Rating: 
Summary: i've give this camera 8 starts if it was possible.
Review: This is an amazing camera. I have been researching what camera to buy for the last few months! and I haven't found a camera that comes close to this one.
First of all the camera is big, so if you want a small zoom camera this isn't it. I'd recommend the Panasonic DMC fz1 or the Olympus C-750 models.
This camera comes the closest to perfect for me and what i've wanted in a camera.
Pros:
(1) leica lens (fyi leica makes $2000 cameras, so for this camera to have a leica lens, it's got to be good).
(2) the camera has auto and manual focus, and auto and manual modes so u can either point and shoot or learn to take pix with the more advanced features.
(3) movie mode is very descent and it has good sound.
(4) has a 16:9 ratio for 1 photo size (quality) setting, so u can take a pic and it'll be in widescreen...cool huh?
(5) all the modes on the dial, portrait, night portrait, panning (makes a moving object in sharp while the background is blurry), sports, macro.
(6) battery life is good. lasts pretty much all day.
(7) has this cool flip animation, you can make movies with ur clay figurines, if you'd like!! take a pic of a figurine and move it slightly every time and when done itll convert it into a quicktime movie.
(8) of course, the super ultra yummy zoom! how could i forget that? that's what got me interested in the camera in the first place.
(9) aperture range of the lens is f2.8 throughout the focul range from wide to telephoto.
(10) menus are easy to navigate and quick.
(11) can use conversion lenses for wide and tele.
(12) burst mode, can take 4-5 pics quick.
(13) histogram on play and record mode - good for composition measuring.
(14) turns on in about 2-3 secs after getting lens ready.
(15) great photo quality!!! which is the most important thing!!
(16) creativity for pictures!!!Now for cons:
(1) of course, price.......but ah well...shouldn't be a con, nice things cost money!
(2) i found that you cannot thread filters to the lens (lens not threaded) so can't protect lens with a (for example a UV filter to leave on permanently.) But can thread filters (72mm) to the lens hood (the camera package includes) which attaches to the lens barrel, (lens hood) roughtly 2-3 inches wide.
(3) and the movie mode.....cant use the zoom!!!! wonder why!?!
(4) extra batteries are expensive, and hard to find at ur local store. despite these 4 cons i have found in the last 3 months of researching for the perfect zoom camera, this has gotten to the closest i've found.
Also, get a SD card at least 256megs or larger and start shooting away!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Buy it for the lens
Review: This was my first post-film camera, and it turned out to be a relatively easy transition. It's about the same size as the SLR film cameras I was accustomed to, albeit half the weight. It provides full manual controls once you decypher the menu protocol.
If you're into nature photography, as I am, the FZ10 is just about unbeatable. You can reach out with a 420mm equivalent for shots of birds or other wildlife and in macro you can take a portrait of a bug on a flower. Unbelievable!
The image-stabilization gyroscope combined with the Leica optics means you can take hand-held shots in daylight at full zoom that are super-sharp -- if you know how to squeeze a trigger.
Shutter lag is not a problem -- about 1 second betwen shots and the burst mode gives you 4 frames a second.
Downsides:
1. Poor low-light performance, common with digitals, is perhaps even more problematical with the FZ10, since it has no focus-assist light. (The internal flash is fairly good, and there's a hot shoe for something with more punch.)
2. It's not an SLR, so no interchangable lenses. (But if you need more than 420mm, use your feet!)
3. The proprietary battery is expensive, about $50, but they can last for a whole day of fairly heavy shooting.
4. Forget the lens cap (it's unattached so you're gonna lose it anyway) and get a 72mm skylight filter to protect that great Leica glass.
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