27.01.09

Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 Review

Panasonic, when it designed its first DSLR, the Lumix L1, went for a ‘retro’ look coupled with ‘retro’ handling. Good grief, there was even an actual aperture ring on the lens and it’s been a while since we saw one of those. There’s nothing wrong with retro, of course, but the L1’s handling was nothing special.

So, I was pleasantly surprised to see the L10 has a more modern outlook. The Four Thirds format L1 has an optical resolution of 10-megapixels among its many other attractions.

Live View, thanks to its Live MOS sensor, where you can see your compositions on the monitor, is interesting. On a tripod, it works just fine. Handholding the L10 in Live View is more awkward and can compromise taking sharp pictures on some situations.

That said, the 2.5in tilt and swivel monitor makes it easy to get very low or high camera viewpoints and this works with Live View too.

One aspect of the L10’s performance I was very keen to try was its abilities at high ISO sensitivities. The older L1 was dreadful – yes, truly – at speeds of ISO 800 and above and even at ISO 400 it wasn’t that impressive. I’m delighted to report that the L10 seems significantly better.

The L10’s autofocusing was quick, though not lightning fast, and assured with the new standard zoom. This Leica D Vario-Elmar f/3.8-5.6 has a focal length equivalent to 28-100mm on a 35mm camera and gives silent AF.

Many of my test shots were indoors or outdoors in grotty light and the camera coped just fine. The L10 has the same Mega OIS system as the L1 to help avoid camera shake and this helped at slow shutter speeds.

If the Lumix L1 was chunky and solid, the Lumix L10 feels rather too plasticky. On the plus side, this does mean that the body is lightweight and carrying it for long periods shouldn’t be an issue. This is further helped by the new standard zoom, which is more compact than the version marketed with the L1.

I did like the tilt and swivel monitor. Not only does it provide a bright reviewing image, but it’s fun being able to shoot at almost any camera viewpoint you wanted and does make Live View worthwhile.

SPECIFICATION

Manufacturer:    Panasonic Lumix L10
Price:    £900 with 14-50mm lens
Availability:    Late 2007
Resolution:    10-megapixels
Lens mount:    Four Thirds
Sensor:    17.3x13mm Live MOS
Image quality:    Raw, JPEG
Autofocus:    3-point phase detection, system 9-area contrast detection in Live View
Exposure:    49-segment in viewfinder system mode, 256-zone in Live View
Shooting speed:    2fps, three shots  continuous in Raw, unlimited with JPEG and a fast card
ISO range:    Auto, Intelligent in Live View only, 100-1600
Dimensions:    134.5x95.5x77.5mm
Weight:    480g body only

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