Camera Test: Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

	Click photo for more images of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10.

Panasonics sleek designs, and innovations such as MEGA Optical Image Stabilization, make it a major force in digital compacts. But powerhouse status in DSLRs has been elusive. Despite live view and a clever pop-up flash, its first DSLR, the 7.5MP Lumix DMC-L1, hasnt grabbed much market share since it debuted in 2006. One reason: The L1 comes with an incredible Leica zoom that may be worth more than the camera itself.

Yet Panasonic is taking the same course with its latest DSLR, the 10.1MP Lumix DMC-L10, which sells only with a 14-50mm f/3.8-5.6 Leica D Vario-Elmar lens. The price: $1,300, street -- pricey compared with 10MP DSLRs and similar-range kit lenses from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and Pentax. So the question is whether this new Lumix/Leica pairing offers enough image quality or performance advantages to justify the spend.

Resolution to Spare

Panasonic is clearly banking on Leicas name and the quality of the lens -- made by Panasonic in Japan -- to attract photo enthusiasts. Because the L10 has a higher-resolution sensor than its predecessor, the advantages of the sharp Leica glass are more apparent.

Indeed, the L10 hit the highest resolution scores (average 2350 lines at ISO 100) of all the circa-10MP DSLRs weve tested. It scored more than 15 percent higher than the Olympus Evolt E-510 with its nearly identical Live MOS sensor and respectable 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko kit lens. It even out-resolves the 12.2MP Sony Alpha 700. Wow!

Another reason for the superior detail? The format of the sensor. Its 4:3 aspect ratio provides a narrower field of view than the 2:3 APS-C sensors on most DSLRs in this class. If you maintained the L10 sensors pixel size and pitch while expanding it horizontally to a 2:3 aspect ratio, the total would approach 12.5MP.

All that detail potential is fulfilled when you shoot RAW files. But the L10s Venus Engine III image processing and compression cuts JPEG resolution to an average 2050 lines (at ISO 100).

The processor also makes JPEGs noisier between ISO 100 (Low) and ISO 400 (Moderately Low). Compare that with the Olympus E-510, with Extremely Low noise at ISO 100-400. The L10s noise reduction obviously kicks in at ISO 800, where the level falls back to Low; at ISO 1600, noise is similar to that at ISO 400. (The test results at left are not for JPEGs but for RAW files converted to TIFFS.)

The L10 doesnt give you the option of increasing noise reduction in JPEGs at the expense of resolution. This can be done when shooting and converting RAW files.

Turning RAW images into TIFFs with the supplied software gives you another chance to battle noise. But even with the softwares noise reduction maxed out, we werent able to cut noise further than the in-camera processor at ISO 800 and 1600. The moral? The L10 will give you maximum sharpness at all ISOs at the cost of slightly higher noise.

As for color accuracy and other image quality parameters, the L10 is mid-pack. Color accuracy is Extremely High, while dynamic range (shadow and highlight detail) is average and not as high as Sonys A700. As a result, the L10 gets an Excellent image quality rating from ISO 100 to 400, Extremely High at ISO 800, and a Very High rating at ISO 1600.

Metering and exposure systems, as well as white-balance accuracy in difficult lighting situations, are top-notch. Dedicated buttons and the function key give quick access to most major controls. Scene modes are on the main mode dial. The Film Mode button leads to a menu thats similar to presets on other DSLRs: You can modify contrast, saturation, and color balance to mimic your favorite films.

You can set the camera to limit the ISO range, but this is confusing. For example, if you set it to ISO 400 manually while the internal menu has been set to limit ISO to 100-800…surprise! It analyzes the scene and chooses any ISO from 400 to 800. To get manual ISO control back, you must go into the menu and turn off ISO Limit.