The Sony ZV-E1 is the latest of the company's vlogging-focused cameras, but one that extends the concept to the high-end full-frame realm. It's a camera with the sophisticated selfie mics and face-the-camera approach of the existing ZV models but one that shares many of its internals with the a7S III and FX3. This is a compact camera that includes a large and high performance full-frame sensor capable of 4K 60p recording, a unique AI-based Autofocus with multiple object recognition, and professional audio quality. It also packs Sony’s own set of vlogging features, such as Product showcase or our direct to streaming camera solution in 4K, aimed at making content creation easier. What's new The ZV-E1 includes the same 12MP sensor (probably actually 48MP with quartets of pixels being binned down to 12MP) as the a7S III and FX3. These are both high-spec, video-focused cameras, so it's a logical choice to build a pro-grade vlogging camera around. The use of this sensor allows the ZV-E1 to deliver UHD 4K video at up to 60p without having to crop in. This 3840 pixel wide footage is taken from a 4.2K pixel region, but this means that any mode that crops in to any appreciable degree is actually capturing less than 4K and upscaling. There are multiple such modes on the ZV-E1. Sony's upscaling can be pretty good, but it's worth recognizing that an approximately 4K sensor leaves limited scope for cropping if you plan to output 4K footage. The camera also has the 'dedicated AI processing chip' that first appeared in the a7R V, to make it more effective at running the machine-learning-derived algorithms that underpin several of its key features. Sony seems very keen to invoke the term 'AI' whenever possible, with this camera. What specifically sets the ZV-E1 aside from Sony's existing cameras are its automated modes (many of which build on the company's subject-recognition systems) that try to make video production more simple, especially for people trying to shoot and present on their own.
