Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10

Perhaps my expectations were too high but after using the Olympus 2100UZ for 2 years and loving it from day one, this camera took a couple weeks to realize the closest you can get to a subject on full zoom is 6' so that proved a disappointment. Depth of field was also not up to the Olympus standard. Worst was the servicing. After 3 weeks, a prong in the camera compartment broke off while on holidays in Canada. Canada refused to service it and the U.S. wouldn't make them so for my entire 6 week holiday, I've been without a camera. I couldn't believe a company with the name Panasonic would not provide at least North American servicing!!!

12x zoom, Leica lens, image stabilizer

Service!! No way to attach lens cap. Depth of field average.

Olympus 2100UZ

TERRIBLE!!!

I began using my girlfriends panasonic Lumix leica lensed DMC LC-40 which impressed me greatly compared to my early mavica sony digital cam of that time. I decided to buy the DMC FZ1 which is a 2.1 mega pixel camera harnessing Leicas wonderful 36 times zoom lens. I was extremely happy with this cam apart from teh lack of manual adjustment and as soon as the DMC - FZ10 was released I sold the dmc - fz1 and upgraded. on a package point of view and considering what I paid and comparing my results to my peers who have similar priced cams of various brands I have to say teh panasonic DMC-FZ10 is the only consideration if you want serious performance at an afordable price. the 36 times zoom is fantastic and allows you to get up close regardless of distance limitations. My lunar shots would not have been possible on other brands of cam unless i spent a lot more on a dedicated digital SLR and 300mm telephot lens fitted that would have costed considerably more. For whats paid teh Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ 10 is a winner in this price range.

light weight alloy body that is built to last. The feel and balance of this camera feels natural. contrary to bad reports I have read elsewhere , low light performance in manual mode is excellent. Colour quality and depth is superb, leica 12 times optical 36 times digital zoom lens is just brilliant. the quality, performance and ease of use is outstanding considering its not a specialist photographic manufacture. The use of SD ram cards is more versatile on majority of compatable devices like my palm pilot and hp photo printer that has a sd card reader. prices for accesories are inexpensive compared to Sony, nikon and cannon...The rechargable battery is good for 110 minutes in most cases. 15 or 30fps movie mode is a useable feature that is nice to have.

This camera has very few weaknesses the only major failing being that this cam cannot be used as a WEB cam connected to your pc as a conferance cam which would have been very usefull for me but hey waht can you do. apart from that there are no weaknesses that i can think of.

first generation sony mavica, Panasonic DMC FZ1, DMC-LC40 , panasonic mini dv video camera

never had a problem before so i assume its o.k

I bought the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10 as a back up to my Canon Digital Rebel and as a travel light alternatives. Key reasons for my selection are a. 12X Leica Zoom b. Image Stabilization c. 4 MPixel instead of 3Mpixel d. It is ~$500. Anymore I would have spend it on a new canon len instead. 2 thousand pictures later... This is good purchase. The Leica lens is great. It has great Contast and color. I will never know it's sharpness limits however as the CCD is much weaker than the Leica Lenes. If I only find ways to take off the lenes on put it on the Canon. With that said, this is still the shapnest 4M pixel digit cam as far as I could campare. The IS works great. It is as good (or better) than the Canon 28-135 mm IS zoom. Works well even up to it's max zoom limit ~420mm in 35mm. I would put its' "IS" somewhere between the Canon 35-128IS and 70-300mm DO (More closer to the 35-128IS than the DO IS) The 4Mega pixel CCD is a bit noisy even at ISO 50. However, it only can be been seen at underexposed shadows. Many other digi-cam are worst. It is still above averge for non-DSLR in the noise area. It is OK as far as I am concern. The same is true for JPEG compression. It doesn't do as good a job as the DSLR. Overall: It's a great purchase for me. It doesn't compare to the canon with a good bag of primes and zooms (from 24mm to 300mm 1.6X). However, it is a lot lighter on my shoulder and I also don't have to keep an constant eye on the gear. It work well for me on shots that doesn't demand RAW captures.

The Lenes F2.8 (If it only has less noise at ISO 400) 35-420mm effective FOV Image Stabilization Color & Contrast

Auto Focus could be faster JPEG Compression could be less Could use a TTL Flash hot shoe Need a Spare lenes cover Zoom control could be better (more steps) Could use Compact Flash insteads of SD Additional request for next model - 5 Mpixel - Much Lower Jpeg compression - Lower noise at all ISO levels

Canon S400, SD100, A70 Canon Digtal Rebel, 24,50,85,28-135IS, 70-300DO

N/A

In august 2003 I had purchased the DMC-Fz1 and was extremely happy with this camera apart from the lack of manual overide. When I discovered that the DMC-FZ10 was released and after reading the many reviews online I decided to upgrade. In Hong Kong the FZ10 is packaged with a 128MB sd card and with negotiation I got upgraded to the 256MB card and a spare battery. I have only taken a few photos as I only purchased the camera 3 days ago but so far I laughing all teh way to the bank... What a bargain this camera is killing all its competitors for this price point. I considered the Sony 828 but didnt like the orientation of the Sony nor do I like the price of Sony Accessories.. I also Purchased a new HP PSC2310 all in one printer on the same day and have to say that whats printed is extremely impressive. comparing the pictures printed at full A4 coverage the sharpness and depth results are hugely improved between teh FZ 1 and the FZ2 both at 1600 x 1280 original resolution. The FZ1 was a little soft the fz10 was razor sharp in clarity. To cut a long story short The FZ 10 is the king and I give it 5 stars

very easy to use if you owned a FZ-1 before. The focus assist magnifier block that appears when you use the focus ring is an excellent / welcome addition ...The improved clarity of the 2.2 inch LCD screen is also really nice. all the things that have been praised about the dmcfz1 plus the addition of 4 mega pixels and the manual overides ...

I agree about the lack of lense cap strap that is dumb but no big deal as i just put the cap in my pocket...I wonder how much that cap is to replace a lot I imagine considering the chances of loosing the cap are increased....

Sony Mavicas early on My partner owns a DMC LC40 Lumix I just sold my DMC - FZ1

never had a problem with Panasonic service in Hong Kong before they rock !

I had purchased the FZ1 in October when it was Panasonic's "top of the line" at 2MP. That camera was simply AMAZING and every shot I took was a keeper. When the FZ10 came out in November, I traded up immediately even taking a restocking charge. I expected all I had gotten from the FZ1 and more. It took me quite awhile (2 weeks) to realize the improvements. The lens is virtually the same on both models and this is by far the finest feature of these cameras. I have now taken significantly better photographs and have even sold a couple of framed prints. My sunrise pictures are rich and clear, with excellent colour absorption. There are so many manually invoked features that this camera will satisfy my needs for a very long time. I would have rated the FZ1 at 5 out of 5, but, this one will only earn a 4.5 out of 5 due to the Optical Image Stabilization feature. This camera has two modes and niether is as precise as the one mode in the FZ1. This may be due to the increased megapixel count, but, Panasonic did not offer this as an explanation when I complained about this feature. With the FZ1, I could take a picture at 1/4 second with no shake. I have trouble getting a clear image without a tripod at anything longer than 1/30 with the FZ10 using either O.I.S. modes.

Leica lens Manual versatility

No lens cap retention No accessories available (yet) Image Stabilization is not as good as advertised

Canon A70 Minolta 3.2MP

Very good response.