Why do certain people buy a Ferrari or Mercedes when a VW Golf will do?

So a good photo/video sensor is only as good as possible if it has as many megapixels as possible? So a smartphone with 50MP is better than this camera or the one you have?

You can't compare products only by bare numbers, like 24MP is better than 12.9MP.

As an addition: The ZV-E1 also offers an auto-framing function. This automatically tracks the main subject and keeps it centred in the image. This makes the image look more stable and professional, even if you are moving in front of the camera. This is extremely practical for vlogging, especially if you are filming alone.

The target group for the Sony ZV-E1 is clearly vloggers. In other words, people who like to record video blogs or are looking for an affordable alternative to the Sony A7S III or FX3. The sensor is the same as in these two cameras. The ZV-E1 is primarily designed for video and performs particularly well in low light. That's why it only has 12.9 megapixels, which is completely sufficient for video recordings in up to 4K.

You can also take photos with it, but then you only have the 12.9 megapixels at your disposal. If photography is more important to you than video, I would recommend a different model from the Sony Alpha series.

I think the camera is a very strong alternative to the models mentioned above if you can do without some professional functions. These include, for example, a full-size HDMI output for RAW or a dual SD card slot. The camera can overheat during long and uninterrupted shoots. However, this has never happened to me personally. If you want to be on the safe side, there is a suitable fan that can also be attached.

As @Iobedar has already mentioned, the camera has one of the best autofocus systems. The AI autofocus is the same as on the A7R V. There is also a very successful image stabiliser called "Dynamic Active Stabilize", which you won't find on any other Sony Alpha model. It stabilises just as well as a GoPro or DJI Osmo. Although the image is heavily cropped, you can easily compensate for this with a wider-angle lens. This hardly affects the image quality.

the E1 has excellent autofocus, it's even said to be the best in the vlog camera/compact camera sector. Also, it's the same topic as with mobiles, a small APS-C sensor will never reach the quality that full frame sensors offer, especially in low light. The pixel number says nothing about the image quality, I can film with my Galaxy S24 Ultra in 8K/30fps, only in professional use, in the studio on the screen you notice how bad the quality is compared to the E1