Hey there. This video is going to be a comparison between the Sony ZV-E10 and the Sony FX30. You're probably wondering why I'm making this comparison because there's such a huge price difference between these two cameras. The ZV-E10 sells for $700, the FX30 sells for $1,800. Now, there are a lot of people that own the ZV-E10, including myself, and there's also a lot of people that own the 6000 series cameras from Sony, like the A6100, A6400, A6600. You might be thinking, Should I spend the money and upgrade to the FX30, which is the newest APS-C camera from Sony? Now, the ZV-E10 was basically the last release of the old generation of APS-C cameras from Sony. They all shot 8-bit video, they all share the same sensor, and so what I think is happening is the FX30 is the first of the new generation. And so, there's a lot of things to compare with this. Obviously, there's a huge price difference. We'll

get into all the details, but those are the two questions that you should get away from this video: is whether or not you should upgrade to the fx30, or if you're trying to decide between the two, which one you should go for. Now let's jump right into it by talking about the image quality, and this is arguably the most important thing about any camera. So for these side-by-side tests, I shot both cameras with the same lens and the same white balance. I shot the zve10 in s-log 2. It does shoot in s-log 3, but I don't recommend shooting in slog3 on any of the 8-Bit Sony cameras. They really can't handle it. But I shot the fx30, of course, in s-log 3. In terms of grading, when I brought them into the computer, I just added some basic contrast and saturation, but I didn't touch the colors whatsoever so you could see the differences between the two cameras. Now all these outdoor tests were shot at 4K and 24 frames a

second, so take a look, foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] definitely hung in there with the fx30. I think they both produce great images with a lot of detail and sharpness and vibrance in their colors. Of course, there is a little bit of difference between their colors, but overall, I would probably take either one. I think they looked very, very similar, and a lot of that comes down to the fact that they both have an oversampled 4K image. So, let's do some pixel peeping now. So, taking a look here at 4K 24 in the studio, you can see that they're super close. Maybe the fx3 is slightly sharper, but really not that much, and the noise was very, very similar. Now, if we talk about the higher frame rates, this is where there's more of a difference between these two cameras. Now, the fx30 can shoot up to 4K 120 with a crop. It can shoot 4K 60 with no crop. The F the zve10 can shoot only up to 4K 30, and

there is a crop in 4K 30 over 4K 24, but it can shoot up to 120 frames per second in 1080P. So, let's do some comparisons here just to see how they do in higher frame rates. First of all, taking a look at 4K 60 versus 1080p 60. This is really not a surprise; the FX30 is sharper and less noisy. And then taking a look at 4K 120 against 1080p 120. And of course, the 4K 120 is a lot sharper. But what I noticed here was that this noise was pretty similar. And I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the 4K 120 has an additional crop, and so you're reading a smaller size of the sensor. So overall, of course, if you're shooting in higher frame rates like 4K 60, 4K 120, you're going to get a better image on the FX30. Now, a big difference between

these two cameras, like I mentioned earlier, are the 10-bit color in the fx30 versus the 8-bit color in the zve E10. And if you take a look at the studio images here and you look at the darker part of the color checker, you can sort of see that blotchiness and sort of uneven color that you get there. And that's going to be one of the big advantages of the fx30, is being able to shoot in 10-bit color. So if you're shooting in log and you want to grade it, you're going to get a lot more color information because of the 10-bit image. So one thing I do want to point out, though, which is a really strong point about the zve10, is in 4k24, the images look very similar. So if you take a look here at the two cameras compared against each other at their base isos in a studio setting, of course, the colors look very different, but overall image quality looks fantastic between the two cameras.

and with a little bit of tweaking, you can get them to look very similar. So, for just basic stuff like you saw outside and without pixel peeping, you can see that the image quality looks very similar on both these cameras in 4k 24. Now, let's talk about low light and let me explain how I did the test here. So, shot the zv10 and s-log 2, and I use zebras and 32 percent on a gray card because that's a proper exposure in slog2. And I did 41 with a gray card in s-log 3 with the Lut turned off in the fx30. I also did a custom white balance on both cameras after getting proper exposure. I would raise the iso by a third of a stop and then adjust the shutter speed by a third of stop to get the same exposure at each stop of I ISO. Then I bring the images into the computer and I do a simple grade just by adding some contrast and saturation to get them as close as possible, but I

don't do any color adjustments because I already did a custom white balance. Now keep in mind with these cameras, they have different bases. So, the base ISO and the ZV10 is 500, and the FX30 has a dual-based system of 800 and 2500. So, as you take a look at these images and I step up through the ISO range, there's a few things you want to take note of here. First of all, you want to take a look at things like overall image quality, the detail and sharpness, the noise levels, and then, of course, the color on the images. So, as you step up through the range here, I noticed that the noise was pretty similar between the two cameras because they're both sort of shooting in the same way with that oversampled 4K because we're in 24 frames per second here. But as you step up higher in the range, you'll see that the color starts to fall apart a little bit faster on the ZV-E10, and of course, this is totally expected. Overall, I'd say they were

pretty similar in the low and middle range, but I think the FX30 definitely does better in the higher range. Next, talk about dynamic range between these two cameras, and for this, I did a simple test where I'll stay next to a window. The way I exposed this was I just made sure I didn't clip the highlights, the bright image outside of the window, and then tried to raise the exposure a little bit in the shadows to see how much detail was there. So, taking a look here, you can definitely see that the FX30 does a lot better in terms of dynamic range than the ZB10. Again, this is not really a surprise, but I just wanted to show that comparison. If you're finding value in this video, I would highly appreciate you hitting the Subscribe button down below. It would mean a lot to me. Also, there are affiliate links in the description for all the gear that I use on a regular basis, and they don't cost you anything extra but really do help me out. In addition to that, I am now offering

one-on-one coaching calls. So, if you want to talk about content creation, videography, camera gear, there's a link down below if you want to sign up. I've already had some great conversations with people, but as I said, hit subscribe. Thank you so much. Next, let's talk about image stabilization. So, the ZV-E10 does not have a mechanical IBIS or in-body stabilization system, unlike something like the FX30. It does have what's called active stabilization, which is just an electronic mode. Now, the FX30 has mechanical IBIS, but it also has an active mode, which is electronic stabilization that's added on to the IBIS. Now, let's take a look at some images here to compare the stabilization. So, for the first one, I did a walking test from just hand-holding a camera. And for this, I used the 16 to 35 F4 Zeiss lens, which does have stabilization in the lens. I'd like to do this without stabilization in the lens, but it's the

widest lens that I have right now. So take a look here. The first comparison is the ZB10 with no stabilization against the FX30 with the mechanical IBIS in the standard mode. And then if you, the second part is I compare them both with the active mode. And I would definitely have to give a huge advantage here to the FX30. It definitely looked way better than the ZB10 because, of course, it has a mechanical stabilization system. Now let's take a look at a stabilization shot of just trying to hold the camera steady. And for this, I put the 24 to 70 G Master Mark II on both lenses because it doesn't have stabilization. I wanted to see how well the camera IBIS did just on their own. So for this comparison here, first of all, I did no stabilization versus no stabilization. Then I did the standard stabilization versus no stabilization. And then I did active stabilization in both, of course, with active stabilization. You do get an additional crop in, but it does help quite a bit. But overall, I

would definitely give a huge advantage to these fx30 for stabilization across the board. Next, let's talk about rolling shutter, which is of some concern for videographers. Now, generally, I don't really worry so much about rolling shutter, but I have to say the rolling shutter in the zve10 is pretty bad, like it is in the other Sony aps-c cameras and the A7 III, A74, because of that oversampled image and a slightly slower readout and processing speed. So again, taking a look here at the rolling shutter performance, you can definitely see that the fx30 does a lot better, whereas zv10, you get that sort of jelloy, warpy kind of looking footage. So huge advantage here to the fx30. After diving into some of those details here, let's talk about what's the same between these two cameras. They both have an APS-C size sensor, so the zv10 is gonna have a 1.5 times crop, the fx30 in photo has a 1.5 times crop, and in video, it's an

additional I think four percent crop, which gives you around 1.56 times crop, so very similar in terms of the crop factor. They both have the same Mount, the e-mount, so you can mount the same lenses on them. They both have an oversampled 4K image and 24 frames per second. Of course, the fx30 can shoot oversampled up to 4K 60. They both have the same picture profiles, minus as cinetone, which is not in the zve E10. Now, you can, as I said earlier, you can shoot up to s-log 3 on the zv town, but I really don't recommend it. I would recommend shooting s log 2 if you want to shoot log on the zv10. And they both have the intelligent hot shoe, which gives you the option for lots of accessories, including things like the XLR k3m, which is, you know, probably a little overkill for the zb10 because zb10 is 700 and just the XLR k3m is 600. But if

you do want to get professional audio like XLR inputs into your zv10. You can; it does work on this camera. There's also other things you can add to the camera in terms of the hot shoes, so they both have those more modern intelligent hot shoes. All right, so there were a few things in common, but there's a lot that's different between these two cameras. And so, first of all, as I say, they both have APS-C side sensors, but the zve10 has a 24.2-megapixel sensor versus a 26.1-megapixel sensor on the fx30. Very similar in terms of megapixels, but a slight improvement for the fx30. And you'd still get oversampled 4K on both cameras. And as I said earlier, the zve E10 can shoot 4K 24, and it can shoot 4K 30 with a crop, but it can't go higher than 4K 30. The fx30 can go up to 4K 60.

but if you shoot in 4k 120, it does have a crop. Again, in terms of color depth, the zv10 is 8-bit versus 10-bit. This is a huge difference. Codecs are also very different on these two cameras. The zv10, the highest it can shoot in, is the xabc S 4K, which is 100 megabits per second. The fx30 kind of blows out of the water with the sis and HS options, and then you can also shoot 16-bit raw externally with a Ninja V recorder. And you know, there's just a whole lot more options in terms of codecs and bit rates and depth in the image that comes out of the fx30 and what can be recorded. The fx30 also has the new menu system, which is absolutely incredible and is a huge upgrade to the older menu system. It's funny, from someone like myself who's in both, every time I go back into the zv10, I'm just utterly confused. The color science has also improved in the new

newer generation of cameras, and just from my personal experience, I really do enjoy the colors a lot more in the FX30. The FX30 has all the really cool new features like Focus breathing compensation, Focus mapping, etc., that you find in cameras like the A74. So, there's a lot different just in terms of the specs and the way the cameras operate between these two cameras. Next, it's going to talk about the build quality and the physical characteristics of these two cameras. Now, the ZV10 was more marketed as a vlogging camera, and I think the reason for that is that if you take a look at it, it is a much more simple design. It has less buttons and dials. It's obviously a lot smaller. It has a flip screen just like the FX30. So, you know, it's great for filming yourself, but in terms of the functionality of it and the usability of it, it's definitely more of a beginner's camera and more towards, you know, vlogging because of less buttons and dials and just a smaller form factor. So,

Overall, you know, I do have to mention that the ergonomics of the two cameras are very different. The FX30 has way better ergonomics for shooting video. It is a more professional style camera. It has a much deeper grip, has lots of buttons and dials, and, you know, custom controls and things like that. So, you know, if you're going to be shooting video on this long, you know, for longer periods of time, and you really need to work all those functions, the FX30 is definitely a way better bet. As I said, the ZVE10 is definitely more of a beginner style vlogging camera and has a tiny grip and is much harder to hold. But there are a couple of things that are really cool about the ZB10, you know. One thing is it has a tally light, which is really nice to have on your camera, especially when you're filming yourself. One thing to point out also about the FX30 is the fact that it has a built-in fan, and this is a huge deal because this

camera will not overheat. If you're doing long record times for video, this is definitely going to be a benefit for you to have that because the ZV10 will overheat on you at some point out in the heat with long run times, whereas the FX30 will not. Now, they both have flippy screens, which is awesome, and I love flippy screens, not only just to get different angles but also for filming yourself. Now, they are similar because they both are three-inch screens, but there's a lot more resolution on the FX30, coming in at 2.36 million dots, and the older screen on the ZV10 has .92 million dots, so huge difference in terms of the resolution between the two LCD screens. And they both don't have EVFs, so that's something to keep in mind as well. Now, batteries. So, the ZV10 has the smaller Sony batteries, and this is really hard when you're shooting video, having smaller batteries. So, that's something to keep in mind is that the FX30 has the

fz100 batteries, which last a lot longer, and so I'm a big fan of having a bigger battery. It's less to worry about, less times you know having to stop and get another battery, and manage all those batteries and all those sorts of things. Now, let's talk about memory cards, and there's a big difference here. The fx30 has dual slots here, so you can either use the CF Express type A cards from Sony in these cameras to get the highest possible quality and the highest possible frame rates, but it's not necessary for most frame rates. And you also have the option of shooting on SD cards. I will leave recommendations for my card preferences in the description below if you want to pick these up, but you have the option to do dual recording, which is really nice if you need a backup, and having the flexibility of different cards. Now, the zve10 mounts in the bottom, which is not my favorite, and it only has one card, and it holds SD cards. So, those are the differences between the memory cards, but

what I like to buy is V90 cards, and then I can use them in pretty much every camera that I use. But if you do need those highest possible, like 4K 120, and all, then you're gonna need to use the CF Express Type A cards. All right, so let's talk about ports, and the ZV-E10 is kind of surprising. Not that it has a mic jack, but it has a headphone jack. It also has a USB-C, and unfortunately has a micro HDMI, but I don't think that's gonna... You're not gonna get a full-size HDMI on a US camera of this size. But as I see, they included the headphone jack. Now, the FX30 has all of you have the same ports, plus it has a full-size HDMI instead of the micro HDMI, and then it also has an additional USB port for connectivity for other accessories and things like that. The last thing I want to mention that's a big difference between these two cameras has to do with photography. Now, I don't talk about photography much on

this channel, but when there's big differences, I do like to point them out. So, the FX30 does not have a mechanical shutter whatsoever, so you're kind of limited in some of the photography stuff. There is no burst shooting mode, there is no bulb mode, and again, you only have an electronic shutter, whereas you do have a mechanical shutter, burst mode, bulb mode, those sorts of things in the ZV-E10. So, as you just saw, there are a lot of differences between these two cameras, and it's really not surprising based on the price difference and also just how the two cameras look. This camera, as I said, is more of a vlog-style camera. That's how it's marketed, just in terms of the buttons, the dials, the layout, you know, all the things I mentioned before. It's really, it's a lot harder of a camera to operate if you're shooting in manual mode, but if you're shooting in some of the more automatic modes, this is a great option. It also has some more

beginner features like product showcase, background blur, etc. But that's not to say that you can't produce great images with this camera. And I've been using this camera in my studio for a few months now. And I use it for the low angle shot when you see this in my videos. I'm using a different camera today. Or I use it for an overhead because it does produce a very clean, detailed, and sharp image in 4K 24. And it's easy for me to pair it with other cameras. It's lightweight, lots of lens options for the e-mount. So, it's a great camera in a lot of different situations. But if you are out shooting professional video or just doing a lot of video work and you need extended run times and a lot of customization and a lot of more professional features and be able to match with the other cameras, I think that's really where this comes in. So, again, let me just recap a lot of the things that you get in the FX30. You know

you're going to get 10-bit video, which is a huge difference for me personally. Shooting a log all the time, you get 4K 60, 4K 120, better codecs and bit rates, the new menu system, the new color science, the full-size HDMI port, the bigger battery, the fan to limit overheating. You get things like focus breathing conversation amongst a lot of other things. All right, so let me wrap it up for real this time, but back to the original questions that I posed at the beginning of this video. If you have a ZV10 or 6000 series camera, should you upgrade? I would say that if you have the money to do it, you should upgrade. The FX30 is such a more powerful camera in terms of all the things I mentioned: 10-bit, new color science, 4K 60, 4K 120, better low-light performance, unlimited run times, those sorts of things. The FX30 is a really powerful camera, and we're really, you know, up your game in terms of video production. Now the other question

here is if you don't own either. Which one should you buy now for most people? If you can afford, like I said, get the fx30. But there are some advantages to the zve E10, and mainly that's a huge price difference. So if you are just doing basic talking head stuff for YouTube, then the zb10 will definitely give you a great image. I would take the extra money that you'd save, invest in a better lens, invest in good lighting, invest in good audio. I would say that's probably a better investment. And then as you need to, you will already have all those nice things like lenses, lights, and microphones when you upgrade to a camera like the fx30. You will have all the things that you need, and you'll see a bigger improvement on your image quality and just your workflow with those improvements over in fx30. But overall, fx30 super impressive. I have a whole bunch of videos about it, and you should definitely check those out. I'll leave a few links down below. Thank you so much.

for watching. Please hit subscribe if you aren't already, and we'll see you in the next one. [Music]

Sony FX30 vs ZV-E10 - Is The FX30 Really Worth It?

Sony FX30 vs ZV-E10 - Is The FX30 Really Worth It?