Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic DMC-FZ10BB Digital Camera [4MP , 12 x Optical] Black

I bought this (now my 4th Digi-Camera) about 2 months ago and I can truly say it has renewed my excitement in photography.
I have been looking for a digi-camera with more SLR type features and a decent optical zoom for a few months now and had already picked out a Fuji S20 Pro as the next one to have, after walking into a shop and giving all the possibles a test drive, the guy asked if I had seen this one. The rest is history.

Lens
I love the 12 x zoom on the FZ10 as it allows me to get right in and frame the picture without worrying about doing it on the PC later (which probably saves a few Mega Pixels later) and I've found that the Digital Zoom isn't too terrible either - although personally I prefer not to use it if at all possible.
The image stabiliser is a great feature as not only does it help you see what you're looking at, it enables a longer exposure than you would expect on a zoom lens as long as this. While I'm on the subject of the lens, it's made by Leica which really doesn't need much more explanation, suffice to say purple fringing and barrel distortion on this is much less noticeable than on my Fuji 2800 Zoom (only 6 x Zoom)- don't get me wrong it's there, but it really doesn't annoy me.
Shutter lag is none to worrying (rare for a digi camera) and when you couple it with the rapid fire feature - 4 shots a second at max resolution, you rarely miss a thing. The auto-focus is good although it can sometimes get a little confused in the dark (but much better than some I have tried) however the benefit of having Manual Focus is that you can override the AF.

Controls
I've played around for a while with various digi-cameras and although I would say I'm quite competent with them, I must admit that I like to be lead by the hand through starting up with the camera and don't really want to read a 200+ page manual before I can turn the thing on, this didn't disappoint.
Features are easy to get to with plenty of dedicated buttons to allow you to get to the meat of the controls in one press of a button. There are some Streetfighter type multiple button presses required but fortunately these are on the lesser-used functions and the menus seem to cope admirably with the day-to-day requirements. The "scene" settings are easy to use and seem to cover most eventualities although I would have liked to be able to use the Macro function in Manual/Program-shift without having to do a work around (easy to do but it could have been much easier).

The manual is decidedly average with a few ambiguities but fortunately the controls are so well designed that a bit of trial and error will clear up any misunderstanding.

Body
This is a chunky camera, definitely one of the biggest in it's class, although it's quite re-assuring to know that it won't wobble about in the breeze or fall out of your grip. It seems solidly built with all doors snapping firmly shut and the odd knocks that mine has had, sorry Leica/Panasonic, haven't taken the sheen off it's body or seemed to do any harm.

Pros
Solidly built, huge lens, easy to use, loads of features, great all-rounder.

Cons
Tripod mount is not directly under the lens which covers the battery/SD door, doesn't use standard batteries, No Bulb setting. When using the Manual focus it would have been nice to have a distance measurement in the viewfinder.

Conclusion
This camera is the best all-rounder that I've used to date, it works equally well when taking snaps or when trying something a little more creative - a 72mm Cokin Lens Adapter and some P range series filters help nicely.
The lens is great and the picture quality will keep most happy for a long time. I'm more than happy with it and until Sony/Fuji et al come up with something better (or drop their prices by at least £150). I really can't recommend any other camera in the near price region.

I have been scouring the digital market for months trying to find a good camera. The best is a DSLR, but at around £800, a bit pricey. Enter the fZ10. This camera has everything you could want, easy to use, robust, great lens, and takes very, very good photos. 4 megapixels is good enough for prints up to A4 so unless you are a professional photographer why bother with any more? At the moment this is the best camera for £350. Dont hesitate.

I have been reading up on this camera for about a month now. i've decided to buy it, it is wicked. look at reviews (search for them on google) it is a great camera, the stabilisation feature is a godsend on such a big zoom camera. Went into a shop today to see if they could order one for me and guess what!!! there was one in the cabinet - really big! I had a go and have to say i fell in love with it. as with most of panasonics stuff its built really well and surpasses most in its price range. The lcd screen is really good, like a tv, really fluid and crisp and the amount of zoom is just out of this world. manual focus is also great and so is the price offered by amazon, its the cheaest i can find and i trust amazon to deliver. Do go to a shop first to try it out though, i know if you are anything like me you'll love it! I said the same thing about the silver one, they're the same camera

This is a solidy built 400mm zoom digital camera.

The image stabilisation means it is possible to take blur free, sharp images at full zoom - without a tripod - not too many cameras can do this!
This makes wildlife photos a breeze to take.

Only criticism is that in low light levels you will have to switch to manual mode to get correct exposure and focus.

You might have to buy this camera elsewhere - after 2 months of waiting on an order Amazon admitted they were unable to source the camera.