Camera review: Nikon Z9 review: a DSLR-like stills/video monster: Digital Photography Review

Sony a1 review: Digital Photography Review

1

Introduction

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Next

93%

Overall score

Jump to conclusion

The Sony a1 is the company’s flagship interchangeable lens camera, with a 50MP sensor that can capture bursts of images at 30 frames per second and records 8K video. That sensor also helps power the a1’s capable autofocus system, which comes with updated machine learning derived algorithms for detecting human faces and eyes, as well as the eyes of many types of animals and birds.

Sony is billing the Alpha 1 as, well, the one camera that can do just about anything you’d need it to do, whether you’re shooting fast action, landscapes, or high-end video. It’s also in a reasonably sized body, so wouldn’t be out of place for use in reportage or travel photography, and its Ethernet and high-speed USB-C ports speak to its ambitions as a pro-sports machine.

Jump to:
What’s new and how it compares	Autofocus
Body, handling and controls	Video performance
Initial impressions	Conclusion and sample galleries
Image quality	Full specifications

Key specifications:

50MP ‘stacked’ full-frame CMOS sensor
30 fps burst shooting with electronic shutter (lossy compressed Raw/JPEG only)
8K/30p video recording with Log and 4K Raw video out over HDMI
1/400 sec flash sync with mechanical shutter (1/200 sec with electronic shutter)
9. 44M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with 0.9x magnification
3.0″ tilting touchscreen with 1.44M-dot resolution
Full-size HDMI port, headphone / mic ports, USB-C port with 10 Gb/s transfer speeds, ethernet port
Dual UHS-II / CFexpress Type A card slots
CIPA rated to 530 shots with rear LCD (430 through the viewfinder)
Weather-sealed body
737g (1.62 lb)

From the flash sync speeds to the huge and high-res electronic viewfinder, it really looks like Sony’s thrown just about everything possible into the a1, and the result is a hugely impressive camera for all types of uses. And of course, given the high price of entry, it should be. So let’s get started, first with a look at all the new tech that the a1’s got inside it.

The Sony a1 will be available in March 2021 for a suggested price of around $6500 / €7,300 / £6,500.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Jason Hendardy provides an overview of the Sony ZV-1 Mark II, highlighting its capabilities as a tool for vloggers and content creators in video and still photography. View samples of S-Log2 and S-Log3 from the camera, plus see how it performs at a bit of Seattle street photography.

Leica introduces a tilt screen, USB-C and HDMI ports, 8K video and more to the Q-series.

With a bigger battery and better video capabilities, the Fujifilm X-S20 could be the vlogging machine content creators have been waiting for.

The Nikon Z8 is a $4000 Stacked-CMOS full-frame mirrorless camera that offers most of the capabilities of the range-topping Z9 but in a smaller, less expensive body.

The Canon EOS R10 is compact, mid-level 24MP APS-C mirrorless camera built around Canon’s RF mount. We look into whether it offers more than your smartphone.

Nikon Z30 review: Digital Photography Review

Product images by Richard Butler

The Nikon Z30 is a 20.2MP APS-C mirrorless camera designed for visual content creators wanting to take the leap from shooting with their smartphone or compact camera. It includes many familiar elements from Nikon’s existing ‘DX’ models but with more focus on vlogging than stills.

Key specifications

20.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor
4K video at up to 30p
1080 video at up to 120fps (as slow-mo)
Around 2 hours of video with USB power
Fully articulating 3.0″, 1.04M dot touchscreen
Tally lamp
Re-arranged buttons with a more prominent REC button
Single UHS-I SD card slot

The Z30 is available body-only for $709.95 or with the collapsible 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 VR lens for $849.95. A two-lens kit that adds the 50-250mm F4.5-6. 3 VR costs $1149.95. A ‘Creators Accessory Kit’ comprising a Røde Videomicro shotgun mic, ML-L7 Bluetooth remote control unit, and Smallrig mini tripod/selfie grip is $149.

Jump to:

What is the Z30?

The Z30 is Nikon’s third APS-C mirrorless camera to use the company’s Z-mount. These smaller sensor models, called ‘DX’ by Nikon, have all been aimed at young content creators, but the Z30 shows the most commitment to that cause with an emphasis on vlogging and video streaming.

Conceptually, it’s very similar to Sony’s ZV-E10. Both are built around APS-C sensors and have articulated screens to allow the operator to appear in the stills and video they’re shooting. Both also have stereo microphones built into their top plates with the option to fit ‘dead cat’ windscreens (included with the Sony, a $10 accessory for the Nikon).

They differ in three key ways, though. First, the Z30 can shoot 4K video at up to 30fps without a crop, whereas the Sony ZV-E10 can only shoot at up to 24fps before it has to crop in, making it harder to achieve the wide-angle view ideal for vlogging. Second, the Z30 lacks a headphone port, meaning audio will need to be monitored using on-screen levels.

Last, whereas the ZV-E10 includes a wide range of video-focused color options, including multiple Log profiles for post-shoot editing, the Z30 has a simpler ‘Flat’ profile. In practice, this is less sophisticated, but it also means the video is easier to work with when editing.

Unlike Nikon’s Z50 and Z fc, which use the same 20MP APS-C CMOS sensor, there’s no 30-minute recording limit on the Z30. Nikon says it will record around 125 minutes of 1080 footage if you provide power over the camera’s USB-C port. 4K will likely stop after approximately 35 minutes at 25°C (77°F).

	Nikon Z30	Sony ZV-E10	Apple iPhone 14 Pro	Google Pixel 7 Pro
MSRP (With kit zoom)	$710 (body), $850 (w/16-50mm lens), $1050 (w/16-50 & 50-250mm lenses)	$700 (body only), $800 (w/16-50 lens)	$999 (128GB)	$899 (128GB)
Image stabilization	Lens only (+ digital in video)	Lens only (+ digital in video)	Sensor-shift (rear cameras)	Sensor-shift (rear cameras)
Autofocus Type	Hybrid AF (phase-detection and contrast-detection)	Hybrid AF (phase-detection and contrast-detection)	Phase-detection and LIDAR AF	Phase-detection and LIDAR AF
Display (Touchscreen)	3″ 1. 04M-dot fully-articulated LCD	3″ 920K-dot fully-articulated LCD	Fixed 6.1″ (2556x1179px OLED)	Fixed 6.7″ (3120x1440px OLED)
USB Charging	Yes	Yes	Sort of (Lightning)	Yes
Video specs	Up to 4K/30p	Up to 4K/30p (with 1.2x crop), 4K/24p full-width	Up to 4K/60p (Dolby Vision HDR)	Up to 4K/60p (10-bit HDR)
Media Format	SD (UHS-I)	SD (UHS-I)	Internal/Cloud	Internal/Cloud
Mic Socket	Yes	Yes	No (possible with adapter)	No (possible with adapter)
Headphone socket	No	Yes	No (possible with adapter)	No (possible with adapter)
Weight	405g (14.3oz)	343g (12.1oz)	206g (7.3oz)	212g (7.5oz)

Who is it for?

The Z30 shines when used with the kit lens as a run-and-gun camera for vloggers and video creators who want solid 4K/30p and a reasonable focal length range in a compact form factor. Its video quality isn’t going to be all that much better than what the current flagship smartphones (such as Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro and Google Pixel 7 Pro) offer in most situations. But the Z30 will be a quality-of-life improvement with its flip-around screen, customizable buttons and controls for added versatility and the ability to quickly pop on an external microphone without needing a dedicated rig.

Nikon also positions this as a solution for streamers who want better video quality on their gaming and live streams, but I don’t see it happening. Suppose you’re looking for a webcam replacement that will stay in a mostly fixed position on a regular basis. In that case, you’re better off going with a used Sony a6XXX series camera or a Canon EOS-M model. Both can be mounted on a tripod with an affordable lens and offer similar image quality for much less than the Z30’s retail price.

Body, handling & behavior

The Z30 might look like a Z50 with its EVF chopped off, but Nikon has added a few key details to make it a much more user-friendly camera for vlogging. The most notable additions are the fully-articulating display, a larger record button and the tally lamp on the front of the camera. Together, these make the camera more intuitive for shooting selfie-style video by taking the guesswork out of framing and knowing whether or not you’re recording.

The Z30 is enjoyable to shoot with, both when behind the camera capturing the world around you and when you have the camera turned on yourself. This isn’t easy to achieve, but Nikon has balanced the buttons, dials and interface well on both the front and rear of the camera to make it equally comfortable to use whether you’re behind or in front of it.

The button selection Nikon includes is enough to offer all the customization you could want in a camera this size, and the menu is easy to navigate without getting lost. I particularly liked the placement of the two customizable dials: one on the front of the grip beneath the shutter release and a shoulder dial on the rear of the camera near your thumb. They’re right where I need them when shooting, and I don’t have to fumble around while holding the camera with a single hand.

Media is stored on a UHS-I SD card next to the battery on the bottom of the camera. This isn’t as easy to access as a side-mounted card slot, but it’s far enough off the tripod mount that you should be able to remove the battery and memory card even with a tripod or plate attached.

What is it like to use for vlogging?

Over the past few years, manufacturers have released camera models made specifically for hybrid content creators. While Nikon counted its Z50 and Z fc APS-C cameras amongst those models, the Z30 is the company’s most video-oriented model yet.

The included kit lens offers a respectable focal length range, but it would’ve been nice to see it go a little wider. At its widest, the lens provides a 24mm equiv. focal length. While wide enough for most use cases, it would’ve been nice to see the wider end start at a 20mm equiv. focal length, as you’ll find in Sony’s recently-released fixed-lens ZV-1F. The Z30 does shoot using the entire width of the sensor, but if you use the electronic image stabilization (1.23x crop), that 24mm effectively becomes 30mm, which is a bit tight for a selfie-style video.

Autofocus had no problem keeping up with vlog-style content. Face/Eye AF worked well in bright and dark situations, quickly locking onto my eye even when I would look away from the camera for a bit.

AF performed well when filming other moving subjects as long as a subject took up at least 10% of the frame. Any smaller than that, though, and tracking would sometimes lose the subject if it was quickly running through the frame. This was more pronounced at the wider focal lengths, but it didn’t prove to be much of an issue as you have more in focus at wider focal lengths, so slight hiccups in AF weren’t as noticeable.

Face/Eye AF worked well in both bright and dark situations, quickly locking onto my eye even when I would look away from the camera for a bit.

Battery life proved solid and right on target with what Nikon estimates. According to Nikon, the EN-EL25 battery will capture approximately 75 minutes of video. I averaged around 65 minutes of battery life when shooting 4K/30p video, and that was in relatively colder weather, which can inhibit performance.

The Z30 has USB-C charging and while it isn’t a new concept, having the option to quickly top off the battery while vlogging is that much more beneficial than with stills shooting, considering how quickly video burns through a battery. It was easy to connect my USB battery pack to the Z30 in my bag between shooting and have it topped off and ready to go the next time I needed to use it.

I would’ve liked to see faster charging times (my benchmarking topped out at 6.35W), but higher wattage throughput means more heat, which could affect camera performance when you need to shoot with it.

Shooting is only part of the equation when vlogging, though. You also have post-production, and it seems Nikon has also carved out a nice workflow for creatives to latch onto with its new Nikon Flat color profile. This low-contrast, low-saturation preset gives you additional flexibility to color grade your video in post-production without having to deal with more complicated Log profiles and LUTs (look-up tables).

Nikon’s ‘Flat’ Picture Control color profile is also available for stills. This has the added benefit of making it easy to match the aesthetic of your photos to your videos. The same camera you use to shoot Reels and Shorts can also be used to capture thumbnails and still images, and those images will look similar without countless hours of having to color matching Log video footage to your stills.

Image Quality

The Nikon Z30 uses the same 20.2MP sensor found in the Nikon Z50 and Z fc. And while it’s merely an updated version of the sensor used in Nikon’s D500 DSLR, it holds its own with solid Raw performance and good JPEGs.

In daylight or well-lit scenes, images are sharp with fantastic detail. In low-light scenes, where you may need to bump up the ISO, dynamic range holds up well, and noise is well-controlled, but the latter can sometimes come at the cost of low-contrast details being a bit smeared.

As a whole, though, the Z30 performs as you would expect it to, given it uses the same sensor used inside the Z50. If you’d like to read more details, head over to the Image Quality section of our Z50 review:

Image Quality: Nikon Z50

Conclusion

What we like	What we don’t
Compact Excellent ergonomics and menu system Clean 4K/30p video Fast AF performance up close Good built-in stereo microphone with 3.5mm port for external mics Versatile kit lens	No headphone jack No sensor stabilization Limited lens choices No visual way to monitor audio in selfie-mode

The Nikon Z30 is a compact and capable interchangeable lens camera that excels at what it’s meant for: casual vlogging. It’s unintimidating to get started with, but offers enough customization to ensure it’ll fit in with your content creation workflow.

Its interchangeable lens design is limited at this time, as Nikon’s ‘DX’ Z-mount lens options are scarce for the time being outside of the 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 VR kit lens. Nikon has one 12-28mm equiv. power zoom (PZ) lens and two prime lenses (24mm and 36mm equiv.) in the works, but those are yet to hit the market with no clear timeframe for when they may arrive.

The ZV-E10 offers more in the optics department thanks to Sony’s robust E-mount ecosystem, but it’s less ergonomic and is limited to 4K/24p when shooting unless you want a pesky 1.2x digital crop to shoot 30 fps. And considering the two cameras with their respective kit lenses are nearly identical, the $800 price favors the Z30 unless you’re looking for more lens options or want the Product Showcase feature for hands-on style videos.

As for mobile devices, the Z30 will undoubtedly offer a more pleasant shooting experience than even the best smartphone, thanks to its flip-around screen and a solid selection of customizable buttons and dials. Video quality isn’t necessarily going to be that much better, aside from low-light shooting. Still, the removable media does make it easier to work with larger files when shooting lengthy content. Whether or not that is worth an extra $800 out of your pocket ultimately depends on your personal needs as a content creator.

Scoring

Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about the changes to our scoring system and what these numbers mean.

Build quality

Ergonomics & handling

Features

Metering & focus accuracy

Image quality (raw)

Image quality (jpeg)

Low light / high ISO performance

Viewfinder / screen rating

Optics

Performance

Movie / video mode

Connectivity

Value

PoorExcellent

Conclusion

The Nikon Z30 is clearly designed with content creators in mind, particularly those intending to film vlogging-style content. It captures 4K/30p video from the full width of the sensor and 1080p video at 120 fps. Lens options are sparse, but it’s paired with a respectable 16-50mm (24-70mm equiv) vibration reduction (VR) kit lens that’s great for casual run-and-gun shooting. It will work for casual still images, but you’re probably better off going with the Z50 for stills photography considering it has an EVF.

Good for

Vlogging, streaming and social media content.

Not so good for

Advanced video production or stills photographers (you’re better off with the Z50, which has an EVF).

85%

Overall score

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Using the Table View video effect on a Mac

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When using iPhone as a webcam, you can use the Table View feature in FaceTime or other apps to show your face and show what’s in front of you at the same time, without complicated structures or devices.

Table View is only available on iPhone 11 or later, except iPhone SE.

Use Table View in FaceTime

On your Mac, open the FaceTime app.
Connect iPhone to Mac using the cradle, then use iPhone as a webcam.
Start a video call, then click the Table Overview button in the upper right corner of the video call window.

The Table View video effect opens, which simulates an overhead camera and shows the desktop from above.
Use the Table View docker to position the desktop in the camera frame. To zoom in or out on the image, drag the on-screen controls at the bottom of the window. When you’re ready to share a picture of the table in a video call, click Share Table View.
To turn off the Table View video effect, click the screen access button at the top left of the Table View window, then select Close Window (or select Table View > End Table View in the row menu).

Using Table View in other apps

On your Mac, open the video recording app.
Connect iPhone to Mac using the cradle, then use iPhone as a webcam.
Click Control Center in the menu bar, click Video Effects, then click Table View.

The Table View video effect opens, which simulates an overhead camera and shows the desktop from above.

You can also open Table View by searching Spotlight.
Use the Table View docker to position the desktop in the camera frame. To zoom in or out on the image, drag the on-screen controls at the bottom of the window. When you’re ready, click “Start Table Review”.
To showcase your table in a third-party application, use the application’s screen access feature to select the Table Overview window. For more information, see the developer’s instructions or the application menu and settings.
To turn off Table View, close the Table View window, or select Table View > End Table View from the menu bar.

See also Use video effects on MacApple Support article: Continuity Camera: Use iPhone as a webcam for Mac

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Camera 120 degree view hikvision

What is 120 degree Cameras overview Hikvision camera

Surveillance cameras have firmly entered our lives. Now it is impossible to imagine the absence of surveillance cameras. They have come a long way, from the simplest to the most sophisticated and expensive cameras.

Nowadays, they are installed everywhere – the street, cafes, schools, kindergartens, at the entrances of houses. Lately Camera 120 degree view hikvision , introduced at polling stations. In general, 120 degree view cameras are used wherever visual observation is needed. For example, a young mother needs to go away for a short time on her own business, but she cannot leave the child unattended, this is where the 120-degree camera comes to the rescue, with the help of the camera she can watch her child from a distance using a smartphone.

There are a huge number of cameras, here you should focus on what and in what conditions this device will be used. If you need a wide picture of vision, then the 120 degree camera is the right choice for you. If you need night shooting, then this is not a problem, at the moment there are thousands of camera models with night mode in the world.

Types of cameras 120 degrees overview hikvision

Surveillance cameras are divided into modular and case –
– Modular cameras, these are essentially boards with a lens attached to them. Cameras 120 degrees view they are inserted into various cases, but they are inferior in appearance to more solid cameras.
– Box cameras, these are the same modular cameras, but already installed in the case by the manufacturer. Cameras 120 degree view, box cameras are considered more professional. They come with both built-in and detachable lenses.

Hikvision 120 degree cameras can be bought in online stores. Cameras 120 degrees overview hikvision the price is different, it all depends on your requests. Many people order 120-degree cameras for the entrance of an apartment building in order to catch juvenile hooligans.

Benefits of hikvision 120 degree view cameras

With the 120 degree view camera, one person can be in several places at the same time. With the help of CCTV cameras, more than one crime was solved.
Unmanned aerial vehicles also use CCTV cameras 120 degrees view.

Cameras 120 degrees review hikvision to buy or not to buy is a personal matter for everyone, but with him, living in a private house will be much safer. Hikvision cameras 120 degrees view the price will be cheaper, say a security guard who needs to eat, drink, who can be distracted, this will not happen with a 120 degree view camera.