Sony ZV-1 Setup: Menu Settings to Change Before You Shoot

To set up a Sony ZV-1, pair it with your phone, decide how the menu opens, use the Mode button to leave auto, turn on RAW for photos, and pick your video frame rate. The ZV-1 is a small vlogging camera with a 20MP 1-inch sensor and a 24-70mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 zoom, so a few minutes of setup gets you a lot more from it.

What the ZV-1 is, and what it is not

Digital Camera World describes the ZV-1 as a camera built for vlogging first that will also shoot stills perfectly well. PetaPixel reported that it uses a 1-inch 20MP stacked CMOS sensor and the 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 lens from the RX100 III, IV and V (A).

Knowing what your camera has, and what it skips, tells you which settings matter. Think of this table as a map of the house before you start moving furniture.

Feature	Sony ZV-1	Source
Sensor	20MP 1-inch type stacked CMOS
Lens	24-70mm equivalent, f/1.8-2.8 Zeiss zoom
4K video	Up to 30fps
1080p video	Up to 120fps
Super Slow Motion	Up to 960fps
Stabilization	Optical image stabilization
Screen	Fully vari-angle
Viewfinder, flash, mode dial	None of the three; modes live under a Mode button
Photo files	Shoots RAW
Video color depth	8-bit

A few words in that table need a plain explanation. A vari-angle screen is a screen that swings out and turns, so you can see yourself while you film. Digital Camera World points out that this kind of screen is especially handy for shooting vertical video for phones. fps means frames per second. A flip book is a good picture of it: more pages per second means smoother, slower-looking motion when you play it back.

Step 1: Set the basics and pair your phone

The first time you turn the camera on, it walks you through basics like the date and time. Getting the date right now saves you a headache later, because your photos sort by the date the camera stamps on them.

Sony's Help Guide for the ZV-1F, a close sibling of the ZV-1, says you can pair the camera with a phone over Bluetooth and use Creators' App to set the date and time, as long as the camera's firmware is Ver.1.10 or later. That same guide says to install Creators' App from your phone's app store and update it to the latest version if you already have it. The ZV-1 is a different model, so check the ZV-1 Help Guide to see whether your camera supports the same steps.

If you skip pairing during setup, you can do it later. Sony's Help Guides for the ZV-1F and ZV-1M2 list this path: MENU → Network → Cnct./PC Remote → Smartphone Connection. On your ZV-1, the names may look a little different, so treat that path as a signpost rather than an exact address.

PetaPixel called Sony's older Imaging Edge app an awful experience and said the newer Creators' app changes that.

Step 2: Choose how the menu opens

Sony's ZV-1 Help Guide includes a setting called Tile Menu. Sony describes it as a setting that selects whether to always display the first screen of the menu when you press the MENU button.

Here is a simple way to think about it. Tile Menu is like walking into a library and always landing at the front desk first. Some people like that: it feels like a safe home base. Others want to skip the front desk and go straight to the shelves.

Try it both ways for a day each and keep whichever feels calmer. There is no wrong answer here. If Sony menus still feel like a maze, the Sony camera menu setup guide walks through how Sony menus are laid out.

One honest heads-up: in its review of the newer ZV-1 II, Digital Camera World notes that the older ZV-1 had limited touch control in menus. Expect to use the buttons on the back for most menu work.

Step 3: Leave auto with the Mode button

Many cameras have a big dial on top for picking modes. Digital Camera World notes the ZV-1 has no mode dial, but all the regular shooting modes are still there through a Mode button. If you have only ever shot in auto, that button is your door out.

The three settings that make a picture

Every photo and video comes from three settings working together. Here they are in everyday terms:

• Aperture is like the pupil of your eye. A wide pupil lets in lots of light. Smaller f-numbers, like f/1.8, mean a wider opening.
• Shutter speed is like a door opening and closing. A quick open-and-shut freezes a running dog. A slow one lets the dog smear into a blur.
• ISO is like turning up the volume on a quiet song. It gets louder, but you start to hear hiss. In photos, that hiss shows up as grainy specks.

Change one, and the other two have to shift to keep the picture bright enough. Like syllables in a poem, they work as a set.

Which mode to start with

Aperture priority is a gentle first step. You choose how wide the lens opens, and the camera handles the rest. The ZV-1's lens opens to f/1.8 at the wide end and f/2.8 at the long end.

Digital Camera World says the 1-inch sensor and wide aperture zoom let you get nicely blurred backgrounds, and that longer zoom settings help too. So for a soft, dreamy background behind a face, open the aperture as wide as it goes and zoom in a little.

Shutter priority is the one to try when things move: kids, pets, bikes. Manual mode is where you pick all three yourself. Save manual for when the other two feel easy. Every blurry shot along the way is just the camera showing you which setting to nudge next time.

Step 4: Photo settings worth changing

Turn on RAW

A RAW file is like keeping the whole cake batter instead of a slice of the finished cake. You can still change the recipe later.

Digital Camera World shared a ZV-1 photo where the camera exposed the foreground well but made little effort to keep tones in the sky. The reviewer added that the ZV-1 shoots RAW files, which help with highlight recovery. If you shoot bright skies, sunsets or snow, turning on RAW gives you a second chance to bring that sky back when you edit.

Leave the color style alone at first

Sony's ZV-1 Help Guide has a page for a setting called Creative Style. It changes the look of your pictures. While you are learning exposure, leave it where it is. Changing one thing at a time makes it much easier to see what each setting does.

Step 5: Video settings for your first shoot

Pick resolution and frame rate

PetaPixel reported that the ZV-1 shoots 4K up to 30fps, 1080p at up to 120fps, and Super Slow Motion at up to 960fps. Here is a simple way to choose:

What you want	Setting to try	Source
Sharpest everyday video	4K, up to 30fps
Smooth slow motion you can edit	1080p, up to 120fps
Very slow, dramatic moments	Super Slow Motion, up to 960fps

Pick one frame rate for a whole project and stick with it. Mixing rates in one video is like switching songs halfway through a dance. It can work, but it takes practice. The beginner's guide to shooting video with any camera covers the basics that apply to every camera.

Get the look right while you shoot

PetaPixel notes that the ZV-1 does not get 10-bit video and calls it an 8-bit video camera. The same writer says a typical vlog can swing from overexposed to underexposed in seconds and pass through different light colors, which is where 10-bit helps.

Think of 8-bit like a box of 64 crayons instead of a much bigger set. You can still draw beautiful things. You just have fewer shades to blend later. So try to get brightness and color close to right while you film, rather than counting on fixing it in editing.

Focus and stabilization

The ZV-1 includes Real-time Eye AF and Real-time Tracking AF, according to PetaPixel. Digital Camera World called its autofocus fast and precise. In plain words, the camera can find an eye and stay locked on it as you move.

PetaPixel also described a product showcase feature that quickly switches focus from a person's eye to an object held up between the person and the lens. If you make review or unboxing videos, look for that setting in the menu.

The ZV-1 has optical image stabilization. PetaPixel notes that the lens was stabilized at its 24mm focal length.

Step 6: Sound

The ZV-1 has a built-in directional mic with three capsules, designed to capture what is in front of the camera while cutting down on background noise. PetaPixel said the audio is solid even if you don't use an external mic.

There is one catch. A PetaPixel writer said the front-facing-only nature of the mic drove people crazy when the person talking was behind the camera. If you plan to narrate while filming something else, or film from across a room, a small wireless mic clipped to your shirt keeps your voice clear. The DJI Mic Mini is one option to look at.

Know the limits before your first shoot

Every camera has a few things it cannot do. Knowing them now saves you a frustrating day later.

• Width: Digital Camera World says the 24mm equivalent view may not be wide enough if you want to film yourself and your background at arm's length. PetaPixel called the lack of a super-wide lens the biggest complaint about the ZV-1.
• Controls: One PetaPixel writer said the ZV-1 would be moved to studio and B-camera work where settings can be locked off, because the newer model is easier to use without turning the camera around to press buttons.
• No viewfinder or flash: The ZV-1 has neither.

That second point is the best argument for doing your setup now, at your kitchen table. Once your settings are where you want them, you spend less time poking at small buttons and more time filming.

If you are still deciding between this camera and an interchangeable lens model, Digital Camera World notes the Sony ZV-E10 lets you fit a wider lens. The Sony ZV-E10 first-time setup guide covers that camera step by step.

A short checklist

1. Set the date and time, then pair your phone.
2. Decide how you want the Tile Menu to behave.
3. Press the Mode button and try aperture priority.
4. Turn on RAW for photos.
5. Pick one video frame rate for your first project.
6. Check eye focus on a face before you hit record.
7. Plan your sound: built-in mic in front of you, or a wireless mic if you will be behind the camera.

Take it one setting at a time. Each change you make on purpose teaches you a little more about how light and your camera work together.