Philip Berne takes a look at a new 10-megapixel, 5X zoom compact camera with plenty of manual options. Check out our in-depth Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 review.
Review summary of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10:
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 The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 doesn't take the best pictures of all the cameras we've seen in its class, but it does offer loads more flexibility, and it comes packaged in a nice, functional design. Images could be a bit noisy and blurry, lacking in subtle details, especially as the light began to fade, and at the longest zoom range, we didn't get the sharp images we were hoping for. Still, the camera gives the user as much control as a prosumer DSLR, and there were so many preset options, even the scene modes had scene modes. We would recommend this camera for casual shooters who already know enough about photography to really benefit from the aperture, shutter and other exposure controls that we found on the LZ10. Release: February 2008. Price: $210.
Pros: Lots of manual options, even within the usually locked preset modes. Design is very functional, if not very pretty. Takes AA batteries.
Cons: Images weren't the best quality, especially not at full zoom or under dim lighting. No panorama or other fun in-camera modes.
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Full review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10:
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Design and Interface - Good
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 looks like a clunky camera but feels like a winner. All of those jutting edges and strange corners don't make the camera attractive, but as we held the camera in a variety of grips and from different angles, we found it very easy to point in the right direction, which is half the battle of a point-and-shoot. The buttons were nice and large and there was no overly-slick scroll wheel to get in the way of the camera's straightforward design.
The menu seemed complicated at first, but followed an easy pattern, so we caught on quickly. Most of the main shooting modes are divided into sub-modes, and the camera allows for easy access to the exposure settings and image quality settings without much menu digging. For many of the shooting and scene modes, pressing the "Display" key brought up a brief explanation of the function, which we found helpful.
The camera uses an average 2.5-inch LCD screen and no viewfinder. We always like a viewfinder, but we would have forgiven its absence if the screen were much bigger. One positive for the small screen was the ability to switch to an 'over-the-head' mode that made the screen easy to see with the camera held up above a crowd. Otherwise, the buttons were all sufficiently large that they were easy to press, and stiff enough that we didn't turn the camera on or adjust settings accidentally. Nothing was pretty or sleek, but rather highly functional, which we always prefer.
Features - Very good
For shooting features, we liked that Panasonic provided a wide range of preset shooting modes without overwhelming the user. There are modes for Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait and Sports shots, and these are all broken down into subdivisions that give some more flexibility in terms of aperture and shutter control. For instance, within the Portrait mode, there are options to soften skin tones, account for bright backlighting, or even manually adjust the aperture setting to defocus the background as you choose. There are also 13 scene modes, including the standard Fireworks and Candlelight modes, as well as two Baby modes and a Pet mode that will remember the name and birthdate of your little one.
If you like having control over your exposures, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 has plenty of manual control options. There are aperture and shutter priority modes, as well as a full-manual mode to control both, and a light meter helped us determine the best shot settings for manual pics. ISO is adjustable, and the camera allows for some basic exposure compensation as well.
Beyond the hardcore shooting options, though, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 doesn't offer many of the fun features we're seeing on other compacts. Face detection is present, of course, but the camera lacks the great panorama stitching we've enjoyed on Olympus' cameras, or any of the cool color options like we saw recently on the Canon Powershot SD890 IS. Scene modes for sunsets and snow will accent the seasonal colors in your shot, but if you want anything fancy, you'll have to work some magic on the desktop instead of in the camera.
Hardware - Good
The lens on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 starts at a fairly wide 30mm equivalent and stretches out to what would be 150mm on a 35mm camera, at a 5X zoom. That's a nice range for a compact camera that costs just over $200 at time of print. We would have liked a faster lens, as the aperture only opens to f/3.3 at the widest end. Otherwise, the ISO sensitivity ranges from 100 to 1600, with a High Sensitivity mode that cuts pixels to achieve a noisy exposure at ISO 6400.
The LZ10 was a fairly slow shooter. Startup to first shot took a few seconds, and there was a noticeable lag in between shots, marked by an icon indicating the picture was being written to the card. This was too long for our taste, especially since we were using a fast, Class 6 SD card. Focus time was pretty good, though, as the camera has a sort of continuous auto focus options that constantly adjusts the focus to whatever's in view, even when the shutter button hasn't been depressed.
Image Quality - Good
At their best, images from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 looked pretty good, with vibrant colors, but suffered because of noise problems. Even at low sensitivities under bright, sunny conditions, we still saw a graininess to our pictures. Optical image stabilization helped a bit, though we've seen this feature work better in other cameras, so we wouldn't recommend this camera for the zoom. It's better for standard and wide-angle portrait shots, as well as landscape shots, especially if fall foliage is involved.
Scene Test
Colors look very good in this scene test, and it's a pleasing picture all around, but that doesn't mean there weren't some problems. The picture lacks fine details, especially in the leaves on the trees, and we see plenty of noise, especially in the dimly lit spots and on the solid-color tee shirts. At ISO 100, noise really shouldn't be an issue.
Sports Test
Once again, even at a low ISO of 250, noise is a problem. Check out the face on the Roller Derby woman in the yellow shirt on the far right. Her scowling expression is muddied by noise, which results in a lack of fine, snarling detail. Still, color is good, though it was hard to keep those neons contained.
Self Portrait
Taken with the LZ10's "Self Portrait" mode, which uses the timer light to let you know when you're in focus. We liked this shot as is, with the flash on, even better than without the flash, as it didn't overexpose and the colors look good, especially in the center where the flash does its best work.
Full Zoom
On full auto, the camera chose ISO 800, and it shows in the noise. The faces and shiny instruments are also overexposed, resulting in blooming where the light seems to leak into the surrounding area. If we didn't tell you, would you know that was Bob Dylan?
Macro Test
The camera does a great job capturing the colors on the flower, and even manages to blur out some of the background. Still, we couldn't get the camera to focus close enough for a truly impressive, detailed macro shot.
Difficult Lighting Test
We took this picture at sunset, as you can see since the street lights and car lights are all on. The camera caught the cars without streaking their headlights thanks to the faster shutter speed, and noise isn't too bad until you start looking very closely, at which point you realize the details in the flowers and the bricks are mostly haze.
Intelligent Auto, Backlight On
We liked this one a lot, though the intelligent auto's backlight feature was probably overpowered by the strong stage lighting. Barrel distortion is noticeable in the red bar across the stage, which looked straight as we shot it from eye level, above our heads. Still, even in the dark at ISO 400, every bulb is visible and bright red.
8-second exposure, ISO 100
Full Auto
High Sensitivity Mode
Our framing might be problematic here, but these shots give a good idea about the difference between the long shutter and high ISO modes. We shot these using a tripod and the camera's self timer, and we've listed them from best to worst. Obviously, an 8-second exposure will be impossible for most people without a tripod. The camera has a bulb setting to expose for up to a full minute, but that picture was way too overblown. What's most interesting is that the auto mode, with a half-second exposure at ISO 400, definitely trumps the high sensitivity mode, which claims an ISO of 4000.
Accessories - Very good
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 uses AA batteries instead of a rechargeable battery pack, and while we can see benefits for both options, we prefer the replaceable AAs. We used one set of standard alkaline AA batteries for the duration of our testing period, and the LZ10 only conked out at the very end, after we'd taken a couple hundred shots and spent plenty of time digging through menus on the LCD screen with the brightness turned all the way up. We like being able to buy replacement camera batteries anywhere, and we already have a set of rechargeable AAs, so between the convenience and the excellent battery life we saw on this camera, that's our power option of choice.
Otherwise, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 uses a proprietary AV output jack, instead of a standard mini-USB. We usually rely on an SD card reader, anyway, but in a pinch it would be nice to take the camera and a standard cable, and not have to worry about packing Panasonic's own cord.
Price and availability
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 is available now online for as little as $210.
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