Sony Alpha ZV-E1

      Photo Review 9.0

      In summary

      The Sony ZV-E1 is the cream of the crop of current vlogging cameras and provides all of the adjustments a professional user might require.

      The ZV-E1 has good in-body stabilisation and represents the cheapest way to acquire Sony’s best sensor for 4K video. It also includes new features based on AI enhancements for speeding up the editing process.

      Full review

      Announced at the end of March 2023, the Sony ZV-E1 vlogging camera is the third cameras to be released in the last few years to be based upon the 12.1-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor and dual-chip BIONZ XR image processor. When this camera was first announced in Australia, Sony listed the RRP at AU$$3,799 for the body alone but it’s now listed at AU$3299, which is a not insignificant drop of $500. Most local re-sellers are offering it in this format, although a few are bundling it with the FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 lens, which normally sells for between AU$400 and $450.

      Angled view of the ZV-E1 with the FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 lens. (Source: Sony.)

      The ZV-E1 is being offered in white and black colours and while the white body would be great for those who do a lot of outdoor shooting (it reflects IR radiation and keeps the camera cooler than a black body, which absorbs IR), the only white lenses Sony makes are large telephoto lenses, which aren’t ideal for the compact body. The review camera was supplied with the Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G (SELP1635G), a lightweight, full-frame wide-angle power-zoom lens with a constant f/4 aperture. This lens is reviewed separately. (INSERT LINK)

      On 28 June 2023, Sony announced an upgrade that would enable the camera to record 4K video at up to 120 p (100p for PAL system users) as well as Full HD recording at up to 240p (200p for PAL), giving it equal capabilities to the Alpha 1 and Alpha 7S III as well as the FX6, FX3, and FX30 from Sony’s Cinema Line. The upgrade was made available via the Creators’ Cloud application at no additional cost to Alpha ZV-E1 users. Click here for details.

      Who’s it For?
      When you have three cameras with the same sensor and image processor and accepting the same range of lenses, choosing between them is largely a matter of deciding which features you consider most important. Essentially it comes down to deciding on the style of the camera, the control layout, its size and weight and its price.

      Price-wise, the ZV-E1 sits at the entry level to the trio, with the video-orientated FX3 camera in the flagship position. All three cameras share a number of common features so which one you choose will depend upon how you plan to use it. The table below compares key features of the three cameras.

      ZV-E1 α7S III FX3
      Sensor & processor 12.1-megapixel Exmor R CMOS & BIONZ XR
      Storage media

       

       

      Single UHS-II SD slot Dual UHS-II /

      CFexpress Type A slots

      Stabilisation rating 5 stops 5.5 stops
      Viewfinder No 1.6 cm 9,440,000 dots, 0.9x magnification Optional
      Monitor 3-inch Vari-angle touch screen, 1,036,800 dots 3-inch Vari-angle touch screen, 1,440,000 dots
      Shutter Electronic only Electronic & mechanical
      Max. stills resolution 4240 x 2832
      Continuous shooting speed Max. 10 fps
      Time-lapse recording Yes No
      Max. video resolution (PAL system) 4K/50p

      1080/100p (See upgrade note above)

      4K/100, 1080/200
      Raw video out No Yes
      XLR audio inputs Optional Yes
      Dials Rear shoulder

      Rear face

      Front & Rear shoulder

      Rear face

      Battery NP-FZ100
      Battery capacity 570 stills / 120 min. video 600 stills / > 60 min. video (LCD) Approx. 580 stills /  95 min video
      HDMI port Type D (Micro) Full size Type A
      Cooling fan No Yes
      Dimensions (wxhxd) 121.0 x 71.9 x 54.3 mm 128.9 x 96.9 x 80.8mm 130 x 78 x 85mm
      Weight (with battery and card) 483 grams 699 grams 1015g w/XLR handle

      715g without

      Listed RRP AU$3299 AU$4899 AU$6699

      In summary, the ZV-E1 is the smallest full-frame camera with good in-body stabilisation and represents the cheapest way to acquire Sony’s best sensor for 4K video. It also includes new features based on AI enhancements for speeding up the editing process.

      Build and Ergonomics
      The body of the ZV-E1 is mostly made from composite polycarbonate, although it has dust- and moisture-resistant sealing and is solidly constructed, relatively compact and light. It has a generous hand grip, where the battery is housed with the shutter button on top, sitting above a small zoom lever for shooting and playback and the On/Off power switch.


      This illustration shows the main controls that can be operated with the user’s right hand. (Source: Sony.)

      Behind this cluster is a Custom button, which can double as a selector for the Background Defocus mode. Toggling the Background Defocus switches between wide and normal aperture setting: ‘Defocus’ and ‘Clear’. You can set the amount of background defocusing using the Defocus Set Level function. Pressing the Menu button restores the normal shooting mode. The movie record button, designated by a red ring, sits to the left of the C1 button.


      The front panel of the ZV-E1 with no lens fitted. (Source: Sony.)

      The front panel is sparsely populated with only the lens mount and release button plus a dual-purpose self-timer/tally lamp. The single, full size SD card slot embedded in the left hand side of the camera body. It’s UHS-II compatible.


      The top panel of the ZV-E1 with no lens fitted. (Source: Sony.)

      Aside from the controls above the grip on the top panel is a raised area containing the Movie button, which is distinguished by a red ring, a slider for switching between the stills, movie and S&Q (slow & quick) recording modes. Two tiny speaker holes are located forward of this slider.

      Left of the slider is a large rectangular grille for the internal microphone. Further left is the Multi Interface Shoe, which can be used for accessories like supplied fluffy wind screen or external flashguns.


      Angled rear view of the ZV-EI showing the articulated monitor and basic control layout. (Source: Sony.)

      The Menu button is located at the top of the rear panel, just left of the rear control dial, which can be set with the My Dial Settings menu to adjust a user-selected function. The menu system is, as expected, complex, although helpfully, there are separate menus for stills and video shooting and the camera swaps between them when you change the shooting mode. You can also access a Quick Menu panel display in each mode.

      Below the Menu button is the programmable C2 custom button (which is set via the Custom Key/Dial Set menu), followed by a dual-purpose Function (Fn) button that sends recorded files to a smartphone in playback mode.

      A fairly conventional arrow pad sits below the Fn button with a rotating control wheel and directional buttons for accessing the Display, ISO, EV compensation and drive sub-menus. Near the base of the panel is the playback button and, to its right, a dual-purpose Delete/ Product Showcase Set button, which can also access the In-Camera Guide.


      The left side panel of the ZV-E1 body showing the three interface compartments. (Source: Sony.)

      The right hand side panel has no interfaces; all are located on the left side panel. Here you’ll find (from the top) a compartment containing the microphone jack and USB-C terminal, followed by the single SD card slot and finally a compartment containing the HDMI and headphone jacks.

      The NP-FZ100 slips into the hand grip moulding via the base of the camera, which has a locking cover. It is charged via a USB cable since no charger is provided. The camera comes with the wind screen installed and attached by Velcro to the camera. The adjacent Multi Interface Shoe is also fitted with its removable cover.

      Controls
      Because the ZV-E1 lacks a viewfinder, users must rely on the monitor screen for framing shots and controlling many operations. To activate the touch controls you simply swipe the screen left or right to display the touch icons. In movie mode these provide quick access to the following functions:
      On the left side: shooting mode, self-timer, microphone direction setting, cinematic vlog setting, Creative Look.

      On the right side: record start button, product SC set, recognition target select, step zoom, switch to playback screen.

      When shooting stills, the touch controls are arranged as follows:

      • On the left side: shooting mode, drive mode, focus area, white balance, Creative Look.
      • On the right side: still image shutter, movie record button, recognition target select, step zoom, switch to playback screen.

      The recognition target function sets the camera according to the subject the users wants to focus upon and track. The ZV-E1 is able to recognise humans, animals and birds (with separate settings for each), insects, cars and trains and aeroplanes.

      Within each target users can set the range for locking onto the subjects as well as the tracking sensitivity and persistence, the sensitivity level for subject recognition and whether to prioritise one subject over another when both are picked up simultaneously plus whether to prioritise the eye, head or body. With eye detection, users can also prioritise the left or right eye.

      The camera can also be set to display a frame around subjects that are recognised. Essentially this is an extension of the normal face recognition function found in a wide range of cameras. Frequently photographed subjects can be stored in the Face Memory bank to make it faster to lock onto them in subsequent shoots.

      Focus peaking displays are available when shooting stills with manual focus and for recording movies. You can choose from three levels (high, mid and low) and four colours (red, yellow, blue and white.

      Like most other Sony full frame cameras, the ZV-E1 supports cropped format recording, with APS-C for stills and S35 (Super 35mm) for movies, which crops the frame to cover the same angle of view as the APS-C format. This provides a focal length extension of 1.5x the designated 35mm focal length of the lens.

      Choosing the On setting lets you use a lens designed for cropped sensor Sony cameras, while switching it to Off always records the entire frame. Leaving the setting on Auto automatically sets the cropping for the lens in use.

      The Auto Framing setting, which is accessed via the Shooting>Shooting option menu, is an interesting subject tracking feature which will appeal to a wide range of users. Although it crops the frame, once you’ve locked focus on the subject it will keep the subject in the centre of the frame.

      Simply touching the subject on the screen is enough to lock focus but the camera can also track subjects that have been logged with the Subject Recognition>Face Memory and  Select Face to Track functions. Adjustments are provided for when Auto Framing starts and the intervals at which it will transition smoothly between the cropped angle of view and the full view. The degree of cropping can also be selected.

      Also cropping the image is the Frame Stabiliser mode, which uses AI processing to maintain a selected subject framing as well as the ‘Active’ and ‘Dynamic’ image stabilisation modes, which can be used when shooting movies. The latter crops the frame more, by roughly two times. While they work with the Auto Framing function, neither can be applied when SteadyShot IS is engaged.

      Sensor and Image Processing
      The ZV-E1 is the first camera we’ve reviewed with the company’s IMX510 sensor, a back-side illuminated (BSI) CMOS chip that actually has 48 million photosites but uses a 2×2 pixel binning design to constrain resolution to 12 megapixels. The RGGB Bayer filtration pattern is spread across a 4×4 pixel grid and the four pixels in each colour are combined digitally to give one pixel before the data is passed to the image processor.

      The BIONZ XR processor used in the camera is the same chip as used in the flagship Alpha 1 camera and claims eight times the processing power of the previous BIONZ X chip. This enables the camera to support new video codecs and faster frame rates and also provides more downsampling power and other speed improvements. This combination enables the ZV-E1 to support an extended ISO range from to ISO 40 and ISO 409,600, with a native Auto range of ISO 80 to 102,400.

      Users to choose from three file formats: JPEG, HEIF and Sony’s proprietary ARW.RAW. A JPEG or an HEIF image can be combined with a raw file, if desired. Three image sizes are supported for JPEG and HEIF files (L: 4240 x 2832 pixels, M: 2768 x 1848 pixels and S: 2128 x 1416 pixels), along with three compression settings each for JPEG and HEIF images. There are also four aspect ratio settings (the default 3:2 ratio plus 4:3, 16:9 and 1:1).

      The table below shows the maximum file sizes available for still image capture at each compression level when recording with the 3:2 aspect ratio.

      File format Quality Image size Buffer capacity
      JPEG Extra fine 10.3MB ~1000 frames
      Fine 5.8MB >1000 frames
      Standard 4.3MB >1000 frames
      HEIF Extra fine 4.9MB ~1000 frames
      Fine 3.6MB >1000 frames
      Standard 2.7MB >1000 frames
      Compressed ARW.RAW RAW 17.3MB ~1000 frames
      RAW+JPEG 22.8MB Approx. 416 frames
      RAW+HEIF 20.6MB ~1000 frames
      Lossless compressed ARW.RAW RAW 19.4MB ~1000 frames
      RAW+JPEG 22.9MB Approx. 92 frames
      RAW+HEIF 58.2MB Approx. 120 frames
      Uncompressed ARW.RAW RAW 32.0MB Approx. 85 frames
      RAW+JPEG 37.6MB Approx. 57 frames
      RAW+HEIF 35.6MB Approx. 63 frames

      Buffer memory capacity for continuous shooting has been dramatically expanded in the new camera, to the point where for most file formats more than 1000 continuously recorded frames can be accommodated. The more efficient HEIF compression extends the buffer capacity by up to 20%.

      Video
      The ZV-E1 provides all the necessary adjustments required for professional video recording although, like the α7S III it doesn’t support the Cinema 4K resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels. All video is recorded in Sony’s proprietary XAVC format, which is also used by the company’s CineAlta professional video cameras.

      Eleven Picture Profile settings are provided for setting basic contrast and colour values, defined by the interaction of the gamma curve and the colour characteristics. These include S-Cinetone, four ‘Cine’ profiles, two gamma curves for ITU 709, S-Log2 and S-Log3 and four HLG settings.

      Colour saturation is adjustable across a range of +/- 32 levels. In addition, 12 Colour modes are available to match the various gamma settings, with separate ‘general’ settings for stills and movie recording. Colour phase control is available across +/-7 levels for six primary colour bands: red, green, blue, cyan, magenta and yellow. A similar range of adjustments is provided for detail levels.

      Log recording is also supported, with the option to select the S-Log3/S-Gamut3.Cine Gamma Curve provided in Sony’s Cinema cameras to provide greater post-production flexibility. Users can also upload and apply individually created LUTs to extend the range of gamma and image profile options.

      The camera supports All-Intra (All-I) and XAVC S-I intraframe codecs, which provide consistent performance and quality with bitrates up to 600 Mb/s. Five recording options are provided in the camera’s menu:

      • XAVC HS 4K – which uses the high-efficiency HEVC codec and enables movies to be recorded with higher image quality than XAVC S movies but the same data volume and bit rates up to 200 Mbps. Long GOP compression is used.
      • XAVC S 4K – which records movies in 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution with bit rates up to 200 Mbps, also with Long GOP compression.
      • XAVC S HD – which records movies in Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution with bit rates up to 100 Mbps and Long GOP compression.
      • XAVC S-I 4K – which records movies in 4K resolution with bit rates up to 600 Mbps but uses All-Intra compression, which more suitable for editing than LongGOP compression.
      • XAVC S-I HD – which records movies in Full HD resolution with bit rates up to 222 Mbps and All-Intra compression.

      SDHC or SDXC cards with ratings of U3 or higher are required for the XAVC HS 4K, XAVC S 4K and XAVC S HD modes, while SDXC cards with faster than V90 speed ratings (300 MBps) are required for the XAVC S-I 4K and XAVC S-I HD recordings.

      Selecting the Cinematic Vlog mode, sets the camera to simulate a wider aspect ratio with black bars at the top and bottom of the frame. It also automatically sets the camera to record at 24 fps and provides a quick way to select one of the preconfigured ‘creative’ looks.

      There’s also a choice of a number of bit rates, colour sampling settings and bit depths, depending on how the recording will be used. Higher bit rates, bit depths and colour depth values will yield higher image quality for professional work.

      Users can also record a low-bit-rate proxy movie simultaneously with a normal or slow/quick-motion recording. These small movie files are ideal for transferring to smartphones or uploading to websites.

      Proxy recording is supported in all formats except XAVC S-I and with frame rates up to 100 fps. The Slow & Quick (S&Q) recording modes are selected with the slider on the top panel and require an SDXC V90 or V60 card (or higher), depending on resolution and bit rate.

      Users can select frame rates ranging from half normal speed to 100 times faster, depending on the selected frame rate. Some restrictions apply when 4K resolution is used.

      Playback and Software
      Being video-orientated, the ZV-E1 adds some relevant functions to the standard range of playback settings Sony provides on its general-purpose cameras. One is the Gamma Display Assist function that can be used when playing back movies recorded with S-Log3 gamma and still images shot in HLG gamma, which can display these movies as they would appear on an HDR- compatible monitor, which encompasses the full dynamic range.

      Users can also select different gamma conversion types in the playback menu, with four options:

      • Assist AUTO – which detects the recording setting and applies the appropriate conversion;
      • Assist S-Log3, which displays recordings with a contrast equivalent to ITU709 (800%);
      • Assist HLG 2020, which adjusts the images for display on an HLG(BT.2020) monitor; and
      • Assist HLG (709), which replicates the appearance of an HLG (709) compatible monitor.

      Otherwise, playback functions are essentially the same as other Sony Alpha cameras and accessed via the playback button on the rear panel. This control uses the image database that is automatically created when a memory card is inserted into the camera.

      The camera is supplied with a very basic printed Start-up Guide. The full ‘Help Guide’ is on Sony’s website and can be downloaded in PDF format. The software bundle must also be downloaded and is available here.

      It includes Master Cut (in Beta format), a cloud service for video pre-editing, which includes controls for image stabilisation, colour correction and noise removal as well as the web browser that forms the core of Creators’ Cloud. The Catalyst Browse software (free version) allows you to preview XAVC S and XAVC HS video clips, check and edit metadata, apply SteadyShot correction using metadata, apply colour correction, copy clips to the local hard disk and transcode between different formats. Catalyst Prepare (paid version) software also includes features like bin-based clip management and simple timeline editing using a storyboard.

      The remaining applications include Sony’s Imaging Edge Mobile and Desktop, Imaging Edge Webcam, PlayMemories Home and Movie Edit add-on for editing video on smartphones. Firmware updates are also available from the same website.

      Performance
      Our Imatest tests showed the review camera and FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G lens to be
      capable of excellent performance when shooting stills. JPEG files came close to expectations for the camera’s 12-megapixel sensor, while ARW.RAW files comfortably exceeded them with measurements taken half and three-quarters of the way to the periphery of the frame.

      Resolution remained high across the ISO range with a slow decline beginning at ISO 6400, although overall results remained surprisingly high right up to the maximum value of ISO409600, which is impressive. The graph below shows the results of our tests.

      Low light exposures confirmed the camera to be a far better performer than most of the cameras we’ve reviewed recently. Long exposures at low ISO settings remained essentially noise-free. In shorter exposures, noise was barely visible at ISO 25600 and only just discernible as slight softening at ISO 51200 when images were enlarged.

      While noise was certainly visible in JPEGs shot at the two highest ISO settings and you could see visible graininess in raw files, the resulting images could still be usable at low magnification levels – after a bit of editing.

      Video performance was as good as we found for the stills, although we were unable to shoot with the XAVC S-I format because we lacked a fast enough memory card. We’ve provided a representative selection of examples in the Samples section below, including frames from clips shot at night to show the camera’s low-light capabilities.

      4K footage straight from the camera was smooth, colour accurate and natural looking with a decent dynamic range in both bright sunlight and after dark, although some noise could be seen in the latter at times. It was definitely a big step up from video recorded with a smartphone.

      Autofocusing was almost always fast and accurate and we experienced no incidences of hunting, even when shooting in very low light levels at night. Subject tracking in movie mode was also excellent, thanks to Sony’s AI-based Real-time Recognition AF. This is an area where Sony has invested considerable research and development – and it shows!

      The AI processing unit can differentiate between multiple subjects with different postures and in traditionally difficult situations such as shadowed and backlit faces or different facial angles. Thanks in part to this technology, human subjects were tracked with precision and false positives with subject identification were negligible. Subject tracking also recognises birds, insects, cars, trains and aircraft, adding to the system’s versatility, although we were unable to test these capabilities fully because the lens we received was unsuitable.

      Image stabilisation was also generally good, with the standard mode providing stable and effective stability for slow zooming and panning. We found Sony’s claim of up to five stops of shake correction to be credible – provided the user’s shooting technique was up to scratch.

      The basic stabilisation worked well when the videographer was standing still but was less effective for keeping the movie steady during walking. Swapping to one of the active modes produced a big improvement, albeit with some frame cropping.

      We also tried out the AI-based Auto Framing for video in a few situations and found the cropping adjustments to be smooth in most situations. It was easy to swap smoothly from one subject to another in the scene by simply touching the new tracking target on the monitor screen. (This can also be done with the Creator’s App on your smartphone.)

      White balance performance was similar to other Sony cameras we’ve reviewed and generally very good, partly because the camera provides three auto correction options: standard, ambience priority and white priority. All three settings delivered almost neutral colour rendition under fluorescent lighting, as expected.

      Warm biases were visible in shots taken under LED lighting with all three auto WB settings, although they were most evident with the ambience priority setting and least with the white priority setting. The white priority auto setting also removed some the warm cast imparted by incandescent lights although, again as expected, more of the warm tone remained when the ambience priority and auto WB settings were used.

      Sony doesn’t provide a preset for LED lighting but the Incandescent preset over-corrected with both tungsten and LED lights, more emphatically with the former.  The four fluorescent lighting settings also imparted slightly different colour casts without bringing the image colours any closer to neutral.

      Manual measurement produced neutral colour rendition with all three lighting types without further need for adjustments. The camera also provides the usual range of easily-accessible settings for tweaking colour biases on the fly as well as a range of Kelvin settings.

      We carried out our timing tests with a Lexar Professional 32GB SDHC II U3 card, which \ has a 300MB/s speed rating. The review camera took just under a second to power-up, when the card had been used previously in the camera. This is slightly better than average for current Sony cameras and probably due to the sensor/processor combination.

      Capture lag averaged 0.1 seconds becoming negligible when shots were pre-focused. Shot-to-shot times ranged from 0.5 to one seconds, depending upon how fast as we could keep pressing the shutter button.  It was impossible to estimate processing times because there’s no indicator light on the camera but it’s safe to say that with the low resolution of the files and the fast BIONZ XR processor, they would be effectively very short and negligible for JPEGs, even at the highest quality.

      The ZV-E1 only has an electronic shutter and because of the camera’s huge buffer capacity, we opted to record bursts of approximately 10 seconds for our measurements. In the High-speed+ mode, we recorded 102 large extra-fine JPEG frames in 9.8 seconds, which was close to the specified 10 fps frame rate. With compressed ARW.RAW files, 111 frames were recorded in 10.1 seconds, while swapping to uncompressed raw format the camera recorded 109 frames in 9.9 seconds. In each case, we were unable to measure buffer clearance times but we can certainly confirm the camera is capable of meeting expectations based on its specifications.

      Conclusion

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      SPECS

      Image sensor: 35.6 x 23.8 mm Exmor R CMOS sensor with 12.9  million photosites (12.1 megapixels effective); Movies –  up to 10.1 megapixels effective ; no AA filter
      Image processor:  BIONZ XR (dual chip)
      Lens mount:  Sony E-mount
      Image formats: Stills: JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver. 2.32),  10-bit HEIF (MPEG-A MIAF compliant), up to 16-bit ARW.RAW (V. 4.0), RAW+JPEG; Movies: XAVC HS format (MPEG-H HEVC/H.265), XAVC S (MPEG-4  AVC.H.264)
      Audio: LPCM 2ch (48 kHz 16 bit), LPCM 4ch (48 kHz 24 bit), LPCM 2ch (48 kHz 24 bit), MPEG-4 AAC-LC 2ch
      Image Sizes: Stills – max. 4240 x 2832;  Movies: 4K UHD 3840 x 2160  and FHD  1080p at at 50p, 25p, 10-bit 4:2:2,  uncropped,  FHD  1080p at 100 fps, 1.13x cropping with  Active I
      Aspect ratios: 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 1:1
      Image Stabilisation: In-camera sensor shift image stabilisation system
      Dust removal:  Charge protection coating on optical filter and image sensor shift mechanism
      Shutter (speed range): Electronic shutter: 30 to 1/8000 seconds for stills, 1 to 1/8000 seconds for movies
      Exposure Compensation: +/-5EV in 1/3EV and ½ EV steps
      Exposure bracketing:
      Other bracketing options:
      Self-timer: or  seconds delay plus Time-lapse to 1 fps
      Interval recording: Yes, for time-lapse
      Focus system: Hybrid Phase-detection/Contrast detection system, –6 EV to +20 EV sensitivity range
      AF  selection: 759 phase detect focus sites for video, 627 for stills covering 92% of sensor area; single point, multi-area, face/eye/animal detect, tracking, manual focus override; customisable focus shift speeds
      Focus modes: AFS (Single) / AFC (Continuous) / MF
      Exposure metering:  1200-zone evaluative metering with    multi, centre-weighted, spot metering patterns (range -3EV to +20EV (at ISO 100)
      Shooting modes: Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual Exposure
      Video features: Long GOP and ALL-I  compression supported, uncompressed 16-bit, 4:2:2 colour output via HDMI, S-Log 2 and S-Log 3, S-Cinetone recording, HLG support. Full pixel sampling
      Colour space options: sRGB and Adobe RGB
      ISO range: Stills – ISO 80 to 102,400 with extensions to ISO 40 and ISO 409,600; Movies – ISO 80 to 102,400 with extension to ISO 409,600
      White balance: AWB, AWBc, AWBw, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent, Fluorescent (x4) Flash, White Set (x 4), Colour temperature setting (x 4)
      Flash: Hot shoe for external flashgun only
      Flash modes: Slow sync, rear sync, red-eye reduction
      Flash exposure adjustment: +/-  EV in 1/3EV steps
      Sequence shooting: Max.10 frames/second
      Buffer capacity: Approx. 1000 Large/Fine JPEGs, 1000 compressed or losslessly compressed RAW files, 85 uncompressed RAW files or 416 compressed RAW + JPEG or HEIF pairs
      Storage Media: SD, SDHC, SDXC cards (UHS-I / UHS-II compatible)
      Viewfinder:  None
      LCD monitor: 3-inch TFT touch panel LCD with 1,036,800 dots
      Weather sealing: Dust and moisture resistant sealing with passive cooling system
      Interface terminals: USB Type C  SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps,. Type d HDMI micro jack, 3.5 mm terminals for microphone and headphones
      Wi-Fi function: Built-in Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac); Bluetooth v4.2 (Bluetooth Low Energy); FTP transfer support
      Power supply: NP-FZ100 rechargeable Li-ion battery; Rated for 570 stills or 120 minutes of video with monitor per charge
      Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 121.0 x 71.9 x 54.3 mm (excluding protrusions)
      Weight: Approx. 483 grams with battery and card

      Distributor: Sony Australia; 1300 720 071

       

      TESTS

      Based on JPEG files recorded with the FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G lens.


      Based on ARW.RAW files converted into TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw.

       

      SAMPLES


      Auto white balance with incandescent lighting, Standard mode.


      Auto white balance with incandescent lighting, Ambient Priority mode.


      Auto white balance with incandescent lighting, White Priority mode.


      Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.


      Auto white balance with warm-toned LED lighting, Standard mode.


      Auto white balance with warm-toned LED lighting, Ambient Priority mode.


      Auto white balance with warm-toned LED lighting, White Priority mode.


      ISO 50, 60-second exposure at f/4; 24mm focal length.


      ISO 100, 30-second exposure at f/4; 24mm focal length.


      ISO 800, 10-second exposure at f/4.5; 24mm focal length.


      ISO 6400, 4-second exposure at f/8; 24mm focal length.


      ISO 12800, 2-second exposure at f/8; 24mm focal length


      ISO 25600, 2-second exposure at f/10; 24mm focal length.


      ISO 51200, 1-second exposure at f/10; 24mm focal length.


      ISO 102400, 1-second exposure at f/16; 24mm focal length.


      ISO 20400, 1/2-second exposure at f/16; 24mm focal length.
       


      ISO 409600,
      1/4-second exposure at f/16; 24mm focal length.


      16mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/160 second at f/4.


      16mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/80 second at f/4.5.


      35mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/60 second at f/6.3.


      35mm focal length, ISO 2500, 1/25 second at f/5.


      1
      6mm focal length, ISO 1000, 1/30 second at f/4.


      16mm focal length, ISO 640, 1/30 second at f/5.6.


      30mm focal length, ISO 102400, 1/4000 second at f/22


      34mm focal length, ISO 409600, 1/2000 second at f/8.


      18mm focal length, ISO 12800, 1/30 second at f/7.1


      18mm focal length, ISO 500, 1/30 second at f/4.


      16mm focal length, ISO 2000, 1/30 second at f/5.


      35mm focal length, ISO 1000, 1/40 second at f/4.5.


      35mm focal length, ISO 1600, 1/50 second at f/4.5.


      32mm focal length, ISO 3200, 1/40 second at f/5.6.


      Still frames from XAVC HS 4K 50p video clip; 200M 4:2:2 10bit. (Both shot with the same format settings.)


      Still frame from
      XAVC HS 4K 50p video clip; 150M 4:2:0 10bit.


      Still frame from XAVC HS 4K 50p video clip; 75M 4:2:0 10bit.


      Still frame from XAVC S 4K 50p video clip; 200M 4:2:2 10bit.


      Still frame from XAVC S 4K 50p video clip; 140M 4:2:2 10bit.


      Still frame from XAVC S 4K 25p video clip; 100M 4:2:0 8bit.


      Still frame from XAVC S HD 50p video clip; 50M 4:2:2 10bit.


      Still frame from XAVC S HD 50p video clip; 50M 4:2:0 8bit.


      Still frame from XAVC S HD 100p video clip; 60M 4:2:0 8bit.




      Still frames from XAVC S HD video clip; top frame at 100p, 100M 4:2:0 8bit; bottom frame at 25p, 16M.  

      Additional image samples can be found with our review of the Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G lens.

       

      Rating

      RRP: AU$3299; US$2200 (body only)

      • Build: 9.0
      • Features: 8.9
      • Ease of use: 8.8
      • Autofocusing: 9.0
      • Still image quality JPEG: 8.9
      • Still image quality RAW: 9.2
      • Video quality: 9.1

       

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