Moby Camera

Call me Ishmael, if you will, but I cannot see the harm in the Great White Camera - in fact I see a great deal of good in it. If it is the Small White Camera it can still be great. The "Moby Dick" nickname came from a sales staff member, and it is funny, but pokes fun at the colour of the camera without taking into account the basic goodness in the device. This is a Sony compact camera - in itself a good concept - and is nothing more than the stylish version of the Sony ZV-1. This is one of their newest cameras dedicated to helping you with video contact and broadcasting - vlogging. Don't be afraid - this column will not switch to talking to you over YouTube - you'll still be able to keep me at arm's length and turn away from the screen in despair. For those who may be much better broadcasters than I, the ZV-1 has a number of dedicated features; 20 Megapixel 1" CMOS sensor - Bionz engine, -4 K recording. Three-capsule directional mic and connection for external input. Eye capture settings that nail you every time and easy means to shift the focus to the background without stopping and resetting things. A very cool bokeh control and the ability to highlight products in the foreground. The swing-away LCD screen is perfect for selfie framing, and sometimes you can see real sights in it... But back to white. It isn't the only Sony white camera and Sony isn't the only maker to use this style for their cameras and lenses. We all know of the Canon white lenses and those of other makers who have copied them. We've been seeing both DSLR, and compact cameras in white for decades - indeed I remember white motion picture cameras in the 1960's. They might have been cool or not, but they were a genuine option. Is it true that a white camera is more stylish? Nonsensical question, and never capable of an answer. But it has to be cooler than a black one out there in the summer sun. And I suspect it is less threatening as a sight - just as small cameras attract less subject resistance than large ones. As for the Sony, I shall put it back in the cabinet and watch it swim away. Captain Ahab will have to chase his demons elsewhere.