The ongoing trend for compact cameras crams large sensors into small camera bodies. But the new Panasonic Lumix L10 has both a smaller sensor and a larger body than key competition in the trending category, like the Fujifilm X100VI and Ricoh GR IV – and there’s a good reason for the L10’s oversized design.
The Lumix L10, launched earlier this week, is actually a Micro Four Thirds camera, which slots the camera somewhere above 1-inch compact cameras like the Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III and Sony RX100 VII, but beneath APS-C compact cameras like the X100VI and GR IV.
While the L10 is perched between those two categories, its dimensions don’t share the same happy medium. The L10 is similar in height and width to the X100VI, but significantly deeper. The GR IV looks practically diminutive by comparison, at half the depth and nearly half the weight.
In fact, the L10 is closer in size to the Lumix S9 full-frame mirrorless camera with its compact kit lens – and that camera comes with a sensor that’s twice as large.
But there’s a reason for those size differences – and it actually makes the L10 a seriously tempting option.
The biggest thing the L10 has, which trendy options like the X100VI and GR IV do not, is optical zoom.
The L10 packs in a 28-70mm equivalent f/1.7- f/2.8 zoom lens. That’s rather close to the 24-70mm workhorse lens that’s a favorite among many mirrorless photographers, and it enables the L10 to snap wide landscapes one second and closely cropped portraits the next.
One of the reasons for that zoom is the Micro Four Thirds sensor. The larger a sensor is, the harder it is to add a fixed lens with optical zoom (due to the greater image circle). The L10 bridges the gap between 1-inch sensor compacts and APS-C options, but pairs it with a zoom for more flexibility.
The L10, of course, isn’t the only compact camera with a Micro Four Thirds sensor and optical zoom.
Like the discontinued Lumix LX100 series that inspired the L10, the new compact camera has several similarities to the Leica D-Lux 8, another compact camera with a Micro Four Thirds sensor and a zoom lens (and which is a Leica-badged version of the Lumix LX100 II).
There are several key differences between the Lumix and the Leica, a list that includes the L10’s higher resolution, faster burst speeds, 5.6K video and more affordable price. The D-Lux 8, however, comes in a slightly lighter and more compact design.
While the zoom is the biggest reason to consider the L10, that’s not the only space-hogging feature that Panasonic has managed to fit into the design. The L10 has an electronic viewfinder, which the tiniest compacts like the GR IV lack. The touchscreen also tilts – another feature that tends to add depth and weight to a camera.
The L10 also borrows the battery from Panasonic’s mirrorless cameras, which adds to the camera’s size but beats out the X100VI and GR IV in battery life.
Space also comes into play for video on the L10 – but for entirely different reasons. High-resolution video generates a lot of heat and the smallest cameras leave no room for that heat to dissipate, leaving them limited to lower resolutions, shorter record times or even both.
The L10 doesn’t list a strict time limit in its specifications, unlike many of its competitors. But the L10 is still fairly small, and the camera will end recording when the temperature gets too high – Panasonic notes this is around 20 minutes of 4K 30p.
The only feature that I was disappointed not to find – likely for space reasons – is weather-sealing. Weather seals are fairly rare among larger-sensor compacts (though the X100VI can be sealed if you add the protection filter and adapter ring).
Compact cameras are resurging in trends – but the smallest cameras have to make some sacrifices to get to that size. The Panasonic Lumix L10 strikes an excellent balance – it’s still small-ish, but mixes a decent Micro Four Thirds sensor without sacrificing zoom, a viewfinder, battery life or high-resolution video.
I think that’s going to make the camera a tempting choice, despite not having an APS-C sensor.
The L10 is also competitively priced – it sits at £1,299 / $1,499 / AU$2,599 for the standard versions, which is in line with the GR IV and under the X100VI and D-Lux 8. Interest in the camera is already through the roof, so find out where to preorder the Panasonic Lumix L10 if you want one.
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