Sony ZV-E10: The Ultimate Content-Creation Camera Gets Better & More Versatile
The Sony ZV-E10 is more or less a sequel to the ZV-1 4K YouTuber point-and-shoot 4K camera from last year. You have the return of 4K video up to 30fps, 425 AF points w/ eye-tracking AF, Product Showcase, Background Defocus, 3inch flip-out touchscreen LCD, 3-capsule mic w/ windscreen, and the ability to do video calls or a continuous livestream via USB while taking advantage of its Face Detection + Continuous AF. But gone are the f/1.8-2.8 24-70mm Zeiss zoom lens, built-in ND filter, & slow-motion up to 960fps as well.
They did swap out 20.1MP 1inch Exmor RS CMOS sensor for a larger 24.2MP sensor from the a6100. This should get you overall sharper images & video quality. The 4K@30fps video works well in a variety of situations – dependent on what lens you have attached to it of course. Keep in mind that a 16-50mm kit lens will get you so far as you need pricier glass to get the best results. I spent most of the time pairing it w/ my Sigma f/1.8 18-35mm, I was able to grab crisp photos & sharp visuals in day or low-light for great run-and-gun solution.
- 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS Sensor
- 4K@30fps video oversampled from 6k w/ full pixel readout, no pixel binning + 1080p 120fps Slow-Motion
- Product Showcase Setting transitions focus from face to object
- Background Defocus button instantly toggles between defocus effect on/off
- Easy live streaming w/ single USB cable and no extra hardware/software
- 3.0″ Side Flip-Out Touchscreen LCD
- 425-Point Fast Hybrid AF
- Up to 11-fps Shooting
- ISO 100-32000
- Real-Time Eye AF + Tracking
- Face-Priority AE
- Directional 3-Capsule Mic w/ Windscreen
- Headphone + Mic Ports/USB-C/mini-HDMI out
BTW, there’s no optical in-body image stabilization and relies on an electronic one so you’ll need a gimbal to pull smooth vlogging-while-walking shots. Being a more entry-level shooter, don’t expect high-bit rate video as you max out w/ the 100 Mb/s XAVC S format. However, you do have support for Slog2, Slog3, & HLG for color grading in post.
Being able to swap out your lens on this size of a camera is a game changer.
Oh and the biggest new feature is the addition of Sony’s interchangeable E-Mount system. So instead of a permanent f/1.8-2.8 24-70mm Zeiss zoom lens, you can put whatever lens you wish that will fit on an E-Mount. So you can throw on a 16mm for vlogging, a 50mm for portrait shots, or something like a Sigma 18-35mm, Tamron 28-70mm, or a Sony G Master zoom lens to handle multiple angles/situations. Allowing you to be versatile above and beyond a kit lens.
But w/ this being an APS-C E-Mount, it will have a 1.5x crop when using full-frame lenses. For example, a 24mm will give you a 36mm view and a 40mm will act like a 60mm view. So if you’re using glass not made for Sony’s APS-C shooters this might put a damper on your vlogs by showing less of you instead of more when using a wide-angle.
The noted Product Showcase & Background Defocus features didn’t get utilized as much as I felt like it wasn’t as good. In a controlled environment, you could get it off but other cases it can be hit or miss. I mainly using a lens to could offer a shallow depth of field. And when I did, I preferred to handle it via the lens rather than hitting the button on the camera.
Now another drawbacks for me here is the battery life. Unfortunately, it utilizes the older & smaller Sony NP-FW50 batteries as in my a6400 as well as a6000, a6300, & a6500. So depending on how much you’re shooting, you’re gonna need at least 2 batteries to get you through a busy day. While it is easily the biggest weak point of this shooter but not reason enough to pass on it though. You can always rig it up w/ a cage and pick up a Power Junkie setup w/ a dummy battery where you can use a larger NP-F battery to power it up for days.
The Sony ZV-E10 is a great, affordable, & versatile camera w/ interchangeable lenses to create content for any medium, vlog, or livestream.
So after 2 weeks w/ it, I think the ZV-E10 is a massive improvement over the ZV-1. The specs are mostly the same but more so for the option to put whatever lens you want on here via E-Mount or via adapter. This opens up its adaptability & usefulness to better fit your specific needs. This is great for entry-level content creators and for those seeking an additional b-camera to their setup. You can rig it up any way you like as you can go bare-bones or add a cage and have at it. And at $699 for the body is a great sub-$1000 price point to pick one up.
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