Sony Xperia Pro-I as a video camera

Vlogging rig

We had no access to the extra accessories that Sony offers for the Xperia Pro-I. Going by the product images and the official promos, we can see them useful for the right type of consumer.

The Bluetooth grip/tabletop tripod (GP-VPT2BT, €140/$140) has been around for a while, and you can use it with a camera (like one of the A6000-series mirrorless ones or RX100s compacts or the RX0 ultra-compacts), but also with a phone.

While you can come up with a phone clamp yourself and still use the grip, you might be better off getting the brand new Vlog Monitor (XQZ-IV01, €200/$200). The bundle includes the monitor itself, a 16cm USB-C cable for connecting it to the phone, and a phone clamp, which you can then mount on your choice of handle/tripod. The monitor attaches to the clamp magnetically, while the top of the clamp can take a hotshoe mic.

Vlog Monitor on the back of the Xperia Pro-I • Exploded view

It's this Vlog Monitor that transforms the Xperia Pro-I into a capable vlogging machine, letting you record yourself on that 1"-type sensor main camera, while getting a live viewfinder feed - you can always record yourself with the rear camera blindly, but that's unprofessional.

The monitor's screen has a 3.5-inch diagonal (so bigger than on the Sony ZV-1 dedicated vlogging camera and on the Alpha mirrorless cameras, which have been stuck at 3 inches) and a 1280x720px resolution.

I/O includes two USB-C ports - one's for connecting to the phone for the video feed and drawing power from the phone, the other is for powering the screen from an external source, in which case the phone itself gets pass-through power.

There's also a 3.5mm microphone jack, more for completeness sake than actual necessity, since the phone has one already. Then again, there could come up a use case in which the phone is further away, and you run a single USB-C cable to the monitor and the mic nearby.

The controls on the monitor are limited to a power switch and two buttons - flip (for when your mounting setup has the screen looking the other way) and brightness.

The monitor itself weighs 69g, the phone clamp is 77g, while the USB-C cable is 11g. Adding in the grip's 215g and the phone's 221g, the sub-total works out to 593g, the 37g for the leather case - strictly optional.

All that's left now is to add a mic. The one they have in the promo materials is the XYST1M (€170/$160, 100g without the cable or the deadcat), but they're not too keen to list it in the related accessories on the Pro-I'sproduct pages, nor are there any other mic suggestions in there. Anyway, this one brings the total to roughly 700g and €2300/$2300).

For comparison, the Sony ZV-1 camera (294g, €680/$680) can replace the smartphone in that setup, and the total weight will get to 770-ish grams, a rather small difference at this point. The total price, on the other hand, will drop, more tangibly to roughly €1200/$1200, and that's without taking into account bundle deals on the ZV-1, which may include some or all of the above accessories at reduced prices. The ZV-1 is also (sort-of) a proper camera with a proper 1"-type sensor and a proper 24-70mm equiv. zoom lens. It's not remotely a phone, though, and carrying a phone, and a vlogging setup already means an extra bag, so an additional camera may very well be pushing it.