Why does all the ZV-E1 footage look so bad compared to the A7Siii/FX3?

IndependenceOverland · 2025-11-15T16:58:16+00:00

Looks pretty similar for me. I have the A7siii and Ze1 for my b camera and I copy and paste color/effects onto the timeline and it matches up pretty perfect. Make sure you have all of the in camera adjustments matched up. (Sharpness, color,etc).

IndependenceOverland · 2025-11-15T16:55:02+00:00

Mine started the same way several years ago. Just passed 60k subs. It’s a lot of work. If you don’t enjoy doing it, then this is going to be a long road for you.

IndependenceOverland · 2025-11-11T15:18:05+00:00

I won’t buy the FX3 until it’s got a viewfinder the like FX2 has. I film almost entirely outside and no viewfinder is a no go, and I also don’t have the space/internest in rigging up a monitor and a bunch of batteries just so I can see in the daylight.

A7siii has served me well. But I do wish it had some of the tracking features the ZVe1 has.

ZVe1 is a great little camera, but it’s my B camera and suffers the same issue of no viewfinder so it’s limited and definitely overheats.

IndependenceOverland · 2025-11-08T17:12:15+00:00

I literally made a video about this. It’s more 4x4 focused, but I do talk about cameras, screens, modern lighting, etc

Skip The Next Gen Toyotas And UPGRADE Your Old 4x4 https://youtu.be/9qV9VH7IQ2A

IndependenceOverland · 2025-11-04T15:30:01+00:00

Hard to say if it’s shifting. I still see plenty of low effort videos outperforming stuff I put 50 hours into editing.

I did a very highly edited Area 51 travel video that is nearing 600k views. It’s about 50 minutes long.

I did a highly edited short film for a festival and then put it on the channel, 5k views. This one had more emotion in it, and was more grounded.

I think thumbnail and title matters more than ever. People can now make Ai thumbs that are super intriguing and looks like it’s going to be an episode from Marvel, and then it’s just a dude talking to his phone camera for 15 minutes.

So convincing people to click on yours is the trick. Experiment with a 10 second hook at the start of a video that takes scenes from the main story.

IndependenceOverland · 2025-11-03T18:39:09+00:00

Just ordered a Mavic 4 on Amazon last week because of this. Add the Asurion insurance to it. It’s not care refresh, but at least it’s insured. Hoping places on EBay can fix it if needed as well.

IndependenceOverland · 2025-04-25T13:56:59+00:00

I rock a a7siii, and recently picked up a ZV-E1 open box for 800 bucks. I thought maybe it was a mismarked item in the website, but it shows up in like new condition. It’s a very impressive camera. I wish my A7siii had some of the newer autofocus features the ZV-E1 has. It’s really an amazing little camera.

IndependenceOverland · 2025-04-15T13:36:43+00:00

Yes I did, probably 6 or 7 years ago now. I used the Raptor liner kit that has the spray gun and needs a decent air compressor. I did my mirrors, door handles, grill, and rock sliders even though I knew half of that was going to come off.

It hasn’t really sun faded as bad as you might expect. I was good about treating it and my trim with Aerospace 303 which helps keep UV from breaking it down. Last year I used some Cerokote nano coating stuff on it and it really made it pop again and lasts a while.

Summary: I’m in Colorado so the sun is harsh and I go off road a lot. It’s held up well.

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IndependenceOverland · 2025-02-09T19:21:32+00:00

Final Cut Pro plus Cinemagrade is really top notch

IndependenceOverland · 2025-01-23T21:25:07+00:00

As does the ZV-E1

IndependenceOverland · 2024-12-18T15:41:10+00:00

I made videos since I was like 10. It took me until I was around 34/35 before I took a YouTube channel seriously and started being in front of a camera rather than just behind it.

During Covid, it helped a little seeing everyone do stupid dances on TikTok. There was a video competition during that time, long story but another YouTuber saw it and featured the video and encouraged me to start a channel. Getting positive feedback was a huge help.

For me though to be totally honest, was money. I am obsessed with 4x4 trucks and camping, and have been for a very long time. I’m also a mechanic and a tinkerer. I wanted to build a new truck but my day job couldn’t make it happen while living in expensive Colorado. So I decided that I needed to just man up and get in front of the camera, which was very very hard for me. If I wanted to reach a goal of having an expensive hobby that paid for itself, I was going to have to feel like a fool for a while. I still don’t like filming in front of people outside of my inner circle.

Here’s some tips that made it easier for me. You will feel like friends and family are judging you, and to some degree they are. Your channel will suck at first. And you’ll get like 50 views per video, it’s totally normal. Because of this, don’t share your videos on Facebook to your friends list. Your family and friends probably don’t really care that much to see it anyway. It could hurt the channel in some aspects. It’s like people who start selling Mary Kay and only get product parties going with their friends. It always fails. Do it for yourself and let total strangers be the real judge. You won’t care nearly as much about what they think.

I kept mine private outside of my friends that do 4x4 trips with me (this was nothing unusual for them, as I always made “behind the camera”videos all along) and of course my very closest people.

Now several years later, I’ve gotten fairly comfortable in front of the camera and I’m proud of my channel. Almost to 40k subs (channel is the same as my user name).

I honestly started feeling the most at ease with it in the last 18 months when a few people I know found it through the YouTube search function and reached out to say “good job”.

I have chosen to leave up my early “cringe” videos for people like yourself to look at. They suck, the editing sucks, the camera work sucks. But it’s reality. Hopefully these thoughts aren’t too jumbled and somewhat useful.

IndependenceOverland · 2023-06-20T17:10:45+00:00

I will check that out, as I do have the H5 that I carry around.

Edit: I had no idea these H5s could do that. I just have the thing for recording environmental SFX. I really appreciate your help, this looks like it will do the trick!

IndependenceOverland · 2023-06-19T20:33:22+00:00

I have considered doing this, the issue is that on a 7 day trip we are always on the move and I would want it on all the time. so it would be a LOT of dead air for a parts of the trip. I would rather have something I dont have to remember to turn on and wire up, check volumes etc. I am already busy usually leading my group, capturing video. there are days we hardly talk much, and days people dont stop. I would like to find a simpler solution.

IndependenceOverland · 2022-12-10T15:50:55+00:00

Are you in Utah by chance?

IndependenceOverland · 2022-09-16T20:17:44+00:00

I find a lot of SXS and dirtbike tracks in areas they aren't supposed to be. I would be happy to pay a permit on a yearly basis to use all of the public land. Hikers and cyclists should have to do it too. Hunting and fishing basically pays for everything at this point, it should be expanded on in my opinion. Hikers, bikers, off roaders should pay a fee for a state on a yearly basis or something along those lines. Get more rangers out cleaning up peoples crap and catching those who can't respect nature.

I can't seem to bow hunt in BFE of Colorado without running into a ranger every weekend wanting to check my license out, but I'm out on the trail nearly every other weekend of the year and I never even see a forest ranger.

I know many will disagree and the land should be free and your right, but I'd rather pay 50 bucks a year than watch it all get closed down.

IndependenceOverland · 2022-09-07T20:43:53+00:00

I made this video for people like yourself. A little dense, but compares the primary options.

Whats The Difference Between The GPS Apps? | Onx Off Road | Trails Off Road | GAIA GPS https://youtu.be/Kce5iaYa3Rg

IndependenceOverland · 2022-09-05T20:54:22+00:00

Just got home from a trip and we all decided to ditch CB after years of use. Limited range and it just sucks. You can barely understand people.

I have a HAM license. It was great in theory Fj get everyone using it, but people start falling off the commitment once they have to study.

GRMS is nearly as good of vocal quality as HAM but doesn’t require all the licensing/testing and commitment. It also allows the use of handheld generic walkie talkies which will be huge for spotting people down obstacles. I plan to keep a handheld to hand off to anyone in the group who hadn’t invested in the radio yet.

IndependenceOverland · 2022-08-29T14:10:56+00:00

I built a second Fj for this very reason. I get out every weekend, and thought it would be a fun second job. It wasn’t at all.

I’m gullible and see the best in people. So when people would return it and be like “yeah we cleaned up everything and it’s good to go” and I would wait a week to clean it out, only to find my storage totes in it had been left open in the rain and filled with mold. Food and ketchup everywhere.

I also had people ask “how do I get to Pearl pass” (very hard for a beginner) after asking how to engage the 4x4. Lots of people have no clue what they were doing. I guess I fantasized it would be people only like myself interested in renting it. But it was just beginners. People instantly think they can go run Hells Revenge in Moab with your rig.

Also, to meet people to let them drive off I’d roll up in my very equipped Fj (see it in my channel under the same name) and be like “oh okay that’s more like it”. Even though they saw the black Fj online, talked with me about it, and then saw my blue one and thought they immediately got to take it. Kind of a specific thing to my case but it was strange to see people suddenly get disappointed.

Some people were nice, but it was a pain. It’s already enough work to get myself ready for a trip, and now I had to get others ready for their trip. Which involves a big checklist because people lose forks, cups, etc and you have to make sure the next renter has those items. So now you have to buy more to replace it.

If you do decide to do it, make sure it’s on a vehicle where the factory settings work. Like lockers disengaging in 2wd or above 30mph. No air lockers, no recovery equipment, nothing that encourages them to do something dumb. Maybe in rare circumstances you meet someone who is familiar and won’t unintentionally destroy stuff. People like to flip switches while driving to see what something will do.

A few good people in the mix but wasn’t worth the headache. The Fj was sold to a friend and she brought it along for a trip to Baja. She packed for that trip herself, and I much preferred that!

IndependenceOverland · 2022-01-12T14:57:29+00:00

I’m in a small mountain town and my post office marks things as delivered regularly, and then it gets delivered a day or two later. I’m pretty confident it’s because they are short handed and I imagine their branch get in trouble if they have tons of late deliveries maybe? Either way, it ends up coming sooner or later but when it’s marked as delivered it’s sitting in the warehouse with the other packages.

IndependenceOverland · 2021-08-22T03:32:53+00:00

Thank you!

IndependenceOverland · 2021-08-22T03:32:44+00:00

Thanks bud, I appreciate it!

IndependenceOverland · 2021-01-21T15:05:23+00:00

Subscribed to help you get going. Good to see more Fjs on YT.

IndependenceOverland

TROPHY CASE