Panasonic Digital Camera

Big and well built, with a huge zoom lens, the Panasonic DMC-FZ10 Lumix Digital Camera is remarkably easy to use and has many standard features, but image quality is mixed.

It has a bright 2-inch LCD, an eye-level TTL electronic viewfinder, and a "dumb" hot shoe. Its massive Leica 12X lens is the longest zoom of any digital still camera on the market. And with the built-in optical stabilization, you can shoot telephoto without a tripod. It has a number of advanced features, like manual focus and aperture and shutter priority, but it lacks an autofocus assist lamp and RAW or TIFF support.

The Lumix is very easy to operate and is a lot lighter than it looks. All controls are accessible and well marked, and the menus are easy to navigate. Focus can be a problem; it sometimes tracks endlessly, attempting a lock on the subject.

Boot time was very slow, but recycling was fast, and burst mode scores were high. Our daylight test shot was properly exposed, with good color, but the flash shot was washed out. This is an impressive camera for its extreme telephoto, but its inability to save uncompressed files and the lack of a focus assist lamp will disappoint some.

Summary: This big, impressive-looking camera handles well, but image quality is mixed and key features are missing.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.