Panasonic G10

Eighteen months after the launch of the G1, the second generation of Micro Four-Thirds cameras are beginning to arrive, and two new cameras are replacing it: the slightly more advanced G2, and this model, the G10, which is a more entry-level camera.  But is it too lightweight or just right?

Handling

When you first pick it up, the family resemblance is clear: all of Panasonic's Micro-Thirds cameras in the G and GH family share the same basic body.  Changes from one generation to the next include the movement of the scroll wheel from the front to the back, meaning the G10 now matches the smaller GF1.



One particular element makes the G10 stand out compared to the four other 'fake SLRs' in the range: it doesn't have a moveable screen.  Keeping the costs down has meant that the 3'', 460 000 pixels screen, which has otherwise good viewing angles, is attached firmly to the rest of the camera.  The same economy drive was also behind the disgracefully poor viewfinder.

The user interface is classic Panasonic, in both the onscreen menus and the general controls.  All of the direct buttons are in the usual place, and clicking on the scroll wheel allows you to control exposure correction.  Although it's a shame that Panasonic has played musical chairs and rearranged the layout of the controls on the G2 and the G10, there's nothing that will be off-putting for anybody who's used to a camera like this.

Access to iA mode has left the general settings dial and moved to a dedicated button on the top of the camera.  Its new position is highlighted by a particularly ugly blue LED that you can easily black out with a spot of gaffer tape, but this means you have to look in two separate places to check which scene mode you're using.  And despite offering 720p video, there's no button to directly start filming.

Responsiveness

On the inside, the G10 is very similar to the more advanced G2, and so it's logical enough that the two cameras behave in largely the same way.  Both do well against the stopwatch, and it's only the time it takes them to start up that could be considered irritating.  But in practice, once you've switched it on, it's ready by the time you've lifted it up to start taking your first photo.  Burst mode isn't quite as impressive as on some recent SLRs, especially when combined with autofocus, although the first shot is always done very well, even in tricky conditions.

Image Quality

Once again, the G10's impeccable breeding shines through.  It produces results that are almost identical to the G2 with which it shares the same 14-42 mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, which is a little less advanced than the 14-45 mm lens found on the G1.  There's no direct control over stabilisation and the zoom ring doesn't seem to move as fluidly.  In wide-angle, there is plenty of detail in the middle of the frame, but it falls off noticeably when you move towards the outside.  When you're zoomed in further, there's less detail in the centre but the overall result is more even.  Whatever the focal length, there's nothing to worry about unless you want to print everything out at 100%.


Noise handling is how we'd expect from a camera like this: everything's perfect up to 800 ISO, but then grain begins to creep in, before getting bigger before finally becoming problematic at 3200 ISO.  The final setting is much blurrier, though, and we recommend you avoid it even for small prints.


Video

The G10 films in 720p HD, but unlike the G2, which has the same Venus Engine HD II chip, records using MPEG in a MOV file, rather than AVCHD Lite.  Video clips are fluid and good quality, thanks to the autofocus which keeps on working away quality.   The lack of stereo sound or the option to record in AVCHD (who is available on both the TZ10 and the FZ38) will be problematic for the most enthusiastic filmmakers.  That said, they're unlikely to opt for a camera that doesn't even have a separate button to start recording.