Sony just announced an entry-level camera for aspiring vloggers. Priced at just $500, the Sony ZV-1F misses some features found on more expensive cameras (ZV-1). Having said that, I think beginners can live without most of them – no RAW photography, no hot shoe, 30 minute recording limit, and no optical steady shot.
But the most glaring omission is the lack of phase detection autofocus. The last 1″ camera to have this feature was the Sony RX100III. That was launched way back in 2014. I watched some reviews and noticed the same jittering issue Panasonic cameras have. You can see it in Jason’s clip (skip to 2:06 if you don’t want to watch the whole video):
I genuinely wonder how much it would have cost to put PDAF inside this little camera. After all, they managed to bring the new menu, keep the elaborate microphone, add an USB-C connection, and make the display more useful while recording. To top it off, they made a new 20mm f/2 lens that addresses the main issue vloggers had with the ZV-1 – the field of view wasn’t wide enough.
Will this flaw make the camera unusable? Only time and real users will tell.
