Sony’s latest interchangeable-lens vlog camera is fine-tuned for creative spirits looking for an experience excellent yet intuitive, adaptable yet automatic. The ZV-E10 II integrates Sony’s latest technology into the popular first version, offering a very powerful tool for your content-creator’s arsenal. First deliveries should be arriving at the end of July—pre-order now and your followers will thank you!
Evolved image quality
Right at the heart, Mark II offers an upgrade of the sensor to one with Sony’s latest BSI CMOS technology and the processor to the advanced BIONZ XR chipset. The 26 MP APS-C sensor records 4K 60p video oversampled from 5.6K (upgraded from the Mark I’s 4K 30p max quality) and is approximately ten times bigger than the average smartphone’s and three times bigger than the 1″ sensor found in cameras like the very capable RX100 series.
If you are already creating on your phone or on a compact camera, the difference in bokeh control, low-light performance, and detail might just astound you. This is an upgrade worth considering for the sensor alone—add in the incredible range of lenses available for the E-mount and someone used to phones alone might just weep in exultation. Every reasonable focal length, ultra-bright (and bokehlicious) apertures, incredible macro capabilities, and more: ILC’s what I’d Like to C!
Now, let’s talk autofocus. This is one of those areas that can make or break a camera specifically designed for on-the-go creation. It just isn’t the same to re-shoot your trek down some rural market street over and over, at least not if you’re working with some degree of authenticity, so you’re going to want to get it right the first time.
Fortunately, autofocus technology has gone through a huge boom in the last several years, so the ZV-E10 II is well-equipped in that department. Physically, the number of phase detection points has increased from 425 to 759, with 93% coverage. Sony claims accuracy in conditions as dark as -3.0 EV—not bad, and indispensable when you’re recording a new friend playing guitar at the campfire!
The back-end tech has also been revamped, bringing Sony’s latest and greatest Real-time Eye AF algorithms to the table, which pairs tremendously with Face-Priority AE to make sure that your subject stays bright and in-focus, even if you, yourself are the subject and you can’t closely monitor the focus and exposure while filming. Enjoy 11 fps burst mode with AF/AE, as well as Active Mode electronic image stabilization. And, of course, the vlog-centric Product Showcase Mode, which prioritizes snappy transitions to and from items suddenly placed near the lens, reappears in the Mark II’s focus modes.
Diverse visual expression
Another vlog-centric hallmark of Sony’s tailor-made models is the ability to capture a broad range of aesthetics as simply as possible. With Creative Look, just combine a LOOK with a MOOD and hit record! CHIC x FOREST, CLEAN x OCEAN, FRESH x GOLD, S-Cinetone x AUTO, and more—or just plain MONO for black-and-white recording.
This isn’t to say that you can’t be as hands-on as you’d like. If you’d prefer to do more involved color grading after the fact, the ZV-E10 II supports S-Log3 10-bit 4:2:2 capture. If you have some idea of the direction you’d like to take in post, you can preview LUT applications in-camera for on-set monitoring of footage.
Whichever direction you decide to take with the look, the type of footage is equally diverse. Capture vertical video natively for social and/or experimental purposes, and hop over to S&Q (Slow & Quick) mode for anything from 5x slow-motion video to 60-second-interval in-camera timelapses.
Intuitive operation
A tool’s only as good as it is usable—the best feature in the world, buried under obscure menus, becomes almost meaningless. To this end, Sony continues to pursue an ever more intuitive style of operation. The menu system has been further refined, easier than ever to operate using the vari-angle touch LCD. (For example, swipe up to get your Fn menu!)
The built-in audio recording setup offers helpful features for those times when you can’t carry around external recording gear. The mic’s three capsules automatically adjust from narrow to wider focus depending on data from the scene at hand, and the included wind screen reduces ambient noise significantly.
Ultimately, the more you can do in-camera, the more you can share right away, and if you thought that, perhaps, a camera with so much to offer in avoiding editing might be equipped for just such activity, you’d be right! The ZV-E10 II supports both direct live streaming as well as 5 GHz Wi-Fi and SuperSpeed USB Type-C transfer for instant sharing.
This nifty little camera (did I mention it only weighs 10.3 oz?) will be available in black or white. Stop on by any Mike’s Camera today or click here to pre-order.
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