Panasonic Lumix L10 review: A stylish and capable compact camera

The LX100 II successor offers good speed and image quality at a fairly high price.

Not long ago the camera market was in a doom spiral. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, demand for compact cameras exploded. The craze kicked off on TikTok , but for users looking to improve their photos, compacts were a logical jump from smartphones.

At the forefront was Fujifilm's iconic X100 VI , along with models from Ricoh, Leica and others. However, the fixed focal lenses on those models can make it difficult to get just the right composition. Now, Panasonic has jumped in with the Lumix L10, a 20.3-megapixel compact camera with a 24-75mm equivalent zoom. That lens makes it more practical for casual users who want to shoot at events, parties or while traveling.

To see how the L10 fared at those jobs, I took one on a trip to northern Canada. The zoom lens was indeed very handy and the photos and video I shot looked great. As with other high-end compact cameras, though, I do wish that the $1,500 asking price was a bit lower.

The L10 is a successor to Panasonic's LX100 II , but there are some differences. The new model is significantly heavier at 508 grams compared to 392 grams for the LX100 II, and not nearly as pocketable due to its increased bulk. The grip is small but deep enough to give shooters a decent hold.

While not dripping with manual controls, the L10 has enough for its intended market. Those include two dials on the top and back to adjust key settings, a photo/video/S&Q (slow and quick) switch and a dozen programmable buttons. There's also a four-step switch to adjust the aspect ratio (more on that shortly). Shutter speed and exposure compensation dials from the LX100 are gone, but not missed.

Unlike Fujifilm's X100 VI and other models with fixed focal lengths, the Lumix L10 has a 24-75mm f/1.7-2.8 equivalent Leica zoom lens. Panasonic recycled this one from the LX100 II, because it's still fast and relatively sharp. What's more, it can focus to just 3 cm in macro mode at 24mm equivalent, or 30 cm when fully zoomed in.

The fully articulating 1.8-million-dot rear display is a big improvement over the fixed one on the LX100 II, making the L10 more useful for video and selfies. While the electronic viewfinder is not amazingly sharp at 2.34 million dots, at least the L10 has one, unlike Canon's PowerShot V1.