Similar situation here—i was cautious about AF reliability but the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary for Sony E works well. honestly, i'm SO satisfied with this budget setup!!

For your situation, I’d grab the Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 STM Sony E for around $430. Unfortunately, most budget glass isn't as good as expected, but this is actuallyyy sharp and reallyyy wide for vlogging!

Helpful thread 👍

Any updates on this?

I totally agree with Jerome on the Sigma vs Viltrox debate, both brands are honestly killing it right now compared to where they were five years ago. This actually reminds me of my cousin who got super into the whole Sony ecosystem last year. He was obsessed with getting the perfect wide-angle setup for a trip to Japan and spent weeks watching every single YouTube comparison video ever made... like, he had spreadsheets for the autofocus speeds and everything. The funny part is, he finally settled on one, but then his luggage got lost at the airport for the first four days of his trip! He ended up having to borrow a beat-up old point-and-shoot from the hotel front desk just to capture the street food tours. By the time his gear actually showed up, hed already filled his SD card with some of the best shots Ive ever seen from him. Makes you think about how much the gear actually matters in the end... though it definitely turned into a whole ordeal for him at the time lol.

Sooo basically when you're vlogging on a crop sensor like the Sony ZV-E10 II, you gotta account for the 'crop factor.' Since you're doing handheld walk-and-talks, using Active Stabilization crops the image even further, making a standard wide lens look way tighter than you'd expect. In my experience, if you don't go wide enough, your face literally fills the whole screen... not a great look lol. Here's what I recommend: • Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 E - Honestly, this is the one. It’s ultra-wide, super bright for low light, and the autofocus keeps up with my movement perfectly. It’s AMAZING for vlogging because it gives you that extra room in the frame.
• Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary for Sony E - I've used this for years and it's a legend for a reason. Super sharp! But wait no... it is a bit heavier than the Viltrox and noticeably tighter, which might be tough for 'walk and talk' stuff tho. Seriously, the Viltrox is probably your best bet for the price. gl!