Sony ZV-E10 II Background Defocus Button: How to Blur It

The background defocus button on the Sony ZV-E10 II puts the camera into a mode that blurs the background with one press, then toggles between a "Defocus" and a "Clear" look each time you press it again. It works by locking the aperture, so how much blur you actually get depends mostly on the lens you have mounted.

What the background defocus button does

Sony's Help Guide for the ZV-E10 II says you can change the level of background defocus simply by pressing the button while shooting still images or movies. The first press activates Background Defocus mode and blurs the background, and after that each press switches between "Defocus" and "Clear".

The setting it changes is aperture. In PetaPixel's review, the button toggles between the shallowest depth of field and the deepest that your lens will allow. Digital Camera World describes the Defocus setting as using the widest aperture possible to get the most blur.

While the mode is on, the aperture value is locked, and the screen shows a Defocus or Clear icon where the aperture number normally sits. If you are used to seeing an f-number in that corner and it disappears, that icon is the reason.

Defocus vs Clear

Defocus is the look you want for a talking head, a product shot or a portrait, where the background should stay soft and out of the way. Clear gives you the deepest depth of field the lens allows, which suits shots where the room or location matters as much as the person in it.

You are not stuck with one strength of blur. Sony's Help Guide says you can set the amount of background defocus for the Defocus setting using the Defocus Level Set menu item. If full defocus leaves part of a product soft, or you simply want a gentler look, turn the level down there.

How to leave the mode

On the ZV-E10 II, pressing the MENU button returns the camera to normal shooting and puts the aperture back to its former value. The Help Guide also lists other operations that cancel the mode and restore the previous aperture.

One limit to know: you cannot change the defocus level while using Focus Magnifier in Background Defocus mode, even if you press the button. If a press seems to do nothing, check whether magnification is on.

ZV-E10 vs ZV-E10 II: how the button differs

The feature works the same way on both cameras: one press turns it on, then it toggles between Defocus and Clear. The details around it changed a little, as the two Help Guides show.

Detail	Sony ZV-E10	Sony ZV-E10 II
Works for stills and movies	Yes	Yes
First press, then each press after	Turns mode on, then toggles Defocus and Clear	Turns mode on, then toggles Defocus and Clear
Button that exits the mode	Still/Movie/S&Q button	MENU button
Level cannot be changed while using	Manual Focus or Focus Magnifier	Focus Magnifier
Exposure warning from locked aperture	Yes	Yes
Photo/video/S&Q control	Button	Three-way switch

The original ZV-E10's Help Guide also notes that Background Defocus is not available in some shooting modes. Digital Camera World points out that the ZV-E10 II's switch for photo, video and S&Q makes it easier to see which mode you are in at a glance. For everything else that changed between the two bodies, see Sony ZV-E10 vs ZV-E10 II: What Changed and Which to Buy. If you own the original, the Sony ZV-E10 background defocus guide covers that camera on its own.

Why the kit lens limits the effect

The button cannot open a lens wider than the lens itself allows, because Defocus simply uses the widest aperture available. Digital Camera World's reviewer wrote that how useful the mode is depends on your lens, and that with the standard kit lens they did not notice a massive difference because of its mediocre maximum aperture.

The ZV-E10 II sells in a kit with the Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II power zoom. The maximum aperture in that name runs from f/3.5 at the wide end to f/5.6 at the long end. PetaPixel notes the new version can keep autofocus while zooming, but that the optics do not appear to have been upgraded.

For the older SELP1650 16-50mm kit lens, Imaging Resource lists an aperture range of f/3.5 to f/22 at the wide end and f/5.6 to f/36 at the long end. Digital Camera World's ZV-E10 II sample images with the 16-50mm II at 50mm were shot at f/5.6. So on either kit lens, the button's Defocus setting has a fairly modest opening to work with at full zoom.

That does not make the kit useless for blur. It means the button alone will not do the job, and the habits in the next section matter more.

How to blur the background more: aperture, distance and framing

Aperture

The button is a shortcut, not the only route. PetaPixel notes that seasoned shooters can get background defocus by controlling the aperture manually. When you set it yourself, choose the lowest f-number your lens offers, and you can see the exact value instead of an icon. If you are not sure how manual exposure works on this camera body family, start with Sony ZV-E10 Auto vs Manual Mode.

Distance

Placement does a lot of the work, whatever the lens. A few things to try:

• Pull your subject away from the wall. A person sitting right against a bookshelf will look flat; move the chair forward into the room.
• Bring the camera closer to your subject, so they fill more of the frame.
• Pick a background that is far away and visually busy, like a room behind you, a street or trees, rather than a plain wall right behind your head.

Combine these with the Defocus setting and you will see far more separation than from pressing the button with your back against a wall.

Zoom and video crop

Try both ends of the kit zoom and compare the result on screen, since the maximum aperture changes as you zoom. Also keep in mind that some video modes crop the image. PetaPixel reports a slight crop of about 1.1x for 4K/60p on the ZV-E10 II. With the free 4K/120p upgrade, that crop grows to about 1.6x the lens's indicated focal length, per Sony. A crop tightens your framing, so you may need to adjust where you put the camera when you switch modes.

Lenses that make the button worth using

The ZV-E10 II uses Sony's E-mount, which PetaPixel calls a robust line of lenses. Filmmaker Jeven Dovey, quoted in Sony's Alpha Universe review roundup, suggests pairing the camera with the small APS-C lenses Sony offers.

When you shop for a lens to get more blur, the number to look at is the maximum aperture. Anything with a lower f-number than the kit lens's f/3.5-5.6 gives the Defocus setting a wider opening to use.

Size matters on this body. PetaPixel found the deeper grip very comfortable with smaller lenses, but noted that larger professional optics leave your fingers little room. Its review gives the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II as an example of a large lens where there is very little space for your fingers. Digital Camera World says handling is a dream with small lenses. A compact lens with a low f-number fits the camera's design better than a big zoom.

For a wider view of the lens system, see Sony E-Mount Camera Ecosystem Explained.

Exposure and low light with the aperture locked

Sony's Help Guide warns that, depending on the shooting mode and conditions, the camera may be unable to obtain the optimal exposure because the aperture is locked in Background Defocus mode. The same warning appears for the original ZV-E10.

In practice, check the screen after every press. If the shot suddenly looks too dark or too bright, the locked aperture is the first thing to suspect, and pressing MENU returns the aperture to where it was. This matters most when you switch to Clear in a dim room, so keep an eye on brightness there. For more on dim scenes, read Sony ZV-E10 Low Light and Night Photography Settings.

When to use the button and when to set aperture yourself

PetaPixel describes the Background Defocus button as an easily understood option that can get users experimenting with depth of field. Digital Camera World's reviewer wrote that having dedicated buttons for background defocus and product showcase helped them remember the features were there instead of losing them in a menu.

Use the button when:

• You are filming yourself and want a quick switch between a blurred background and a clear one without touching menus.
• You are new to the camera and want to see what shallow depth of field looks like before learning manual control.
• You want a set strength of blur every time, tuned once in Defocus Level Set.

Set the aperture yourself when:

• You need to see the exact f-number, since the button hides it behind an icon.
• You want full control over exposure in tricky light.
• You are using manual focus or magnification and want to adjust blur at the same time.

Whichever way you go, the order of impact stays the same: a lens with a wide maximum aperture, a subject well away from the background, and a camera close to the subject. The button just makes the first step one press instead of a trip through settings. If you are still setting the camera up, How to Use the Sony ZV-E10: First-Time Setup Guide is a good next read.