Sony has released an updated firmware for the Sony ZV-1 mirrorless camera that allows for HD video streaming over USB. This comes after a wave of camera manufacturers releasing “webcam utilities” for their cameras in 2020 – all of which utilize USB tethering for photo-taking, adapted for video.
Sony ZV-1 Firmware update for USB streaming: https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/compact-cameras-zv-series/zv-1/downloads
Usually, these applications produce roughly 1024×576 video at an inconsistent 30FPS max – as was the case for the ZV-1 until this update. The Sony ZV-1 was sold as being the first camera of its kind to be designed with this feature in mind, but such claims have seemed to be nonsense so far.
With this new 2.0 (and 2.1) firmware update, the camera can stream 720p video at 30FPS over USB. The video is still soft and framerate, while improved, is still not perfect – but it’s a significant upgrade over the previous mode.
However, as you can see in our testing, the video pales in comparison to even a $6 capture card.
PRODUCT LINKS:
- BUDGET CAPTURE CARDS (Amazon affiliate): https://www.amazon.com/shop/eposvox?listId=1EFTBZC5CETUQ
- Sony ZV-1 on Amazon (affiliate): https://geni.us/5uHp8
- Sony ZV-1 on B&H (affiliate): https://bhpho.to/2X93gO2
Last year I reviewed the Sony ZV-1 overall and found it to be an incredible value for content creators and streamers – as long as you turned the High Temp Sensor mode up to High.
The product showcase autofocus mode is great, and the flip-out screen is a nice improvement over most Sony cameras.
That being said, Sony just announced the new ZV-E10: An interchangeable lens APS-C upgrade to the ZV-1. This is probably a better buy.
