Panasonic HC-Z10000 review

Instead, this setting has to be adjusted using the menu system and the touchscreen 3.48in display, which pulls out of the handle. It’s a gorgeous display with 1,152,000 dots producing an incredibly sharp image; for even clearer shooting the electronic viewfinder has a 0.45in screen with 1,226,880 dots. Both make it easy to use the manual focus when you need to.

The high-quality pop-out screen gives you a glasses-free 3D image, but its also used to change a lot of settings.

It’s here that the camera’s first minor annoyances kicks in: it doesn’t automatically detect when you’re looking through the viewfinder. In fact, the only way to switch between the LCD and viewfinder is to fold the external screen away.

An electronic viewfinder is great for shooting in bright-light, but it’s not automatically activated when you look through it.

It’s a shame, as both screens are useful when you’re shooting. For 3D work the LCD’s parallax barrier glasses-free technology helps you line up a shot and gauge depth, but the viewfinder’s still useful if it’s a bright day and you want to check the framing. At the least, there really should be a dedicated button to switch between the two modes.

Three lens rings gives you fine control, but it’s a shame there are no markings and no stop on the focus wheel.

Our other minor annoyances lie with the lens rings. For starters, there are no focal lengths marked on the zoom wheel, and it’s a bit laggy making it hard to use for fine adjustment, as it engages the electronic zoom rather than giving you direct control. It’s also a little annoying that the focus wheel has infinite movement, rather than physical stops, which we’d expect on a high-end camera.