As we continue to fill in the backlog of reviews we missed in the first half of the year, we’ve been running a series of cameras through our studio. The latest to pass through has been Sony’s ZV-1 Mark II: the second-generation vlogging and content creation compact. You won’t be surprised by the performance of its Type 1 (13.2 x 8.8mm) sensor, since it’s appeared in RX100 models in the past, but the test scene also gives a little insight into the performance of its rather ambitious 18-50mm equivalent zoom. Our test shots were taken at the full extent of the zoom (the closest to our standard 85mm equiv focal length), and you’ll see it does pretty well until you reach the fairly extreme corners. As part of our forthcoming review we’ll also be looking at the performance at wide angle. It’s worth noting that the ZV-1 II’s lack of a mechanical shutter meant we couldn’t shoot all the camera’s low light images. Its lower shutter speed limit of 1/4 sec means there’s no way to give the camera enough light to use low ISOs in low light, so we simply weren’t able to shoot them. While we continue working on our full (vlog focused) review of the Sony ZV-1 Mark II, here’s what we thought of it as a photographer’s compact.
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