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

[@Josh_Sattin]

CORRECTION: I mislabeled the clips at 4:18. Those are both in 4K 24fps.

[@MP-dz7vy]

I love that you used S-LOG 2 for the ZV-E10, in my experience it holds up really well, even on 8-bit and looks much better than the Cine or HLG profiles.

[@VilkanVisions]

I use Slog3 with no problem too :)

[@stedoesstuff]

99.9% of us aren’t professionals, we’re taking videos of our dogs which nobody will ever watch. I watched this video on my iPad and it defaulted to 720p and looked great so 4k 120 is overkill for virtually everyone. Great video, really interesting. I’d love a fx30 but unfortunately I really don’t need one.

[@deveenbr1169]

realist, great reflection

[@OskArt]

damn, same here

[@arquivo225]

Hi Steven, I understand what you said, let me show a different point of view. Yeah now a day my videos are full time for my own use, but hey they are my life, my storytelling, my memories. I worked as a part-time professional photographer and videographer for a decade and it was enough. On 2009, when I bought my first fullframe DSLR, I already have seen a young friend of mine with that expensive fullframe and 2 or 3 affordable prime lenses, and it worked perfect for him and his travels. It was the Nikon D700 and costs USD 3000 at that time as body only. All that without video features and only 12 megapixels. And it was great at that time. Now we are on a true 4k video era. Of course anyone can record memories on 1080p and show it on instagram. But if you enjoy your footage on your 65 or higher TV, so that's all about that. I would LOVE to have memories from my father and my grandpa on a 4k footage. 1080p also would be fine, but why not higher and sharper resolutions? Currently i'm using DJI Pocket 2 for travel vlogs and Gopro 10 for bicycle rides. For sure a want a lot of things, one mini-drone, insta 360 x3, update my old phone to iphone 13, my old tablet to ipad M1, etc. Sometimes I miss a true zoom lens for croped sensors like 17-70mm 2.8 and a good wide angle like 11mm 1.8 or 13mm 1.4. There are tons of people buying all that things for personal use, and it's all right. I was truly thinking about the ZV-E10 but as I have had many camera gears I clearly understand how good are to have a camera with a cooler system, metal body, bigger batteries, better screen, better menus, etc. So I will think twice about it. Somehow all kinds of cameras are a bit out of fashion, people are fine with they phones only. Buy hey there always a group of people that wants something more and something better.

[@rogerhuston8287]

4k 120 is for slow mo, actual playback is 24p.

[@arieirafilmes]

Speak for yourself.

[@DespotRus]

Initially i wanted to buy A7S iii, ended up with buying ZV-E10 and spending the rest of money on lights, lenses, gimbal and audio. I think it's much better for beginners since you can always upgrade the body and use your accessories, which are as important as the body itself.

[@anaraquelsilva9117]

I bought the ZV E10 with 3 lenses and still is cheaper. Very happy 😁

[@ThatKpopGuitarist]

Hey Josh! I've been trying to dial in my FX30 after being really comfortable with the ZV-E10. I've noticed that there's a pretty large difference in the sharpeness/detail between the two, with the FX30 coming out much softer than the ZV-E10 when reviewing the footage. Is this something you adhusted in post or noticed when you were comparing the two?

[@yanicmb]

I have both cameras and im using the ze10 for weddings I mount it on a tripod and point it at the alter

[@creativevision2891]

Sound good. Is that good for wedding reception specifically for stage. Second camera for a7iii. Which lens should we use for ze10?

[@yanicmb]

@@creativevision2891 so I used it for the ceremony on a tripod far back with an 85 mm lens and recorded audio with the dji mic setup and it worked tremendously, recorded it in Slog 2 and wow it looks good and it matched up nicely to the fx30 and I had another camera roaming aswell, 3 cam set up

[@creativevision2891]

@@yanicmb thank you

[@catalin-ap]

Thanks for the video and information in it, it's very helpful. The ZV-E10 is a bargain, and depending on where you buy it, if it's discounted you might find it for about $550 body only. For a camera that can record unlimited very detailed 4k video with good dynamic range, colors and great autofocus (plus headphones + mic jack), I think it isn't bad at all. Better cameras are more in the $750-$1000 ballpark. And for overheating, if in a studio, there are very cheap USB fans that let you record even 10 hours of 4k24, if you desire, while keeping the camera barely warm. For the price of about 3 to 4 ZV-E10s, the FX30 is definitely in a class of its own, as you have shown, despite having a similarly-sized sensor. And it's certainly a solid choice for pro video or for shooting a lot or hours at a time, or 4k120p, 4k60p, or for log etc. And as you have said, they don't exclude one another: if you need 3 angles, and don't have $6000 to invest just in video bodies (but you have $3000+), you can have one FX30 and two ZV-E10s, for instance. The ZV-E10 is also very light and very small (if paired with a small and light lens), almost like a point-and-shoot. And also, if you need to take occasional stills, the ZV-E10 has 11fps bursts and accepts flash, and has a mechanical shutter. Sure, not a great experience without an EVF, but all the other photo specs are there. Speaking of comparisons, FX30 vs A7C might be a good one too.

[@dobrovideo9220]

Доброго дня, подскажите, пожалуйста, где найти usb вентилятор?

[@BogeeDee]

​@@dobrovideo9220 ну что решили свой вопрос? Если нет то могу подсказать как.

[@procamara359]

What fans do you suggest?

[@赵明喆]

@@dobrovideo9220 taobao： “相机风扇”❤

[@bondgabebond4907]

The ZV-E10 is the one you will toss in a pocket or bag when heading out. Despite it being a generation older, much like the a6400, it still takes excellent pictures and videos. I can't complain as it really is a great performer. I wonder if we will see a Mk 2 version with updated hardware. This is a great review.

[@HEYMANFOODREVIEWS]

I feel like a zv-e10 with a small gimbal is the way to go for vloggers. My zv has never overheated and it’s tiny and with a 11m Sony lens it performs well at night and this is a fraction of the cost and has high performance. I really want to upgrade but I can’t see too much of a reason. Someone help 😂

[@VilkanVisions]

For me Slog3 with an 8 bit camera is not that bad, you just need to know how to work with it :)

[@ihassan1001]

I own bmpcc 4k and a zv-e10...it's simple, I use cinema camera for short films and zv-e10 for vlogging...it's the same here, if you are into making a film or client projects then fx30 is the way to go since colorgrading plays a huge part when it comes to professional work but if you just love to travel and vlog hey nothing beats zv-e10...Although I am thinking of fx30 but let's see...good video mate!

[@SunGymLive]

Can you compare a6600 and fx30? Trying to see if it's worth an upgrade.

[@Josh_Sattin]

ZVE10 and A6600 basically produce identical images.

[@studioalmafilmes4561]

Excellent content, answered all my doubts, only one left! lol... To work with weddings, do you think it's worth having the FX30 as the main camera and the ZVE10 as a second camera? Grateful!

[@Cartoonhub8826]

Which camera is best for me dx30 or zve10 2? Please tell making gym content

[@מיכאלקונטרוביץ]

I don't know why, but I really liked the colours of the fx30 and disappointed with the zve10 in this regard, maybe because the better dynamic range on the fx30.

[@raazrockss2020kota]

I appreciate your work ...Which lens is used in zve10. Buddy ...and which mic you use during recording video

[@khanceptbelal]

I'd like to see a comparison like this but with the a7c (FF + crop mode) and the fx30.

[@Josh_Sattin]

Unfortunately I don't have that camera, but I think a lot of what is in this video would be similar to the A7C (or A7III).

[@EOUNAOEVERDADE]

The price is a problem. Fx30 is obviously better, but it's not three times better to justify the price of 3x more

[@davidvictory9764]

Fx30 with sigma 16 seems crazy good

[@Josh_Sattin]

Solid combo for sure!

[@DennisMeetsWorld]

Picked up a ZV-E10 open box at Best Buy for $532. I don’t even shoot in 4K and barely color grade my videos so the 4K & 4:2:2, 10 bit would be wasted on me. $1800? No thank you.

[@KNAPPAID]

Im just asking why would you not shoot 4k ? , Most good fhd content on the web is shot in 4k or higher

[@DennisMeetsWorld]

@@KNAPPAID Have you ever shot in 4K? The file sizes are massive. I vlog and shoot lots of footage at the events I attend. It’s not uncommon for me to accumulate 3 full days worth of video footage. Imagine the nightmare it would be to deal with that for every singe video I have to download, edit, store, and upload. I’m a one-man band doing everything on my channel and I don’t get paid for any of it so to me it’s not worth it to shoot 4K.

[@KNAPPAID]

@@DennisMeetsWorld thats fair , never thought of that , i mostly stick to 4k under 200mbps one And sizes might be a problem if i do use it - but currently im not involved in many projects which does

[@DennisMeetsWorld]

@@KNAPPAID Yeah it would be nice to be able to shoot 4K but for now it wouldn’t go well with my workflow. Plus the rolling shutter is horrible on these older Sony APSC sensor cameras so unless you’re on a tripod, your footage looks jello-like. Having crispy 4K footage that looks wobbly and jello-like doesn’t makes sense to me. There is no rolling shutter in 1080p on the Sony APSC cameras and more options for frame rates so that’s what I use. You’d have to upgrade to the FX30 to have reduced 4K rolling shutter and better 4K frame rates in the Sony APSC market, but that thing is $1800 and due to low inventory retailers are charging $2000+ currently. Definitely not worth it for someone like me.

[@KNAPPAID]

@@DennisMeetsWorld yeah i forgot about the insane rolling shutter on sony's old 4k Also heres 2 thing , a funny thing for the first . The a6000/a5100 somehow gets better FHD video than the a6100/6300/6400/6500/6600 that succeeds it - how did they screw up the fhd that bad And Funfact for the second , if you want to try the fuji land , the xh2s uses the same sensor as the fx30

[@taylorshain12]

Thanks for this detailed breakdown - definitely helpful in making purchasing decisions.

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome Taylor!

[@taylorshain12]

@@Josh_SattinCame back again for more info/to make another purchasing decision. Thanks again for a helpful video.

[@zazyczech]

Where can I find zebra recommendations for 18% grey card?

[@Josh_Sattin]

There are links to all of the gear in the video description but here is the grey card: geni.us/NQP8Aj

[@jamesh4503]

I enjoy your videos - Thanks! Do you know if the FX30 loses face/eye autofocus if being operated remotely (smartphone or computer control)? I have the ZV-E10, and can use my iPad as a wireless monitor and can control most of the camera settings, but I lose face/eye autofocus when I do so. I have to get things setup, and then put the camera in airplane mode to get the eye autofucs back for recording. I hope that Sony fixed this limitation! (as well as the loss of face/eye autofocus when using Clearimage zoom). Thanks!

[@MartinKPettersson]

Do you know if you can use the a5300 with Ipad as well?

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome! I haven't used any remote apps with Sony cameras, but yes, you do lose some autofocus functionality when in clear image zoom.

[@KeithsTVHD1]

The zve 10 which I have has horrible rolling shutter in 4k which the fx30 appears not to have the bad rolling shutter.

[@Josh_Sattin]

Yup! I show that in this video.

[@KNAPPAID]

Fx30 uses a stacked sensor similar to the xh2s --- for 4 times the price of an e10

[@WhoIsAlexElliott]

My rolling shutter was unusable also. Way worse than any KZbin video had displayed. I was moving slow from left to right and it was still happening, where as KZbin tests were moving it quick which made me think it wouldn’t be as bad slow

[@Mysterybarllc]

Great video as always Mr. Josh

[@Josh_Sattin]

Thank you so much!

[@FastRedPonyCar]

As much as I would like the FX30, I feel like the E10 with a nice lens is the more practical buy if you aren't going to be using the camera to make money but you still want something nicer than an iphone.

[@EduardoStefanello]

Sony just launched the ZVE10 m2, many say it's not worth it because it's more expensive and there hasn't been much improvement. For me, just because of the dynamic range you show at 6:20 (the new one has the same sensor as the FX30) it's worth the upgrade.

[@gabriel-mckee]

Great comparison, thanks for sharing!

[@Josh_Sattin]

You’re welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@Web3nity]

Josh its a great video, your is better, cause you can actually see the video results and not just saying things in studio.. can you pls also mention the setting you did for the shooting? cause I just bought fx30 because of your video but mine is shooting terribly, so I think the inner setting is also very important

[@Tvj_films8452]

Did you ever figure out the settings?

[@Web3nity]

@@Tvj_films8452 I out some regular one, but I was curious what setting he is using to have that great pic

[@johnlocke3481]

The fx-30 is definitely worth it if you can afford it. for my use and budget I’m leaning toward buying three used zv-e10’s for the same price, but it’s a very hard decision because the image after color grading is way better in the fx-30

[@sungdol_short_paper]

thanks a lot i have a6400 and i will buy fx30

[@youtubebros]

Hi, Thanks for the video. So why does the dynamic range work so good on the FX30 6:05? Also For stabilization, I feel the FX30 camera is better but not worth the price. I feel using a gimble on both would be better use for stabilization. Just seems so small a difference for the in body Stabilization the fx30 has. An mostly used for video shots.

[@mauricioli3901]

Enjoy a lot your videos my friend. Thank you. 👍🏻🌊🌋🌴🏝📸☕

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@BrooklynCapo1]

Sony a6400 or ZVE10 for music videos vlogs, & short films?

[@ranjinirajainfilm]

patiently waiting for an alpha 6000 series upgrade haha

[@Tvj_films8452]

That’s gona cost close to 2k from what i heard

[@Chris-ey7zy]

I’m buying ZV-E1. I have Fx-30. Looks amazing but want full frame

[@PaulGodkin]

I'm deciding between fuji x-s20 and zv-e10. What do you think? I'm making explainer videos for small businesses.

[@Josh_Sattin]

I haven't tried out the X-S20 so unfortunately I can't give you an opinion about that camera.

[@CrazyLaserGames]

Help me choose camera to take video for my event with laser tag , I must hold with gimbal . So which is best ?

[@HarrisonFamilyValues]

I have both and was going to do a comparison but why?, I'm just going to send people here lol

[@blainemitchell]

Those Cotton Candy grapes are delicious.

[@JESadventures0181]

Thanks for this video good indept review!!! im stuck for the right lens for my new setup paired with the fx30. I'm a GOPRO style video hobbist thats looking for a upgrade, with a bit of same filmstyle (close to subject) but with more dynamic range and BoKEHH. Now i've seen what the SD-card cost and MAX 35min of recording on 60 and 88min on 24fps things (card cost) get me thinking?!?! do i really need this 60/120fps. how ever the image quality and IBS ROCKS on the fx30. DO you have any advise??? is it really worth te money to level-up my hobby or should i go with the cheap ZV-E10. Or should i go for the full-frame A7IV? :P

[@Josh_Sattin]

If your current gear is getting the job done then I recommend not upgrading. There are pros and cons with all of those cameras.

[@GaryJahman]

The zve10 is really good and I even compared it with a full frame camera. In controlled conditions there is barely a difference!

[@kaverjordankharbteng2550]

Will the Active Stabilisation on the ZV-E10 be as good as the FX30(with IBIS) if we use a lens with VR or OSS turned on?

[@Josh_Sattin]

It will depend on the lens, but probably not. Having IBIS is a huge advantage in the Sony system. Their lens stab isn't the best.

In terms of autofocus?

[@Josh_Sattin]

They both work well.

[@pelosmeusolhos938]

THANK YOU

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@replay0712]

Thanks for the video! Subbed!

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching and for the support!

[@Aljalil]

Wow wow wow this is what i needed

[@Josh_Sattin]

Excellent! Thanks for watching!

[@Chris-ey7zy]

Dynamic range difference is a lot

[@DavidBigandt]

With the FX30 can you record an event in 4k while live streaming it in 1080?

[@pedrog.darosa6806]

same question

[@dfusselman]

Mislabled @4:18?

[@Josh_Sattin]

Yes! Thank you! Those are both 4K24. Ugh.

[@dfusselman]

@@Josh_Sattin You have a lot of intelligent, killer content. I appreciate it very much!

[@Josh_Sattin]

@@dfusselman Thank you so much for the kind words!

[@dr.barunsarkar6158]

hi, is the quality of sensor same?

[@zaccruz_]

Yes they are both APS-C, HOWEVER, the FX30 is Sony’s first Super 35 camera that implements their back illuminated Exmor R sensor technology from their full frame line. Not only that but Dual Gain ISO that their modern releases have to improve low light. A killer Super 35 with 10 bit color as well

[@artart1706]

First

[@SuperZardo]

There is an easy rule with Sony cameras: always buy the newest one ;-)

[@dekompose]

They are like Samsung and iPhones now milking us like cows and I’m a pig 😅

[@Chris-ey7zy]

Agreed

[@alannguyen9617]

your test is terrible