Click to Enlarge The successor to Panasonic's offbeat Lumix DMC-L1 is, well, a more conventional digital SLR. Photographers expecting the Leica-like styling and heft of the L1 will be disappointed. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 (about $1,300 with 14-50mm kit lens) even dispenses with the L1's quaint shutter speed dial, and its slower kit lens (though still 14-50mm and optically stabilized) lacks the aperture ring of its pricey predecessor.
But let's look on the bright side: The L10's Four Thirds-format sensor has more megapixels (10 vs. 7.5); can use the chip itself for phase-detection autofocus in Live View mode (which the L1 pioneered); and is actually better suited than the L1 for the from-the-hip shooting long associated with the Leica. This is because unlike the L1, its 2.5-inch LCD screen can tilt and swivel for shooting at high or low angles, away from the eye. While other D-SLR makers have followed suit with live view, this articulated screen really capitalizes on that ability.
Print
Stumble It 
Comments
Be the first to comment!