Sony’s New ZV-E10 II Camera Is Perfect For YouTubers

Sony's new ZV-E10 II packs the video capabilities of a much more expensive camera into a $999 model, but it's pretty bad for still photography. Shouldn't you just stick to your phone?

There are lots of reasons to use a regular camera over a phone camera, and Sony's new vlogger-friendly ZV-E10 II packs in… some of them. It's selling point is that it is laser-focused on exactly what a videographer needs, while leaving out everything they don't. This merciless paring-back of its features means that Sony can include the sensor of a much more expensive camera in a body that costs just $999. But it's definitely not for everyone.

"The ZV-E10 II has certain benefits over smartphones such as the iPhone when it comes to recording documentaries and travel vlogs for YouTube while in the field," professional adventure photographer Jackson Groves told Lifewire via email. "Changing out lenses allows for many creative possibilities: telephoto for capturing wildlife, macro for capturing details, wide perspectives for landscapes, and more. Beautiful background blur and enhanced low light capabilities are also made possible by the bigger sensor."

Vlog

It's hard to think of an uglier word than "blogger," but vlogger is definitely a contender. These days, vlogging means YouTubing, and YouTubers have a hierarchy of video quality. At the bottom are the folks that use a phone camera, maybe even the fixed-focus, low-quality selfie camera, and record through the built-in mic. Then we get to the people who still use an iPhone camera, but with good lighting, and proper microphones.

The iPhone has an amazing video camera, and paired with the right app, you get a lot of manual control. However, it still doesn't beat a large-sensor mirrorless camera for quality. And it's not just theoretical quality here. It's the kind of quality that YouTubers like so much that it has kind of become a signature look.

You've already seen it. Beautiful but subdued lighting. Maybe some interesting lights dotted around the place; a neon strip, a string of LED lights, a bundle of Christmas tree lights in a glass vase. The colors are rich, the host is in sharp focus, and the background window-dressing is beautifully blurred. This is all the result of using a large sensor and a lens with a nice wide maximum aperture, which lets the user dial in the exact amount of background blur.

"With the ZV-E10 II, I can use different lenses for different shots. Whether I need a wide-angle for stunning landscapes or a prime lens for clear low-light shots, this camera has me covered. iPhones, on the other hand, are stuck with the lenses they come with," Fiona Spinks, a freelance travel vlogger, told Lifewire via email.

The ZV-E10 II gets its sensor from the FX30, Sony's $1,800 video camera, which can shoot at 4K and up to 60fps. Exactly what you need for beautiful YouTube video.

Not For Everyone

The stripped-down vlogger-first design is great for the target market, obviously, but for anyone after an actual camera to take photos, there are better options. While you'll get great pictures, and enjoy Sony's amazing autofocus, basic still photography features are missing. For example, it has no physical shutter and no viewfinder. You can probably get over the lack of a viewfinder—we're so used to framing shots on our phone screens after all, but the lack of a shutter is impossible to mitigate.

When you snap a photo, the sensor empties itself, the physical shutter closes, then opens again for a fraction of a second to capture the shot. This means that all the pixels are exposed to light at the same moment. The alternative, as used by the ZV-E10 II, is to read the pixels off the still-live sensor. This takes time, with a small but significant delay between the first and last pixels. The result is something called "rolling shutter," which can lead to some weird artifacts. Anything moving in the image can come out bendy, for example.

So, while the ZV-E10 II is fine for snapping photos in a pinch, there are way better options for $999, both from Sony, and from other manufacturers. Fujifilm's XT-30, for example, comes in a kit with a lens for the same price. So, unless you know why you want this cool new Sony, you should probably look elsewhere. For what it does, it's an utter bargain, but that's partially because it only really does one thing well.