| |
 |
| Photo by Michael J. McNamara |
| Since the L10 has a smaller CMOS sensor than most DSLRs and uses Four Third Standard lenses, its 35mm focal length factor is 2X. In this photo, that factor allowed me to turn the Leica kit lens into a pretty nice portrait lens that got me close without intimidating the model. Click photo for more field-test images. |
Swing out the 2.5-inch LCD (like the new Olympus E-3s, it pivots) to compose awkward macro setups, shoot over a crowd, or hold the camera at waist level. Between shots, you can protect the screen by turning it against the camera body.
The moderately sharp LCD, with its 207,000-dot (69,000-pixel) resolution, lets you take advantage of the two types of autofocus the kit lens provides in Live View mode. Phase Shift uses the three-zone AF system. Since the mirror flips out of the way momentarily to focus, this takes about twice as long as normal AF without live view (less than 1 sec). In live view, pressing the shutter button halfway gives you autofocus, but you wont notice, since the image freezes during AF.
Contrast Detection AF, using the image sensor to focus, is slower and less sensitive. While it lets you choose any spot to focus on, its not useful for moving subjects. So for nearly instantaneous shutter response and close-up confirmation in live view, focus manually.
Much like the L1s AF system, AF slows considerably at light levels below EV 6, is really sluggish at ISOs below EV 3, and hits a wall at EV 0. Even in bright light, the L10s AF speed and tracking accuracy arent in the same league as the Canon, Nikon, Pentax, or Sony AF systems.
The viewfinder has Excellent accuracy and magnification. But as with the L1 and the Olympus E-510, it has a tunnel-vision effect due in part to the narrower aspect ratio. An optional magnifier that fits over the viewfinder causes slight vignetting.
Burst speed and capacity are fine when shooting JPEGs: The L10 swallows 3 frames per second for as long as theres room on the memory card (with a fast SDHC card). But in RAW or RAW + JPEG, the burst lasts only for 3 frames before stopping until you lift your finger and press down again several seconds later.
Panasonic greatly improved the L10s balance and feel. The grip is comfortable, especially for average-sized hands, and most exposure dials and controls can be easily reached while looking through the viewfinder. Large hands? You may wish there were an accessory battery grip.
All in the Family
The L10 is compatible with other Four Thirds system lenses from Olympus and Sigma. But, unlike the Olympus E-510, the L10 lacks sensor-based image stabilization. Instead, it relies on the Leica lens MEGA O.I.S. Only one other Leica zoom has it -- the more expensive lens sold with the L1. No other Four Thirds glass is stabilized.
The L10s lens has three MEGA O.I.S. settings: One shows the stabilization effect through the optical viewfinder or in live view; more power efficient, the second activates only after you press the shutter button to take a picture; the third is for horizontal panning. Theres no O.I.S. indication in the viewfinder display, and more than once we accidentally turned it off while holding the lens.
At the tested 50mm setting (100mm equivalent due to a 2X lens factor), we found 1.5 stops of handholding advantage over a nonstabilized camera. That may not seem like much, given the 3-plus stops weve tested on other systems (sensor- and lens-based), but those others were achieved with 200mm (equivalent) or longer lenses. IS works better as focal length increases, and 1.5 stops is good for 100mm.
Unlike any other lens, including the L1s, the L10s zoom gives you the full power of Panasonics face detection system, which tracks up to 15 faces in a scene (shown in live view) with the goal of maximizing sharpness, exposure, and color accuracy.
Its a cool gimmick, but it doesnt improve all faces in a scene unless theyre huddled together about the same distance from the camera. Otherwise, the face detection engine chooses one face to optimize at the time of exposure, and it even works when live view is turned off and auto ISO is turned on.
|
