Sony ZV-E10 Mark II: significantly better video function

The Sony ZV-E10 Mark II is an interchangeable lens camera with an APS-C sensor. The sensor is therefore larger than on Sony compact cameras, but smaller than on full-frame cameras. Like all Sony cameras with "ZV" in the name, it is aimed at people who primarily want to take videos and only secondarily photos.

Cameras

EUR1254,–

Sony Alpha ZV-E10 II

26 Mpx, APS-C / DX

Cameras

EUR1254,–

Sony Alpha ZV-E10 II

26 Mpx, APS-C / DX

The ZV-E10 Mark II is slightly more expensive than the previous ZV-E10 was at its launch. At least according to Sony. The manufacturer's recommended retail prices for Switzerland are 979 francs without the lens and 1069 francs with the 16-50mm lens. For the first model, these prices were 799 and 899 francs respectively. The ZV-E10 remains available, at what is now a very favourable price.

With a focus on simple video production, the ZV cameras have the following in common:

• 180-degree fold-out and 360-degree rotatable screen
• Large video recording button and a light to see in front of the camera whether the recording is running
• Zoom rocker on the shutter release (only works with lenses with electric zoom)
• Built-in triple room microphone with attachable fuzzy windscreen
• Product presentation: The autofocus recognises when an object is held in front of the camera and focuses on it. As soon as the object is no longer shown, the camera focuses on the eyes again
• Bokeh switch: Switches immediately to open aperture to blur the background.
• No viewfinder and no mode dial.

You can find more detailed information on these functions in the articles on the ZV-1 and the first ZV-E10. The ZV-E10 Mark II also has all of them. However, it lacks some of the features of the ZV-E1 full-frame camera, such as the highest image stabilisation levelThe highest image stabilisation level "Dynamic Active SteadyShot", the automatic selection of the image section or the automatic adjustment of the depth of field depending on how many people are visible in the video.

The visible differences

Sony has made a few small but subtle changes to the housing. Instead of a toggle button, you now have a slider to switch between photo, video and time-lapse/slow motion. The on/off switch is now located next to the shutter release. You can also see from the shutter release that the handle has become significantly larger.

I have rather short fingers, but the handle of the Mark I is too small even for me. I think this change is great. As a pleasant side effect, you have a longer battery life. This is because the larger grip has room for the NP-FZ100, which is more than twice as powerful, instead of the NP-FW50. And something else is even better: the card compartment is on the side instead of at the bottom of the battery compartment. This makes it easier to access.

Much faster sensor

This brings us to the inner values. The ZV-E10 Mark II has the same sensor as the Sony Alpha 6700 - this is currently the top model among Sony's APS-C cameras. Compared to the previous E10, the resolution has been increased from 24 to 26 megapixels. More importantly, the sensor has a significantly lower rolling shutter effect than its predecessor. This is image distortion that occurs when the sensor is still reading out its data while the scene is already changing.

For photos, I test the rolling shutter with my fan, which shows a regular, very fast movement. With such fast movements, even with the E10 Mark II there is clear deformation. But you can also see that it is much more blatant with the previous model. There, a rotor arm even appears in two different places.

Although the rolling shutter effect has diminished, it is still a problem. This is because Sony has decided to omit the mechanical shutter in the E10 Mark II. This means that - unlike in the previous model - it is no longer possible to minimise the effect for photography. Here the fan shot with the mechanical shutter of the previous ZV-E10.

Video: many improvements

The Sony ZV-E10 Mark II can record UHD (4K) at 60 frames per second (fps) - the previous model is limited to 30. Fortunately, oversampling is also used at 60 fps - resulting in a really sharp image.

For live streaming, there is now UHD instead of just Full HD, but only 4K30. 60 fps is also possible in Full HD. Unlike its predecessor, the Mark II can also record videos with a 4:2:2 sampling rate and 10-bit colour depth.

I was able to test the overheating in advance. In a first test at 4K and a high frame rate, it stopped after just 12 minutes. The switch-off temperature can be changed from "Standard" to "High" in the settings - I managed 48 minutes with this setting. If I also fold out the screen to allow the heat to dissipate better, I even managed 73 minutes.

According to Sony, there are no disadvantages if you set the switch-off temperature to "High". The camera gets quite hot, but there is no risk to the electronics and you still have the full warranty.

Unlike its predecessor, the ZV-E10 Mark II has the S-Cinetone colour look.

New lens with old optics

As mentioned, the resolution has only increased slightly and the continuous shooting speed remains at 11 frames per second. The autofocus has improved. It now has 759 instead of 425 points

The kit lens with 16-50mm focal length and electric zoom also appears in a new version. According to Sony, it has a better image stabiliser and better autofocus, as well as breathing compensation. However, the optics are the same as in the previous 16-50mm. This is not exactly a highlight, but the shortcomings in the optics are corrected by the software and should hardly be a problem, especially in video. It's a shame that the wide angle is still a little tight for vlogging.

Lenses

EUR411,91

Sony E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II

Sony E, APS-C / DX

Lenses

EUR411,91

Sony E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II

Sony E, APS-C / DX