Sony ZV-E10 Mirrorless Camera & 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6/PZ OSS Lens Review - Performance

Sony ZV-E10 Mirrorless Camera Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Sony ZV-E10 Sample Photos

Sample Photos - The camera is available in a kit with the Sony E 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6/PZ OSS zoom lens. This brings Power Zoom and OSS (Optical Steady Shot) to the package and a full review of the lens has already been undertaken. In summary, whilst not the highest flier in terms of quality, it is excellent value for money and extremely compact, making an attractive overall package at a great price. The lens is capable of lovely crisp results at mid apertures, softening considerably as it is stopped down. It is virtually rectilinear at mid to full zoom, has very impressive flare resistance, pleasant bokeh and modest distortion. A good all-rounder and a creditable kit lens.

Sony ZV-E10 ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - ISO performance is very strong, in fact quite remarkable compared to what was possible say 5 years ago. From ISO 50 to 200 there is hardly a scrap of noise. ISO 400 to 1600 maintains almost as good a performance, after which there is a slow decay and more and more noise appears. But even ISO 51200 is not a dead loss and sharpness is well maintained even though the overall image becomes somewhat degraded and noisy. For the best quality perhaps keeping to ISO 1600 or less would be a good benchmark, although a noisy sharp image is probably better than a noise-free blurred one.

Sony ZV-E10 White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - SeveralWhite Balance options are available, of which, almost all perform well with just Incandescent and Fluorescent having a blue cast. Shade is also on the warm side, too. AWB performs very well. 

Sony ZV-E10 Digital filters

Digital Filters - The usual wide range of digital filters is available. These are split into two sections, Creative Style and Picture Effect. Creative style covers Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Black and White and Sepia. There are adjustments available within each setting. Picture Effect comprises Toy Camera, Pop Colour, Posterisation, Retro, Soft High-key, Partial Colour, High Contrast Mono, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Mono, Miniature, Watercolour and Illustration. Again, parameters can be changed within each option.

A separate setting for Soft Skin Effect is interesting, offering three levels of skin-softening that are very attractive. There is huge potential in this for flattering portraits.

Video - In video mode, battery life is quoted at 80 minutes. Video quality is excellent and suitable for streaming, as a superior webcam and for the production of a wide range of content. Of course, there are more sophisticated video cameras, but the ZV-E10 does the job well and without the need for any great amount of knowledge. It could be an ideal introduction for anyone wanting to start vlogging. Video files are stored separately from JPEG still images on the SD card and can be found in Private>Clip>M4 Root. The optional Sony GP-VPT2BT wireless grip could be a very practical addition if the camera is to be used handheld.

You can view additional videos captured with the cameras and smartphones we've reviewed over on the ePHOTOzine YouTube Channel.