Camera Labs

Hmmm, interesting question... I think it could be a great choice with the quality kit lens and flip out screen. As I recall, the only real downside was the high price at launch, so yes, it could be a good choice now if the price has gone down...

PS - not sure if you saw my review, but it's here:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panas ... x_DMC-L10/

Gordon,

Sorry if this may seem rude, but I don't think this camera is the first DSLR to support Face Detection. I believe it's the FujiFilm S5 Pro. I may be wrong though.

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Hi ChickenFriedRyce, I've not tested the S5 Pro, so can't comment there - sorry!

But as a side-note I should say face detection is on more DSLRs than you think these days. They may not show the little square following faces around, but many use it to prevent underexposures on strongly backlit portraits - for example Canon's latest models do this.

I recently purchased the L10 – it my first “serious” camera, so this review is from the perspective of a newbie. Hopefully this is fitting because it seems it’s who the camera is aimed at.

So far I’ve had it for 3 months and have fallen deeply in love not only with it, but photography in general. In itself I feel this is a glowing recommendation for the camera – if it was complicated, fussy and awkward I’d have not taken to my new hobby as enthusiastically as I have.

For those who are considering this as a first DSLR (or as a replacement for an older model) here are my impressions which I hope you might find useful:

1. Handling : 8/10
Body
The body is easy to get your hands around and the controls well placed for doing just about anything on the fly – however the lens tends to make it a little bit front heavy. My better half is a lefty and this makes things a little more awkward for her. I find it easy enough to handle compared to the bigger Canons and Sonys.

Zoom and focus for the lens have a good solid professional feel.

2. Screen 10/10
The view screen is live view, and can be opened up and swivelled around in a heap of directions. This is a major plus for me and is no gimmick– I’ve used the swivel screen:
-taking photos over a crowd at sports events,
-taking pics for ebay stuff - we laid out clothes on a table and put the camera on a tripod on some chairs so I could photograph straight down – if I did not have a swivel screen I would have needed a ladder (which tend not to fit easily into backpacks)
-Taking shots of my cat asleep under a sofa without having to lie flat on the ground.

It’s a tad smaller than its counterparts but not so much as to make me wish it were bigger – great resolution.


3. Controls 10/10
Being the first time I have owned a camera that gave me the option to move from AUTO mode to something more challenging, I wanted to make sure I picked a camera that would make it easy for me to locate the controls I needed without having to refer to a user manual every 5 minutes. The L10 is a breeze – on full manual, you control aperture and shutter speed with two wheels front and back on the right hand grip with your thumb and fore finger respectively. Changing ISO is super quick as well – your thumb just needs to press two buttons, so you can change all three parameters without ever moving your eye from the viewfinder. Even changing film type from a range of options including standard, dynamic, nature, vibrant, nostalgic in colour and B&W can be done in a flash without looking.

They all have a solid, metal feel to them that gives you the sense of holding a professional piece of kit.

Of all the cameras I tried out I found this to have the best laid out controls
10/10

Viewfinder 4/10
This is the one area I have any real kind of issue with. It’s too small to start with.
Even on full, the Diopter is a little harder to see clearly than I would like, and does not have the nice split-circle focus facility I’ve seen in other cameras.

There are a lot of parameter indicators visible through the viewfinder, and as I mentioned earlier you can set all the vital ones (Apeture, shutter speed, exposure meter) without having to move your eye away - with the exception of the ISO setting – Id like to see what ISO I’m on please.

Firmware 9/10
Easy enough to learn compared with its rivals. The autofocus system is super fast, accurate and very flexible – love it. There is also a histogram setting I find useful. There’s all kinds of data you can review about an image you have captured but to be honest I don’t use it on the camera – I wait to get it onto my POC before I worry about that kind of thing (this may or may not change as I learn more about photography).

If you’re not on full manual, the software does a brilliant job of selecting the right aperture, speed and ISO settings.

Performance 8/10
Once I got my head around the basics of photography and the camera, I was taking what I feel are some pretty tasty pics. Quality is fantastic as far as Im concerned - once again this may change as I get more advanced, who knows?
One complaint here - Burst mode is far too slow. In low light AF is slow but no surprises here.

Flash 5/10
I’ve yet to hear of a good built in flash on ANY camera – from a point and click to a high end pro tool. This is no exception – that big ol’ lens blocks the bottom of the flash, even with the hood off. Why they bother to put them on at all is probably the fault marketing departments. Im going to see if I can get a reasonably priced flash gun. Any suggestions?


Summary 9 /10
Love it. Very happy with my choice. If you hunt around you can pick these up for well under the RRP.

Yes, I was tempted!

After I saw your review, followed by your video tour that you suggest it a beat pricey, I've check on one Cameralabs affiliate something like 547€.
here: http://www.simplyelectronics.net/mainpr ... hp?pid=711
In fact, I found a fair one (thinking on the good kit lens).
The only deepest thought was about 2x factor of f.t. (I have in mind that this factor is directly associated with DOF. So, if I crop a 35mm/2x compared with ie. 1.5x Nikon's. dx, the difference is 0.5x DOF?)

Well... the m.f.t., will be better priced lens (7-14mm it's indispensable on a 2x factor) and the new DMC-G1 changes everything!
So, we all (thought) need your lab tests to see more results... and of course, your video-tour (brilliant and unique as always) to know something about usability!

One thing I would like to view on the L10. A bounce flash like the L1

For who's one that have a f.t. system and need another body, the L10 is definitely a serious propose to consider. (my personal thought based on reviews)

bests,

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