Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic DMCLZ10 Digital Camera - Silver (10.1MP, 5x Optical Zoom) 2.5 inch LCD

I purchased this (not from Amazon as it happens) to use when the bulk of my Sony Alpha 300 dSLR would get in the way (theme parks, long walks and the like).

I chose a lumix as I am a big fan of Panasonic products as I have had good experiences of them in terms of reliability and quality. Mine is the black version and looks quite classy and more expensive than it actually costs.

I have read reviews on other sites describing the styling as 'bland' - this is entirely a subjective issue - it looks just fine to me, like a 'proper' camera not a toy.

Initial impressions are the picture quality is good. It is a cinch to use just drop it into iAuto mode and the only thing you can mess up is the composition. However if you want to more creative and exercise more control much more manual control is available.

There are a couple of things that might be a deal breaker for some-

1 - LCD composition only, no viewfinder. Didn't bother me as I have a dSLR and just wanted a quick point and shoot for when I didn't want to carry a bulky dSLR.

2 - AA batteries - you do need to purchase some rechargeable batteries and charger as this could prove expensive if you used good quality non - rechargeable ones. Some shy away from camera's that take AA's due to battery life and prefer cameras with dedicated Li-on's. AA's have one big advantage, unless you are in the middle of nowhere with no shops you will never run out of battery power - just pop in the nearest shop and buy a couple of batteries, so even if you run down your spares you will not be stuck. I also already had a number of sets and charger due to another piece of kit I have that takes AA's.

This camera has a couple of really neat features worth a mention-

1 - The LCD can be put into overhead shot mode meaning you can still see the screen when using the camera to take a shot over an obstruction such as a crowd - neatly does away with the need for a tilting screen which my dSLR has.

2 - Q (for quick) menu. A dedicated menu button that gives access to recently used menu features. So say for example you change the mega pixel setting from 10 to 5 using the normal menu which takes a few presses when you want to change back to 10 you just press q menu and it's there ready just needing to be selected and changed.

I have quite big hands and find the buttons OK in terms of size and operation - no problems there at all.

If you want one of these you do need to move quickly - they are no longer in production and have been superseded hence they are around at a really great price or in some good value bundles.

This is a great little camera, small enough and light enough to slip in my pocket. Unlike many of its ilk it allows the user some control, with A (Aperture Priority), S (Shutter Priority) and M (manual) in addition to the Scene modes. The fact that it can shoot widescreen video is a plus.

The controls are a little small for those with big hands. As with most cameras at this price point the LCD is difficult to read in bright sunshine. The internal flash unit is also a little underpowered. It is fine for pictures in your living room but not for party pictures in a large hall.

The camera's menu system is OK except that one or two functions you might use every day are buried too deeply into the menus. The function to format the memory card takes 22 key presses.

The 5x zoom is great. Covering the 30mm to 150mm (35mm equiv) means it can capture a diverse type of subject matter, and its macro mode extends this even more.

The Panasonic DMC-LZ10 is now out of production but there are still some available at a good price. If you decide this is the camera for you then snap it up quickly.

Panasonic DMCLZ10 Digital Camera - Silver (10.1MP, 5x Optical Zoom) 2.5 inch LCDTop product, excellent value, very pleased with both delivery & the quality of product.

There's no doubt that Panasonic produce superb cameras, and in many ways this is one of their better ones. The image quality is really excellent, very sharp indeed in reasonable or better light, and on a par with a good digital SLR. It's compact, has effective image stabilisation to prevent shake, has an excellent zoom lens and interprets the scene well to maximise the image quality..

The Intelligent Auto mode is a bit hit or miss - it often picks rather unusual interpretations of scenes - eg landscape or close-up when I'm photographing people, but despite that it seems to balance the exposure and colour balance well and deliver excellent photos. Face detection is also quite inconsistent - sometimes it detects faces, but it often doesn't.

The lens is top-notch, and I very much like the fact that it is (slightly) wide-angle - this makes a big difference to the usability as you do get a noticeably wider field of you than with typical compact cameras. With a 35mm equivalent range of 30-150mm, that's a very decent & useful range, and it produces very crisp and detailed images.

In video mode, the movies are reasonable quality - roughly equivalent to an old cine film in terms of graininess. Perfectly good for informal scenes, though as ever you need a proper video camera if you want good quality films.

My biggest gripe by far is Mr Panasonic's decision to power this otherwise decent camera with AA batteries. Why?????? One set of Duracells lasts about 100 photos (a good rechargeable Li-Ion battery in similar camera should give 6-800 photos or more), so you always have to have a spare set with you and be prepared to get through several sets in a busy weekend. Furthermore, AA batteries just don't provide the current needed to power a sophisticated camera properly, so if the camera thinks the light levels are a tad low, the whole thing goes black and inactive for quite a while as the flash slowly charges itself up. In low-moderate light, the demands on the batteries to power screen, flash, focus and anti-shake can really slow it down and delay pictures being taken, which is frustrating. Nevertheless, it balances the flash / exposure well, and takes very good images (eventually!) in low light. In good light, the batteries are less of an issue, it is quick to take images, and they are usually of superb quality.

Overall, it's a great camera at a great price, but seriously compromised by the choice of AA batteries to power it. Sure, it may be more convenient to buy new batteries than recharge them when you are away from base, but good rechargeable batteries last so long that it is rarely an issue. Furthermore, the poor performance of even good quality AA batteries has a real impact on the workings of the camera in moderate or low light. To be fair, I have yet to try this with disposable Lithium batteries, and just used good quality alkalines so far (which is what come with the camera). Lithium AAs may improve performance, in which case I'll feedback later.

This is my third Panasonic camera, and I think they make superb cameras that deliver better images than many major photo brands. If you prefer the "convenience" of AA batteries or spend a lot of time in remote places where you can't recharge batteries, then this is an excellent camera capable of producing exceptional images. You may want to add some Lithium AA batteries to your order though - they should do better than regular alkalines. However, if you take a lot of pictures and don't like being let down by poor battery performance, then I would look elsewhere - perhaps an equivalent Panasonic with a decent rechargeable battery.

this really is the best camera out of lots to choose from i think.its easy to use and the bits and bobs it does are amongst the best.i bought it at a great price and no doubt as new ones appear the price will fall more.dont be afraid to buy this product,it is a great piece of kit.