One thing allows the Lumix DMC-L10
to stand out from other current entry-level digital SLR cameras:
its articulated LCD monitor, a system that until now had been
found only on compact and bridge cameras. In fact, by the
way it can be used, the DMC-L10 is not unlike some current
bridge cameras.
Indeed, the Live View system which is becoming more common
on digital SLR cameras nowadays is pushed one step further
with the L10.
Aperture: f4.5, shutter speed: 1/80 sec., 100 ISO
Just like other SLR cameras, the
DMC-L10 is equipped with a TTL viewfinder that presents the
image coming from the lens using a mirror. And, metering and
focusing are achieved using dedicated sensors, as it is with
other SLR cameras.
When the Live View mode is used, the DMC-L10
lifts the mirror and displays on its monitor the image being
picked up by its NMOS sensor, and the camera evaluates the
exposure using the sensor, just like any current compact or
bridge camera.
But the breakthrough with the DMC-L10 is that the camera
is also capable of focusing and, unlike other Live View cameras
up to now, does not need to lower the mirror to focus as it
is equipped with a second auto focus system that uses the
NMOS sensor, once again just like a compact camera.
With the DMC-L10, the user has great
freedom to frame shots using the hinged multi-angle monitor,
and in some ways the DMC-L10 offers even greater performance
when the Live View mode is used. For instance, used with the
TTL monitor, the metering is based on 49 segments, while the
Live View mode has access to 256 segments to calculate exposure.
The same is true for the auto focus, limited to 3 areas in TTL
mode, but which offers up to 11 AF areas and even face detection
when the Live View mode is used.
Without doubt, the Live View system is well-suited
to some types of images and is more flexible than TTL for
some users. Its one inconvenience, however, is that power
consumption increases noticeably when it is used continuously,
a fact we observed with the L10. When the Live View mode is
used often, the autonomy of the camera is much less than what
is commonly observed with digital SLR cameras.
As with all other current digital
SLR cameras, the DMC-L10 offers the possibility of recording
images using JPEG compression — in this case using either
of 2 compression levels, Fine or Normal — or of saving
images in RAW format. The latter delivers the highest image
quality the camera can produce.
Using the highest image quality JPEG format,
Fine, yields an excellent image quality that reveals fine
details and great colour nuances, while allowing the images
to be immediately useable.
The RAW format, however, provides an image that has not
had any loss of colour information such as a JPEG compressed
image, and which is therefore easier to work with should correction
or editing be required.
The software that is included with
the camera, SilkyPix, is very good and allows a user to have
a great deal of control over RAW images. Raw images have a greater
dynamic range than JPEG, and make it possible, for example,
to bring out details from both shadow and highlight areas of
an image. Still, for even greater control over the RAW image,
a more advanced tool such as Adobe Photoshop is better, particularly
Photoshop CS3 which fully supports the RAW files of the DMC-L10.
The DMC-L10 delivers images that are free of
noise at 100 and 200 ISO in well lit areas of the frame, but
a close inspection of the shadows can reveal some noise there,
depending on the lighting conditions. At 400 ISO, the shadow
noise is a bit more visible, but it is limited when shots
are captured outdoors with reasonably good light. The 800
ISO level is a threshold however, and even with photos captured
outdoors under good light, noise can be seen in shadow areas
and sometimes in areas of dark, uniform colour.
The 1600 ISO level is disappointing
with the Fine JPEG mode. Noise is omnipresent and fine details
are visibly softened by the compression process. With the RAW
format, images captured at 1600 ISO are a bit more useable,
but only at a reduced size as the noise reduction processing
has a noticeable impact on sharpness.
The zoom that is sold with the kit version of the
camera is excellent, and is equipped with MEGA O.I.S. stabilization,
which helps to compensate for its maximum apertures of f3.8
at the wide end and f5.6 at the telephoto end.
This is a lens with good optical characteristics, barrel
and pincushion distortion being unnoticeable at either end
of its focal length range. And only occasionally can a small
chromatic aberration become detectable under some circumstances
at the wide end.
The built-in flash of the L10 is
perfect for when the ambient light is to low, or when the subject
is backlit. The metering is able to balance the ambient light
and that of the flash, making it effective at brightening up
shadows. It is worth mentioning, however, that the kit lens
can cause a shadow at the wide angle end, probably making it
worthwhile to invest in one of the dedicated flash units that
can be fitted on the L10’s hot shoe.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10
is an innovative entry-level digital SLR, but one with a price
that — at least at this point in time and when purchased
as a kit — places it on par with significantly more
advanced cameras, and which is, in our opinion, somewhat difficult
to justify by the inclusion of a 2.5-inch free-angle LCD monitor.
Still, the DMC-L10 offers good characteristics and a high
image quality, particularly when used in the RAW format, which
in combination with its advanced Live View system may mitigate
its rather high cost.
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