Unboxing the Sony ZV-E10 Camera: My First Impressions & Review

In the video, I unbox the Sony ZV-E10 camera with you, compare the video/sound quality to that of my Iphone X, and give you a run down of the research I did before making the decision to buy this specific Sony camera.

I am very excited to share that I recently bought a new camera!

I’ve mentioned several times how fun it is for me to make Youtube videos so I decided I would invest in some better quality gear to help me film. This is also my attempt to keep learning new skills such as videography, photography, editing videos, and storytelling. I’ve already learned so much from using this camera and can’t wait to keep creating with it. 

This video is for the beginner video & social media content creator that wants to improve the quality of their content with an easy to use, all in one tool. I also was looking for something that gives me room to grow as my skills develop- mainly looking for an interchangeable lens to experiment with down the line (when I can afford to get a good one lol).

I have always loved unboxing videos- especially ones of super niche tech items. It is my favorite way to research a product before I purchase it myself because it shows you exactly what to expect for your money. Plus, usually the creator of any unboxing video goes on to review the product and give their opinion on it which is something I seek out before purchasing any high-ticket item. I’ve linked some of the unboxing/review videos that I found helpful here:

Jenna Hong’s Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LbD9Std0ck&t=677s

Thomas J McClure’s Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PyDFzi-vR8&t=320s

Kyle Watts’ Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CjOk3_vI9A

I purchased this camera from Best Buy around the holidays during a Black Friday sale so the price was discounted by about $100 which was nice. I purchased the “kit” which includes both the ZV-E10 body and the 16-50mm lens. The camera body and lens are available to purchase separately as well. The “kit” was listed for $699; so with tax I ended up spending $759 for the camera kit. I also purchased a 128gb Sandisk SD card which ended up being around $30. All in, I spent right around $800 for this new set up. This was a bit over budget for me, but I will discuss why this camera was the right choice for me later on!

If you are looking to buy the Sony ZV-E10 or a camera like it, I’d recommend waiting for the next major holiday (if you can) to get it at a discount! If that’s not an option, I have seen the best prices for this camera at Walmart so check all of your buying options before purchasing.

During the unboxing section of the video, we go through everything that is included in the ZV-E10 kit. The “kit” includes:

• Direction and guide documentation
• The Sony ZV-E10 camera body itself
• The EPZ 16-50mm lens
• The microphone windscreen
• The camera battery
• A charging block
• A charging cord
• A Sony branded neck strap/lanyard

In section 2 of this video, I discuss my first impressions of the quality difference between the footage taken on my Iphone X vs the footage taken with the new camera. I filmed this part of the video a couple weeks after the initial unboxing of the camera to get used to using it before sharing my thoughts. 

During that time, I did accidentally film AN ENTIRE VIDEO in slow motion…A mistake I am not proud to admit and a lesson I unfortunately had to learn the hard way. I will now be adamant about checking my footage back during the filming process from here on out and highly recommend the same to you if you are just starting out!

The Tripod I Use: 

I briefly show you the small tripod I use during this section of the video. It is definitely not a professional-grade tripod but I have enjoyed using it so far. It is very versatile and comes with multiple attachments for whether you want to film with your phone or a proper camera like the ZV-E10. It is only about 1 foot tall and has flexible legs that can be maneuvered to stand up wherever you need it to. The legs could even be wrapped around an object to fixate the camera in any desired location too- although, I’m not sure how long the tripod would last if I were to do that often. That truth doesn't affect my opinion too much since I initially understood the quality of the product I was purchasing by the amount I paid for it.

I appreciate the options this tripod creates compared to any normal tripod. However, considering its size, it is not an end-all-be-all piece of equipment if you are wanting to film videos from a higher angle. For example, when filming the unboxing portion of this video, I had to use a taller tripod in order to create the angle I had pictured.

If you are just starting off and do not want to spend too much on a tripod or stabilizer, I do totally recommend this product! I have it linked here for you if you’re interested in purchasing it.

The ZV-E10 Bluetooth Features:

During my research on the ZV-E10, I learned the camera has bluetooth capabilities and should be able to connect to your phone for easy transfer of footage. I thought this could be useful in certain situations and was looking forward to checking out how it worked.

This is done through an app called Imaging Edge Mobile. Once you download the app, you find “Send to smartphone fun” in the settings on the camera and register your phone with the app by scanning the QR code on the camera.

From there, as long as you are connected to Wifi and have bluetooth turned on, you should be able to transfer whichever photos/videos you want directly from your camera to your smartphone…

I have issues with this entire process and found it to be more trouble than it is worth. The app seems very out of date and I was almost uncomfortable with downloading it on my phone. It has terrible reviews on the app store, understandably, and I was genuinely worried I was downloading something unsafe that would end up bugging my phone or something.

I usually transfer footage to my computer and not to my phone anyway, so this isn’t too big of a deal for me. However, I was overall disappointed with this feature and it sort of affects the respect I have for the Sony brand in a lot of ways. This was a feature I expected from the camera I purchased considering the price I paid, and the fact that it is so undersupported made me feel like it shouldn't even have been an included feature in the first place…

So that’s my two-cents regarding the bluetooth transfer capabilities of the Sony ZV-E10. Definitely something to keep in mind as you research cameras to buy.

(and, no the app did not lead to any bugs that I am aware of so no worries there).

Let me remind you the price I paid for the Sony ZV-E10 kit was $699 during a Black Friday sale. When not on sale, it looks like the price is currently at $799- although I’ve seen it listed for $659 at Walmart! There were mainly 4 other cameras I was considering as alternative options before deciding on the ZV-E10 kit.

Firstly, I was interested in the Sony ZV-E10 II. This is the newer version of the ZV-E10 camera that came out in July of 2024 (the original ZV-E10 came out in 2021). The II costs $1099 for the kit or $999 for the camera body only.

According to Sony UK the ZV-E10 II has “an upgraded sensor, Sony’s latest image processing engine, updated autofocus features, and an upgraded large-capacity battery.” For me, the price of this version was quite simply out of budget. I was initially only looking to spend about $600 on this equipment upgrade. I did end up pushing that quite a bit but the thought of going up and above $1000 was not feasible. Also, the upgrades they claim weren’t compelling enough for me to seriously consider this as a practical contender against its older sibling.

The second option I was considering was the Sony ZV1-F which is a compact camera that came out in 2022. I did misspeak in the video by saying that the ZV1-F was “a few years older than the ZV-E10.” I was under the impression that the 1-F was the original version of the E-10’s but I stand corrected. Rather, the ZV1-F is a compact camera meant for vlogging and content creation. It costs $499 which is a great price for content creators looking for a camera to start out with. The main reason I did not go with this camera was due to the fact that I was looking for an option with an interchangeable lens. The 1-F is geared toward video creation which is what I mainly use my camera for but I wanted the option to experiment with different lenses as my camera skills improve!

The third camera I looked into purchasing was the DJI Pocket 3 handheld camera. I’ve seen this camera used by some of my favorite Youtube creators and definitely want to purchase it as a secondary camera when I have the means to! I think this would be great for vlogging in public since using the ZV-E10 to film myself in public makes me a little uncomfortable at the moment. Maybe one day I’ll stop giving a care but currently, I do; and I would prefer to have a more discrete filming option haha.

The DJI pocket still films in 4k which is crazy to me considering its size and it currently costs $619 at Target. The price varies depending on where you buy from. Something I also appreciate about the brand are the attachments and other doohickies (if you will) that they offer to improve the filming experience. You can check them out on their website.

This camera would serve a secondary purpose for me when it comes to filming videos, which would be great to have, but it didn’t fulfill the priorities I was looking for in a main camera. That is why I ultimately decided against it and ended up going with the ZV-E10 instead.

The last main contender against the Sony ZV-E10 was the Canon EOS R50. I have experimented with my sibling’s Canon camera when we were growing up. Because of that, I had a bit of a bias towards Canon cameras going into this process. At the very beginning, I wanted a Canon camera and thought that was what I’d purchase in the end. However, after looking into things, it seems Sony has had more success meeting the needs of content creators recently- or they have at least invested way more into marketing to the creator than Canon has. I found that Sony cameras are talked about way more by other creators than any Canon camera is. There is a bit of a buzz around Sony’s cameras that wasn’t there for other brands.

Maybe there were other camera options that I overlooked especially since I did not look too far into any Nikon, Panasonic, or Fujifilm products, however, I am overall happy with the ZV-E10 camera! For my needs and priorities at the moment, I am satisfied with the choice I made and am confident that, out of the comps I mentioned, I chose the one best suited for me.

I am so grateful to be able to share this process with you and that I get to create content in general! It is such a good creative outlet for me and truly brings me a lot of joy. I am now learning to edit using both Adobe Premiere Pro and Apple’s Final Cut Pro. If you have any tips for me or have a strong opinion about either- please reach out and let me know your thoughts! I’d gladly accept any advice or guidance as I learn to navigate them.

Thank you so much for visiting and I’ll catch up with you in the next post!