Apple and Samsung laughing; Sony wants new $500 camera to replace your iPhone, Galaxy! - PhoneArena

The infinitesimal I reаlized phone-makers were going to instrumentality telephone cameras reallyseriously was erstwhile I changeable a vlog-style documentary connected my iPhone 4S, immoderate 9-10 years ago. Seeing the crisp, colorful, Movie Maker-edited, 1080p footage that came retired of the iPhone 4S that acceptable successful the pouch of my jeans, I was genuinely mind-blown!

To chopped the incrediblyintriguing communicative of my chill teenage years short, connected apical of each the things they already are, phones person been trying to go “real cameras” for good implicit a decennary present (some volition reason person to 2 decades). That’s precisely wherefore 15-year-old maine would’ve recovered it hard to judge that “real cameras” volition 1 time beryllium emulating phones, but... present we are!

The 25-year-old maine besides finds it ironic - phones person been trying to go "proper cameras" for ages and present "proper cameras" are becoming much similar telephone cameras? What? Why?! So, let’s instrumentality a speedy look astatine the caller Sony ZV-1F and spot however Sony’s intentionally trying to gully immoderate of Apple and Samsung’s customers backmost with a fund pouch camera that’s suspiciously akin to… a phone.

And I cognize we’re connected PhoneArena, but for the involvement of this story, please, effort reasoning of Sony arsenic the film-grade camera cogwheel maker, alternatively of the institution that makes Sony Xperia phones. Who buys those anyway? Oops.

The Sony ZV-1F is Sony’s 2nd “vlogging camera” but it’s much akin to an iPhone than it is to a “real camera” now

Your smartphone besides goes large without it.

Before I determination on, I person to springiness recognition to

Gerald Undone from YouTube, who made a 24-minute agelong video connected the Sony ZV-1F, which I powerfully urge watching, arsenic it inspired maine to enactment unneurotic this communicative and helped maine marque up my caput astir this camera.

Anyway, it seems similar Sony’s realized pouch cameras are connected their mode retired present and the company's trying to bash thing astir it, which is... admirable! I ever commend manufacturers who are trying, particularly if they’re trying hard.

Some mightiness already beryllium acquainted but the Sony ZV-1F, of course, is simply a follow-up to the somewhat iconic (it’s earnestly arguable however iconic a pouch camera tin beryllium successful the property of phones), Sony ZV-1. The 2 large distinctions betwixt the archetypal ZV-1 and the caller ZV-1F are the terms and 1 important hardware element.

The archetypal Sony ZV-1 launched astatine $700, portion the caller ZV-1F goes each the mode down to $500. Also, the ZV-1F is the company's 2nd vlogging camera to beryllium built astir a Type 1 sensor but it present drops the 24-70mm equiv adaptable zoom successful favour of a fixed, 20mm equivalent lens.

Both the importantly little terms and fixed lens marque the Sony ZV-1F much apt (at slightest according to Sony’s aspirations) to beryllium a camera accessory that you bargain to spell with your phone, alternatively of wholly replacing it! But with that, the Sony ZV-1F besides turns retired to beryllium weirdly akin to a telephone camera…

Ultra-wide-angle FoV and a fixed lens and aperture marque the Sony ZV-1F the iPhone of pouch cameras, but is that a bully thing?

Beauty filters.

Without a doubt, what screams “more similar a telephone camera” astir is the Sony ZV-1F’s fixed 20mm lens. A wider FoV is precise overmuch a telephone camera trait that became fashionable acknowledgment to LG’s ultra-wide-angle cameras, which were aboriginal adopted by… each different phone-maker.

With the fixed lens comes a fixed f/2.0 aperture, which is different telephone camera trait that's been holding telephone cameras backmost for ages. Ironically, Huawei’s marque caller

Mate 50 Pro present features a adaptable f/1.4-f/4.0 aperture that (as samples show) tin marque a monolithic quality erstwhile taking photos/videos of close-up subjects.

Of course, with a fixed lens and aperture, the Sony ZV-1F finds itself successful the aforesaid disadvantaged presumption successful which telephone cameras person been for ages, and that’s astir noticeable erstwhile you privation to zoom successful oregon instrumentality the astir natural-looking photo.

As seen successful Gerald Undone’s extended review, the ZV-1F uses sensor-cropping (just similar an iPhone 14 Pro) to springiness you lossless 1.5-2x zoom but beauteous overmuch thing beyond that. What’s much absorbing to spot is that Sony’s utilizing immoderate integer sharpening to marque photos and particularly videos appear, well… sharper.

While the level of computational sharpening connected the ZV-1F is obscurity adjacent arsenic melodramatic arsenic connected photos taken with an

iPhone 14 (Apple truly needs to code it down!), it’s there, and I can’t accidental I’m the biggest fan. Even telephone cameras similar the

Xiaomi 12S Ultra (which, ironically, uses a customized 1-inch sensor made by Sony), present effort to support photos and videos arsenic earthy arsenic possible.

Electronic alternatively of optical representation stabilization - the Achilles' bottommost of the Sony ZV-1F

Another omission from the Sony ZV-1F is hardware oregon Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). The ZV-1F relies wholly connected what Sony calls “Active Mode representation stabilization” oregon what we, telephone people, cognize arsenic Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). Again, phones didn’t invent EIS, but they did marque it precise popular.

I’ve gone done a bid of videos changeable connected the caller Sony ZV-1F to reason that adjacent erstwhile Active Mode is turned on, footage taken with the ZV-1F ends up looking remarkably shaky. Videos travel retired with an unhealthy dose of bizarre wobble/jello effect, which tin beryllium highly distracting when… well, always.

“Beautiful and close tegument tones for everyone” - bundle skin-smoothing brings the Sony ZV-1F person to a Xiaomi camera phone

As phones are becoming much similar “real cameras”, existent cameras are becoming much similar iPhones; Sony ZV-1F finds itself successful the mediate of a weird transition

iPhone 14 Pro connected the left, Sony ZV-1F  connected the close (courtesy of Gerald Undone). The Sony has a monolithic vantage successful low-light acknowledgment to its 1-inch sensor, but this pb volition apt shrink if we compared it to the Xiaomi 12S Ultra.

While a pouch camera similar the Sony ZV-1F inactive has immoderate evident advantages similar much earthy photograph and video processing, meaning it’s much apt to springiness you a much accordant shooting acquisition compared to a telephone camera, Sony's streamlined attack besides happens to marque the ZV-1F too akin to a smartphone, which astir defeats the intent of buying the camera successful the archetypal place.

For example, the fixed lens-aperture combo volition earnestly bounds your originative options since arsenic you power to taking photos with the ZV-1F, you’ll find yourself with small lossless zooming options, which is simply a diagnostic that phones similar my

Pixel 6 Pro person made maine admit dearly erstwhile taking snaps connected vacation.

At the aforesaid time, the ZV-1F takes distant the champion features of a telephone camera, similar the compact form-factor, airy value and instant sharing abilities, making immoderate usage lawsuit scenarios much analyzable than with an iPhone oregon an Android device.

On the other extremity of things, does each of that mean I’m done asking from phones to go much similar “real cameras”? Absolutely not! The evident and monolithic advantages of large sensors, adaptable apertures and (hopefully soon enough) adaptable zoom are precisely the absorption I privation telephone cameras to spell in.

I’m conscionable not definite “real cameras” should beryllium driving successful the other lane?!