Sony’s new $999 camera vs. an iPhone 15 Pro Max
The Sony ZV-E10 II is the APS-C mirrorless system follow-up to the original ZV-E10 vlogging camera of 2021, now with a bigger battery, a 26-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor, and improved 4K video. It will cost $999 for the body or $1,099 in a bundle with Sony’s new PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II lens when it launches in early August.
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TechTranscript
00:00This is the new Sony ZV-E10 Mark II.
00:03It's a 26-megapixel APS-C camera that is aimed at folks who want that pro-camera feel
00:08Man, do you see these clouds?
00:10Yeah, they're awesome.
00:11Wow.
00:12without the pro-camera price.
00:13That's awesome!
00:15Meaning that for $1,000, you get the ability to change lenses,
00:18the same sensor that's in Sony's APS-C digital cinema camera, the FX30,
00:22impressive autofocus abilities,
00:24and most importantly, the feeling of using a traditional camera.
00:27But in a world where many folks are creating content for the internet,
00:30using a camera can be a lot less about how it makes you feel,
00:34and more about how it can make you a living.
00:36And an iPhone 15 Pro Max?
00:38Well, it's very good at doing just that.
00:41Which is why Sony was eager to tell me
00:43that the sensor on the new ZV-E10 Mark II
00:46is nine times bigger than the sensor on this iPhone 15 Pro Max.
00:51It's an obvious fact.
00:53But it shows that Sony cares about the folks who are trying to decide
00:56between using a phone or using a dedicated camera.
00:59So let's put them head-to-head.
01:03Big city lights, baby.
01:07Oh my god, I'm so bad at framing for this.
01:09For the last week, I have brought the $1,200 iPhone 15 Pro Max
01:13and the $1,000 ZV-E10 Mark II
01:16with the 16-35mm kit lens,
01:18which brings the total cost of this camera to $1,100 everywhere with me.
01:27I want you to guess which camera's footage is on the left
01:30and which camera's on the right.
01:33There's a few telltale signs that give it away,
01:35but you gotta know what you're looking for to spot them.
01:38This is one of them.
01:40And here's another.
01:42Okay, so on the left has been the ZV-E10 Mark II,
01:45and on the right has been the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
01:48You may have noticed the iPhone's terrible lens reflections at night,
01:51there's a whole extra Brooklyn Bridge here,
01:53or how the Sony holds on to contrast.
01:55Like the deep shadows on my face here.
01:57And if you're just looking for the quick answer,
01:59can an iPhone create an image as crisp and clear as a camera with an APS-C sensor?
02:04Well, the answer's pretty evident.
02:06It can.
02:10Most of the time.
02:13This test boils down to software versus hardware.
02:15Phones use a lot of software to compensate for small sensors and lenses
02:19in a process called computational photography.
02:21In the case of the iPhone 15 Pro Max,
02:23the camera is using tone mapping,
02:25and it takes multiple frames at different speeds and exposures
02:28in order to create a balanced image with minimal noise.
02:31And it even uses a LiDAR sensor to sense depth and create background blur.
02:35It also recognizes things in the scene, such as the sky or a face,
02:39and colors those things to what it has decided are the most pleasing representation of them.
02:44For the most part, this process allows the iPhone's camera to produce great images instantly.
02:49I made a whole video about the iPhone 15 Pro Max's camera
02:52that I'll link below if you want a deep dive on just that.
02:55The downside to computational photography
02:57is that you're leaving a lot of creative control up to the camera,
03:01which doesn't always lead to the best results.
03:04For example, in the native iOS camera app,
03:06there is very little control over focus,
03:08so I couldn't get the iPhone to focus on the branch that was closest to me here.
03:12And then there are times when you can see the iPhone struggling with skin tones,
03:16like in this video, where my face just turns more and more red.
03:21And then there are color decisions that I can't even begin to explain,
03:24like what's going on behind the steam with the hotel sign here.
03:29On the other hand, there are times like in this very low-light situation,
03:33where the iPhone was able to recognize the cat as a subject and take a longer exposure,
03:37then stitch multiple photos together to create a much less noisy and overall brighter image.
03:42Also, the iPhone has much better image stabilization,
03:45which leads to far more steady video footage.
03:48But what I find interesting is that even though the cameras on our phones have gotten better and better,
03:53the amount of folks asking me for dedicated camera recommendations has never gone down.
03:58In fact, I'm getting them more now than ever before,
04:01which is why I want to make a video about this one.
04:04All right, so I got this pasta recently.
04:07I mean, what?
04:09I like to think of Sony's ZV lineup as gateway cameras.
04:13Selfie like the sea, baby.
04:15This new ZV-E10 Mark II has so many of the same features as higher-end Sony cameras,
04:20such as the menu system and great autofocus performance,
04:24although it does not have the autofocus prediction and AI chip of the ZV-E1 or higher-end A7 models,
04:30but it does have a more beginner-friendly interface
04:32and many features that help folks get that pro-camera look.
04:35There's a bokeh mode that prioritizes settings for shallow depth of field,
04:40a Cineblog setting that changes the colors and aspect ratio in order to make things more cinematic,
04:46and a product showcase feature that automatically sets the focus to any object you hold up in front of you.
04:52And all of this can be wrapped up into a white body option that just looks hella cute,
04:56even if you never turn the thing on.
04:58You'll be hard-pressed to find a new camera in 2024 that is high-specced, low-cost, and compact as this,
05:04especially one that allows you to put any E-mount lens you want on it.
05:08And new to the Mark II is better color sampling with 422 10-bit, higher frame rates with 4K 60fps,
05:14and a much larger battery that in my use has been hard to drain.
05:17Sony does need to figure out how to get an ND into this camera though,
05:21whether that's a digital ND or some sort of physical ND.
05:24An ND filter is just a filter that goes in front of your sensor
05:28and it minimizes the amount of light hitting the sensor,
05:30because sometimes when you're shooting video, too much light hitting the sensor is actually a problem.
05:35And choosing an ND filter can be confusing,
05:37because you have to know the thread size of your lens,
05:39and you have to know how much light you want to block.
05:42So for a beginner, having that built into a camera I think is important.
05:46The problem is that's definitely going to add to bulk and cost,
05:49and those are two things that Sony definitely is trying to minimize in this lineup.
05:54Another thing that would add bulk and cost,
05:56but should absolutely be included in a camera that is so video-centric,
06:00is in-body image stabilization.
06:02The electronic stabilization that is here doesn't perform well.
06:06And the other missing thing from this camera is a viewfinder.
06:09Personally, I love the intimate feeling of holding a camera up to my eye for framing,
06:15and if that's important to you too,
06:16Sony has the slightly more expensive $1,400 A6700.
06:21That camera is more geared towards hybrid still and video shooting.
06:24It doesn't have the dedicated bokeh button or product showcase feature for simplified video recording,
06:29but you do get a viewfinder, the dedicated AI processor for better autofocus,
06:33and better weather sealing.
06:34But at $1,400, that price point also opens up some other options.
06:38So for example, you have Canon's EOS R7 with its 32-megapixel APS-C sensor,
06:44a new Fuji X-T50 with its 40-megapixel APS-C sensor,
06:49or you could even get a used first-gen A7C with a full-frame sensor.
06:54Oh man, I'm so sorry.
06:56I definitely have not made your purchasing decision any easier,
06:59but it does prove that you have a lot of really great options for this price point,
07:03which is the same price of a high-spec phone.
07:07Good luck.
07:09So that's the new Sony ZV-E10 Mark II.
07:12It's a great way to dip your toes into a more professional way of recording video
07:15with the ability to upgrade lenses as your budget sees fit.
07:18And as always, if you are on the fence about buying a dedicated camera,
07:21just rent one for a weekend first.
07:23You'll know very quickly if you are enjoying getting to know it,
07:26if you're enjoying carrying it around, or if you're not.
07:29I'm Becca. Thank you so much for joining me.
07:31This was another episode of Full Frame.
07:32Let me know what two cameras you want me to compare next.
07:35They could be film, they could be digital, they could be phones, you name it.
07:39I'm down. I appreciate you, and I'll see you on the next one.