Sony ZV-E10
No Viewfinder 24 MP 11 FPS APS-C, Stereo 4K
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Sony: A9 III A1 A9 II A9 A7R V A7R IV A7R III A7 IV A7 III A7R II A7S III A7c A7 II A6600 A6400 A6100 A6000 ZV-E10 RX10/4 RX100/7 RX100/6 Flash Lenses
Sony ZV-E10 (12.1 oz./343 g with battery and SD card, $698) and Sony 16-50mm PZ. bigger. I'd get mine at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. As of July 2022 they are so wildly popular and hard to get that you either have to order one at the usual price and be willing to wait, or get one today for about $750 used at eBay.
Also consider the Nikon Z30 which is very similar and more available.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you get it elsewhere. Sony does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, dropped, incomplete, gray-market, store demo or used camera — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new ZV-E10. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new ZV-E10 before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
July 2022 Better Pictures Sony Sony Lenses Canon Nikon Fuji LEICA Zeiss All Reviews
Sony ZV-E10. bigger.
For some reason the lugs are closest to the back of the camera, so with a lens it always tips forward when carried.
The perforated area next to the hot shoe is the stereo microphone array.
Sony ZV-E10. bigger.
Sample Images top
These are just snapshots; my real work is in my Gallery.
These are all shot hand-held as STANDARD JPGs; no tripods, no FINE or EXTRA FINE JPGs or RAW files were used or needed.
Under the Pier, 3:39 PM, Tuesday, 24 May 2022. Sony ZV-E10 with OWC Atlas Pro 256GB SDXC V90 card, Sony E 11mm f/1.8 at f/5 hand-held at 1/15 at ISO 200 (LV 7.6), Skylum Aurora HDR and Perfectly Clear. bigger, full resolution or camera-original © JPG file.
Beach Bike Rentals, 3:24 PM, Tuesday, 24 May 2022. Sony ZV-E10 with OWC Atlas Pro 256GB SDXC V90 card, Sony E 11mm f/1.8 at f/5 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Beach Stairs, 3:35 PM, Tuesday, 24 May 2022. Sony ZV-E10 with OWC Atlas Pro 256GB SDXC V90 card, Sony E 11mm f/1.8 at f/8 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Paradise Cove, 3:45 PM, Tuesday, 24 May 2022. Sony ZV-E10 with OWC Atlas Pro 256GB SDXC V90 card, Sony E 11mm f/1.8 at f/8 at 1/160 at ISO 200 (LV 12.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Pier, 3:49 PM, Tuesday, 24 May 2022. Sony ZV-E10 with OWC Atlas Pro 256GB SDXC V90 card, Sony E 11mm f/1.8 at f/8 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.6), Perfectly Clear, split-toned print. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Breakfast Served All Day, 3:53 PM, Tuesday, 24 May 2022. Sony ZV-E10 with OWC Atlas Pro 256GB SDXC V90 card, Sony E 11mm f/1.8 at f/8 at 1/200 at ISO 200 (LV 13.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger.
Under the Pier, 1:50 PM, Thursday, 26 May 2022. Sony ZV-E10 with OWC Atlas Pro 256GB SDXC V90 card, Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G at f/5.6 at 1/30 at Auto ISO 640 (LV 7.2). Skylum Aurora HDR and Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © JPG file.
Electric Utility Truck, 1:41 PM, Thursday, 26 May 2022. Sony ZV-E10 with OWC Atlas Pro 256GB SDXC V90 card, Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G at f/8 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.0). bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Rental Scooters, 1:42 PM, Thursday, 26 May 2022. Sony ZV-E10 with OWC Atlas Pro 256GB SDXC V90 card, Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G at f/8 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.6). bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Pier under Overcast Skies, 1:55 PM, Thursday, 26 May 2022. Sony ZV-E10 with OWC Atlas Pro 256GB SDXC V90 card, Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G at f/8 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.0), Perfectly Clear, split-toned print. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Biggie's Great Burgers & Shakes, 2:09 PM, Thursday, 26 May 2022. Sony ZV-E10 with OWC Atlas Pro 256GB SDXC V90 card, Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G at f/2.8 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 9.9), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Introduction top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
The ZV-E10 is tiny little APS-C mirrorless camera optimized for video shooters, especially for YouTubers and other vloggers doing video selfies.
Personally I prefer my iPhone 13 Pro Max for selfie videos. As a still shooter I find this little ZV-E10 frustrating because it has no viewfinder. With no finder the ZV-E10 has to be shot peering only at its tiny LCD.
The ZV-E10 has a good built-in stereo microphone, and even comes with a very cute fur windscreen that attaches to the hot shoe to cover the microphone array:
Included Fur Windscreen. bigger.
I'd order my ZV-E10 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. As of July 2022 they are so wildly popular and hard to get that you either have to order one at the usual price and be willing to wait, or get one today for about $750 used at eBay. I'd also consider the Nikon Z30 which may be more available.
New intro top
Tiny APS-C camera with flipping screen for vloggers.
Includes fur windscreen to cover the microphones.
Good intro top
Small, light, competent and reasonably priced.
Great sliding power switch never gets knocked by accident; far superior to Sony's other cameras.
Rear multi-controller rotates as an additional control.
Bad intro top
No viewfinder (and no external option either). The tiny LCD is the only practical option.
Small body means fewer controls and more menus.
Sensor not protected by shutter blades with power off. Instead, the sensor is always exposed and out in the open every time you change lenses or leave the body without a lens.
Production dumped to China, not made domestically in Japan.
Hard to find as of June 2022; they sell for more sell for more used than they do new.
Missing intro top
No viewfinder (no optional external electronic finder, either). Just forget about it.
No built-in flash.
No automatic brightness control for the LCD.
Touchscreen only controls some AF points and some limited playback zooming. It can't be used to set menus or for keyboard text entry.
No built-in sensor-shift Image Stabilization, but will try to stabilize video electronically and does work with stabilized lenses.
No timed manual exposures longer than 30 seconds. You have to use Bulb, a remote release and an external timer instead. Even the first Nikon F5 of 1996 gave manual exposures out to 30 minutes.
No illuminated buttons.
No second card slot.
No GPS.
In-finder data displays do not rotate with the camera.
Menus don't rotate when the camera is held vertically.
No advance mode lever.
No always-responsive instant manual-focus override.
No shutter speed dial.
No ISO dial.
No color histograms while shooting (only on playback).
No FIND mode in menu system.
Specifications top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
I'd order my ZV-E10 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. As of July 2022 they are so wildly popular and hard to get that you either have to order one at the usual price and be willing to wait, or get one today for about $750 used at eBay. I'd also consider the Nikon Z30 which may be more available.
Lens Compatibility specifications top
Sony ZV-E10. bigger.
Sony E mount.
APS-C sensor works with both APS-C and full-frame lenses.
Image Sensor specifications top
Sony ZV-E10. bigger.
24 MP.
15.6 × 23.5 mm CMOS.
3:2 aspect ratio.
1.53× crop factor.
ISO specifications top
Stills
ISO 100 ～ 25,600; to ISO 51,200 in a push mode.
It has ISO 80, ISO 64 and ISO 50 settings, but they don't change the sensitivity and instead simply overexpose by ⅓, ⅔ or one stop, all with the same ISO 100 sensitivity. Weird.
Video
ISO 100 - 3,200.
Auto ISO specifications top
Yes, the usual.
Image Sizes specifications top
6,000 × 4,000 pixels native (24 MP).
Also 12 MP and 6 MP settings.
Cropped Aspect Ratios
1:1 square, 4:3 and 16:9 crops from the above.
Still Formats specifications top
JPG and/or raw.
sRGB and Adobe RGB.
Autofocus specifications top
425 points both phase and contrast detection.
Video specifications top
4K at 24.00, 25.00 or 29.97 FPS.
1,080 at 23.98, 25.00, 29.97, 50.00, 59.94 or 100.00 FPS
No take length limit.
Audio specifications top
Recorded only along with video.
S - t - e - r - e - O microphone built in.
Mic-in jack with plug-in power overrides built-in mic.
Headphone jack.
Stabilization
Only digital electronic stabilization for video; no sensor-shift stabilization.
Finder specifications top
None, just the flipping LCD and there are no external finder options other than HDMI outputs.
Shutter specifications top
Mechanical and electronic shutters.
1/4,000 ～ 30 seconds. (only as long as ¼ second for video.)
1/160 flash sync speed.
Frame Rates specifications top
To 11 FPS for still images.
Buffer (Burst) Sizes specifications top
116 frames JPG.
46 frames raw.
Flash specifications top
1/160 sync speed.
Built-in Flash
None.
External Flash
Dedicated hot shoe.
LCD Monitor specifications top
Sony ZV-E10. bigger.
3" (75 mm) diagonal.
921,600 dots.
Swivels out 180º horizontally as shown, and then swivels up as far as 270º, which means it can swivel up and over to face backwards from what I'm showing here, and then even point 90º down from here.
Doesn't seem to be coated for reflections or smudges.
Connectors specifications top
Sony ZV-E10. bigger.
From top to bottom:
Dedicated Digital Hot Shoe.
3.5mm mic-in.
USB-C in/out and charging.
Micro HDMI.
3.5mm headphones.
Wi-Fi specifications top
Yes.
NFC specifications top
No.
Bluetooth specifications top
Yes.
GPS specifications top
None, try an app.
Storage specifications top
One SD card (up to 2GB), SDHC (up to 32GB) and SDXC (up to 512GB) cards.
Quality specifications top
Sony ZV-E10. bigger.
Made in China.
Power & Battery specifications top
Battery
Sony NP-FW50 battery. enlarge.
NP-FW50 battery.
Also runs from USB-C power, drawing a measured 2.8W while awake and 3.2W while shooting.
Charging
Charges via USB-C, drawing a measured 7.3W at 5V.
It comes with a basic AC adapter and a cord.
Size specifications top
2.5 × 4.5 × 1.8 inches HWD.
64.2 × 115.2 × 44.8 millimeters HWD.
Weight specifications top
12.1 oz./343 g with battery and SD card.
Operating Environment specifications top
0º ～ 40º C (32º ～ 104º F).
Included specifications top
ZV-E10.NP-FW50 battery.
Strap.
AC-UUD12 AC to USB-A power adapter.
Furry wind screen & adapter.
1-year USA Warranty.
Announced specifications top
27 July 2021.
Promised for specifications top
End of August 2021.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
July 2022
$698 at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield.
About $750 used at eBay because there is a long wait for new ones.
June 2022
$698 at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield.
About $1,200 used at eBay because there is a long wait for new ones.
May 2022
$698 at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield.
About $1,200 used at eBay because there is a long wait for new ones.
Performance top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Overall Autofocus Auto ISO Color Rendition
Crop Modes Ergonomics Exposure Finder
Flash High ISOs Lens Corrections
I'd order my ZV-E10 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. As of July 2022 they are so wildly popular and hard to get that you either have to order one at the usual price and be willing to wait, or get one today for about $750 used at eBay. I'd also consider the Nikon Z30 which may be more available.
Overall performance top
The ZV-E10 performs mostly as well as larger Sony APS-C cameras, it's just smaller and with fewer buttons and controls and no finder, as there's no room for them.
I find it horribly inconvenient for still photos with no viewfinder. I can't see much on its little screen held at arm's length.
Autofocus performance top
Autofocus is swell, the usual excellence from Sony.
Auto ISO performance top
Auto ISO is the usual, no mysteries here.
Color & Tonal Rendition performance top
Color rendition is how pictures look in the real world. Real-world color rendition has nothing to do with color accuracy measured in a lab. Color rendition is dependant on how a maker programs all the color matrices, curves, and look-up tables to generate color from the data read from the sensor, and varies widely between makers once you set a camera away from its defaults. I never shoot at defaults.
I've never been a fan of Sony's still cameras; I just can't get my look from them as easily as I do with Nikon and with Canon.
If you shoot raw then your colors and tones aren't created until you process the raw data later in software, and your choice of software will have as much effect on your images as the camera itself.
It's like pianos: anyone can talk forever about how pianos are made, but to most ordinary players the subtle variations between different samples of a Steinway Model D are eclipsed by their own limitations in playing, but when you're a virtuoso even subtle differences become obvious to the seasoned master. That's why when you buy, or choose a Steinway for your tour as a Steinway Artist, you go to Steinway's Astoria factory and pick from among several samples of the same model which suits your style best. To a master, the subtle details are everything, just like subtle differences in color rendition between different brands of camera. Art is not the duplication of reality; art is the expression of imagination.
I'm a working artist, not some online tweaker, YouTuber or tech blogger. Color is critical to my work. I'm pickier about color than almost anyone; I see things most people don't. I can get photos that get oohs and ahhs with the ZV-E10, but I don't get to WOW! as often with the ZV-E10 as I do with my Nikons and Canons.
That's just me; your preferences and results will vary.
Crop Modes performance top
Thank goodness it has all the usual 1:1 Square, 4:3 and even 16:9 modes.
It drives me crazy that the 4:3 option is lacking in my $5,500 Nikon Z9!
Ergonomics performance top
With no finder I hate using this camera. If I want to shoot looking at a screen, I prefer my iPhone 13 Pro Max which has about four times the screen area, with automatic brightness control and a superior OLED screen both lacking in the ZV-E10's old-fashioned manually-set LCD screen.
Sony ZV-E10. bigger.
For some reason the strap lugs are closest to the back of the camera, so with a lens it always tips forward when carried.
The card slot is in a crack facing the wrong way next to the battery. It's hard to extract because the little lip on the card faces away from you so you can't grab it!
The battery sadly goes in four different ways, only one of which actually works, and there are no obvious index marks. Good luck.
Exposure performance top
Exposure is swell.
Finder performance top
Worst finder ever: there is no finder!
Flash performance top
No built-in flash, poo!
Even the least expensive A6000 has a built-in flash (and a finder), runs at the same 11 FPS and weighs less than the ZV-E10!
High ISO Performance performance top
Complete Images details dark detail performance top
As seen at normal image sizes below, the ZV-E10 pretty much makes the same images from ISO 100 to ISO 6,400.
ISO 12,800 gets a little blotchier with slight green/magenta blobs, ISO 25,600 gets blotchier and grainier,and ISO 51,200 (H) gets even worse, but they are all quite usable if I need it for normal-sized images.
As expected, this is good performance today. Sony has been a leader in sensors for many, many decades, even decades before practical digital still cameras, so I expect this.
There's no mystery to comparing cameras; I shoot this same test at all the ISOs of every other camera I review so you can see for yourself at their reviews.
Click any for the camera-original © LARGE FINE JPG files:
Click any for the camera-original 24 MP © JPG files (about 10 MB each).
600 × 450 Pixel Crops (10× magnification) High ISOs details dark detail performance top
What we see at the high magnifications below is that fine details go away as the ISO increases. This happens with all cameras and our own eyes and is an artifact of the noise reduction working harder as the ISO increases.
In the ZV-E10, the most detail is at the lowest ISOs, and becomes softer at higher ISOs. This is normal and how noise reduction works in every camera.
ISO 50 is a "pull" ISO, and oddly didn't work in my ZV-E10 with firmware 1.00! ISO 50, 64 and 80 were really all ISO 100 and led to different degrees of overexposure, so I don't show any here. Weird.
By ISO 3,200 most of the detailed scrollwork between the clock numbers is gone.
By ISO 12,800 the minute marks are mostly gone.
By ISO 51,200 (H) all the detail is gone from the clock face, leaving only the numbers.
It's normal for details to go away at higher ISOs in all digital cameras.
These are 600 × 450 pixel crops that vary in size to fit your browser window.
If these are about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 20 × 30" (50 × 75 cm) at this same high magnification.
If these are about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters) at this same extreme magnification.
If these are about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 80 × 120" (2 × 3 meters) at this same insanely high magnification.
Click any for the camera-original © JPG files:
Click any for the camera-original 24 MP © JPG files (about 10 MB each).
Dark-Area 600 × 450 Pixel Crops (10× magnification) High ISOs details dark detail performance top
Here are different crops from the same images as above, now showing the dark grillwork of the fireplace.
Higher ISOs greatly reduce the details in the shadows, as we expect.
The fine grill screen disappears by ISO 1,600.
The bricks behind the grill go away by ISO 12,800.
At ISO 51,200 (H) the iron bars are mostly gone!
Again, it's normal in all digital cameras for details to go away at higher ISOs.
These are 600 × 450 pixel crops that vary in size to fit your browser window.
If these are about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 20 × 30" (50 × 75 cm) at this same high magnification.
If these are about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters) at this same extreme magnification.
If these are about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 80 × 120" (2 × 3 meters) at this same insanely high magnification.
Click any for the camera-original © JPG files:
Click any for the camera-original 24 MP © JPG files (about 10 MB each).
Lens Corrections performance top
The ZV-E10 corrects for any or all of Falloff ("Shading"), Lateral Color ("Chromatic Aberratio…") and Distortion.
Mechanical Quality performance top
It's made in China and has a metal lens mount, hot shoe, strap lugs, tripod collar and top control knob. The rest is all plastic.
Menu System performance top
It's the usual from Sony: confusing, and with no way to search for items other than having to check every menu.
Image Stabilization performance top
There is NO sensor-shift Image Stabilization.
The ZV-E10 does work with lenses that have optical image stabilization, and digitally can process video to remove some shaking electronically after it's shot.
Compared top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
I'd order my ZV-E10 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. As of July 2022 they are so wildly popular and hard to get that you either have to order one at the usual price and be willing to wait, or get one today for about $750 used at eBay. I'd also consider the Nikon Z30 which may be more available.
Even the least expensive A6000 has a built-in flash (and a finder), runs at the same 11 FPS and weighs less than the ZV-E10!
See more at All Sony Cameras Compared.
Recommendations top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
I'd order my ZV-E10 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. As of July 2022 they are so wildly popular and hard to get that you either have to order one at the usual price and be willing to wait, or get one today for about $750 used at eBay. I'd also consider the Nikon Z30 which may be more available.
There are loads of native full-frame and APS-C Sony Lenses that work great on the ZV-E10, and a few kit options with various lenses. Guess what? If you want the best, smallest and most flexible lens to use with the ZV-E10, it's also the least expensive: the tiny 16-50mm PZ as shown here:
Sony ZV-E10 and 16-50mm PZ.
Any other lens is much larger and loses half the magic of having such a small camera.
The ZV-E10 is for vloggers, which isn't me, and even when I do make video, I prefer my iPhone 13 Pro Max for many reasons, like a far superior screen, stabilization so superior that walking hand-held looks like it was shot on a dolly, amazing HDR image processing that lets my iPhone images save me hours of setting up lighting, better color and better autofocus — and the iPhone can broadcast live to YouTube or edit offline for hours and hours on its own battery! But that's just me; people who like to do it the hard way love the ZV-E10.
For still images I can't get past the tiny screen and no viewfinder, so obviously this isn't the camera for me. Heck, for still shooting, even the least expensive A6000 has a built-in flash (and a finder), runs at the same 11 FPS and still weighs less than the ZV-E10!
I'd order my ZV-E10 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. As of July 2022 they are so wildly popular and hard to get that you either have to order one at the usual price and be willing to wait, or get one today for about $750 used at eBay. I'd also consider the Nikon Z30 which may be more available.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you get it elsewhere. Sony does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, dropped, incomplete, gray-market, store demo or used camera — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new ZV-E10. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new ZV-E10 before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken.
© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Ken Rockwell® is a registered trademark.
Help Me Help You top
I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Ken.