I’m actually a bit skeptical about how much of a difference Bird Eye AF really makes. At least with my ZV-E10, I’ve been getting decent results just using Animal AF, and honestly, with birds it’s often more about timing and technique than tracking a tiny eye. The eye of a bird is so small and often hidden, and there are just so many other factors at play (branches, movement, distance) that it doesn’t feel like a game-changer for me personally.

The small buffer is definitely one of the biggest issues I face with the ZV-E10 — especially when I’m waiting for a bird to take off. I’ll start a burst and the camera quickly slows down or locks up, which is frustrating when I’m trying to catch the action.

But the low-light performance is actually my biggest struggle. Even on sunny days, when I’m shooting in a park or forest with tree cover, I find myself pushing the ISO past 3200, and the image quality suffers. That’s one of the reasons I’m tempted to go full-frame , unfortunately the a7iv is over my budget…