Is the Sony Xperia 1 V the Ultimate Phone for Creators?

Sony's Xperia range of phones has been knocking on the door of entry-level cameras for some time. Their latest offering might just be the best yet, but is it enough for creators to use as their primary all-purpose camera?

I recently saw a stand-up make a joke that I'm going to summarize: calling an iPhone a "phone" is like calling a convertible Lexus a cup holder. It might be a joke, but it's right on the money. It has been some time since a mobile phone has been just a phone, but now, it feels as if the phone part is almost irrelevant. Every modern phone is actually a powerful, multifaceted computer and its uses outside of its original purposes have eclipsed that function.

However, we still sit on the precipice of phones taking the content creator cameras' market share. It could be the lack of interchangeable lenses or it could even be a matter of perception — no real videographer would use a phone — but whatever the case, it's a close race these days. Sony has been targetting creators with their flagship phones for some time at this point and if it wasn't for the toe-curling price tag (which is only really toe-curling in the context of a phone), perhaps the war would have already been won.

What do you think of the Sony 1 V?

Rob Baggs's picture

Robert K Baggs is a professional portrait and commercial photographer, educator, and consultant from England. Robert has a First-Class degree in Philosophy and a Master's by Research. In 2015 Robert's work on plagiarism in photography was published as part of several universities' photography degree syllabuses.

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3 Comments

Sony's flat out refused to provide any guarantees (or even suggestions) of security patch and OS upgrade availability. Until and unless they commit to at least match what I'd get on a $400 Pixel, hard pass.

It's a shame sony didn't press on with the 1 inch path they started down with their last model. I'm kind of interested in a 1 inch sensor in my next phone. Also sony has to come down with their crazy prices.

Question is can I connect USB cable and shoot tethered to it? From my Sony camera.