The Sony ZV-E10 is a 24MP APS-C mirrorless camera which is inspired by Sony ZV-1. The camera is targeting the vlogging and content creators market.
The major advantage the Sony ZV-E10 has over most budget vlogging cameras is its capability to interchange lenses. This gives a buyer the ability to grow with the camera from a vlogging beginner to a more professional content creator.
Having a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor just like the Sony A6100 and an interchangeable mount, the camera is open to over 70 E-mount and FE lenses. That is a large number to choose from. That is why we have picked the best budget lenses for Sony ZV-E10.
How To Pick The Best Budget Lens For Sony ZV-E10
Before you pick the best budget lens for Sony ZV-E10, these are some of the factors you should consider;
Purpose
Buying a lens for your camera starts by knowing what you intend to do with your camera. For instance, a person who does landscape photography will need a different lens from a portrait photographer. That being said, lenses vary from wide-angle lenses to zoom lenses and telephoto lenses.
Focal Length
Once you determine the purpose of the lens you need, the next step is choosing the focal length. For starters, the focal length is the distance between the lens and the camera sensor where an image is in sharp focus.
The 3 types of lenses we mentioned above (wide angle lens, Zoom lens, and telephoto lens) come in various focal lengths.
A wide-angle lens has a focal length of 35mm or less and covers a larger space in a frame. On the other hand, telephoto lenses are used to focus on subjects far away from the camera. Their focal length falls anywhere between 85mm and goes up to 800mm. Zoom lenses have variable focal lengths. This lens can switch from a wide-angle to a telephoto lens by manually changing the focal length. Zoom lenses are used to focus on subjects at a wide range of distances from the camera.
Aperture
Aperture simply means how wide a camera lens opens up to allow light into the camera sensor. It also determines the depth of field in either video or photos taken. The aperture of a lens is indicated on the lens using the F-number. The lower the F-number the wider the aperture will be.
Image Stabilisation
Some camera lenses come with Optical Steady Shot (OSS) to add on in-camera stabilization. Lens image stabilization works by the use of floating elements that shift in the opposite direction of a shake. This helps in reducing vibrations thus sharp images and less shaking videos.
Build Quality & Weight
The quality of the materials used to make a lens matter a lot. The glass used to make the lenses will determine the quality of the photos and videos you will get using the Sony ZV-E10. Some cameras come with kit lenses made of plastic thus poor quality is produced. The best budget lens for Sony ZV-E10 should be made of metal and have a solid feel.
Best Budget Lenses For Sony ZV-E10
Having decided on the features you want for your camera, let us now dive into the best budget lenses for Sony ZV-E10;
Sony E 50mm f/1.8
Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS is the first lens I would recommend to intermediate and beginner videographers who are shooting handheld.
The lens is mainly made of plastic and weighs 202g. Although this lens does not have any buttons such as stabilization, manual, or auto-focus, the lens performs well overall.
It features optical steady shot (OSS) which is great since Sony ZV-E10 does not have in-built image stabilization.
This feature alone gives Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS an edge over other competitive APS-C lenses under $700.
Sigma 56mm f/1.4 E-mount Lens
This is a direct competitor to Sony E 50mm f1.8 OSS. It is however a couple of dollars more expensive than the latter ($378 compared to $348). The extra dollars will give you 66% brighter pictures which are a little shaper and have a narrower depth of field. This will overall make Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens ideal for portrait photographers.
Talking about the build quality, the lens is quite small and has a solid feel. This matches with the small camera body in Sony ZV-E10.
Sony FE 50mm f/1.8
This is the cheapest Sony lens that you can buy at $220 easily making it the best budget lens for Sony ZV-E10. Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 is made mainly of plastic for both full frame and APS-C sensors. The lens seems bigger for a mirrorless camera but it is lightweight with only 160 g.
In terms of photo quality, Sony FE 50mm prime lens creates a background bokeh with its widest aperture of f/1.8.
The main flop of this lens is in auto-focus. Sony FE 50mm struggles to find focus when taking photos and the slow auto-focus makes it impossible to shoot quality videos. This has however been solved in an updated firmware.
Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8
At a price tag of $650 in the US, Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 is the most pricey Sony ZV-E10 lens we have on this list. It has a wider aperture than most Zoom lenses available for most APS-C cameras making it better at shooting in low light conditions.
On its plastic body, Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 has a focus ring and the zoom ring which has a premium feel when moving them. It has a 67mm filter thread and a rubber gasket making it water-resistant.
The autofocus in the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 is fast and quiet which makes it ideal for videos. This is despite the fact that the lens does not have image stabilization since it is an ultra-wide angle lens.
Sony E PZ G OSS 18-105mm f/4
Sony E PZ “G” lens is among the biggest zoom lenses available for Sony ZV-E10. It is made of metal and feels very solid on the hands. However, the lens is not as heavy as you might think as it weighs under 500g.
The lens features an electric power zoom mechanism whose switch is located near the base of the lens. Sony E PZ 18-105 mm lens also has a focus ring and a zoom ring which does not affect the length of the lens in any way.
With Sony’s Optical Steady Shot feature, this lens is best suited for videographers who can shoot in various ranges with a fixed aperture of f/4.
The lens is retailing at $450 in the US making it among the best budget lenses for Sony ZV-E10.
Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3
This is the most popular budget telephoto lens for Sony APS-C cameras. Sony E 55-210mm comes in silver or black colors and is made of metal. The focus ring is however made of plastic and the zoom ring is made of rubber.
Sony E 55-210mm has a narrow maximum aperture that opens widest at f/4.5 and tight shots at f/6.3. This lens is therefore not the best for shooting at low light or fast shutter speeds.
On the more positive side, the lens features Sony’s OSS which can be accessed through the camera menu. The lens also comes at a fair price of slightly under $300.
Sony E 11mm f/1.8
This is a small lightweight lens made with travel vloggers in mind. Sony E 11mm f/1.8 has made it to the list of the best budget lenses for Sony ZV-E10 due to its amazing features.
Although the lens is small, it has a hold-to-focus button, an auto/ manual focus mode switch, and a plastic focus ring.
With a wide aperture of f/1.8, the lens will take both videos and photos with a blurred background.
The lens can also be used in astrophotography and goes at a price of $548.
Bonus Tip!
If you were keen enough, you have noticed a consistency in an “E” or “EF” in the names of each lens. This is in relation to the size of the camera sensor. Sony “E” mount lenses are made for crop sensor cameras while “EF” lenses are made for full-frame cameras. Both “E” and “EF” mount lenses can work on APS-C cameras. However, if you are using a full-frame camera, using an “E” mount lens will leave your photos with a vignette effect. This is because the lens does not allow light all over the camera sensor.
As we conclude on the best budget lenses for Sony ZV-E10, I hope you make the best buy and expand your creativity.
