May 31, 2023 Lauren Orcinolo

Sony ZV-1 II VLOG Camera for Content Creators & Vloggers

Welcome to the newest vlogging camera from Sony Cameras. This camera the ZV-1II sits in the already impressive lineup of cameras from Sony including the ZV-E1, the ZV-E10 and the Sony ZV-1F. This new camera is designed for vloggers and content creators. So, if you are ready to purchase a new camera you will want a fantastic wide angle zoom lens camera designed to take exceptional image quality. So as a filmmaker looking for a compact camera designed for content creation and vlogging, this newest upgrade from Sony Cameras will surely up your vlogging career.

With a Ultra-wide 18-50mm zoom lens you get the full frame in the photo. In addition, the Sony Cameras ZV-1 II possesses a large 1.0-type sensor for tremendous power and image quality.

This is an upgrade over the Sony ZV-1 camera which also was designed with vloggers in mind. This is a wide angle and zoom lens full frame camera interchangeable lens camera, which sits on the Sony E-Mount system and can be used with over 70 Sony prime lenses including g master lenses. Sony FE lenses among options from others such as Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Leica and Panasonic among others. You will need to purchase a mounting adapter to change lenses on different mounts.

The Sony ZV-1 Mark II is a powerhouse of a vlogging camera in a compact body, offering impressive image quality. As mentioned before its large 1.0-type (13.2 mm x 8.8 mm) Exmor RS CMOS 1.0-type image sensor means it can capture tremendous results even in low light settings. The Sony ZV-1 mark II can record video formats up to 4K 30FPS and in 4K, and up to 120FPS in Full HD (1920x 1080p) for up to 5x slow motion.

Compact and lightweight, sitting in at approximately 292 grams (10.3 oz) with the battery and memory card included. This camera will allow you to move freely with ease and confidence knowing you can travel to your vlogging sessions without lugging around heavier equipment.

When using a telephoto lens, we would suggest that a Sony lens equipped with G OSS or GM OSS with the digital optical stabilization is the particular way to go. However with the included 18mm - 50mm wide angle and zoom lens you don’t necessarily require a GM (Sony Gold Master Lens).

There is an articulating LCD screen making it even easier to focus and see your shooting area and subjects. Being so compact and lightweight The ZV-1II mirrorless camera with a CMOS sensor makes the Sony ZV-1II great for handheld shooting. This just adds to the specs for vloggers to enhance their craft. In addition, the vari-angle LCD touch screen makes it easy to take selfies and check for proper framing. The ergonomic grip is designed for a safe and stable hold. Vloggers will love using this Sony camera even when settings are on Product Showcase.

The ZV-1II is also equipped with vlogging features seen in the Sony ZV-1 digital camera, including; "Background Defocus", "Product Showcase Setting" and "Face Priority AE" along with Sony's tremendous autofocus, as we will see hands-on when discussing the specs in further detail this upgrade vs Sony ZV-1.

A compact, stabilization unit helps eliminate shaky footage. The ZV-1 II is made to let you capture great still and video footage even while you're walking and shooting handheld.

Make certain that when you buy this amazing new camera, you perform a firmware update prior to using the new camera, if one is available.

Images and Video Recording

With the ZV-1 II, you can record everything from selfies, to selfies with multiple people in the field of view. It even takes tremendous images and videos of nature and skylines. The wide-angle 18-50mm1 zoom lens so you can easily fit everyone or everything in the frame to beautiful portraits at 50mm. When taking selfies in iAUTO mode with two or three people, the camera automatically adjusts the frame to capture in intricate detail everyone in the image recording.

The selfie ability is on par with even a smartphone such as the iPhone or the Sony Xperia.

You can also add a dramatic touch with the Cinematic Vlog Setting which can be found on the camera. The Bokeh button easily switches between two modes of background defocus which allow you to capture amazing portrait images with beautiful blurred bokeh effect to the background.

The Sony ZV-1II has an included 18mm - 50mm lens offers some exceptional specs and below is a guide and tutorial to some of these:

F-Number (Maximum Aperture): F1.8 - F4.0, Focal Length: f = 6.9 - 17.6 mm
Real time live vlogging using the Creators’ App for camera control, file transfer and cloud service
Number of Pixels (Effective): Still images: Approx. 20.1 megapixels, Movies: Approx. 16.8 megapixels max. With the large amount of pixels being able to be captured with the accompanying lens, you will get fantastic image quality.
Number of Pixels (Total): Approx. 21.0 Megapixels with up to an aspect ratio of 5472 x 3648
ISO Sensitivity: Still images: ISO 125 - 12800 (expandable to ISO 80 - 12800), AUTO (ISO125-12800, selectable lower limit and upper limit), Movies: ISO 125 - 12800 equivalent, AUTO (ISO125-12800, selectable lower limit and upper limit). Most photographers will use a lower ISO setting when shooting scenes with action in them. For example walking down a busy street and shooting all the moving scenery from subjects to objects.
Activate the built-in ND Filter: An ND filter allows a user to control the exposure in an image. The ND Filter acts like a shade in a way minimizing the light hitting the camera sensor and will allow the shooter to use a slower shutter speed. This will assist greatly in showing movement in your video recordings. The included Cine will also be a boon for videos with movement.
The in camera Cinematic Vlog Setting includes "Look" options such as S-Cinetone that can enhance skin tones, "Mood" options that really define specific colors, and AutoFocus transition speed which controls how quickly autofocus will switch between subjects.
Fast Hybrid AutoFocus (phase-detection AF / contrast detection AF)
The ZV-1 II stays in focus with Touch Tracking. It recognizes human faces and eyes, so it tracks the subject without the focus veering of. Just tap the subject on the Vari-Angle LCD screen to activate the feature. Eye AutoFocus can even be set to track animal faces and eyes.
S&Q (Slow & Quick) video settings for stunning slow motion and hyper-lapse videos.

Connectivity, Storage and Battery

Connectivity for live streaming can be done via the cinematic vlog setting with USB-C connectivity should you want to wire your new camera into a PC or your smartphone.

Wireless LAN (Local Area Network) (Built-in): Wi-Fi Compatible on the 2.4 GHz band
Bluetooth Standard Ver. 4.2 is baked in as well.
HDMI Connector: HDMI micro connector to connect to your PC, TV, Monitor to view your images and videos.

Mic Terminal: Yes (3.5 mm Stereo minijack)
Function: View on Smartphone, Remote control via Smartphone, PC Remote

There is a multi slot for storage using SD cards or a memory stick duo. We would recommend at least a 128 GB memory card to ensure that you have plenty of storage for all of your content creating, videos and still images. An extra SD card for expanded storage would be helpful especially if you are doing large events or multiple vlogs.

The supplied battery is the Rechargeable Battery Pack NP-BX1. This can be recharged via USB or a power adapter. The battery is rated for approximately 290 still shots and up to 75 minutes of video recording. It can be internally charged and does not have to be removed from the new camera.

As mentioned with the storage cards, we highly recommend having a spare battery or two for vloggers and content creators, especially when travelling or doing long or multiple vlogging/live streaming sessions.

Thoughts and Availability

The Sony ZV-1 II (or ZV-1m2) is now available for pre-order in options in black and white. Sony states that this amazing new camera designed for vloggers and content creators will be available for outright purchase in June 2023.

As technology evolves there has been an emphasis on vlogging, as many individuals use this avenue for a career or possibly even a hobby or side job. Purchasing this ergonomic vlogging camera with such a powerful exmor rs image sensor and at such an amazing price point will set you apart from friends and colleagues as they enjoy the capabilities of this camera from the shooting usage to actual viewing (whether that be on the touch LCD screen or connected to an external visual device).