Features & Specifications
The Panasonic Lumix L10 is a feature packed camera. The sensor has 10.1 megapixels and the image sensor is 17.3 x 13mm. The Lumix L10 stored images to SD, SDHC and MMC cards rather than the more expensive Compact Flash cards, which is nice. As you expect in a DSLR the lenses are interchangeable and the kit lens with the Lumix L10 I am reviewing here is a 14-50mm F3.8-5.6 unit with Panasonic’s MEGA optical Image Stabilization built-in.

Dust reduction is built-in to keep dust off the cameras image sensor using a supersonic wave filter. Photos can be saved in JPEG, RAW, RAW+Fine, and RAW+standard. The camera has an optical viewfinder that uses a Penta Mirror with a 0.92x magnification. In addition to the optical viewfinder the rear 2.5-inch LCD has Live view for aligning shots and swivels for use at all angles. The shutter is from 1/4000 – 60 and ISO sensitivity is up to 1600. Check the specifications area for a full list of specs for the camera.

In Use
Typically I shoot pictures with a Nikon D80 with an 18-135mm lens. The first thing I noticed when I picked up the Lumix L10 was how light it is compared to the d80. The Lumix L10 is much more compact and easy to handle. The Lumix L10 has a couple things that my D80 lacks like dust removal, image stabilization and the Live View LCD. The only one of those I really miss on my D80 is image stabilization.

The image stabilization on the Lumix L10 works very well, but drives the cost of the kit up significantly when compared to other similar offerings. The Lumix L10 has 9-point autofocus and face detection. The latter feature isn’t something you find on most DSLR cameras. All the features will matter to you more or less depending on how advanced you are. The thing that matters to everyone is image quality.

I found that noise was an issue if you go higher than ISO400. I can get higher than that on my D80 before having real problems. The burst mode is fast and works well in JPEG mode, but in RAW mode the buffer only holds three frames. The auto focus works well in bright rooms and outdoors, however in testing I noticed that it takes a long time to find focus in low light and a few times I simply resorted to manual focus after losing patience with the Lumix L10.

The viewfinder works well, but it is dark making it hard to see all the detail in your subjects. Battery life is very good when shooting with the viewfinder. If you prefer using the Live View LCD you take a big hit on your battery life.

Overall the Lumix L10 works very well and is easy to use for the beginner the camera is aimed at. The biggest problem with the Lumix L10 is the price. The kit I am reviewing here retails for around $1100. You can get the Nikon D80 for around the same price and in my option it is a much better camera. If the Lumix L10 was a few hundred bucks cheaper it would be a clear winner. As it is I suggest you shop around a bit, it’s not that the Lumix L10 is a bad camera, it’s actually quite good. The price is just too high in my opinion.