Sony - Creator Accessory Kit II - Black

Super useful item for vlogging, easy setup and highly recommended for stability

The Sony Creator Accessory Kit II is a superb addition to your Sony Vlogging Camera, in this case, I have it connected to a Sony ZV-E10II. This is a new foray for me, I have been using my iPhone and a tripod for the last 2 years to capture content for my YouTube channel. This Creator Accessory Kit II comes with the powered tripod stand, there is a coin cell battery in the handle (you need to remove the plastic disc in there to power it up). When you press a button, a red light illuminates on the handle. Along with this is a Shotgun Microphone with a hot shoe connector that mounts on top of your camera. It has an anti-vibration mount to it as well (it freely moves independently of the mount to mitigate sounds from movement etc) and it also comes with a wind screen as well. There is also a carry bag/storage bag as well for the handle, but the microphone and included cable don't all fit in there, without fear of anything getting damaged or scratched up. Now, it could be because I am a new user, but I had a little trouble pairing the handle to the camera, it took 3 tries and a little frustration before I finally got it to pair. But once paired, you have the functionality to take a photo without touching the camera, take a video, zoom in and zoom out, and even program a custom button to do whatever function you need. There is also a lockout switch, so you can just hold the grip and not worry about the buttons. The head fully articulates with specified steps to make sure your camera is facing directly at you, or away from you, or at 90º to you, in a locked state. The head rotates up and down with a press of a locking button on the side, to give you full range of motion. The main handle is compact, but also encompasses a small tripod, which is incredibly convenient when you need to stand the camera on it's own and use it remotely via the Sony Creator App. Overall, very impressed with the Sony Creator Kit II so far, now that I've got it connected and functioning as needed, and look forward to delving deeper into all that it can do to help make my videos even better in the future!

I’m often skeptical of bundled kits because often they contain a dud product paired with a good one. But that is definitely not the case with Sony’s Creator Accessory Kit II. I’ve found this kit to be an essential “starter” package that has helped me improve the quality of my wildlife videos. You might find it useful too if you are a Sony camera user that makes vlogs, point-of-view or interview videos, or livestream. It includes two of Sony’s fundamental video accessories for these genres, the GPVPT2BT grip and ECM-G1 shotgun mic. So, here’s a quick summary of my experience with these two and the performance you can expect from them. GPVPT2BT GRIP/REMOTE/TRIPOD The GPVPT2BT is essentially a remote control enabled selfie stick designed exclusively for use with Sony’s cameras. It’s sturdier and with an embedded remote to operate your camera it’s technically a grip. Operationally it’s been flawless for me. Much of my content-making “education” has been by trial and error and I’ve learned the hard way that to end with a quality video start with comfortable and reliable accessories. Sony must have considered both of these elements in designing the GPVPT2BT because it became an instant indispensable tool to me, one that has expanded my creative videoing possibilities. After a one-time pairing to your camera, going forward it will automatically connect via Bluetooth. I love that it’s wireless. It makes life easy when packing and shooting. Since the remote is wireless it’s also useful for overhead shots or placing the camera in areas where it would be impractical or impossible to hold. It’s powered by a CR2032 button battery which keeps its actual weight to around 7oz. Unfortunately, there is no on-board battery level indicator. I use this grip on my ZV-EV10 II camera, one of Sony’s most compact models. But whether you have a ZV-EV10 II or a different compatible Sony camera, the GPVPT2BT’s reliability and versatility remains unchanged. What does matter is the weight of your camera kit. The GPVPT2BT’s max payload is 3.3lbs and best used with a light, compact-ish lens. The laws of physics make any selfie stick more awkward to use as the lens size and weight increases. So, when I praise the GPVPT2BT it’s when it’s used as intended with small lens similar in size and weight as the Sony PZ 16-50. It’s important to understand the limits of any tool to buy the right one for the job. By example, the largest lens I use with the GPVPT2BT is the PZ 18-105, which is about 4.25” long and weighs 15oz. The total weight here, lens + camera, is a about 1.75lbs. The weight and length of the lens makes it front-heavy attached to my camera. So, when I hold this combo with the lens pointing away from me I have to use one hand to keep the lens level with the other on the grip. In contrast, when the compact 4oz. PZ 16-50 lens is attached I can shoot one-handed all day long. To be sure, I enjoy using both of these lenses with the GPVPT2BT, as my needs require, but each has a unique balancing experience. Also in this regard, be mindful this is a grip, not a gimbal. It doesn’t provide supplementary mechanical or electronic stabilization. If that is what you need then get a gimbal. What this grip does well is fuss-free camera control while videoing oneself at arm’s length and to help the user make smoother handheld pans, tilts, or other movements. Additionally, it’s compact size makes it discrete in public and easy to pack and carry. The circumference of the handholding portion of the GPVPT2BT is approximately 5” so it’s comfortable for even small adult hands. The thumb is always in easy reach of all controls: photo shutter, video start/stop, and C1 memory buttons, zoom rocker, and lock switch. The C1 button mimics whatever function C1 is programed to do on the camera. The zoom rocker speed, however, can be set different from the camera’s zoom lever speeds in the camera’s “shooting” menu under “remote zoom speed.” The lock lever, when engaged, deactivates all the controls to prevent accidental button pressing when shooting. All the controls have a soft tactile feel when engaged and only require a light press, minimizing camera shake. There is no power button, a major convenience. Instead, the GPVPT2BT powers on and off automatically with its paired camera. The head on the GPVPT2BT is quite flexible, able to move front to back 180 degrees in what I counted as 19 different angles. That’s’ about 10 degrees per step, which I find perfectly usable. It also rotates horizontally 360 degrees in 4-steps. So bottom line, unless you need millimeter precision you’ll enjoy being able to dial in a workable angle for your shot. Adding to the versatility here, two legs behind the grip flip out to turn into a mini tripod. It stands 5.5” tall and all the head’s movements are available in this mode too. That said longer lenses will topple over if pointed at a down angle. When I’m using my PZ 18-105 I have no problems if its level or at an up angle. I normally don’t carry a tripod, even a 3lb travel tripod, because of the bulk, weight, and hassle. But I still always wish I had one with me, and now I do. I use it for ground-level shots, so I don’t have to get on the ground myself, and put it on top of a wall or ledge when I need an eye-level location. I never shoot in a studio type setting, but it seems like it would be perfect for vloggers as an impromptu studio when they are on the road or in the field. ECM-G1 SHOTGUN MIC The ECM-G1 is a compact directional hot shoe mounted mic that is a perfect vlogging partner for the GPVPT2BT grip, be it recording in the field or at a desk. It’s designed to pick up audio at arms-length, not across a room or field. Used in this way it’s both natural sounding and effective at squelching distracting background noise…or not, depending on your goal. It’s a noticeable improvement over the onboard mic on my ZV-E10 II. But I expected that, so this isn’t the primary reason I’m an ECM-G1 fan. What I value most is, attached to the “multi-interface shoe” on many Sony cameras, the ECM-G1 is cable and battery-free. So, with both the ECM-G1 and GPVPT2BT I can go on location without messing with annoying, tangle-prone connector cables, plus I have one less battery level to monitor. There is another bonus -- the ECM-G1 has a mic-out port too and even includes a cable for use with non-multi-interface shoe devices. I have other brand cameras too so that’s a handy feature. Operation is mostly automatic. Just set the desired microphone direction (front, rear, all, or auto) and it’s ready to go. This simplicity is ideal for those who want good audio without fussing with levels and such. In my experience so far the ECM-G1 does an excellent job as long as I don’t push its capabilities like trying to capture sound more than a few feet away from the camera. Audio recorded 2-4 feet away sounds full but any further it becomes hollower. To be sure, this is a worthwhile step-up from the camera’s internal microphone, but it it’s audio “sweet spot” is capturing audio within arm’s length. A wind muff is also included, and wind cancellation is one of the automatic features that can’t be tweaked in the camera’s settings. Unfortunately, so far no wind in my area recently to test it out.

The Sony Creator Accessory Kit II is a perfect addition to the Sony Alpha ZVE10 II Vlog camera. The package comes with a Bluetooth grip that is powered by a simple CR2032 cell battery. In addition, it comes with a beefy multi-directional microphone that attaches to Sony’s hot shoe port and works with the camera without any additional wires. The microphone has mics in the front, back, and sides and can be assigned to which microphone is priority on the camera settings. The microphone picks up human voices very well and clearly and has a much warmer sound than the built-in microphone of the camera. The microphone also comes with a comically large “duster” that keeps wind noise out of the microphone. Another nice touch is that the microphone is suspended on a spring of some sort that disconnects it to the body. That acts as a slight shock absorber to minimize recording of the touching of the camera and bumps. As to the grip, it is surprisingly very sturdy. All the buttons are perfectly placed in reach of your thump when the camera body is connected to the stand. In tripod mode, the camera is very stable and secure. I will have no issues using this to record anything that needs a stable platform.

I didn't initially think I would care too much for the tripod grip outside of the actual tripod functionality itself. but with the legs folded in, and the different points you can set the angle at, it makes for a surprisingly comfortable grip for vlog style content creation. It's easy to hold the camera steady and angled right for good self capture. The onboard controls are fairly minimal, but has the most necessary options for starting and stopping video capture, taking photos and zooming in and out. There's also a single customizable button that mirrors the same labeled C1 button on the camera itself, so whatever setting or toggle or function you have set there will be available here as well. The shotgun mic gives you a top mounted directional microphone better suited to capturing the audio of someone directly in front of the camera. It also includes a windsock to better minimize unwanted 'wind' noise while outside. This connects via the multi-interface shoe but includes a standard 3.5mm microphone jack and short cable for connecting to various cameras that do not have a multi-interface shoe. I think it's a quality bit of extra kid for starting out in content creation, my biggest downside here is the tripod grip using a CR2032 button cell battery rather than a rechargeable battery but as long as your mindful to turn off the grip you shouldn't be too worried about battery life on the grip. I'd just pick up a spare to keep in the camera bag, because you will probably forget it needs a battery long before you actually need to change the battery.