Garden and Landscape Photography with the Sony ZV-E10
There are times when carrying a heavy Canon EOS 5D Mark IV body and various lenses is not convenient, especially when I'm on a leisurely day out to Wakehurst or Kew Gardens. Smartphone cameras can take high quality images — I use the Xiaomi 14T PRO, which comes with a fine Leica-branded camera, but I wanted an everyday carry, lightweight mirrorless camera to bridge the gap between my smartphone and professional-level Canon DSLR. The lack of a viewfinder on the Sony ZV-E10 has not hindered me, as I am already used to taking photos this way using my phone. The camera provides me with access to 24.2 megapixel RAW images, eleven frames per second and a small enough body to fit in my backpack. After testing the supplied kit lens, I decided to replace it with the much better quality Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8. The lens has an image stabiliser and sharp resolution across the focal range, even at the widest aperture. Although the Tamron is slightly bigger than the Sony camera body, the duo neatly fits into a small repurposed binoculars pouch. This is not meant to be a review of the Sony ZV-E10. There are plenty of dedicated reviews on the web. I just wanted to show what can be achieved with a small, relatively inexpensive mirrorless camera and zoom lens.
The South Downs landscape, near Rottingdean in East Sussex at sunset. The camera lens setup, paired with a very light K&F Concept tripod gave me the freedom to roam an unfamiliar site without being impaired by bulky equipment. The rain seen in the second image reached the ground just as I got to the bus stop. K&F Concept are a Chinese brand, producing high quality, affordable photographic and optical accessories. I use their NANO-X circular polariser and ND graduated filters. I also carry two K&F Concept NP-FW50 USB-C batteries and the unfortunately named, but excellent Cuktech 140W 25000mAh power bank.
I've been visiting Wakehurst, near Ardingly, West Sussex since childhood and the gardens occupy a special place in my heart. Many of the plants in my mother's garden and my own small-space doorstep come from the Wakehurst garden shop. I have always loved the outdoors, so Wakehurst is the perfect place to combine my creative artistry and appreciation of plants. I come from a family of gardeners. My father killed our Weeping Willow tree. The house had a Virginia Creeper, which was at least 60 years old and produced stunning colours in autumn. He killed that too, with poison. My love of all things life-affirming owes much to being raised among anti-role models. Had he not been stopped, the garden would have been ruined.
All year round, there is plenty to see at Wakehurst — just make sure the return bus turns up or you'll find yourself sharing a taxi to Brighton with two women from China and one woman from Ukraine, as I did in May 2024. Metrobus agreed to reimburse the £75.00 fare by the way. As a Wakehurst member, I pay £35.00 per year for unlimited visits, although some persons have been known to gain 'free' entry via public footpaths or even walking straight through the visitor's centre without paying. Since the visiting hours do not permit me to see the gardens during the golden hour, the next best thing is sunny intervals and bright, but sunless conditions. Cloudless skies are great for a picnic, but they are not conducive to great lighting. When the sun gets filtered through slightly hazy skies or just as the sun is about to come out behind clouds, lighting dramatically improves, without bleaching tones, creating harsh shadows or clipping highlights.
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