Sony Malaysia has announced its new vlogging camera, the ZV-1F which is a cheaper version of the original Sony ZV-1 introduced two years ago. The ZV-1F is also lighter than its predecessor but it loses a couple of notable features which is to be expected for a more affordable device.
Sony ZV-1F Malaysia Price and Availability
The Sony ZV-1F is officially priced at RM2,599 in Malaysia, which is RM800 cheaper than the ZV-1 which retails for RM3,399. Stocks will be available from December 2022, and you can pre-order the ZV-1F online starting today through Sony’s online store as well as Lazada and Shopee. The camera is available in either black or white.
As part of their pre-order promo, Sony is offering freebies worth RM450 which include a 64GB SD card, a camera pouch with strap and NP-BX1 battery. There’s also a purchase with purchase (PWP) promo, where you can buy the GP-VPT2BT shooting grip worth RM499 for RM399.
Sony ZV-1F Features and Specs
Similar to the ZV-1, the Sony ZV-1F is a compact camera that uses a 1.0″ 20.1MP Exmor RS CMOS sensor. It’s capable of recording 4K videos at 30fps or Full HD resolution at 120fps. Also retained is a 3″ fully articulated touch-screen LCD display that you can flip out and rotate to the front, making this a versatile vlogging camera.
Being a more affordable model, the ZV-1F loses out on optical zoom. It gets a fixed ultra-wide-angle 20mm F2.0 prime lens which Sony says it’s designed to offer optimum selfie shooting and wide field of view to capture more background. Instead of using Fast Hybrid AF system that’s found on the ZV-1, which uses a combination of Phase-Detection and Contrast-Detection autofocus, the new budget model only uses contrast-detection AF.
If you need to get closer, you can still zoom in using digital zoom up to 4.0x. It even has a dedicated button to enable background bokeh for both still and videos.
The vlogging camera also gets ‘Soft Skin Effect’ beautification feature to smoothen and reduce wrinkles while recording yourself on-cam. To keep your intended subjects in focus at all times, there’s also Eye AF which allows autofocus to fix on the face and eyes of both humans and animals, as well as Product Showcase setting which is helpful while doing product reviews.
The camera also gets Active Mode electronic image stabilisation for steadier video recording. Under S&Q mode, you can also shoot slow-motion videos at 5x slower speed and quick motion at 60x faster hyper-lapse speed.
The Sony ZV-1F still retains a built-in directional 3-capsule mic that’s designed to pick up voice clearly even in a crowd setting. Also included is a windscreen that helps to reduce wind noise when recording outdoors. According to Sony, their windscreen uses fibres made exclusively from recycled polyester as part of their move to reduce environmental impact while maintaining performance.
If you wish to attach any add-ons to the camera, take note that the ZV-1F uses a cold shoe instead of a hot shoe. This means if you want to attach a shotgun mic, you’ll have to hook it up by wire to the built-in microphone jack.
In terms of connectivity, it has a micro HDMI port, a 3.5mm jack for mic, Bluetooth 4.1 and 2.4GHz 802.11n WiFi. Since it’s 2022, you can power it up or charge via the USB-C port, which is an upgrade over the ZV-1’s microUSB port. For storage, it uses SD card with Class 4 or faster recommended. In case you missed it, you can use the camera as a computer webcam with Sony’s Imaging Edge Webcam software.
On a single charge, the ZV-1F boasts longer battery life with approximately 90 minutes of continuous shooting versus 75 minutes on the ZV-1.
Although it shares the same 60.0mm height and 105.5mm width as the ZV-1, the new camera is thicker at 46.4mm versus the previous model’s 43.5mm thickness. The ZV-1F weighs 256g with battery and memory included, which is lighter than the ZV-1 (294g). To learn more, you can visit Sony’s ZV-1F product page.
If you’re looking for a vlogging camera that offers the versatility of interchangeable lenses, there’s the Sony ZV-E10 which is now selling at RM2,999 for the body only and RM3,499 which comes with a 16-50mm power zoom lens.
