Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

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When Panasonic introduced its first digital SLR, the Lumix DMC-L1, a lot of people had high hopes, which were subsequently dashed. Now, Panasonic has put out the 10-megapixel Lumix DMC-L10. If the L1 was Panasonic dipping its toes in the SLR pool, then the L10 is Panasonic diving into the deep end. Will the DMC-L10 sink or swim? Let's find out.

Design

Panasonic is marketing the L10 as an entry-level SLR, and its design works well for that market. It's on the small side, has an articulated LCD that can flip out to the left of the camera and swivel 270 degrees, live-view shooting, and its control buttons are laid out a lot like a superzoom or compact camera.

The vast majority of buttons are on the right-hand side of the camera and reachable quickly and easily by thumb or forefinger. Like more and more SLRs lately, the grip is short, so your pinky dangles while shooting. However, it does have a nice shape, with a cutaway for your middle finger and a contoured area on the top of the camera back for your thumb that combine to provide a solid feel in your hand.

For more details on the L10's design, click on the image.

In addition to buttons and switches that provide access to most of the important shooting settings, the L10 has two control wheels, making full manual shooting extra comfortable since you can use the front wheel to set aperture and the back wheel to set the shutter speed. Cameras with one wheel typically force you to press and hold a button to set the aperture or shutter speed in full manual mode. The Olympus E-510, another 10-megapixel SLR aimed at first timers, has only one wheel, as do most entry-level SLRs. Strangely, the L10 has no marked exposure compensation control, but in shooting modes other than full manual, the rear wheel adjusts exposure compensation.

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