Sony's ZV-E10 adds interchangeable lenses to its series of vlogging cameras

Steve Dent

Contributor

Steve Dent is associate editor at

Engadget

.

More posts from this contributor

Amazon launches its first Kindle Vella serialized stories platform for mobile

Sony has launched its first vlogging-specific mirrorless camera, the ZV-E10, which borrows a number of features from the vlogging model.

ZV-1 compact

. At the same time, it's pretty much based on the A5000 and A6000 series APS-C mirrorless cameras, with all the good (

and bad

) that this implies.

The two main advantages of the ZV-E10 over the ZV-1 are the larger 24MP APS-C sensor and the interchangeable mirrorless mount. This latest feature opens up Sony's lineup of over 60 E-mount lenses to vloggers, making the ZV-E10 much more versatile than the fixed-lens ZV-1. The larger sensor, meanwhile, will offer improved light sensitivity and shallower depth of field.

sony

The ZV-E10 uses the aging 24-megapixel APS-C sensor found in the

A6100

and other recent Sony models. While this delivers crisp, downsampled 4K video at up to 30fps (or 120fps 1080p), there's likely to be a significant amount of rolling shutter that isn't ideal for the intended purpose. he is destined.

On the brighter side, it offers active optical and electronic image stabilization, just like the ZV-1. This should make handheld shooting quite easy, but don't expect miracles for walk-and-talk type vlogging - especially if rolling sensor wobble proves to be an issue.

In terms of size, the ZV-E10 is smaller than any of the A6000 series cameras at 343 grams and isn't much bigger and heavier than the ZV-1. It lacks an electronic viewfinder, but it's Sony's first APS-C mirrorless camera with a fully articulating flip-up screen - a basic requirement on any vlogging camera these days.

sony

The ZV-E10 comes with Sony's latest phase-detection autofocus system for both video and stills. That means you should get incredibly fast subject tracking, as well as reliable eye, face and head autofocus. It also has an S&Q (slow and fast) feature that allows you to record fast and slow-motion footage in-camera without any post-processing work.

It directly borrows several features from vlogging. of the ZV-1. The first is called “Product Showcase,” a setting that allows it to instantly focus away from your face and onto an object placed in front of the camera. This is especially handy for vloggers reviewing products, devices, etc.

The other is a bokeh switch that instantly sets the lowest available f-stop for the lighting conditions. This way you can have the background as blurry as possible, allowing your subject to stand out clearly.

The ZV-E10 has a built-in high-quality three-way microphone (left, right and center channels) designed to pick up your voice. This means you can vlog without needing to buy a microphone, although it still doesn't match the quality and voice isolation of a dedicated shotgun or lavalier mic. It also comes with a muff attached to the shoe to help block out wind noise, and if that's not enough, a wind noise reduction setting. It also comes with a microphone input, but not a headphone output.

Finally, if you're into live streaming, you can connect the ZV-E10 directly to a smartphone and stream directly to YouTube or other services – as much as you can with Panasonic's latest GH5-II. It will also work directly as a webcam, streaming both video and audio (not just video like other cameras) so you can take advantage of its high-quality microphone.

The ZV-E10 will be available in both black or white by the end of August and will cost $700 for the body, or $800 in a bundle including the 16-50mm F/3 power zoom lens. .5-5.6 from Sony.

This post was originally posted on

Engadget

.