Price Range: $500 - $1000

The Sony ZV-1 is a compact digital camera that was designed and aggressively marketed towards vloggers. It features fast autofocus even in poor lighting, a solid built-in microphone, and shoots excellent still images that easily cover all of our thumbnail and social media needs.

Why it's Onboard

We’ve relied heavily on this camera for over four years now, primarily using it for high-quality photos and our talk-to-camera vlogging. It’s surprisingly durable for such a small piece of sensitive electronics; ours has hit the deck multiple times, including a fall out the helm that dented the entire lens housing, yet it still works perfectly.

• Photos

• Talk-to-camera vlogging

• Capturing 4K footage

Real-world Verdict

All-in-all, this is my favorite camera to use - I like the color grading, image stabilisation software and footage quality.

The only downside I’ve found is that if you plan on filming long 4K videos in tropical environments, you will need to go into the menu settings and manually increase the high-temperature shut-off range so the camera doesn't constantly power down on you in 100°F (38°C) heat. 

While we still use the original model, Sony has released an upgraded version called the ZV-1 Mark II.

The video below was shot completely on the ZV-1.

This page contains affiliate links, meaning that at no extra cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, we may receive a commission.