Sony ZV-1 II: New vlogging camera with wider lens, faster sensor for RM3,999

Sony first dipped their toes into the vlogging camera segment back in 2020 with the original ZV-1, a RM3,399 camera that was built on the old RX100 series but with significantly improved videography features. After introducing a cheaper ZV-1F and a high end ZV-E1, Sony is now refreshing their mainstream vlogging camera with the Sony ZV-1 II.

One big upgrade the ZV-1 has is a new Zeiss Vario-Sonna T* 18-50mm f/1.8-4.0 lens. According to Sony, the wider lens will allow users to easily frame everything from group selfies to narrow interiors, especially when you’re shooting it all at just arm’s length. The 18-50mm optical zoom together with Sony’s Clear Image Zoom function meanwhile lets you smoothly punch into your shot while minimising video quality loss, creating a variety of changing angles when filming. You’ll also find Active Mode electronic image stabilisation here to reduce motion when walking and shooting.

On top of that, the other major upgrade with the ZV-1 is with its sensor. Sony has packed a new 1″ type Exmor RS sensor outputting an effective 20.1MP along with a Bionz X image processing engine. These allow you to capture at up to 24 photos per second with electronic shutter as well as an up to 4K resolution at 30FPS. There’s no electronic view finder here, but you do get a 3-inch LCD touch screen on the back with a 270° rotation angle. A bokeh switch meanwhile lets you easily defocus the background with a single touch for a bokeh effect around you or your subject, while the ISO sensitivity ranges between 125 to 12800.

Other features of note include a cinematic vlog setting that automatically sets a CinemaScope aspect ratio to your shot and locks the frame rate to 24FPS, giving you a cinema-like experience. Creative Look meanwhile provides 10 preset looks to suit your preferences when it comes to things like contrast, highlights, shadows, fade, saturation, sharpness and clarity. There’s Face Priority AE and Soft Skin Effects too, along with a fast hybrid autofocus system for speedy focusing. You’ll also be able to use it as a high-quality webcam for streaming simply by connecting it to your PC, though do note that a USB cable is not provided in the box.

Despite the improvements in most other departments, one thing that will stay the same between the ZV-1 II and the original ZV-1 though is its battery. As such, the ZV-1 II will have the same 45 to 75 minutes of battery for video recording, or up to 260 photos taken on a single charge. What is nice to see though is that the ZV-1 II will come in environmentally friendly and accessible packaging, made with recycled and renewable material such as paper and bamboo. An intelligent 3-capsule microphone setup along with a 3.5mm mic jack meanwhile takes care of audio.

The Sony ZV-1 II will be available in Malaysia some time in July 2023, with a recommended retail price of RM3,999. For more information on the Sony ZV-1 II, you can check out its product page here.