Panasonic Lumix DMC L10: Review
It may look much like any other DSLR in its class, but where the L10 really differs is with its snazzy 2.5” free-swivel LCD screen. In a word, that is the sell point. Stack that up with Live View and the result is instantly quirky and fun, yet simultaneously professional and useable. Of course, both these features are now sported by the Olympus E-3, and this makes us wonder if the swivel LCD will prove as much of a 'must have' as Live View has become of late.
Multiple shooting functions lead the 10megapixel Panasonic DMC-L10 to be more akin to the company's 'Intelligent Auto' compacts of late - instantly useable, but maintaining those manual options as you come to expect from a DSLR.
There's a quick access “film type” menu that's quick and easy to toggle through, and the now compulsory Supersonic Wave Filter system for blasting the dust from the sensor each time you power down.
Panasonic have gone down the Four Thirds route - the only existing universal DSLR format, where lenses and bodies are cross-compatible with any other Four Thirds component. This is perfect for being able to pick and choose between a wide range of lenses to fit the camera body of your choice. Well, so you may think - but the conpany has chosen to package the Panasonic DMC-L10 together with a Leica 14-50mm f/3.8-5.6 kit lens. So far, neither body or lens are available separately.
One area that is not standardised across the Four Thirds line-up is image stabilisation. Although in-camera IS has appeared on two Olympus bodies (the E-510 and E-3), here the IS system is lens-bound in the form of Panasonic's own MEGA OIS; possibly limiting your options when coming to buy any additional third party lenses in the future.
more : thinkcamera
