear what autofocus system the camera will have yet. It’s expected to be similar to that of either the Sony A7 IV or A7R V, although nothing solid on which.

Sony to release full-frame ZV-E1 vlogging camera at the end of March

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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.

Watch: Five topics broken down to help you film yourself outside on location

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When you start vlogging, one of the most difficult things to get used to is actually filming yourself. It’s a little ironic as it’s kind of the whole point but it presents unique challenges that you don’t usually think about when filming or photographing somebody else. Or rather, you think more about them when you’re filming somebody else but you’re on autopilot. When you’re filming yourself, you just forget they’re a thing.

It’s easy to figure out why, though. It’s an unusual workflow and those autopilot processes just don’t enter your mind. We’ve got too much on our minds without having to worry about all that stuff. But it’s stuff you need to worry about. So, here’s Jeven Dovey breaking down the five main topics you’ll want to think about when filming yourself on location.

Fuji announces the TG-BT1 Tripod Grip for vlogging and remote camera control

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Fuji has announced its newest accessory for its range of mirrorless cameras, the TG-BT1 Tripod Grip. It’s designed for Fuji’s X series cameras to enhance mobility and ease of use handheld, particularly for video. It folds together as a handle, letting you use it for things like vlogging, with an array of buttons to let you control the camera directly from the handle and the legs also unfold to form a mini tripod.

Releasing such a device has become a common trend amongst mirrorless camera manufacturers as each company start to realise that vlogging is a thing for which people are using their products. We’ve seen similar products from Sony, Canon and Panasonic, and now it’s Fuji’s turn.

Zhiyun’s Smooth Q4 brings improved ergonomics for faster use on location

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Zhiyun has announced the new Zhiyun Smooth Q4 gimbal for smartphones. It comes with some ergonomic improvements over its predecessor with a redesigned arm that lets you deploy and start shooting with it very quickly when you’re out and about. And like many of Zhiyun’s smartphone gimbals, it features a built-in extendable selfie stick for when you want to get a bit more vlogging range with a wider background.

It’s available in two packages. The Standard Package contains the basic gimbal, mini tripod and power cord. The Combo Package also includes a small magnetic LED fill light with gel covers, a wrist strap and a case in which to keep everything safe. The gimbal itself offers a multi-function control wheel as well as intelligent shooting modes and one-click switching between landscape and portrait orientation.

The world’s first camera that could shoot MPEG-4 back in 1999 was basically a vlogging camera

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When you pick any random point in history, if you could go back and talk to the people of the day, they’d feel that they were at the very pinnacle of technology in just about every respect. The latest breakthroughs in technology were just about as good as they were ever going to get, save for some incremental updates. Well, when it comes to camera tech, we couldn’t really be any further from the truth.

In this video, Gravis (otherwise known as Cathode Ray Dude), takes us back to the very end of the 20th century (now don’t you feel old?) with some bleeding-edge tech from Sharp – The first video camera capable of shooting in what was then a pretty new format, MPEG-4. When compared to cameras of today, it’s absolutely laughable. But in its day, it filled a very real need. The ability to send short video clips across the Internet.

The Rode VideoMic GO II should be your new go-to low budget on-camera microphone

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Rode recently released their new Rode VideoMic GO II, replacing the VideoMic GO in their lineup. But this isn’t simply an update, it’s a complete overhaul, redesigned from the ground up. So, it presents a pretty major upgrade over its predecessor that inherits a number of features from its more expensive big brother the Rode VideoMic NTG, including the new holey design as well as USB connectivity.

I’ve been using one for a little while now and have done some tests and comparisons on the camera and when it’s plugged into a computer as a digital USB audio device. I’ve also done tests with and without the windshield to see how well it stands up to the breezy weather we’ve been having recently in Scotland.

This is what vlogging would’ve looked like if you’d tried to do it 30 years ago

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In the grand scheme of things, vlogging is a pretty recent development. Thanks to the proliferation of smartphone cameras and the birth of platforms like YouTube, pretty much anybody can (and does) do it these days. But what would it have looked like if you’d tried to shoot a vlog with the camera tech of 30 years ago?

That’s what YouTuber Dan Mace wanted to explore in this video as he shoots the same vlog sequence twice – once with his iPhone 13 Pro Max and once with an Arriflex 16SR3 Super 16mm film camera – to see how the two compare both in ease of use as well as how the final result looks.

The best vloggig rig – its quite unorthodox

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I’ve only recently gotten into vlogging with my new YouTube channel, and I’m far more used to being in front of someone else’s camera for videos so this is a new world for me. I’ve played around and done a lot of research to figure out the ideal vlogging rig, and I think I’ve managed to create it.

Let’s start by defining what makes the ideal vlogging rig. It’s important to have a capable camera with a preview screen that can face the content creator (that would be me). Perhaps more important than the camera is the audio – we will watch bad video, but we won’t listen to bad audio! Next up, lighting. In low light conditions, we need to add our own light, and we should be able to match the colour temperature of the ambient light. Finally, a good, sturdy base for when we put the camera down and something ergonomic to hold onto. So, here’s my solution: –

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