Sony ZV-E10 II Setup: Menu Settings to Change First

Sony ZV-E10 II setup comes down to a short list: make the menu reachable by touch, pick a video format that crops and heats only as much as you can accept, and set the mic, autofocus helpers and stabilization before you press record. Do that once and the camera mostly stays out of your way on the first shoot.

Before the first shoot: battery, power and your phone

Charge the battery and know what it gives you

The ZV-E10 II uses Sony's NP-FZ100 battery, which PetaPixel lists at 610 shots (CIPA rated) and over two hours of 4K recording on a single charge. In Videomaker's testing, the camera ran for 2 hours and 14 minutes recording 4K 24p in 10-bit 4:2:2 at 50 Mbps. It can also run off USB-C PD power.

If you plan to stream or record long sit-down videos, a USB-C power source lets you stop worrying about the battery. For short outings, one charged battery covers most sessions.

Pair your phone with the QR code

To connect a smartphone, the camera shows a QR code on its screen, and scanning it fills in the Wi-Fi password on your phone so you do not have to type it. Do this at home, where a stable connection makes the first pairing easier.

Learn the two switches

Camera Jabber notes that the on/off switch now surrounds the shutter button, and the mode control is a switch rather than the button used on the original ZV-E10. Get used to where both sit before you are in front of the lens.

Set up the menu so you can reach everything

The ZV-E10 II uses the newer menu design from Sony's Alpha A7-series cameras. Photography Blog calls the structure more logical but still pretty complicated. Digital Camera World describes quick options on the main screen for common settings, menus that are fully customizable, and menus that flip into a vertical orientation automatically.

Use the touchscreen

The original ZV-E10 had a touchscreen but no touch menu navigation, which Videomaker called a major pain for vloggers. The ZV-E10 II has a 3.0-inch touchscreen with menu touch control. Videomaker found touch tracking and menu control quick and convenient for adjusting settings and focusing on a subject.

Practice changing a setting by touch with the screen flipped toward you. That way you can fix something mid-take without turning the camera around.

Build a personal menu page and fill the Function menu

Sony's personal menu screen lets you place any menu setting on one page, and you can set it as the default screen that appears when you press the Menu button. Photography Blog says that between the Function menu and that personal page, you can reach what you need quickly despite the large number of features.

Good candidates for that page: file format and frame rate, the picture look, audio level, the mic direction and the 4K 120p add-on status. Keep it to one screen so you never scroll.

For a general walkthrough of Sony's menu layout, see the Sony camera menu setup guide.

Shooting vertical video

Sony says about 70% of what people shoot for social media is vertical, and the ZV-E10 II includes a vertical information display. If most of your work goes to phones, mount the camera vertically and let the display rotate with it.

Pick your video format

The ZV-E10 II records 4K up to 60p in 10-bit 4:2:2 at 100 Mbps. PetaPixel reports it shoots 10-bit across all record modes. The catch is crop, which changes with frame rate.

Format	Crop	Notes
4K up to 30p	None	Full sensor width
4K 60p	About 1.1x	Slight crop with SteadyShot on Standard or Off
4K 120p	About 1.6x	Needs the free license upgrade
Full HD 120p	Not stated	Available at launch
Full HD 240p	Not stated	Allows 10x slow motion in 24p playback

For everyday talking-head and vlog footage, start with 4K at 24p or 30p. You keep the widest view from the kit lens, which matters when you hold the camera at arm's length.

Plan around heat

Digital Camera World found the camera gets hot in regular 4K, and in 4K60p it managed around 45 minutes before needing a cooldown. Videomaker reports the camera does not overheat in every format, but does when shooting at its best quality. If you record long interviews or streams, use 4K 30p or lower and keep the camera out of direct sun.

Unlocking 4K 120p

The ZV-E10 II launched in July 2024 without 4K 120p, and a free upgrade added it later. It is not a simple firmware update: you sign in to the Sony Creators' Cloud website, or enter your camera's serial number, download a license file and install it on the camera. PetaPixel advises signing in with an account, because people who do not register the camera may need to download the license again later.

With the add-on in use, proxy recording, Smart Zoom, Clear Image Zoom, Digital Zoom and Active SteadyShot are unavailable. Sony has published a Help Guide for the upgrade that lists compatible SD cards for the new recording functions. Check your card against that list before you shoot slow motion.

Choose a picture look

Creative Look for straight-out-of-camera color

Creative Look gives you 10 preset looks with eight adjustable parameters, and you can save six more custom looks. The presets now have full names such as "Portrait" instead of short codes. If you do not plan to color grade, pick one here and leave it.

S-Cinetone and S-Log3 for more control

The ZV-E10 II includes S-Cinetone, S-Log3 and S-Gamut3. Camera Jabber says footage shot in S-Cinetone or S-Log3 with 10-bit 4:2:2 has huge potential in post-production. S-Log3 looks washed out until you grade it, so only choose it if you plan to edit color. Reviewer Jabari A.K. Holder points out that the camera shares recording modes, picture profiles and batteries with the FX30 and FX3.

Cinematic Vlog setting

The Cinematic Vlog setting applies a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and locks the frame rate to 24p. Use it when you want a widescreen film look without setting each part by hand. Turn it off for vertical or social clips, where the letterbox bars waste space.

Autofocus and the vlogging buttons

Background defocus button

The camera has a built-in button for background defocus. PetaPixel notes that experienced shooters get the same result by controlling the aperture manually. If you are new to exposure, this button is the quickest way to soften what is behind you.

Product Showcase

Product Showcase focuses on the closest face unless something is held up to the camera, and PetaPixel found it works very well. Turn it on for unboxings and reviews, then off for regular talking segments.

What to expect from tracking

The ZV-E10 II uses Sony's Bionz XR processor but lacks the AI chip found in premium models. PetaPixel found autofocus excellent in most situations, though the camera can occasionally snap briefly to the background or foreground. Digital Camera World had no issue with face and eye recognition for vlogging, but found animal recognition weaker, especially with exotic animals. Camera Jabber lists 759 autofocus points covering 94% of the frame.

For pets and wildlife, tap the subject on the touchscreen to direct focus rather than trusting detection alone.

Audio settings

The ZV-E10 II has a three-capsule mic, and you can set it to prioritize sound in front of the camera, behind it, or all around, or let the camera choose the direction automatically. A furry windscreen comes in the box for windy days.

Set the mic to front when you are filming someone else, and rear or auto when you are talking to the camera. Fit the windscreen any time you are outdoors.

Videomaker still recommends an external microphone, and the camera has a 3.5 mm mic input and a 3.5 mm headphone output for monitoring. The camera also has a multi-interface shoe. Plug in headphones for your first few recordings so you hear problems before you edit. For options, see the best microphones for the ZV-E10 and ZV-E10 II.

Stabilization

The ZV-E10 II has no IBIS. Photography Blog says a lens with built-in stabilization, such as the E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II, gives a couple of extra stops for stills and smooths out light movement in video. The new kit lens can also keep autofocus while zooming.

Videomaker's verdict was that the SteadyShot image stabilization is not worth using. Electronic stabilization also interacts with crop: the 1.1x crop at 4K 60p applies with SteadyShot on Standard or Off, and Active SteadyShot is unavailable at 4K 120p. Try SteadyShot off and on with your own walking footage, and if it does not help, leave it off and keep the wider view. A small gimbal or a tripod does more for steady shots on this body.

Photo settings

Shutter and fast motion

PetaPixel reports the ZV-E10 II has no mechanical shutter for stills, and you can see wobble and banding in photos even though readout speed is decent. Videomaker also flags the rolling shutter effect as a possible dealbreaker for some buyers. Avoid fast pans while shooting stills, and watch for stripes under artificial lights.

ISO and noise reduction

The standard ISO range is 100 to 32000, expandable to 50 and 102400. Auto ISO works within ISO 100 to 6400 and lets you set upper and lower limits. High ISO noise reduction can be set to Normal or Low, or turned off. Set an Auto ISO upper limit you are comfortable with, and switch noise reduction to Low or off if you shoot Raw and clean up noise later.

Dynamic range and image quality

Photography Blog found excellent dynamic range at sensible ISOs, especially with Sony's Dynamic Range Optimisation turned on. Its sample images used the 26-megapixel Extra Fine JPEG setting. For JPEG shooters, Extra Fine with DRO on is a sensible starting point.

If photos matter as much as video, Digital Camera World suggests looking harder at the Sony a6700 instead. For a full side-by-side with the first model, read Sony ZV-E10 vs ZV-E10 II, and if you own the original, the ZV-E10 setup guide covers its older menus.

A short checklist before you press record

• Battery charged, or USB-C power connected for long sessions.
• Phone paired by QR code.
• Personal menu page set as the default Menu screen.
• 4K at 24p or 30p for full-width framing; 4K 60p only when you need it.
• A Creative Look chosen, or S-Log3 if you plan to grade.
• Mic direction set, windscreen on outdoors, headphones plugged in.
• Product Showcase on for product videos, off otherwise.
• SteadyShot tested on your own footage before you commit to it.