Panasonic L10 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC- L10 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was revealed to the public in August 2007 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 10 megapixel.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Panasonic L10 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 size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic L10 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.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Panasonic L10	5.3 in	3.8 in	3.1 in	19.6 oz	450	n	Aug 2007	599	-		Panasonic L10
	Nikon D60« »	5.0 in	3.7 in	2.5 in	18.4 oz	500	n	Jan 2008	629	-		Nikon D60
	Nikon D40X« »	4.9 in	3.7 in	2.5 in	18.4 oz	520	n	Mar 2007	729	-		Nikon D40X
	Olympus E-620« »	5.1 in	3.7 in	2.4 in	18.4 oz	500	n	Feb 2009	699	-		Olympus E-620
	Olympus E-420« »	5.1 in	3.6 in	2.1 in	15.5 oz	500	n	Mar 2008	599	-		Olympus E-420
	Olympus E-520« »	5.4 in	3.6 in	2.7 in	18.9 oz	750	n	May 2008	699	-		Olympus E-520
	Olympus E-410« »	5.1 in	3.6 in	2.1 in	15.3 oz	500	n	Mar 2007	699	-		Olympus E-410
	Olympus E-510« »	5.4 in	3.6 in	2.7 in	19.0 oz	750	n	Mar 2007	799	-		Olympus E-510
	Olympus E-400« »	5.1 in	3.6 in	2.1 in	15.3 oz	500	n	Sep 2006	699	-		Olympus E-400
	Panasonic G1« »	4.9 in	3.3 in	1.8 in	12.7 oz	410	n	Sep 2008	599	-		Panasonic G1
	Panasonic L1« »	5.7 in	3.4 in	2.5 in	21.4 oz	750	n	Feb 2006	999	-		Panasonic L1
Convert to Metric

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic L10 was launched in the US market at a price of $599. 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. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Panasonic L10 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 L10 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 is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The adjacent table lists some of the other core features of the Panasonic L10 along with similar information for a selection of comparators. If needed, the dpreview camera hub, for example, contains further detail on the cameras' specs.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the L10 handle or perform in practice. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. 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). The full reviews are available by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Panasonic L10	85/100	Rec	3.5/5	rev	4/5	Aug 2007	599	-		Panasonic L10
	Nikon D60« »	80/100	HiRec	4/5	rev	4.5/5	Jan 2008	629	-		Nikon D60
	Nikon D40X« »	79/100	HiRec	4/5	rev	4/5	Mar 2007	729	-		Nikon D40X
	Olympus E-620« »	88/100	72/100	4.5/5	rev	5/5	Feb 2009	699	-		Olympus E-620
	Olympus E-420« »	85/100	HiRec	4/5	rev	4.5/5	Mar 2008	599	-		Olympus E-420
	Olympus E-520« »	87/100	HiRec	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	May 2008	699	-		Olympus E-520
	Olympus E-410« »	86/100	HiRec	4/5	rev	4.5/5	Mar 2007	699	-		Olympus E-410
	Olympus E-510« »	89/100	HiRec	3.5/5	rev	4.5/5	Mar 2007	799	-		Olympus E-510
	Olympus E-400« »	85/100	-	4/5	-	4/5	Sep 2006	699	-		Olympus E-400
	Panasonic G1« »	HiRec	70/100	4/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2008	599	-		Panasonic G1
	Panasonic L1« »	85/100	Rec	-	rev	3.5/5	Feb 2006	999	-		Panasonic L1

The review scores listed above should be treated 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 comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. 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

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares another one, just make your choice using the following search menu. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting. If the camera you are interested in is not available, please send me an email, and I will try to update the database with the necessary infos.

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