Panasonic G10 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in March 2010 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 12 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic G10 a good camera? The G10 has a Camera Elo of 1321. This rating puts the G10 below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the G10 also ranks below average. – Well, the Panasonic G10 is more than 10 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2010.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Panasonic G10 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic G10 alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
	Panasonic G10	4.9 in	3.3 in	2.9 in	13.7 oz	380	n	Mar 2010	499
	Olympus E-PL2	4.5 in	2.8 in	1.7 in	12.8 oz	280	n	Jan 2011	599
	Olympus E-PL1	4.5 in	2.8 in	1.7 in	11.8 oz	290	n	Feb 2010	599
	Panasonic GF5	4.3 in	2.6 in	1.5 in	9.4 oz	360	n	Apr 2012	499
	Panasonic G3	4.5 in	3.3 in	1.9 in	11.9 oz	270	n	May 2011	599
	Panasonic GF3	4.3 in	2.6 in	1.3 in	9.3 oz	300	n	Jun 2011	549
	Panasonic G2	4.9 in	3.3 in	2.9 in	15.1 oz	360	n	Mar 2010	599
	Panasonic GF2	4.4 in	2.7 in	1.3 in	10.9 oz	300	n	Nov 2010	549
	Panasonic GH2	4.9 in	3.5 in	3.0 in	15.6 oz	330	n	Sep 2010	899
	Panasonic GF1	4.7 in	2.8 in	1.4 in	13.6 oz	380	n	Sep 2009	749
	Panasonic G1	4.9 in	3.3 in	1.8 in	12.7 oz	410	n	Sep 2008	599
Notes: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Metric

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic G10 was launched in the US market at a price of $499. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Panasonic G10 features a Four Thirds sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic G10 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Sensor Characteristics

	Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
	Panasonic G10	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.1	411	52
	Olympus E-PL2	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	720/30p	21.4	10.2	573	55
	Olympus E-PL1	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	720/30p	21.5	10.1	487	54
	Panasonic GF5	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60i	21.4	11.6	618	61
	Panasonic G3	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60i	21.0	10.6	667	56
	Panasonic GF3	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60i	20.6	10.0	458	49
	Panasonic G2	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.3	493	53
	Panasonic GF2	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60i	21.2	10.3	506	54
	Panasonic GH2	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60i	21.2	11.3	655	60
	Panasonic GF1	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.3	513	54
	Panasonic G1	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	none	21.1	10.3	463	53

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The G10 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the G10 can use is 720/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the G10 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 202k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.52x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Panasonic G10 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

	Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Size (inch)	LCD Resolution (000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
	Panasonic G10	202	n	3.0	460	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.6	Y	n
	Olympus E-PL2	optional	n	3.0	460	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	Y
	Olympus E-PL1	optional	n	2.7	230	fixed	n	1/2000s	3.0	Y	Y
	Panasonic GF5	none	n	3.0	920	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.0	Y	n
	Panasonic G3	1440	n	3.0	460	swivel	Y	1/4000s	4.0	Y	n
	Panasonic GF3	none	n	3.0	460	fixed	Y	1/4000s	3.2	Y	n
	Panasonic G2	1440	n	3.0	460	swivel	Y	1/4000s	2.6	Y	n
	Panasonic GF2	optional	n	3.0	460	fixed	Y	1/4000s	2.6	Y	n
	Panasonic GH2	1534	n	3.0	460	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
	Panasonic GF1	optional	n	3.0	460	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
	Panasonic G1	1440	n	3.0	460	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n

One convenient feature of the G10 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

	Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Microphone	Internal Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
	Panasonic G10	Y	mono	-	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Olympus E-PL2	Y	stereo	-	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Olympus E-PL1	Y	stereo	-	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Panasonic GF5	-	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Panasonic G3	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Panasonic GF3	-	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Panasonic G2	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Panasonic GF2	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Panasonic GH2	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Panasonic GF1	Y	mono	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Panasonic G1	Y	-	-	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the G10 handle or perform in practice. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog).

Review Scores

	Camera Model	camera   labs	dp review	ephoto   zine	imaging resource	photography   blog	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
	Panasonic G10	..	70/100	4/5	..	4/5	Mar 2010	499
	Olympus E-PL2	83/100	71/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2011	599
	Olympus E-PL1	86/100	69/100	4/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2010	599
	Panasonic GF5	..	..	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Apr 2012	499
	Panasonic G3	+ +	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	5/5	May 2011	599
	Panasonic GF3	82/100	71/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4/5	Jun 2011	549
	Panasonic G2	..	72/100	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Mar 2010	599
	Panasonic GF2	82/100	70/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Nov 2010	549
	Panasonic GH2	+ +	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2010	899
	Panasonic GF1	85/100	69/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2009	749
	Panasonic G1	+ +	70/100	4/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2008	599
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review of this and another camera, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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