DPReview panned the stills capabilities of the Sony ZV-1 II despite being engineer primarily for vlogging. Here's the highly of their full review. The full review can be found by clicking this link.
- The ZV-1 IIfeels quite limited as a stills camera. It has few buttons, only one dial, and few quick-access controls. Still, it's possible to use the Fn button in combination with the 4-way dial for exposure compensation without using the touch panel.
- For street photography, its unobtrusive appearance and quiet operation without a mechanical shutter is a nice touch.
- When shooting in bright sunlight, the monitor on the back can be difficult to see – a viewfinder would solve this.
- The ZV-1 II is compact and lightweight, easily fitting into a jacket pocket.
- It has digital stabilization for video but lacks stabilization for stills. This lack of image stabilization becomes a significant issue when shooting in bars and clubs, making it difficult to capture stable photos.
- Due to its small and light build, using a slow shutter while holding the camera securely in hand is challenging. Even at 1/100th of a second shutter speed, slight blurring occurs when adjusting the AF range point on the touch panel.
- The camera lacks a mechanical shutter, and the lower limit of shutter speed is set at 1/4 second. While this is sufficient for 99% of everyday shots, it becomes problematic in situations where you need to capture light trails, such as with passing cars.
- It's best to use the ZV-1 II in either auto or aperture/shutter priority mode rather than manual mode. Manual adjustments, with only one dial on the back, can be a cumbersome process. Switching between aperture and shutter requires pressing the touch panel or the 4-way dial, and if not visually checked, it is easy to make mistakes while adjusting settings.
- Compared to the G7 X II, which has dials around the lens for easy aperture and shutter control, and an exposure compensation dial for an enjoyable shooting experience, the ZV-1 II lacks these features. Both cameras have a similar shape and are 20-megapixel machines, but the G7 X II stands out for its enjoyable shooting experience.
- On the positive side, the ZV-1 II features a fantastic 18-50mm equivalent lens, which provides an ideal angle of view for a compact lens that can fit in your pocket. The zoom action is fast and smooth, and the startup time is short when powering on the camera. Additionally, thanks to the stacked sensor, the autofocus for tracking moving objects is very fast.
- Overall the ZV-1 II doesn't feel like it was primarily designed for still photography, which art wasn't. But many in this segment will use the camera for its stills capabilities.
Hardly surprising as the ZV-1 II is a vlogging camera first. A good balance between stills and video would better be served by an APS-C alpha camera.
