The $999.99 Sony ZV-E10 II keeps the fundamentals of the company's first interchangeable lens vlogging camera (the still-available ZV-E10, $699.99) but brings a few thoughtful upgrades, such as a faster sensor and much better battery life. Otherwise, the travel-friendly Mark II offers an enticing slate of video features like 4K60 recording with 10-bit color, digital assists for fledgling content creators, and a built-in stereo microphone. The lack of sensor stabilization is a sticking point for handheld video, as is the omission of a mechanical shutter for photography, however. We continue to recommend the $1,299.95 Fujifilm X-S20 as our Editors' Choice winner for the category; its mic isn't as good, but it wins us over with a stabilized image sensor, a built-in flash, and a compelling set of film simulation profiles.
Design: A Small Body Leaves No Room for IBIS
The ZV-E10 II is small, even among APS-C mirrorless competitors. It measures 2.7 by 4.7 by 2.1 inches (HWD) and weighs 13.3 ounces without a lens. The kit lens option, the $299.99 E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II, adds 3.8 ounces; together, that's just a little bit more than a pound to carry with you.
The camera is available in a black or white finish, the former of which I received for review. The kit with the white version of the camera comes with a silver 16-50mm, while the black edition comes with the lens in a matching color. Note that the silver version of the 16-50mm II is exclusive to the kit. Either kit costs $1,099.99, which represents around a $200 savings compared with buying the camera and 16-50mm II separately.
There aren't too many design changes compared with the first-generation ZV-E10. The Mark II has a deeper handgrip to accommodate a larger battery and a slightly better display, but those are the only major external changes. The body still isn't weather-protected, though it feels sturdy in the hand thanks to its mix of metal and high-quality polycarbonate materials.
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The small body is a benefit for fans of a lighter carry, though I wish Sony had gone with a slightly larger, weather-sealed design to make room for an in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system. The ZV-E10 II does include an effective digital Active SteadyShot stabilization system, but it introduces a crop to footage that limits the angle of view. If you want to get better stabilization and enjoy the widest angle of view your lens provides, a gimbal like the DJI RS 3 Mini is a useful add-on.
Although the ZV-E10 II puts its video foot first, it's also capable for stills (with a few caveats). Namely, it omits both an eye-level electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a mechanical shutter. Therefore, you have to rely on the rear display to frame photos and make do with a meager 1/30-second maximum flash sync speed. Hybrid creators should note these concerns.
It's not included in the box, but I'd be remiss not to call out the GP-VPT2BT Wireless Shooting Grip ($139.99) as an all-but-necessary add-on. It pairs with the ZV-E10 II via Bluetooth and includes buttons to take photos, start and stop videos, and drive a power zoom lens. It converts from pistol style for handheld recording to a tabletop tripod, so it's useful for both moving and stationary shots.
Competition: Vlogging Is a Diverse Space
Several interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs) in this price segment are just as suitable for vlogging and content creation. The Sony ZV-E10 II competes directly with the original ZV-E10 (now Sony's de facto budget ILC in the space), as well as the similarly minded Panasonic G100D ($749.99 with 12-32mm lens) and the Nikon Z 30 ($849.95 with the DX 16-50mm lens). All of those cameras have video-first designs with crisp in-camera microphones. And if you are willing to spend more for a full-frame camera, the Sony ZV-E1 costs $2,499.99 in a kit with the FE 28-60mm F4-5.6.
There are a host of other changeable lens cameras with excellent video features to consider, too, though these require you to invest in an external microphone for quality audio capture. The Fujifilm X-S20, $1,899.99 Panasonic G9 II, and $1,399.99 Sony a6700 all include stabilized sensors, mechanical shutters, and excellent video engines, granted at a higher cost than the ZV-E10 II.
You should consider any of these cameras for your creative work if you want the versatility to change lenses. Other options are worth considering if you don't want to invest in additional lenses. Sony has a trio of compact vlog cameras, for instance. The entry-level ZV-1F, midrange ZV-1, and premium ZV-1 Mark II all have Type 1 image sensors, fixed lenses, and clear mics. These ZV compacts put video features at the forefront but are pretty good stills cameras, too.
Also in the fixed-lens space, the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is a pure video camera that happens to have a photo mode. It earns our Editors' Choice recommendation for videos and vlogs thanks to its Type 1 sensor that performs well in dim light, integrated gimbal for Steadicam-quality stabilization, and built-in support for the DJI Mic 2 wireless lav kit. If you're looking for something that can handle rougher conditions, the DJI Osmo Action 4 and GoPro Hero12 Black are both good picks for video. These action cameras are rugged and waterproof, as well as include exceptional digital stabilization for handheld recording.
Controls: A Bokeh Button and Touch Controls
The ZV-E10 II's control scheme differs slightly from most mirrorless cameras. Sony adds some buttons and control functions squarely for entry-level creators who are upgrading from a smartphone and omits some expected features like a mode dial and an in-grip control wheel. Even so, the control layout doesn't require too much of an adjustment if you're moving over from a typical interchangeable lens camera. And those just getting started still have some room to grow and take manual control over exposure and other settings.
Various buttons are scattered across the top plate and the right half of the rear plate. The shutter release, on/off switch, and zoom rocker are at the top of the handgrip. The Mode switch is further back; it has settings for stills, video, and slow and quick motion (S&Q) video. The top also houses a Record button to start and stop video clips, the configurable C1/Defocus Background button, and a control dial that adjusts the aperture or shutter speed, depending on the exposure mode.
The rear includes a flat command dial with a center OK button and four directional press commands (Display, ISO, EV, and Drive/Self-Timer). Delete/Product Showcase Focus, Fn, Menu, and Play buttons are also on the back. Most of the controls are self-explanatory, but the Defocus and Showcase buttons require a little explanation. The Defocus button opens an attached lens to its widest aperture with a single press so you can get the blurred background look, while another press narrows the iris for more depth of field. The Showcase button sets the autofocus system to override face and eye detection and shift focus to objects that are closer to the lens. This is useful for vloggers who want to easily show off an item while presenting to the camera.
A touch-forward interface supplements the physical controls. The ZV-E10 II's rear display has an always-on set of touch buttons in columns on its left and right sides. The layout changes slightly depending on whether you're in stills or video mode. For video, you get one-touch access to (in display order) the exposure mode, self-timer, microphone directionality, CineVlog, Background Defocus, brightness, color balance, creative look, record start/stop, Product Showcase focus, focus subject type, touch zoom, and playback. The photo options are similar, minus audio controls and with a still photo button replacing the on-screen record button.
The Fn overlay menu, a mainstay on Sony cameras, is also here. This configurable overlay menu pops up at the bottom of the screen with a press of the corresponding rear button. The default set of twelve configurable panes is generally useful, though some options overlap with those from the aforementioned, always-on touch panes. You're free to tweak the menu as you see fit and can set distinct options for stills and video.
Finally, it's worth noting that the ZV-E10 II uses Sony's "new" menu system for its full multipage menu. This system launched with the a7S III back in 2021 but didn't make it over to the original ZV-E10. Thus, it might take some time to adjust if you're upgrading from that model. For the updated interface, tabs move from the top to the left side, get a better organization, and gain color coding. Settings are where you expect them to be, and the system includes a configurable My Menu page for access to the options you use most.
Display: The LCD Is Outdated
The ZV-E10 II uses the same type of articulating, flip-out screen as most video-minded cameras. The display is a typical size, about 3 inches diagonally, but its 1.04-million-dot resolution lags behind competitors'; both the Fuji X-S20 and Lumix G9 II put 1.8 million dots into the same size screen for a noticeably crisper image. This is disappointing since it's the only monitor you get for recording.
On the plus side, the screen's Sunny Weather mode pumps up the backlight so you can clearly see your frame when you work outdoors on a sunny day (though at the cost of battery life). I ended up with an overcast day for my outdoor testing, but Sunny Weather is a must when the sun comes out. One complaint: It's not possible to map the Monitor Brightness setting to the Fn menu, though you can put it in My Menu. This is one area where Fuji does a better job; it puts a screen brightness control into its configurable on-screen Q menu by default.
Power and Connectivity: The Z Series Battery Is a Huge Upgrade
The ZV-E10 II makes a major change from the original in terms of power—it drops Sony's small W series battery for the large-capacity Z series (NP-FZ100) power pack. I got 260 minutes of continuous recording time at 4K24 and around 100 minutes at 4K60, a big upgrade over the 80 minutes of record time for the ZV-E10. Overheating is not a problem at 4K24; I got through the entire battery rundown clip in one go. That said, the camera got hot enough to shut off after 45 minutes of recording at 4K60, so you should opt for shorter clips at higher frame rates. For stills, the Z battery should last for up to 610 photos per charge per CIPA standards.
The camera doesn't ship with an external charger, so you have to provide a USB-C cable and adapter to replenish the battery. It takes about 105 minutes to fully charge the battery with a PD charger.
As for ports, the ZV has a USB-C connector for charging, data transfer, and UAC/UVC streaming for web meetings and broadcasts. Its hot shoe supports external flashes (at the aforementioned 1/30-sync speed) and digital microphones, as well as doubles as the mounting point for the included fuzzy windscreen. The camera also has a micro HDMI port to connect to an external monitor or recorder and a pair of 3.5mm jacks to connect to an analog mic and headphones. The micro HDMI port might be a point of worry since it is more likely to break than a full-size one, though it likely isn't an issue for most users of this camera. As expected, the camera includes a standard tripod connector.
As for storage, you get a single UHS-II SDXC memory card slot. It's a good idea to invest in a fast card if you want to take full advantage of the video toolkit. For instance, you need a V90 card for the highest 4K encoding rates (600Mbps) and at least a V60 card for any form of S&Q capture. You can use a slower U3/V30 card for standard 4K at up to 200Mbps, however. Refer to Sony's documentation for the full details on what cards you need for each recording mode.
Bluetooth 4.2 and dual-band Wi-Fi 5 radios handle wireless communication. Bluetooth lets the camera quickly pair with smartphones and accessories like the GP-VPT2BT, while Wi-Fi enables it to send files to your smartphone or tablet. The ZV-E10 II works with the Sony Creators' App, a free download for Android and iOS devices.
Autofocus: Product Showcase Takes Center Stage
The ZV-E10 II's autofocus is smart, capable, and fast. On-sensor phase detection makes for nearly instant subject acquisition, and the focus system can recognize and track human faces and eyes, animals, and birds in both stills and video modes. It falls shy of being the best Sony has to offer, however, since the camera omits the co-processor that some models use to identify other types of subjects. For example, the ZV-E1 and a6700 add tracking for airplanes, cars, insects, and trains. Even so, the ZV-E10 II's focus is good enough for its intended audience since its face and eye detection system is speedy and accurate.
The focus and metering systems do some things here that other Sony cameras don't. The aforementioned Product Showcase feature, for example, forces the focus system to prioritize objects closer to the lens over faces and eyes without requiring any gymnastics on your part. And when nothing is blocking your face, the camera reverts to eye detection. It works quite well. The ZV also puts metering priority on detected faces: If you move in and out of shadow during a recording, the exposure on your face will stay steady and proper. Most other cameras base exposure levels on the entirety of the scene without taking detected subjects into account.
The focus system supports a brisk 11fps capture rate with continuous focus and tracking. That makes the ZV-E10 II a good fit for short fits of fast action. It can get up to 59 Raw or 1,000 HEIFs or JPGs in a sequence before its buffer fills.
Image Quality: 26MP Sensor With a Fully Electronic Shutter
The ZV-E10 II removes an important feature for creative photography—the mechanical shutter—in favor of a fully electronic readout from its APS-C format 26MP BSI CMOS imager. The change doesn't affect video capture but does have implications for stills. You have less creative freedom for flash photography, for instance, and must contend with rolling shutter distortion for moving subjects. The latter effect isn't too bad, however. I noticed just a slight amount of skew when I captured vehicles driving through a 35mph speed zone during testing. Just expect to see some distortion if you're photographing especially fast subjects that are prominent in the frame, panning along with a subject laterally, or trying to capture hummingbirds flapping their wings at speed.
The sensor is a known quantity in terms of image quality, dynamic range, and noise. It's the same chip in the Sony a6700 and FX30. It covers a wide native ISO range (100-32000) for photos and videos and supports extended range ISO 50-102400 capture in stills mode. Auto ISO is set to 100-6400 out of the box, but you can ramp it up as high as ISO 32000 if you want.
You can choose between 8-bit JPG, 10-bit HEIF, or 14-bit Raw capture, as well as Raw+JPG or Raw+HEIF. JPG and HEIF images show strong detail and very little noise through ISO 3200. Photos show some smudging and contrast loss in the ISO 6400-12800 range, and detail suffers noticeably from ISO 25600-51200. ISO 102400 is pretty much an emergency setting. It's certainly an option for taking photos in dark environments, though image quality drops off steeply.
Switching to Raw format puts the noise reduction onus on your editing software. Our standard processor, Adobe Lightroom Classic, doesn't yet support the ZV-E10 II, however, so I wasn't able to work with the images. I took a fresh look at my test images from the a6700, which uses the same sensor, for analysis. At ISO 100-800, the images show sharp detail and little visible noise. The grain kicks in at ISO 1600 with a very fine pattern and gets rougher as you ramp up through ISO 12800, but details still show through. At ISO 25600-32000, the grain pattern is stronger and rougher, enough for small lines in our test target to disappear. Pictures are still usable, however. To go higher, you need to set ISO manually. At such settings, expect heavy, rough grain. Raw files benefit from more flexibility for editing color and exposure, as well as for applying creative looks. The a6700's files are very malleable, with ample dynamic range to handle high-contrast scenes. I expect the same results from the ZV-E10 II.
Even though it doesn't brand them as well as Fuji's Film Simulations, Sony offers some in-camera looks if you want something with a more distinct finish than its default Standard (ST) color profile. Its other Creative Looks are (in menu order) Portrait (PT), Neutral (NT), Vivid (VV), Vivid 2 (VV2), Film (FL), Instant (IN), Soft Highkey (SH), Black & White (BW), and Sepia (SE). I found that VV2 did a great job rendering a blooming lily. I also liked the FL profile for a variety of scenes, though that might just show my bias toward film-look profiles.
Video: 4K60 at 10-Bit With Vlogging Modes
The ZV-E10 II's video engine enjoys some welcome upgrades compared with the original thanks to its upgraded image sensor. Highlights include a move to 10-bit color and support for 4K60 (with a 1.1x crop). Full-width recording is available at 4K24 or 4K30, all with up to 4:2:2 color sampling. You can capture video in any of the Creative Look profiles, in flat S-Log3 for grading, or in S-Cinetone for an editing-free cinema look.
The ZV-E10 II doesn't include a stabilized sensor, as mentioned, so it relies on optical stabilization in select lenses and digital stabilization to remove jumps and jitters from handheld takes. Its Active mode stabilization generally works quite well, even for scenes in which I was walking and handholding the camera.
That said, you might occasionally see a blurry frame in the middle of a sequence. Viewers might interpret this as the lens going out of focus, but it's really just the stabilization getting things slightly wrong for an instant. You can lessen the chances of this happening by using a faster frame rate—the sensor scans more often for 60fps footage versus 24fps, meaning the camera has more data with which to work. From the creative side, the Active mode introduces a 1.3x crop (1.4x at 4K60) to your lens, so your wide-angle zoom looks far less wide. If you utilize handheld, present-to-camera shots, consider buying the E 10-20mm F4 G as your first lens to compensate.
If you're a fan of the widescreen look, try Sony's CineVlog mode. It's a one-touch feature that crops the 16:9 video area down to a Cinemascope 2:35:1 aspect ratio, slows focus transitions, and introduces a custom set of color profiles: S-Cinetone, Clean, Chic, Fresh, and Mono. You can import a favorite LUT if you want, as well as opt for a custom color tilt: Gold for a warm tone, Ocean for cool, and Forest for accentuating green hues.
The ZV-E10 II doesn't outdo competing mirrorless cameras on specs, but several of its features make it a more accessible video creation tool for non-experts. CineVlog and Background Defocus help beginners get a widescreen look for bokeh, for example, and Product Showcase is useful for product reviews. One note: the ZV-E10 II doesn't offer the automatic panning, punch in, and sundry virtual camera operator features that Sony puts in the full-frame ZV-E1. The company cites the ZV-E10 II's lack of processing power as the reason.
The Sony also captures fairly robust audio. Its in-camera mic is good enough for many applications, and you can add an external mic if you want. Neither the Fuji X-S20 nor the Panasonic G9 II have good in-camera mics, but both have mic inputs. Otherwise, those cameras have top-notch video engines and stabilized sensors.
Verdict: Excellent Video and Sound Outweigh a Middling LCD
Although the Sony ZV-E10 II costs significantly more than the original, it justifies its price increase with a newer, 4K60-capable image sensor, a bigger battery that lasts longer between charges, and a refreshed menu system that improves ease of use. To that last point, the camera's Background Defocus, CineVlog, and Product Showcase help non-experts get stylized footage right out of the camera. A couple of flaws hold the Mark II back from top honors, however, including the lack of sensor stabilization and an underwhelming LCD. Most hybrid creators should get the Editors' Choice-winning Fujifilm X-S20 instead, which offers IBIS, competitive video features, and more traditional controls for up-and-coming videographers.
The compact Sony ZV-E10 II camera helps content creators without extensive tech knowledge produce pro-quality video and sound, but its rear display could be better.
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