Sony ZV-E10 II Accessories: What to Buy First, in Order

The first Sony ZV-E10 II accessories to buy are power and storage: a spare NP-FZ100 battery with a Z-series charger, plus a fast SD card, because the camera runs on the Z battery and supports UHS-II SD cards. After that, add a wireless mic for the 3.5mm jack, a cage, a 55mm variable ND for a bright lens, and a strap, in that order.

Buying order at a glance

This order puts the things that stop a shoot (a dead battery, a full or slow card) ahead of the things that make footage nicer. Each item is covered in its own section below.

Order	Accessory	Why it comes here
1	Spare NP-FZ100 and BC-QZ1 charger	The ZV-E10 II uses the NP-FZ100, not the original's W battery
2	UHS-II V90 SD card	The camera takes SD cards and supports UHS-II
3	DJI Mic Mini	The 3.5mm mic jack has a good pre-amp
4	SmallRig cage for the ZV-E10 II	The body is small, at 292g, with no viewfinder
5	55mm variable ND filter	Lets you shoot a bright lens wide open in daylight
6	Strap	Cheap insurance once you carry the camera everywhere

1. A spare NP-FZ100 battery and a BC-QZ1 charger

The biggest hardware change from the original camera is the battery. PetaPixel's review of the first ZV-E10 called battery life on the old W battery a consistent issue. The ZV-E10 II uses Sony's NP-FZ100 instead, and the grip was deepened to make room for it.

Digital Camera World describes the Z battery as having about 50% more capacity, squeezed in without making the camera much bigger. PetaPixel lists 610 shots (CIPA rated) and over two hours of 4K recording on a single charge. Digital Camera World reports Sony's figure as 195 minutes of continuous recording. On that reviewer's days of filming short clips totaling one to two hours, the battery came home with around 20 to 30% left.

That is a solid day for many people, so why a spare? Because battery life depends heavily on how you use the camera, and a long event, a livestream or a travel day can drain one pack. A second NP-FZ100 means you never cut a shoot short.

Pair the spare with a dedicated Z-series charger. With an external charger like the Sony BC-QZ1, one battery can charge while the other is in the camera, and you are not tying up the camera to top up packs.

Do not buy the Sony NP-FW50 for this camera. That is a W-series pack, and the ZV-E10 II uses the NP-FZ100. For more on genuine versus third-party packs, see the guide to spare batteries for Canon, Sony and Nikon.

2. A UHS-II V90 SD card

Sony's Help Guide says the ZV-E10 II supports SD memory cards and is UHS-II compatible, and microSD cards need an adaptor. UHS-II matters because the camera records demanding video formats, including XAVC S-I.

The Help Guide includes a table that matches each movie recording format to compatible cards. Before you buy, look up the format you plan to shoot in that table. If you add the free 4K 120p upgrade later, Sony published a separate Help Guide with its own card compatibility list.

Card details that catch beginners

• On an SDHC card, long recordings are split into 4 GB files. A larger SDXC card avoids that hassle for long takes.
• The camera cannot record proxy files in XAVC S-I. Proxy movies, when available, top out at 16 Mbps.
• Recording at 120p or 100p is not available in XAVC S-I 4K or XAVC S-I HD.
• If an icon appears on the memory card symbol saying the card is near its rewrite limit, Sony says to switch to another card.

A V90 UHS-II SDXC card like the SanDisk Extreme PRO sits at the fast end of the SD range, which gives you headroom for any format the camera offers. One 128GB card is a sensible start. Buy a second later so you can swap rather than delete in the field.

The SD card guide for the a6700, ZV-E10 and FX30 matches cards to each video mode in more detail.

3. A DJI Mic Mini for the 3.5mm jack

The built-in mic is good. PetaPixel describes a three-capsule mic that can prioritize sound in front of the camera, behind it, or all around, plus a windscreen in the box. It still sits on the camera, so it picks up the room as much as your voice once you step back.

A clip-on wireless mic fixes that. PetaPixel notes the ZV-E10 II has a mic jack with a good pre-amp and a headphone jack. The DJI Mic Mini (1 TX + 1 RX) includes one receiver and one transmitter, and DJI positions it for solo creators.

What the DJI Mic Mini specs mean for you

• Battery: DJI rates the transmitter at about 11.5 hours and the receiver at about 10.5 hours, measured with the transmitter connected to the receiver and the receiver connected to a camera by the 3.5mm TRS cable.
• Range: DJI lists 400 m in an open, interference-free environment, for reference only.
• Safety track: in Mono with Safety Track mode, it records a backup track at -6 dB to protect against sudden loud sounds.
• Noise cancellation: a Basic level for quiet rooms and a Strong level for noisy places.
• Auto power: connected to a camera by 3.5mm cable, the receiver can power on and off with the camera, set in the DJI Mimo app.
• No internal storage: the transmitter cannot record on its own as a backup.

The safety track is more useful than it sounds on this camera. PetaPixel's one audio criticism was that the on-screen levels are small and give no warning before they clip. A -6 dB backup track gives you something to fall back on if a laugh or shout distorts the main track.

If you want to lose the cable later, DJI sells a Camera Adapter that mounts the receiver on a Sony Multi Interface shoe for 48kHz 24-bit digital audio, with the camera powering the receiver. The ZV-E10 II has a Multi Interface shoe. Start with the included cable and add the adapter only if the cable bothers you.

The microphone guide for the ZV-E10 and ZV-E10 II compares other options.

4. A SmallRig cage made for the ZV-E10 II

The ZV-E10 II is compact at 10.3oz/292g, with an articulating screen and no viewfinder. That makes it easy to carry, but it gives you few places to mount a mic receiver, a light or a handle. PetaPixel also found very little space for your fingers when using larger lenses.

A cage adds mounting points and a better hold. Buy one designed for the ZV-E10 II. Digital Camera World notes the grip grew slightly to fit the Z battery, so a cage built around the original body is not a safe bet.

When you fit any cage, check that the Multi Interface shoe, the mic jack, the headphone jack and the SD card door on the side of the camera all stay reachable. A cage that blocks the card door turns every card swap into a chore.

5. A 55mm variable ND filter for a bright lens

This step only pays off once you have a lens worth putting it on. The background defocus button toggles between the shallowest and deepest depth of field your lens allows. Digital Camera World did not notice a massive difference with the kit lens because of its modest maximum aperture. PetaPixel says the new 16-50mm kit lens is sharp enough for 4K video but suggests looking elsewhere if photography is a priority.

PetaPixel recommends the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 as a starting point for APS-C Sony shooters. A constant f/2.8 zoom gives the defocus button far more to work with than the kit lens.

Why an ND comes with a bright lens

An ND filter lets you keep the aperture wide open in bright daylight without forcing a very fast shutter speed. A variable ND lets you dial that strength up or down without swapping filters. The thread size is usually printed inside the lens cap or on the front of the lens.

Shutter speed is worth watching on this camera. PetaPixel found that with Active SteadyShot and standard, slower shutter speeds, some frames came out blurry, while fast shutter speeds made motion look jumpy. Use the ND to get into a sensible range, then run a quick test walk before an important shoot. The ZV-E10 II video settings guide covers shutter choices, and the background defocus guide explains the button in detail.

6. A strap

A strap is the cheapest item on this list and the easiest to forget. Once the camera is in a cage with a mic receiver on top, you want something that keeps it on your shoulder between shots and stops a drop. A slim, adjustable strap works for both handheld vlogging and walking around.

Check that the strap's anchors attach to your cage or the camera's lugs before you build the rest of the rig around it.

What to skip early

Plenty of gear looks related to this camera and is not worth your money yet. The guide to accessories beginners buy too early covers the general pattern.

Anything made for the original ZV-E10

The Sony NP-FW50 battery is the wrong battery for the ZV-E10 II, which uses the NP-FZ100. The SMALLRIG ZV-E10 Cage with Silicone Handle and Built-in Cold Shoe is listed for the original body, and the ZV-E10 II's grip is slightly larger. And if you already own the ZV-E10 II, you do not need the original Sony ZV-E10 body as a second camera. See Sony ZV-E10 vs ZV-E10 II for what changed.

A gimbal, until you have tried Active SteadyShot

The ZV-E10 II has no in-body stabilization. PetaPixel saw a lot of bounce in footage until Active SteadyShot was enabled. Learn what Active SteadyShot and steady handheld technique can do first, then decide whether a gimbal solves a real problem.

A drone

A DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo is a separate camera system with its own batteries and learning curve. It does nothing for the sound, power or handling of your ZV-E10 II. Get the camera rig right first.

New cards just for 4K 120p

4K 120p arrived as a free license from Sony's Creators' Cloud website, not a normal firmware update. It increases the crop to about 1.6x and restricts proxy recording and Active SteadyShot. It also has its own card compatibility list. Hold off on buying extra cards for it until you know you will use slow motion regularly.

Big, heavy lenses

PetaPixel found very little room for your fingers on the grip with larger lenses like the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II. Digital Camera World calls handling a dream with small lenses. A compact bright zoom or prime suits this body better than a heavy full-frame zoom. The beginner Sony lens guide covers smaller options.

Once the gear arrives

Charge both batteries, format the new card in the camera, and set up the mic before your first real shoot. The ZV-E10 II setup guide walks through the menu settings to change first, and the low light settings guide helps once you take the camera indoors or out at night.