Sony ZV-1

The Sony ZV-1 is a compact camera from 2020 built around a fixed lens and a 20-megapixel, 1-inch sensor. At 294 g and about 10 cm at its largest dimension, it is easy to carry with you rather than plan around.

Its handling leans toward people who appear in their own footage. A flip-out touchscreen lets you frame yourself, and the camera records 4K video for anyone building content away from a desk.

There is no viewfinder and the lens cannot be changed, so you compose on the screen and carry the camera as a single package. In-body stabilisation and a 24 fps maximum burst round out the stills side.

Still images come from a 20-megapixel CMOS sensor in the 1-inch format. That resolution leaves room for cropping and for prints at normal sizes. The lens is fixed to the body, so the camera is always ready as one unit with nothing to mount or swap.

Sensitivity runs from ISO 125 to ISO 12800, spanning bright daylight through to dimmer indoor scenes, and a built-in flash is on hand when light runs short.

The shutter tops out at 1/2000 of a second, and the camera can shoot bursts at up to 24 frames per second. That maximum suits short sequences of movement, though it is a peak figure rather than a promise of sustained shooting.

In-body stabilisation reduces camera shake, which helps handheld stills in lower light or at slower shutter speeds. Autofocus draws on 315 points. Composition happens entirely on the screen, since no viewfinder is fitted.

Video is a central part of this camera. It records in 4K, and it also offers high-frame-rate capture at up to 120 fps for slow-motion footage. Treat those as separate modes; the supplied figures do not confirm a combined 4K at 120 fps mode.

Recordings can be saved in XAVC S, MPEG-4 or AVCHD, so you can pick a file format to suit each project.

The flip-out screen combined with touch control makes single-person filming practical: you can see yourself while recording and adjust settings without leaving your position. In-body stabilisation reduces camera shake, which smooths handheld walking shots.

A timelapse mode is built in, so you can create moving sequences from still frames without external gear or software setup.

The 3-inch LCD is a flip-out touchscreen with 921,600 dots. That resolution is fine for checking focus and exposure, and the touch input speeds up menu and setting changes compared with buttons alone.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both built in, giving the camera two wireless connection options for linking with other devices.

A built-in flash gives you fill light for indoor or backlit shots. There is no support for an external flash, so the built-in unit is the only on-camera light source.

There is no weather sealing and no GPS. In rain or dusty conditions you will want to protect the body, and location tagging is not built in, so it would need to come from another device.

The camera takes SD, SDHC and SDXC cards, along with Memory Stick Pro Duo and Pro-HG Duo. There is only one card slot, so plan your card capacity before a long shoot and expect to swap cards rather than back up in camera.

The NP-BX1 battery is rated at 260 shots per charge, though a single figure cannot predict endurance in every situation, so a spare battery is worth keeping in the bag for longer days out.

USB charging is supported, so between shoots you can top the battery up from a laptop or a USB charger without needing the dedicated charger.