Today I'm here to talk about the Sony Alpha ZV-E10, a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses that I've been testing these days. It is especially oriented towards vloggers and video content creators, although it also obviously works as a camera. And quite well, by the way.
If you want to know if this camera is what you are looking for, stick around. In addition to telling you about its characteristics, I am going to tell you what I thought (with examples).
THE SONY ALPHA ZV-E10 IS IDEAL FOR…
The Sony brand itself already announces the Alpha ZV-E10 as a mirrorless camera designed for content creators, especially in the world of video, vlog owners, who need a light, versatile and comfortable-to-use camera.
Its design is designed to access the video immediately and easily. From the recording button located on the upper part of the body, very easily accessible and of a good size, to the appearance of a red box on the screen when we are recording, or the illumination of a red light on the front.
In short, everything in it is aimed at making the life of the youtuber , vlogtuber and video lover in general, easier and with better results.
It is a camera designed for those who want more quality and options than with their mobile and to be able to choose objectives, but without overcomplicating their lives with technical issues. That is, people who have other goals than creative photography, such as videos, showing a product or a lifestyle, creativity, etc.
We'll see why soon.
First I am going to answer the questions that you most frequently ask about a camera and then I will leave you with all the features, opinions and more.
WHAT SENSOR DOES THE SONY ALPHA ZV-E10 HAVE?
The Sony Alpha ZV-E10 has an APS-C sensor (23.5 x 15.6 mm) type CMOS.
To give you an idea of the size compared to other types of sensors, I leave you this graph.
HOW MANY MEGAPIXELS DOES THE SONY ALPHA ZV-E10 HAVE?
The Sony Alpha ZV-E10 offers 24 megapixels, which perfectly allows for 50.9 x 34 cm enlargements.
HOW MUCH DOES THE SONY ALPHA ZV-E10 WEIGH?
The Sony Alpha ZV-E10 weighs 343g (body).
HOW MUCH DOES THE SONY ALPHA ZV-E10 COST?
Currently it costs about 750 eurosthe body.
You can also purchase the kit that comes with the camera with the 16-50mm f/3.5 – 5.6 lens.
My personal recommendation is that you buy the body and the lens that interests you the most depending on the type of photos or videos you are going to record. You may buy the one in the kit and need something more telephoto, or even more wide-angle. It will depend on your needs.
FEATURES OF THE SONY ALPHA ZV-E10
Now yes, we get into their benefits.
Its small size, its folding screen, its APS-C sensor and its manageability or simplicity of use stand out from it.
If you want a camera that allows you to get very good video results, but without the complications of other types of cameras like this, this camera is for you.
These are the main features of the Sony Alpha ZV-E10:
| Sensor | APS-C type Exmor CMOS |
| Size: 23.5 x 15.6mm | |
| megapixels | 24.2 |
| Mount | Type E |
| Approach | Fast Hybrid AF (phase-detection AF/contrast-detection AF) 425 points. |
| Eye AF Focuses with eye tracking [Still] Human (left/right eye selection)/Animal, [Video] Human (left/right eye selection) | |
| Screen | LCD touch screen (for focusing) with 921,600 dots |
| Monitor type 7.5 cm (type 3.0) TFT | |
| Opening angle: approx. 176°, angle of rotation: approx. 270° | |
| shutter speed | Stills: 1/4000s to 30 s |
| Movies: 1/4000 to 1/4 (1/3 steps) up to 1/60 in auto mode (up to 1/30 in auto slow shutter mode) | |
| continuous shooting | Up to 11fps |
| Audio | Integrated stereo microphone |
| Microphone Terminal: Yes (3.5mm stereo mini jack) | |
| Headphone Terminal: Yes (3.5mm stereo mini-jack) | |
| Speaker Integrated, monaural | |
| ISO sensitivity | 100-32000 (from 50 to 51200 as extended ISO range) |
| Battery | Rechargeable NP-FW50 |
| Duration: approx. of 440 photos and 80' of video | |
| Operating temperature | 0 to 40? |
| Dimensions | approx. 115.2 x 64.2 x 44.8mm |
| Weight | approx. 343 g (including battery and memory card) |
| bluetooth | Yeah |
VIDEO RECORDING WITH THE SONY ALPHA ZV-E10
Video recording is one of the strengths of this Sony Alpha ZV-E10. To be honest, I've tested this feature less than the photographic one, since there are a lot of reviews specifically for this topic.
But, in short, the focus is fantastic, one of the best autofocus you can find at the moment. I have tried it with people swing dancing in the street and it has worked phenomenally. It has a soft skin effect (for those who like it or need it) and the reproduction of skin color has improved compared to previous Sony models.
Highlights the detection of products in the foreground. That is, you are talking about a product, you bring it closer to the camera and it focuses automatically.
It has a microphone input and includes an accessory that is placed on the shoe for noise reduction on the internal microphone. The audio quality is very good.
The most negative part on the video issue is that since you don't have a stabilizer, you need a lens that does, or use an editing program that improves stabilization (with the consequent cut, of course).
As I told you before, when recording is active, a red frame appears on the screen to indicate that it is recording. It may seem silly, but for those clueless people like me (raise your hand, please, in solidarity) it is a great help.
Has it ever happened to you that you started recording when you thought you had stopped the video? That's me. With this little detail the problem is over ?.
There is a button on top of the camera that allows you to switch from photos to video to slow motion.
For outdoors, the Sony ZV-E10 also incorporates a wind noise reduction system and an internal 3-capsule directional microphone that captures sound from the front of the camera, so it records voices clearly even in a crowd. .
To record, the lens that I have been testing is ideal, it is the wide-angle E 10-18 mm F4 OSSwith optical stabilization and with a fast and precise focus. You can see its specifications here.
OTHER VIDEO FEATURES WITH THE SONY ALPHA ZV-E10
Other functions that this camera has is that you can connect it in streaming with a mobile phone.
In addition, you can also connect it directly to the computer with a USB cable and automatically have a webcam that records wonderfully well (not a point of comparison with webcams or computer cameras). Ideal for online meetings, video conferences, etc.
THE BEST OF THE SONY ALPHA ZV-E10
The best thing about this camera is undoubtedly the ease of use and the practicality of video recording. Everything in it is designed and oriented to achieve, in an easy and intuitive way, high quality results in your recordings and even in photos.
These good results are achieved with a good size sensor (APS-C) and a good processor, which allows this camera to respond well even in low light situations with very acceptable noise levels.
Here you can see two enlargements of the same scene taken at ISO 51200 and ISO 20000. As you can see, the noise is evident but it is quite acceptable for such high values.
The Sony Alpha ZV-E10 records in 4k and also in portrait without having to edit the video afterwards . This makes it ideal for creating content to view on mobile.
It has many compatible accessories, including all E-series lenses, wireless microphones, or grips , to make the video experience with this camera even more satisfying.
I found the Background Defocus option very interesting , which allows you, through a button located on the top of the camera, to get a blurred background instantly while you are recording. This type of thing is what can give your videos a much more professional touch with zero complications.
It can also be used for photos, although if you are photographing manually you have to compensate the exposure, because what it does is open the aperture to the maximum. Here an example, on the right the shot after pressing the Backgroudn Defocus button.
It works like a high-quality webcam , it has artistic effects, the intervalometer for Time Lapse, and a long etcetera that you can see in its specificationsto unleash your creativity.
The fact that the screen is foldable and tactile for focusing makes it very easy to record or photograph yourself in selfie mode and to see the context behind you (depending on the objective, of course, but not a point of comparison with smartphone selfies).
Finally, note that this mirrorless is fast and precise in focus, even with people in motion, in addition to adding professional recording settings for post-production through S-log.
I was surprised how it behaves against the light and the dynamic range it has.
Comparing it with other cameras that I have had or tried, the truth is that this one, without having to worry much about measurements and so on, to say nothing, responds very well. Here are some examples as they came out of the camera:
And let's not talk about the smooth skin effect ?
In places with little light it also does the job quite well. Here are some images that I have been able to take indoors.
I also found it very easy to take panoramas, almost as much as with the mobile with the difference that the resolution is much higher than with the smartphone.
To show a button. Well, three.
As you can see, there were areas in shadow and areas that received a lot of light. Even so, the panoramas have been quite good, despite the continuity errors, but if you want a perfect panorama you have to follow these tips .
WHAT I LIKED LEAST
I loved the camera, however, there are some things that, personally, do not convince me.
I could accept without drama that it doesn't have a built-in flash (maybe you don't), but I couldn't live without the viewfinder.
After trying it I have realized how used I am to it. It may not be a problem for you. But if it's important, I'm afraid this is not your camera.
Another issue that I want to highlight is that the battery life is somewhat short, although it is easily solvable with a spare ?. In the case of video, with an adapter you can make long recordings while it is charging.
SONY ALPHA ZV-E10 PHOTO GALLERY
I have tested this camera with two lenses, the wide angle that I mentioned before E 10-18 mm F4 OSSand the FE 50mm F2.5 G, so I leave you samples of both.
PHOTOS TAKEN WITH THE SONY ALPHA ZV-E10 CAMERA AND THE FE 50MM F2.5 G LENS
PHOTOS TAKEN WITH THE SONY ALPHA ZV-E10 CAMERA AND THE E 10-18MM F4 OSS LENS
-->
