The ZV-E1 is a very underrated camera. Sony took the A7IIIs and packed all the technology inside of a smaller body. It lacks a few things, but gain a whole lot more. I want to share why this Full Frame 12MP camera body is also so good for video, but also a lovely unit for stills photography.
Small cameras are my thing. I don't feel the need to pack maximum gear and lug around a giant camera body. I prefer to look like a tourist than a photographer. The smaller the camera, the less harmless I look. I also don't need tonnes of megapixels. A lot of cameras these days have upwards of 40MP sensors, and I just don't need that most of the time. If you're printing giant landscape prints to cover an entire wall, or cropping heavy for bird photography, then those extra pixels can make a big difference. But if you're capturing life around you, then how many pixels are enough pixels?
Sometimes having less pixels makes them better pixels.
The ZV-E1 is great for video because of the lower pixel count. It enables tricks like digital zoom, better stabe, and less data being shunted through the brains of the camera – and that means you get access to better slow-motion. This camera does 120p without cropping the sensor. Inside it has one SD slot, which means you're limited to H265 and V60 or better cards. That works for me, that's where I do my video work anyway.
The real surprise has been the stills photography. We get so used to seeing big numbers that even contemplating 12MP for photography seems weird now. There was a time when 12MP was the standard of course. It all depends what you compare it to. I made a video last year about making very large format prints off this tiny camera, and it genuinely stunned me. Using some free software to upscale the pixels I managed to compare these 12MP against much large captures... and it came up great.
There's nothing on this camera that I wouldn't hang on the wall.
Shooting with fewer pixels has loads of benefits. Less data to store is one thing. But there's a different look to the images as well. It reminds me more of the old days on my DSLR. It feels a little more analogue. It feels nice. I shoot with fast primes, so that helps when leaning into the "less pixels is more" vibe. The stabe on this camera is pretty great too for stills. I remember standing on a wooden bridge in the Annapurnas, trying to capture a river with the peaks of Nilgiri behind the scene, and the wind is pushing backwards while I attempt to slow down the shutter to 1/5th of a second. I wanted the water to streak across the scene, with the help of an ND filter.
That was one of the shots I printed up super large for my experiment. It looks so good. No tripod, no multi-shot, no 60MP sensor. Just a very affordable camera and a nice prime lens.
I often say there are no bad cameras these days. Sometimes the best camera for you is not the most expensive, or the biggest, or the sexiest. Sometimes the best camera has a crippling
configuration of dials and menus! Sony designed amazing hardware, but their user interface is a mess. No camera is perfect, and no camera is going to be perfect for me. But the ZV-E1 is a great little machine and we love having it around.
– Ewen
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