So the Sony ZV-E10 has been out a year and still Sony’s newest APS-C mirrorless camera. But after a year of use, is the ZV-E10 still worth buying? Lets find out!

So a quick reminder of the specs, the ZV-E10 is a mirrorless camera that uses E-mount lenses. It can record 4k video at up to 30 fps and 120fps 1080p video.

It has a 24.2 megapixel senor which can capture images at : 6000 x 4000 pixels.

It has a mic input, a headphone jack, and a USB-C connection. 

It has active gyroscopic image stabilization built in.

It has accurate autofocus with 425 phase-detection points

It supports S-Log3 wide dynamic range shooting, as well as other professional gamma curve options such as Cine

So this camera’s current price is around $800/£700 which basically means the price hasn’t gone down since release. And up until recently getting one at all in the US especially was very difficult due to global semiconductor shortages, but now finally they’re becoming available again.

But even for this high price, the features that it offers to make it still worth considering.

So the things I like about this camera

Well the video quality, at 4k and 1080p look really good, I’m using it to record this video and have used it for nearly all of my videos over the last year and have been really happy with it for this type of in-studio shot.

I’ve also used it a lot for photography and travel videos and have found it performance really good and the results very good.

The compact size means that it is an ideal camera for vlogging, or in my case travel photography and video. Its lightweight at 364 grams makes it very travel-friendly, especially when paired with a compact lens.

And talking of lenses the  E-mount lens system means upgrading your lenses for different situations is easy, compared to the ZV1 vlogging camera with a fixed lens. The 16-50mm kit lens is fine if this is your first camera as it covers a lot of focal ranges. But when you’re ready to upgrade there are a lot of great E-mount lenses out there. My personal favorite has been the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8, which covers a similar focal range to the kit lens but provides better low-light performance and out-of-focus backgrounds for that professional look.

The active steady shot that I mentioned before works really well and is comparable to proper in-body stabilization, just be aware that to achieve this effect your shot will be cropped slightly from its max resolution. 

Also, the proper picture profiles such as Slog3 and Cine 4 make this camera head and shoulders above a lot of Sonys similar priced cameras for professional-looking video.

Buy the Sony ZV-E10 on Amazon*

The camera’s battery can power up to 125 minutes of continuous movie shooting or up to 440 still images, which is very good seeing as it uses the smaller NPFW50 battery which it was criticized for on release.

I also like the big movie button it makes operation much quicker. And the Wide Telephoto zoom rocker, similar to that you get on the a5100 is great for use with a power zoom lens.

Also how much easier it is to Livestream or uses this camera as a webcam is great, rather than needing separate software, you just plug the camera in via USB-C with streaming mode enabled and it will pick the camera straight up. I use this camera as my main webcam and get comments all the time on how good it looks.

Quality of life improvements such as the mic port and also not to be overlooked.

What I don’t like

Of course, the availability issues of the Sony ZV-E10 have made it hard to recommend over the last year, but this isn’t the only downside.

Lack lack of EVF (electronic viewfinder) makes the camera more portable but makes the camera worse for photography especially in low light as you’ll always be relying on the screen for composing your shots. This will be a deal breaker for more the photography focuses amongst you.

Another big issue is the rolling shutter issue when taking video, which when moving the camera quickly can make your shots look warped and wobbly, not an issue for a still shot or on a gimbal, but handheld is very noticeable. 

The built-in slow and quick function is a bit of a gimmick and it has its own dedicated option feels a bit much, this effect of either slow motion or hyper lapse is on nearly all cameras, so it has a dedicated option on the shoot mode option is unnecessary.

And the shoot mode option button cycles between photo video and slow and quick and I don’t like this button at all, it should be much quicker to swap between video and photo mode and should be much smoother, and it refuses to operate when in the wrong mode and you press either the shutter or video button is very un user friendly.

Overall

The ZV-E10 has been my number one camera since I got it, replacing the a5100 and a6000 for most tasks whether it’s video or photography, its more up-to-date features make it better in nearly all aspects apart from price.

And of course, price is a big factor, I focus mainly on budget camera options on this channel so clearly, an $800 camera, is pushing the idea of the budget to the limit. But for the features such as 4k at 60fps, stabilization, fast autofocus, and picture profiles you won’t find a better camera for the price.

So yes the ZV-E10 does come recommended after a year from me. Do you have the ZV-E10 or are thinking of picking one up let me know!

Buy the Sony ZV-E10 on Amazon*

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