Upgrades for the Creators: Sony Announces ZV-E10 II and 16-50mm OSS II Lens

Sony just announced the ZV-E10 II mirrorless camera, the second-gen follow-up to 2021's ZV-E10, Sony's first mirrorless camera designed specifically for vloggers. Version II features a wealth of new upgrades, including the same sensor used in Sony's powerful FX30 and a6700 cameras, as well as several updates that bring it in line with Sony’s other compact cine-focused bodies. Launching alongside the ZV-E10 II is another second-gen product and a long-awaited refresh of Sony's standard APS-C kit zoom, the E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II lens.

ZV-E10 II

As a whole, Sony's ZV camera series is dedicated to content creation. These cameras prioritize specs and design features that are most useful to vloggers, streamers, and other types of creators: compact, portable designs; sensors optimized for video; improved on-board audio; and a range of built-in recording modes to help solo shooters produce the photos and videos they need.

The ZV-E10 II follows this recipe, featuring a modestly updated body design that maintains its portability, and adds in the APS-C-format 26MP Exmor R CMOS sensor. Coupled with a new BIONZ XR processor, which promises 8x faster performance, the ZV-E10 II is nearly on level standing in terms of recording compared to Sony’s other top tier APS-C cameras. It’s now capable of recording 4K60, using a 5.6K oversampling area, as well as FHD shooting at 120p. XAVC HS and XAVC S-I formats allow for recording in 10-bit 4:2:2 at up to 600 Mb/s and the camera includes S-Cinetone, S-Gamut3. Cine, and S-Log3 to better make use of the 14-stop dynamic range and support color grading control. The camera also has assignable LUTs and a Creative Looks mode that can apply tunable preset color effects to your footage in-camera.

This sensor has an ISO 100-32000 range, which can be expanded up to 102400. Its back-illuminated design also greatly improves noise levels when working in low-light conditions. Also, for photographers, the ZV-E10 II sports an 11-fps continuous shooting rate in case you want to add-in some action sequences to your productions.

The other key benefits of the upgraded sensor and processing lie in the autofocus arena: the ZV-E10 II now sports a Fast Hybrid 759-point phase-detection system along with an AI Processing Unit for advanced subject recognition and improved Real-Time Subject Tracking and Real-Eye AF. In practice, this focusing system should be noticeably quicker to lock focus onto subjects as well as be able to hold focus on moving subjects with better efficiency. And especially beneficial to the vloggers working with this camera is the inclusion of Focus Breathing Compensation, as well as dedicated Background Defocus and Product Showcase focus modes.

Physically, the ZV-E10 II is similar to its predecessor with one major difference: the new body now takes the larger capacity NP-FZ100 battery and is now rated to record approximately 610 shots per charge, compared to the 440 shots/charge of the original ZV-E10. This is roughly a 30% increase in available battery life and makes the camera much better situated to all-day recording. Making room for this larger battery, the camera has also gained a little bit of size and weight compared to its predecessor, now measuring 4.5 x 2.7 x 2.1” (versus 4.5 x 2.5 x 1.8”) and weighing 13.3 oz (versus 12.1 oz) with the battery and memory card.

The on-board mic is the same 3-capsule mic as the ZV-E1, which offers selectable directivity, and the camera includes a furry windscreen to cut unwanted noise. For external audio options, there are 3.5mm mic and headphone ports and the camera has Sony’s latest digital audio interface MI Shoe that supports working with shoe-mounted mics, like the ECM-M1, ECM-B1M, or the ECM-S1 Wireless Streaming Microphone System.

Some additional design elements of the ZV-E10 II include an improved 3” 1.04 m-dot vari-angle touchscreen LCD, which now supports vertical info display when shooting vertically; a USB-C port for in-camera battery charging; and it still has a single UHS-II SD memory card slot. For wireless transfer and control, there is 5Ghz Wi-Fi and the ZV-E10 II also supports RTMP, RTMPS, and SRT streaming protocols and UVC standards for webcam use.

E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II

The other announcement for the day is the E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II—the second-generation kit zoom for Sony’s APS-C-format cameras. Its predecessor has been an omnipresence for Alpha shooters looking to get going in the system; its 24-75mm-equivalent range is versatile enough for everyday use and the modest f/3.5-5.6 maximum aperture range keeps its size especially petite for all-day carry. It’s quick-focusing and has OSS to counter handheld camera shake for sharper images.

Version II brings some modest upgrades to this stalwart lens, including improved optics for more sharpness and clarity; a more substantial-feeling physical build that also sheds 8% in weight; improved image stabilization; support for focusing while shooting at up to 120 fps; and the ability to use AF while zooming—in case you want to simultaneously focus and zoom pull during a shot.

For more information about the new camera and lens, including additional features, specs, and highlights, be sure to check out the detailed product page for the ZV-E10 II mirrorless camera body and E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II. Or drop us a line below, and we’ll do our best to answer all your comments and questions.