After all my years of using various camera systems, I realized the other day that most camera articles are written with an inherent bias toward the expert or enthusiast point of view. When you’re so deeply immersed in a topic or subject, it’s actually quite difficult to look at things from a different perspective. There is almost an assumption that everyone wants what you want—and of course, this simply isn’t the case. For a lot of people, they don’t want to be laden with a full mirrorless system and having to research and choose what lenses to pair the camera with. Perhaps you just want a camera that gives much better results than a smartphone, while keeping things light and easy to carry.

As photographers, we’re often happy to carry what most people would think is a ridiculous amount of kit to get the shots that we want. But most people who simply want to take photos of their everyday life, their kids, and their holidays simply want something good enough—and importantly, it needs to get out of the way, both in carrying it and using it.

You could go for an entry-level mirrorless camera, but to keep the whole package small you’re probably going to end up using a relatively cheap kit lens. Those often don’t give photos that look all that much better than the best smartphones can produce (in good light at least). They have slow apertures that don’t let in lots of light, or give you the ability to create softly out-of-focus backgrounds to give your portraits that high-end professional look.

This is where the Panasonic L10 can potentially step in.

For a camera to be ideal for non-photographers, I think it has to meet certain criteria:

1. It should be small and light enough to carry easily while juggling family, kids, and other gear.
2. It should make it easy to get substantially better photos than you can on your smartphone.
3. It should be a one-time purchase that doesn’t force you to buy a host of lenses and accessories just to make it work for you.

Buy the camera, open the box, spend a short time learning how to use it, and then it should be an item you can, for the most part, forget about until you want to take photos.

My late father was a keen photo taker, but had no ambition to do anything other than record memories, trips, and moments. He wanted good photos that he could share and look back on. For years he used my old Panasonic G3 and a kit lens. It was relatively small and, importantly, did what he wanted, giving him photos that were capable of holding the attention of his friends and family when he did the typical older generation dad thing of showing them his photo albums after a trip. He would create albums or little books from different trips and sometimes get small prints made to fit in standard photo frames. I don’t think he ever edited a photo in his life. He added a couple of lenses to his kit which you are always tempted to do if you have that kind of camera but he rarely used them. They just ended up adding unneccessary weight to the small camera bag he carried his camera in.

Looking back now, would he have been better served by the Panasonic L10?

So in this article, he is my reference point. If that’s the kind of photo taker you are, then this article is for you.

The Size Reality: Is It Actually Pocketable?

I’m going to be incredibly frank in this article and cut through the marketing speak, because I’ve noticed a trend where people sugarcoat everything these days and that’s not in my nature. As I buy all the cameras myself that I review on this site, I can freely call a spade a spade.

While the Panasonic L10 is a small camera relative to mid- or professional-level mirrorless bodies, you cannot fit it in a standard pocket.

It will physically fit inside the hand pocket of a waterproof jacket, but I don’t think you’d want to carry it like that for very long.

1. It’s uncomfortable and awkward to carry in that way. The depth of the camera from the back screen to the front of the lens means it creates a massive bulge. Walking around with it in a jacket pocket feels clumsy, and I’m constantly worried I’m going to catch it on a things as I pass by. It also sits awkwardly and slides around as you move.
2. It breaks down in warm weather. If you’re on holiday in the sun, you won’t be wearing a heavy jacket anyway, so that option vanishes entirely.

If you genuinely want a pocketable camera that offers noticeably better image quality than a smartphone, rule the Panasonic L10 out straight away.

Your real options there are very limited:

• The Sony RX100 VII series: You get a versatile zoom lens but its smaller 1-inch sensor means the image quality isn’t a massive leap over the best modern smartphones in daylight. I bought one for my eldest daughter Sofia a few years ago and was fairly impressed by it.
• The Ricoh GR IV: You get exceptional APS-C image quality that is better than any smartphone, but you’re locked into a single fixed focal length with zero zoom. You can see my detailed Ricoh GRIV review if you think it might suit you.

So, if you aren’t prepared to carry the Panasonic L10 either on a neck/shoulder strap or inside a small everyday bag, you can stop reading now. But if you are comfortable carrying a small bag or wearing a camera strap, read on—because this is where the L10 starts to make a lot of sense.

The Everyday Carry Test: Weight & Portability

As long as you are comfortable carrying a camera in a small bag—and it doesn’t even have to be a dedicated camera bag, as it’s small enough to slip easily into a handbag or your daily carry—the Panasonic L10 passes the small and light test with ease.

At 115.6 x 65.5 x 61.9 mm, its overall footprint stays remarkably compact. And weighing in at just 407g with the battery and memory card inserted, it is light enough to keep attached to a simple, comfortable shoulder strap—like the Peak Design Leash—all day without feeling like a burden.

I’ve found it pretty flexible in my daily walks. Yesterday I wandered around Crieff, the weather was largely pretty dull and I didn’t come across any magical scenes, but because it’s so small, I was comfortable just walking with it in my jacket pocket, my hand holding it in there with it attached to my Peak Design Wrist strap and just pulling it out when I wanted to snap away. The grip gives enough purchase to just walk with it in my hand for long periods when I’m taking more photos. Sometimes I’d just use the rear touchscreen to casuaully frame up a shot, other times I’d use the viewfinder to concentrate on compositon or when there was bright Sun. It was no hassle.

If I was on vacation, I’d happily have it slung over my back via a camera strap and not really notice it until I wanted to use it. I can easily see myself taking trips with Sofia (my eldest daughter) and only bringing the L10 along when I want the focus to be on the trip and not photography itself. It doesn’t quite get out of the way like a truly pocketable camera such as the Ricoh GRIV does, but I suppose thats the price you pay for the flexibility of the zoom lens combined with the image quality that’s possible.

So, if your requirement for a compact camera is something that sits lightly over your shoulder, slung around your back or disappears into a regular bag without taking over your life, the L10 hits that sweet spot perfectly.

Requirement 2: Can It Easily Outperform a Smartphone?

Does the Panasonic L10 actually make it easy to get photos that look a lot better than a smartphone?

Yes and no. Provided you play your part and take decent photos it is capable of producing much better photos than a smart phone, especially in lower light. It’s not some magic bullet that will instantly make you a great photographer (no camera is), but thanks to its combination of a Four Thirds sensor (much larger than a smartphone) and a bright f/1.7–2.8 Leica lens, it naturally produces images that are more detailed, more natural and just look higher quality than any smart phone that I’ve used.

Here is why it beats out a phone in the real world:

• Real Optical Background Blur: Thanks to that large sensor and fast aperture, taking photos of people, kids, or pets naturally blurs the background. You get true optical depth of field, completely avoiding the weird, fake-looking software edge artifacts you see in smartphone “Portrait Mode.”
• Natural Image Quality & Color: The Leica lens is sharp, captures fine detail without the aggressive, over-sharpened, and artificially processed look of modern phone cameras. Plus, you get a wide selection of in-camera color profiles out of the box, with the ability to load up to 30 custom color LUTs via the Lumix Lab app.
• Superior Low-Light Reach: The physical size of the sensor combined with a bright lens gathers significantly more real light in dim conditions, saving your evening or indoor shots from turning into waxy, smudged noise.

As for everyday operation, it keeps friction low. There is an Intelligent Auto mode (the iA position on the mode dial) that automatically recognizes a variety of scenes—from landscapes, portraits, and sunsets to food, night scenes, and babies. It effectively turns the L10 into a dead-simple point-and-shoot: line up the shot and press the button. Of course you can shoot it in various different modes that give you more control too.

Autofocus isn’t entirely foolproof for erratic, high-speed movement—as I’ve found out trying to capture my hyperactive 5-month-old Labradoodle puppy, Luna—but setting it to tracking mode with animal detection and firing in short bursts makes getting pin-sharp shots straightforward.

Add in the seamless wireless transfer through the Lumix Lab app to send photos straight to your phone as you shoot, and the answer is clear: yes, it easily delivers a noticeable jump in photo quality without forcing you into an editing workflow.

(I’ll be publishing a complete setup guide soon covering the best settings to get the absolute most out of the L10, but if you want a camera you can simply point at something and press the shutter, it will happily oblige.)

Where a Smartphone Still Wins

While the Panasonic L10 can definitely produce better photos than a phone, in bright daylight, it’s not always a massive difference for general snapshots.

The optical differences can be subtle, and for many people, they simply might not matter. If you tend to take photos fairly casually—just seeing something you like and snapping a quick photo as a memory or record—the gap between a high-end phone and a dedicated camera can feel relatively small, especially if you’re only ever going to view those photos on a phone screen or share them on social media.

There is also no getting around the fact that we carry our phones everywhere we go. Even as someone who values photography and is heavily invested in dedicated cameras, I still often find myself grabbing my phone when I just need a quick shot of me using a camera for this website. It is so effortless to pull it out of a pocket, snap a shot, and be done with it.

For photos where I’m not thinking about anything other than a record shot, the sheer convenience of a phone wins out. My phone is an older iPhone 13 Pro, and it produces images that are more than good enough for that purpose. I’ll even occasionally shoot a landscape photo on it when I’m out climbing mountains or wandering through the glens here in Scotland. With the right settings, and treated as a memory of a trip, it does the job.

I’m never going to print or display those photos because I can see all the technical flaws in them, but sometimes the freedom of not carrying an extra device is incredibly liberating.

My phone is also quicker to pull out of my pocket and snap a photo on than the Panasonic L10 is to turn on because you have to wait for the zoom lens on the L10 to telescope out before taking photos. It takes 3 seconds from flicking the on switch to being ready to shoot with the Panasonic L10. Not exactly a long time, but definitely noticeable.

So before spending a significant amount of money on a dedicated camera, ask yourself one simple question: Will I actually bring it with me and use it?

If you aren’t sure, don’t spend thousands of pounds on a camera. Upgrade your phone instead—at least you know you will always have that in your pocket.

Requirements 3: The One-Time Purchase (Escaping the Lens Trap)

If you buy an interchangeable mirrorless camera, you immediately open up a rabbit hole that most non-photographers simply don’t want to go down.

First, you have to choose a lens to pair with the body. Which one? How much should you spend? What focal length do you need? Is it any good? Does the camera body have IBIS (in-body image stabilization)? What about subject recognition? Which lens mount fits which body? Is it worth spending more for a prime lens? Should you get a second zoom lens to cover every scenario?

Before you’ve even taken a single photo, you’re buried under research, decision fatigue, and extra expense.

On the flip side, if you buy a Fujifilm X100VI or a Ricoh GR IV because every review says they’re the “best compact cameras,” (I’m not saying I disagree) you might quickly find the inability to zoom incredibly frustrating. Fixed focal length lenses are brilliant tools, but for a casual everyday shooter, ask yourself: Are those fixed wide angles actually flexible enough to get the photos of your kids, travels, and family events that you want?

The Panasonic L10 fixes all of these issues by giving you a single, complete system right out of the box. The lens is permanently attached—you cannot change it, and you never have to think about buying another one. The camera can be charged via USB-C so no need to bring along a dedicated charger and battery life will last for a days casual shooting so no need to carry a bag of spares. If you really need extra battery life, a small powerbnak like my Anker nano with built in charging cable is ideal and will do double duty for your other devices.

A Lens Built for 90% of Real Life

What you get is a built-in Leica zoom with a 24–70mm equivalent focal range and a bright f/1.7–2.8 aperture.

• 24mm is wide enough for expansive travel landscapes, street scenes, and indoor group shots.
• 70mm brings you in close enough for flattering portraits and details.

Unless you specialize in niche subjects like wildlife or long-distance sports, that 24–70mm range covers 90% of every photo you will likely ever want to take.

The bright f/1.7–2.8 aperture does the heavy lifting in two key areas: it lets in significantly more light in dim conditions for cleaner photos, and it allows you to isolate your subject with blurred backgrounds.

Now, to keep expectations realistic: it will not deliver the ultra-deep, blurred backgrounds of a full-frame mirrorless camera paired with a professional lens. At the wider 24mm end, you won’t get a crazy out-of-focus background because optical blur relies heavily on subject-to-background distance and focal length, not just aperture. But as you zoom in toward 70mm, it blurs backgrounds to a degree no smartphone portrait mode can naturally match.

The Dad Test: Total Cost & Practicality

When I think back to my dad taking photos of his trips, travels, and days out with the family, this camera would have been ideal.

It is smaller than his old Panasonic G3 with its kit lens attached, it is lighter, and it offers better image quality—primarily because of that high-quality Leica lens. Most importantly, it would have saved him from buying additional lenses that ultimately sat in his camera bag or got left behind in the wardrobe at home. So for someone like my dad, who just wanted to take better photos but had no interest in photography as a serious hobby, the Panasonic L10 would certainly fit the role.

The only real question that remains is whether he would have thought it was worth the £1,300 asking price or if he’d have bought a new phone instead. A new flagship iPhone costs right around that these days, doesn’t it? that’s just given me an idea…..

I attached the L10 to my Peak Design Camera Leash which is ideally sized for a smaller camera like the L10 and simply stowed the Ricoh in my jacket pocket.

The aim of the walk was to see how the Panasonic feels in actual use as an everyday carry type of camera. Would it be as discreet as the GRIV or would it ultimately feel like taking a full size camera out with me. Would it get out of my way and just let me shoot when I saw something I wanted to capture or would it create friction when my outing is primarily to get fresh air and enjoy the scenery, and how useful is the zoom lens for someone like me, who is primarily a prime lens shooter, whatever camera I pick up. In my latest article I discuss if the Panasonic L10 is the ultimate compact camera.

I set off from my house down the beautiful tree lined roads towards MacRosty park, initially keeping the L10 slung over my back via the camera strap. Every time I saw a shot I simply swung it around and was ready to shoot but I was feeling the friction of taking shots compared to my GRIV. With the GRIV I simply pull the camera out of my pocket and as I raise it up to shoot, I switch it on and it’s ready in an instant. With the L10 I had to remove the lens cap before turning the camera on. the reason I did this is that once you switch the camera on, the lens extends and I didn’t want to exert any pressure on the telescoped lens for fear it may eventually lead to issues. So my sequence to shoot went like this, swing the camera in to position, take off the lens cap, turn the camera on and then flip the screen to face outward. After 10 minutes or so of doing this and switching between the viewfinder and the screen, I could actually feel it putting me off shooting, just a fraction but the friction was there compared to how effortless the GRIV is to take a shot with.

The start up time is a little slower too. So I removed the L10 from the strap and slipped it in to my other jacket pocket and started to change how I shot it. Instead of flipping the screen, for most shots I started using the viewfinder instead. I normally prefer to shoot through a viewfinder anyway but initially I was trying to replicate how I use the GRIV so attempted to use the rear screen. Of course I could have left the screen reversed so I didn’t need to flip it each time I wanted to take a shot but then I would have negated the protection of having the screen face inward when the camera is stowed away. The viewfinder itself is decent enough but the image I was seeing in it was far too flat in terms of contrast and colours. It didn’t match the display of the rear LCD screen at all so I made some adjustments and got it to match the screen much more closely.

In the end, I settled on keeping the L10 in my hand for the most part, with the lens cap off and screen facing inward and shooting with the viewfinder. The minimal grip on the L10 was actually surprisingly comfortable and offered plenty of security to hold the camera in this way, with the ridge of the grip offering just the right amount of purchase for my fingers to hold the camera comfortably and confidently. I’ll write up a full comparison of the L10 vs the Ricoh GRIV in a future article but I would say, that you end up using them in significantly different ways. If I’m honest, the first 30 minutes of using the L10 on this walk had me thinking, nope, this camera isn’t compact enough to replace a GRIV. It will fit in my jacket pocket but you know it’s there as it creates an unmistakable bulge, unlike the GRIV where it really is unobtrusive, slipping in to any pocket where you could take an entire walk and not even pull it out to shoot anything and not feel like you wasted your time by carrying it.

Initially, I had it in mind to shoot the Panasonic L10 primarily at its 28mm equivalent focal length to match the GRIV and give me plenty of comparison shots. When shot like this, the larger size and weight of the L10 felt totally unnecessary and the GRIV’s larger APS-C sensor seemed the obvious choice to use. I tested slow shutter speed shots with both cameras, trying to get some motion in the burn that runs through MacRosty park, fully expecting the L10 to give me the kind of results that I’m used to with other Micro Four thirds cameras despite not having IBIS. While the lens does have image stabilisation, I found that it simply is not as effective at making slow shutter speed shots a walk in the park. I shot at 1/15 no problem, 1/10, still fine but when I got down to 1/5 second and below, results were really hit and miss. it’s shame as one of the massive benefits I usually find when shooting Micro Four Thirds cameras like the OM-3 is that the IBIS is like witchcraft, making hand-held 1 second and longer exposures feel like child’s play.

After about 45 minutes of walking and shooting, I wasn’t quite feeling the Panasonic L10. In my mind I was thinking, it’s not pocketable like the Ricoh and it wont give the shooting experience of the Fuji X100VI, and it’s not much smaller or lighter than an OM-3 which I can switch lenses on as I choose, so what or who is this camera for and what does it do well. Speaking of shooting experience, I still don’t like the placement of the aperture ring on the lens. It is right at the end of the lens mount and just feels weird. It should be where the control ring is but the rest of the controls, once changed from default are well placed. The rear dial feels good in use, is easy to find and manipulate, the q button for quick menu access is right where I want it to be to quickly jump in to my most used menu options and the shutter button itself is as I’d expect, being easy to half press to focus and take shots without being overly sensitive.

Talking of auto focus, it’s quick and accurate but if shooting through the viewfinder with the rear LCD screen closed, the lack of a focus joystick means changing the position of the focus point is somewhat contrived. You have to press left on the rear D-pad to enter the AF options, then press down to access the focus points and then you are able to move the focus point around as you wish using the same D-pad buttons. Not exactly obvious. I’m sure there must be a better way so I’ll take the camera with me tonight while Sofia is horse riding and see if I can setup some custom function to speed up that process but 2 button presses before being able to move your focus point is not ideal although by the end of the walk I’d got it down pretty well and could adjust the focus point in a matter of a second or so.

Don’t get me wrong, the photos I was getting from the L10 were decent, without viewing at 100% in Lightroom or on a massive monitor, very much in the same ballpark as the Ricoh. The lens is sharp in the centre and only tails off towards the corners a bit. The in camera colours are excellent and of course it offers the flexibility of in-camera LUTS that you can download from the LUMIX Labs app and store in camera giving you a huge choice of options without having to edit raw files if you don’t want to.

However, even though I like the design of the camera, I was struggling with it a little bit. In its default state, it’s not a particularly intuitive camera to use.

That was until I stopped looking at it as a GRIV alternative, kept the GRIV in my pocket more and just got on with using the main benefit of the Panasonic L10 which is its zoom lens.

When I rounded the stretch of Lady Mary’s walk that takes you right up to the rivers edge, along a rough path and entered the stunning avenue of trees, in their full Autumn colours, the obvious choice was to shoot at a longer focal length to pull the distant elements of the scene closer and enhance the perspective of looking down this beautiful tree lined path. I shot the GRIV with its 28mm lens and as beautiful as the colours were, that perspective just wasn’t working. it gave too much emphasis to the foreground bench while totally minimising the beautiful distant trees. So I pulled out the L10 and adjusted the zoom lens (via the step zoom function) to its 50mm equivalent focal length and suddenly the whole shot made absolute sense.

With the flexibility of the zoom, I was able to capture the scene exactly as it felt when looking at it with my own eyes. No amount of moving my position with the fixed lens of the Ricoh could have got this shot. It’s not about how much of a scene you are able to capture, it is the compression effect of longer focal lengths that simply cannot be replicated by changing position, changing angles or even cropping in to the shot in post. Suddenly, in this moment, the Panasonic L10 started making sense to me for the first time. It’s not really competing with the Ricoh GRIV or Fuji X100VI in the way that a lot of the articles I’ve seen online claim. It’s competing with the flexibility of an inter-changeable lens camera while removing the paralysis of choice. . It’s for those who want the flexibility of that zoom lens without the bulk or mental load of carrying a full mirrorless system or having to choose which lens to attach to the camera and which lenses to bring with you. It’s for those who want flexibility and simplicity in the same breath without having to compromise too much on image quality or size. When i started to see the camera in this way, it started to make much more sense and I started to enjoy shooting it much more.

If you enjoyed the colours in this post then see the article I wrote recently which gives examples of all the colour profiles available on the Panasonic L10. I also wrote about my first impressions using the Panasonic L10.

When we got to the top of the knock, I had 5 minutes to take some photos while we stopped for a drink, so I thought it would be useful to shoot the same scene in all of the L10’s colour profiles and also find out exactly when the lens stops down the aperture as you zoom in. Instead of trying to find the exact focal lengths manually, I have now changed one of the settings on the camera to Step Zoom which automatically zooms the lens in fixed stops from 24mm through to 75mm. This makes it much easier and quicker to change focal lengths.

All focal lengths are given in their full frame equivalents. Halve them to get the actual focal lengths in Four Thirds format.

24mm = f/1.7

28mm = f/2

35mm = f/2.3

50mm = f/2.7

70mm = f/2.8

Below are examples taken from the top of the Knock of Crieff cycling through the various colour profiles available on the Panasonic L10. Lighting remained similar throughout the shots which were all taken within a minute or two of each other using auto white balance and shot in aperture priority mode for speed.

I will make some raw files from the Panasonic L10 available on the website here once I have some suitable sample images.

I’ve bitten the bullet and bought one with my own money and it arrived this week. Today was the first chance I’ve had to actually take it anywhere with me.

When I opened the box, to say I was underwhelmed would be a bit of an understatement. Not because of the camera but because of the way that manufacturers have stripped down everything to the absolute bare minimum. Call me old fashioned but when I’m spending £1300 on a camera I would expect a bit more than what feels like egg box internal packaging, the camera, the battery and a camera strap. No charger, no leads, no manual except the crappy quick start manual. I know manufacturers will claim it’s all better for the environment but I think its cost cutting and honestly, when I spend this kind of money or more I expect a certain amount of thought and effort to go in to the packaging to make the opening feel a bit special. Ok, rant over.

However once I got the camera out, I was pleasantly surprised by the design. It looks sleek, modern and perfectly sized to be functional. I see a lot of complaints that it’s too large and while I get that, for me it seems ideal. Small enough to fit in my jacket pocket but not so small as to feel toy like and awkward to handle. It doesn’t feel particularly light though at 556grams with the battery inserted.

This isn’t going to be an exhaustive first impressions, it’s going to go over the initial things that stood out to me.

The camera has just enough grip on the front to offer reasonable purchase but I already know a thumb grip is going to work wonders here so I’ll be researching those and testing some over the coming weeks. These buttons feel nicely spaced although the arrangement of them doesnt feel intuitive with placement of the tiny exposure compensation button being quite awkward to access. The buttons all feel well damped and respond as I’d expect with the exception of the rear rotating dial around the menu button which does feel a bit thin and cheap. it kind of spins without much resistance. Also it took me a moment to find where on earth to put the memory card as it’s in an unusual separate housing on the bottom of the camera. I’ve never seen it located in this position before so that threw me off but actually it’s quite ingenious and better than it being awkwardly slotted in to the battery compartment.

Once I switched the camera on and went through the basic setup its sleek design lost some of its visual appeal as the lens telescoped out and made it look quite ridiculous in my opinion. Still, it’s not noticeable when you’re behind the camera so I soon forgot about it.

The default setup is quite strange as in manual mode, you can change the aperture by rotating the aperture dial found on the lens so I immediately assumed the rear command dial would operate the shutter speed. Nope, that also changes the aperture. Eventually I remembered Panasonics UI and worked out that the dial around the Menu button also rotates and that is what controls shutter speed. I didn’t even realise it rotated up until this point. Luckily the buttons are customisable so I quickly went in to the Menu and made some changes and got it set up to roughly how I wanted it. The aperture ring itself feels a little awkward in use as it sits right at the end of the main lens housing, not quite within comfortable reach for my medium sized hands. The control ring, closer in to the camera body would have been a much more natural position for the aperture ring in my opinion.

Even so, the camera does feel good in the hand and with customisation will likely work well for travel and everyday shots. Of course, the lens itself is a power zoom and if I’m quite honest, it’s going to take me some time to get used to this. The lever to operate the zoom is in a great place and although I’ve read some comments about it being slow to zoom, I haven’t found it to be particularly frustrating to use on my first day out with the camera, although I’d rather be able to manually zoom the lens to speed things up. With a range from 24-75mm full frame equivalent it offers plenty of flexibility but I immediately noticed that the aperture, which starts out at a nice large f/1.7 drops down rapidly as soon as you operate the zoom, already reaching f/2 by its 28mm equivalent focal length. I’ll give more details on how the aperture drops away in a future article. But it only stays at f/1.7 at 24mm.

Reading this back, it sounds quite negative but I really don’t mean to be. I already like the camera design, the feel of it, the plethora of different picture profiles which in my opinion are very underrated for Panasonic cameras in general.

I’ve now posted examples of all the colour profiles available on the Panasonic L10 as well as detailed the aperture at the main focal lengths.

The autofocus seems reasonable enough for normal use and having this amount of flexibility in terms of focal range in a body of this size with a larger than 1” sensor really does open up a world of shooting possibilities.

I’ll be shooting the L-10 intensively over the coming months as I use it as my daily carry and compare it to the Ricoh GRIV that I’ve had for over a year now.

I took the camera to Stirling today as I wanted to take Sofia out and start seeing more of the local area. Plus she needed a bit of a shopping trip for new shoes and clothes as we left so many of our belongings in the Philippines when we moved here at the start of the year. For the most part we were in a shopping mall, an absolute nightmare scenario for any camera in terms of lighting but the few shots that I did take were well exposed and the auto white balance coped well. Autofocus managed to grab in focus shots of Sofia as she unapologetically refused to keep still for Dad’s annoying pictures.

This is where I noticed that for quick shots, the power zoom is going to be a bit of an issue as it isn’t lighting fast to move through the focal range. However, I adjust by locking the zoom off at certain focal lengths that I knew would work for the shots I was taking rather than constantly adjusting the zoom. By default the camera doesn’t remember your last used focal length which is annoying but you can change this in the menu. My instinct is that this camera is going to take a bit of setting up to get it working just right but the sheer amount of customisation options available means that should be entirely possible.

Once we exited the shopping mall and walked out on to the street, my wallet breathed a sigh of relief and the camera itself started to make more sense. Stirling is an old city, built on the side of a hill with the castle occupying the prime position at the top. We didn’t head up the castle today but we did venture around some of the streets to get a feel for the place and find some food. I switched the camera in to the Leica Monochrome mode and took a few shots. Using the AF tracking pad to place my focus point as there is no AF joystick, I found it pretty responsive and accurate for the most part and thanks to the Micro Four Thirds sensor’s deeper depth of field, shooting at f/4-f/5.6 I found I had plenty of depth of field to bring near and distant subjects in to focus easily. Initial thoughts were that the dynamic range was decent, giving me good exposures even in contrasty street scenes with dark old stone buildings against bright blue skies.

I can’t help but wonder how good a 15mm or 25mm f/1.7 fixed lens version of this camera would be.

So far in just a few days of playing with the camera and taking it out on a trip where photography wasn’t the focus, I’m not yet convinced, but it does seem promising. I need much more time with the camera to get used to it, push its limits and see if the flexibility of having that zoom lens outweighs the tradeoffs and whether ultimately, it competes with the likes of the Fuji X100Vi and Ricoh GRIV. That’s exactly what I’ll be doing over the coming weeks and months. I took the Panasonic L10 with me as an everyday carry camera and shot some beautiful Autumn scenes with it.

The Ricoh GRIV still makes it onto my best compact cameras list.

When the GRIV specs were announced, I was underwhelmed as I wrote about in my full Ricoh GRIV review, but after some consideration, I felt it was worth at least getting a GRIV to see if the increased battery life, speed and better autofocus were actually worth it, despite being slightly disappointed that some of the features I had hoped for, particularly weather sealing wasn’t part of the upgrade. For a full breakdown everything in my full review still applies. This article is a look at what the GRIV is like to live with long term, whether it has stood up to a year of use and if I’d buy it again. I’m also now testing the Panasonic L-10 compact camera and you can read my first impressions here.

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For reference, I now use the full frame Nikon Z system having been forced to downsize and sell off all my gear earlier this year. My main focus now is on project work over on www.davidjfleet.com. I owned the Fuji X100VI for years and ended up keeping just the Nikon Z system and Ricoh GRIV despite me thinking that overall, the X100VI is the best compact camera.

So why. Did I keep the Ricoh GRIV.

It really comes down to use case. If you are willing to carry a standard sized camera and this will be your primary camera then there are better options than the Ricoh GRIV, such as the X100VI and even the OM-3 but the GRIV really is unique because it is a genuine everyday compact that fits in your pocket while still offering excellent image quality from its APS-C sized sensor and fixed 28mm equivalent lens. Yes, you can squeeze other cameras in to pockets but the GRIV series genuinely are pocketable in every pocket, whether its your jacket or your trousers, it slips in and weighs next to nothing.

Take yesterday for example, I headed up to the knock of Crieff and wanted to take a camera as the Autumn colours are out in full. But with all my recent stress, I simply didn’t feel like lugging a full frame setup. Had I had the Fuji X100VI, it would have lightened the load to a degree but it wouldn’t have been a completely psychologically different experience to taking my Nikon Zf with the 40mm f/2 SE lens because I’d have still carried it on a camera strap rather than discreetly tucked away in my jacket pocket.

The walk would become about the photography, rather than just having the camera stashed away where I can simply ignore it if I want to but know it’s there should something catch my eye. It doesn’t sound like much, but believe me, it makes a significant difference to the experience and my willingness to bring it along just in case.

On my walk yesterday, I didn’t take the camera out at all until I’d climbed to the top of the hill. I simply didn’t feel like it but that didn’t matter as the camera wasn’t exposed to the weather or swinging around and bumping in to me with every step. It could have stayed in my pocket for the whole walk and it would not have made any difference to my experience and comfort.

As it turned out, the exercise of walking up the hill blew some of my negative thoughts away and I started to see some scenes that I wanted to take photos of. That ability to carry the GRIV in this way, is for me, the absolute raison d’être of a compact camera.

So what do I actually think of the Ricoh GRIV after a year.

I see the Ricoh GRIV as a series of compromises, pretty much like any camera. The image quality and sharpness of the lens is excellent, the in camera color profiles are pleasing if you don’t want to edit photos with Positive film and Cinema Yellow being particular favourites of mine while the black and white profiles are also decent. The raw files are in DNG format which I think would be a good standard for every manufacturer to converge on and they’re easy to work on in Lightroom, with plenty of scope to control highlights, lift shadows and move the file around without ruining it.

The lens is sharper than the GRIII I owned until recently, and it’s much faster to focus. The GRIII would literally hunt back and forth sometimes on static subjects. The GRIV doesn’t, although it will still miss focus occasionally, as it did yesterday on something as simple as some autumn leaves. Generally, it’s reliable though and it feels swift enough for every day use. Unlike the GRIII which you had to allow extra time and care for when focusing. The new GR World app makes transferring the files from the camera to my iPad for editing quick and easy, once you get through the slightly tedious process of pairing the camera to the app. I also love the fact that Ricoh included a genuinely useful 53gb of internal storage and due to the way I use the camera, just taking it out for day trips or walks, I no longer even load a memory card in to it, which negates my criticism of the memory card being Micro SD. 53gb is good for thousands of shots from the 26mp sensor.

In use the camera feels quick enough that I never think about it. Pulling it out of my pocket or simply turning it on while holding it attached to my wrist via its included lightweight writs strap is virtually instant. I’m not going to quote times but from holding the camera in my right hand as I’m walking to then bringing it up to take a shot, the camera will be turned on and ready before I am. So it’s more than quick enough.

I use my camera in manual mode with auto ISO activated and the control layout, while small , is well designed and never feels awkward or like it’s fighting you. The front and rear dials control my aperture and shutter speed and are well placed and easy to operate. The power switch is perfectly placed to quickly turn the camera off an on and the + – button makes it very easy to quickly adjust exposure compensation should I need to.

One of the improvements that does make a genuine difference is the improved battery life. Normally I scoff at manufacturer’s claims of improved battery life that seem to come with every new release yet, make no noticeable difference in the real world. However in this case, the GRIV is much better than its predecessor. I carried three batteries with me at all times for my GRIII and I rarely used less than two during walks of just a couple of hours. I couldn’t get a new battery at the time I bought my GRIV and a year later, thanks to its much improved battery life, I haven’t felt the need to buy another one yet as it will easily see me through an outing up to around 4 hours of shooting. That’s me seeing a shot, taking the camera out of my pocket, shooting a few frames and then turning it off and putting it back in my pocket. Likely doing that every few minutes.

All the other functions such as snap to focus, I rarely use because thats not how I shoot. I’m not in the middle of a city where thousands of people are confusing the AF system and I need a reliable way to approximate focus and get the shot but I’ve tested it in the Philippines where things are more hectic and it’s a genuinely brilliant addition for street photographers and works well.

With my GRIV, given how I use it, I like to keep things simple, I carry it in my pocket, no case and set it up so that I don’t have to access the menus when I’m out shooting. And thats exactly how I want an everyday camera to operate. Allowing me to take it along, take photos and ensure that the image quality is good enough that when I get back home, I’m not disappointed in the results.

There are a few things that I don’t particularly like about the GRIV and this goes for the GR series in general. Firstly, I am definitely a viewfinder shooter. I am just better at taking photos when I can focus through a viewfinder without my eyes becoming distracted with peripheral vision and things outside the frame. I have to adjust to this by being more conscious of my framing, checking the edges, so composing images feels less natural to me using the screen. Speaking of the screen, in Scotland, in Autumn, its perfectly fine however in bright sunshine in the Philippines I simply didn’t find it bright enough to be able to reliably use in direct sunlight.

I also find that the GRIV’s 28mm focal length is fantastic when you use it enough but it takes some adjusting to if, like me you are used to shooting in 35mm or 50mm more often. 28mm is just wide enough that it can start to introduce distortion and weird angles to your photos if you are not careful. It also has the habit of making everything look flat if you simply want to snap a scene in its entirety in front of you without consideration for how you’re going to create depth. That’s not a criticism or even a preference in terms of focal length, because when you get it right, 28mm becomes incredibly immersive, it encourages you to push in and get closer to your subject which ends up creating photos that feel like you were right in amongst it. For street and people photography (which I am definitely going to have to do more of even though I live in rural Scotland now) its fantastic. It’s also wide enough that for landscape use, as I was using it yesterday, you can capture expansive views without stepping in to ultra wide angle territory and cliches. It still feels natural enough so doesn’t make the image all about the focal length, but rather allows you to concentrate on the subject.

The GRIV isn’t without issues in my use, particularly here in Scotland where the weather is famously changeable. Yesterday the clouds were down, the drizzle continued throughout my 3 hours walk and I was acutely aware that there is no weather sealing on the GRIV. I’d feel much more comfortable keeping the camera out for longer periods if there were. I kept it in the internal zipped pocket of my Keela Munro waterproof jacket , simply bringing it out briefly to take shots and then slipping it back in as soon as I was done. A couple of times I wiped it off on my trousers to remove raindrops and it performed fine. I also ensure I dont point the lens upwards when it’s raining as I don’t want water being trapped in the lens mechanism. It works but due to the next issue, I can honestly say that I don’t have genuine confidence in it and so I adjust my usage to the weather.

After 8 months of what I’d consider pretty low usage and of it being well looked after, I turned it on one day to find that the ISO button no longer worked. I reset the camera to see if it was a software glitch but nope, it’s totally broken. I could send it in for warranty repair but unfortunately as I bought it when I lived in the Philippines, it wont be covered here in Scotland. And quite honestly, I don’t have the spare cash available now to pay for a repair. So I’ve mapped the ISO function to the White balance button (which I rarely used) and work around it. This is not the first instance of build quality issues and problems I’ve heard about with the GRIV so all I can say is, thoroughly test yours during the return period if you buy one.

I don’t trust the GRIV like I do my Nikons but apart from the button issue, which is hopefully not common, its still working well and ultimately, being able to carry this much image quality in such a small package makes it unique.

I guess the ultimate question comes down to this, would I buy it again and would I recommend it after owning it for a year.

If I had the available funds, yes I’d by it again under these conditions: You want a genuinely compact camera that removes friction as a daily carry and you want the image quality that comes from the APS-C sensor. You value that above the shooting experience of say a Fuji X100VI. So I suppose, the Ricoh GRIV is the practical, no nonsense compact camera for demanding photographers who value function over shooting experience and size over flexibility. For those that know that the 28mm focal length works for them and for owners of larger cameras who want a second camera that isn’t just a smaller version of the same shooting experience, I genuinely still think the Ricoh GRIV is hard hard to beat. If you’re looking for flexibility or a camera to capture everything on your travels, a premium compact with a zoom lens may be a better choice, but for photographers, who know what they shoot, I’d still recommend the Ricoh GRIV for it’s unique abilities.

See the latest availability and price for the Ricoh GRIV

Besides the logistics of having to move house, my current reliance on mobile internet and just trying to get my head around the seeming permanence of my daughter Izzy’s absence, I have found myself completely ignoring my cameras for large parts of the last couple of weeks. I just didn’t have it in me to be inspired to shoot, or to even think about shooting. It’s the first time that has happened in a while.

I rarely stop working or trying to move forward with whatever plans I currently have in life, but in the last fortnight, I have given myself permission just to be, not just to have a physical break from taking photos and working flat out, but to actually switch off from it all, to try and find myself, to do things for me for the first time in a decade or more.

Sofia is off at horse riding camp this week which has given me days where I am not tied to the school run which has allowed me a little more time.

We moved out of our family home last week. I still have a lot of Izzy’s clothes and things here so packing those up was incredibly difficult and emotional. Once the sheer logistics of moving had been handled and the house emptied, I went back on my own to the house, under the excuse of checking for last remaining items, but really just to try and process everything and say goodbye to the house which carries a lot of memories, of Izzy, of the sounds she made, of the little habits that were formed in that environment and of the pain that house represents.

I took one last look down towards Izzy’s playroom, one last photo of where her cot used to be, a single toy and unused baby changing mat was all that remained.

Closing the doors to that house felt like …. Well I don’t even have the words to describe it.

After those two shots, I needed some time to myself and that’s what I’ve been doing.

I have consciously left the cameras in the bag. I’ve gone out, without a camera, without any thought other than to just be, to spend time in nature and focus on myself, on giving myself space to try and recover.

When I first came to Crieff at the end of January this year, I saw the mountains above Crieff and set a goal in my mind to get fit enough to make them my playground, similar to my days on the Isle of Harris where I would run up mountain paths, walk for hours in the hills. That kind of fitness gives me freedom to explore, to not feel constrained by my own inability to summit the hills and explore them.

I’ve spent a lot of time walking this summer, local paths, woodlands , country estates but as I hit 45 last week, I wondered if I was even capable of getting back to that level of fitness. not running over mountains but at least being able to climb them.

This week was the week where I said, I’m going to try, even if it’s a struggle, I want access to the freedom that the mountains bring me. On Wednesday, I walked up my local glen, with Luna, our 5 month old puppy and cut up a track straight towards the mountains lining the east side of the loch.

I was pleasantly surprised by how I managed the incline. Luna and I made it to about half way up the mountain side when we ran out of time. I took a few photos on my phone but didn’t even bring my proper cameras with me. This trip wasn’t about photography, it was about pushing myself. 10 years of poor diet in the Philippines and a generally sedentary lifestyle isn’t the ideal base for hillwalking in Scotland, so small steps are needed.

Yesterday, I left Luna behind and encouraged by Wednesday’s efforts, I decided to attempt the largest of the mountains on the east side of the loch. It was one that way back in January, I had picked out as the hill to target. it’s only a Corbett, but as a first venture up in to the hills again after more than a decade away, I felt it was a challenging but not overwhelming summit to attempt.

This time, for the first time since taking those photos in our old house, I felt the urge to bring my camera. I strapped the z8 and 24-120mm f4 on to my backpack via a PD Capture Clip and set off down the loch-side path towards the old track that climbs steeply towards my intended target, Auchnafree. Thinking about it, an aptly named hill to try to regain my freedom on.

At the end of the loch, the sound of the Red deer rutting echoed around the Glen (note to self to return with wildlife kit soon). I crossed burns that cut across the path, and flowed down in to Loch turret below. Finally, after a hour I turned towards the steep track that cut up the side of the mountain and immediately saw the challenge of its relentless climb towards the top. I knew this was going to be heavy on my legs and lungs but onward I headed.

I was right, the climb was relentless. I steadied my pace, not wanting to blow myself out too early. Every few hundred meters, I would pause for a breather, grab 60 seconds of precious fresh Scottish air and then continue the hundreds of meters toward the summit. The air chilled to what must have been just above freezing point with the strong wind chill turning my hands red with the cold.

But I was determined to get to the top. I hadn’t come this far to turn give up and turn around. As I rounded the next corner, the steep inclined levelled out to reveal the boggy, plateau at the top. I navigated my way around a larger area of dark, sticky looking peat bog, as red grouse , spooked by my presence called loudly as they flew away in panic. Finally, after 10 minutes of marching through heather, the wind now howling around me, my jacket quickly slipped on and cinched down, I reached the summit.

There were no good photos to be taken on this flat featureless summit but i took some shots on the way up. What I had learned is that by putting the camera down and giving myself permission to just take some time out, I actually found myself and my focus again.

I’m simplifying my life in every single area to focus on what is actually needed. I find that when things get complicated, when I have pressure coming from all angles, the best thing that I can do is remove clutter, remove any additional need to have to think, and to simplify everything.

Financially, I’ve cut everything but the essentials. Gone are all my monthly subscriptions —I now have one, and that is the Adobe Photography plan. Gone is any non-essential expenditure, and after the warning signs of May’s traffic drop, I immediately started looking for a new house, a smaller, more affordable house. We move next week, just in the nick of time after September’s catastrophic traffic decline for my website.

While initially I was left scrambling to find a fix for the problems I was experiencing, a moment of clarity came over me: I’m not going to fight the system, I’m not going to complain, I’m not going to be angry. Instead, it’s forced me to re-focus on what inspires me, what motivates me, and what helps me to do what I love to do.

Part of that was culling the superfluous camera kit that had built up over the last 3-5 years, the majority of which has now been sold off to MPB. The second was to strip my photography back to basics with my Nikon Z system. I have a decent collection of Nikon Z glass still, but in the last two weeks, I’ve found myself gravitating back to my instincts to tell stories with my photography, to work on projects, and to not try to be all things to all men by trying to cover every type of photography.

I’m the kind of person that really enjoys taking photos of most subjects, whether it’s wildlife, landscapes, street photography, or people, but that core desire for my photos to form part of a larger narrative leads me back to my project work. And in re-focusing on those, I’ve also re-confirmed my preference for shooting primes.

Yes, zooms give a lot of flexibility to get different shots in one outing, but after heading out with my Z8 with the 35mm f/1.8S attached alongside the Z6III with the 50mm f/1.8S, that way of working—knowing the focal length, removing choice, and just having to work with what I have—forces me to really look at a scene, to move around it, to vary angles, to find a way of bringing the various elements together to form a coherent frame. I enjoy that way of working.

And I’ve come to realise that it immerses me in my subjects far more than simply being able to rotate the zoom ring to frame up a shot. The images I end up creating looking better, have a coherence between them that I simply don’t get when using zoom lenses, and I think for me, most importantly of all, this way of working truly immerses my brain to a point that I attain total focus.

I find this state almost meditative. For those moments when I’m working a scene, I’m no longer suffering the physical ache of missing Izzy, my youngest daughter. I’m no longer nervous in the pit of my stomach as to whether I can pay the bills in two months’ time, and I’m no longer thinking of the response I’d like to send to my wife but don’t when she gaslights me again. I’m just David, trying to take the best photo that I can of that scene in that moment.

I’ve taken to keeping my kit on me at most times, safely stashed on the backseat of the car during the school run with Sofia. Last week, I spotted a beautiful scene with local farmers harvesting potatoes in the morning light, a huge flock of birds in their wake picking up the scraps. It was stunning.

So after I dropped Sofia at school, I returned to that spot, parked up my car, and headed out: with my Z8 + 35mm, Z6III + 50mm, and Zf + 85mm fitted into the ThinkTank Retrospective 30—which is simply the best shoulder bag I could find to accommodate that three-camera, three-prime setup—slung over my shoulder, I wandered into the field.

I watched the tractors methodically harvest the potatoes and load them while moving into the containers, ready to be shipped off to market. They were further away from me than when I had initially passed them on the way to Sofia’s school, and now the huge flocks of birds had sadly gone. A telephoto zoom would in theory have been useful to gain the reach I needed, but instead, I wandered into the field and simply watched the vehicles as they moved further away.

I could see where they had harvested and knew they would head back towards me on their next run, so I moved around and checked compositions so that when the brief moment came, and they moved into shot, I would be able to get the shots I wanted.

One of the farmers’ vehicles, a Land Rover Defender, synonymous with the countryside, was parked near to where I was standing. I ended up using it as an element in the photo, which had I had a zoom lens attached, I likely never would have done. Due to the constraints of the primes I was using—their inability to reach close enough to purely focus on the tractors working the fields—I had to search for and use other elements in order to complete the frame, and I think as a result, produced a much more interesting photo than would have been the case had I simply attached a zoom lens and been able to focus purely on the working vehicles.

Not only did I have to work the scene, which kept my mind focused, but for those 10 minutes, I was completely at peace.

Since I’ve re-focused on simplicity, a simple life with just what I need and nothing else, since I’ve drawn a line as to how much abuse (and yes, I’ll finally call it out for what it has been) I’m willing to take from a partner, and focus on the things that I can control, there has appeared a small light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve started building out the website that I want to create with davidjfleet.com, this website has seen a slight upturn in traffic which may give me a lifeline and potential runway to be able to build on, and in one week’s time, my decision a few months ago to move house will reduce my outgoings to a significantly lower level. Combined, all those things, I hope, will free up my mind to actually focus on the good things in life.

Since the move, I started to find my feet and get more photography time again and what started out with writing 70% of the time about gear, through the lens of a photographer with 20 years experience and based on cameras and lenses that I owned myself, gradually flipped that stat on its head as I found myself longing to pursue the art of photography much more so than to keep banging on about gear that in all honesty, was more than good enough for making prints and artwork 5 years ago, if not longer.

I used to earn my living soley from landscape photography. These days my tastes have changed and I find myself much more interested in stories and time. I don’t restrict myself to one genre but I consider myself to be somewhat of a documentary photographer.

In April, at any given time I would see 150+ people browsing my website. As I sit here now, there are 15 of you reading through various articles, 10 minutes ago it was just 7.

So what happened?

In May 2026, my traffic had been climbing consistantly since I restarted this website back in June 2025. Google as far as I could tell, wanted real people talking about gear and offering insight. I’ve been a professional landscape photographer, I’ve run a camera store and I have used virtually every camera system available. Great I thought, I’ll simply write no nonsense articles about the (at the time) large collection of gear that I owned, pulling from my experience. I’ll shoot all my own photography which will give me a great excuse to get out with the cameras more and I’ll also write more philosophical articles on photography and life which interest me much more. It seemed to work. Around April I reached 180k sessions and assumed the next plateau of traffic would come before another potenital climb.

I had held off on putting ads on my website while I still lived in the Philippines as I wanted to keep the website as clean as possible but with the move to the UK requiring us selling off all our belongings in the Philippines and the huge expense of setting up home in the UK, in January, I joined Mediavine and ran ads and alongside the affiliates I had within certain articles, my income grew and it looked like my family and I had a secure future, a decent income, enough to give my daughters a good life and allow me to pursue my passion.

Then around May 27th 2026 something happened, the growth didn’t materialise, I noticed strange traffic patterns on some of my most popular articles and then it hit. A huge drop in traffic, almost overnight. From 180k down to a level which suggest just over 120k sessions a month. My income is directly tied to the level of traffic that this website receives. That was a 33% hit in income that would filter through in 2 months time as I’m paid 2 months in arrears. Seriously concerning but alone, survivable.

However, if my traffic could drop by that much overnight, it caused me to worry , I mean seriously stress that this isn’t safe, this isn’t something to build my daughter’s future on.

The other problem

I mentioned my youngest daughter and her developmental concerns earlier. As soon as we arrived in the UK, I registered her with the local GP, I immediately explained our concerns and we got her registered with the local Health Visitors. They are in place to assess children’s needs, social, developmental or otherwise. She was assessed and the brevity of our concerns was confirmed.

She needed referals in literally every area of devlopment. Her scoring was like a hammer blow to us. She didn’t just slip into the referal category, shes was virtually off the scale. We arranged audiology assessments to rule that out, we arranged further visits from the health visitors, we had my sister, who has worked in childcare for over 25 years come and spend time with her to give us a no nonsense opinion and I pushed my finances to the limit getting Izzy 3 days a week in a local nursery to give her the socialisation and structure she desperately needed. She started showing signs of improvement, of seeing that cheeky glint in her eye that she has when she has been mentally stimulated, has started to pick up on the routines and is seemingly content. But behind the scenes, the pressure was mounting. My wife had been granted a visit visa only, as we opted for the fastest option to get us all over to the UK.

Eventually, after much discussion, most of it heated, myself and professionals insisting that the least disruptive option to Izzy, of remaining in the UK was for the best, my wife left the UK with Izzy and is still currently in the Philippines.

So what’s this all got to do with the algorithm breaking my website?

My initial concerns about the first traffic drop were not revolving around having an extravagant life, material possessions or anything fancy. I’m quite a simple person. Let me walk outside in fresh air and pay the bills and I’m content. All my hobbies are free. My concerns were whether the traffic level would allow me to still get Izzy back to the UK , to still fund my wifes very expensive spousal visa and both of their flights. I had no savings as I spent them getting us to the UK. I had no fallback anymore as I had prioritised getting Izzy to where she needed to be. I had to be able to save up the money to get them back here.

Apart from the obvious disruption and lack of available care for Izzy in the Philippines, my income was no longer certain and along with it, if Izzy had to wait until I have saved enough for my wife’s visa before being able to come back to the UK, it created uncertainty around how long that would be exactly.

When we moved to the UK , given the continuous growth of the website, along with me folllowing every Google guidline that I was aware of, being a real person, a real photographer and taking all my own photos, writing all my own words and giving opinions that I felt were useful, even when it would probably result in less people purchasing through my affiliate links, spending my savings seemed a small and necessary risk to take. Now as Izzy was being removed from the UK, I was absolutely unconvinced and made my concerns heard.

Since that intial drop, I have never been able to work out what it is that Google was doing. I’ve spent hours trying to work it out. I continued writing in the expectation that this new level was simply Google resetting my baseline traffic and that continuing to write articles would at some point lead to renewed growth, or even just stabilisation. At this level, the finances were tight but maneagable. It held for a couple of months and I started to work on my projects and photography. Moving away from the gear voluntarily.

I realised two things. Earning a living as an independant photographer writing about gear was getting cut off as Google controls the doorway and they are implementing AI answers to everything that they can. They’re using independant writers knowledge experience and often the exact words and photos we produce in order to cut us out and steal the entire pie.

Maybe they would do it slowly and leave me a year or two’s runway in which I could build up my photography work, which would be fine. I have a passion for photography, for documenting life, culture and the land. I have a lot of experience printing, having previously earned a living selling landscape prints, I love to create projects. I would simply transition over to that and hopefully within a year or two I would earn a meagre but very satisfying living actually doing what I love rather than focusing on gear.

But Google has yet again thrown a spanner in the works. This last week has dealt the death blow to that timeline. My taffic has now dropped to a level projecting to be around 24k sessions per month. From 180k to 24k in 3.5 months. If you are on the average salary of $65,000 per year in the USA, that percentage drop in your income would leave you with $8000. And I wasn’t earning the average salary.

My ability to get Izzy back to the UK now has a runway of two months. I have 2 months of income earned up until this point in which to discuss with her mother why it is necessary ( a difficult discussion indeed) , to get Izzy back here now, while I still can, to book flights, to renew my passport and to move house as I am having to downsize and to try to get my head out of this black cloud hanging over me in order to think straight, be productive and see the future clearly.

All I know right now is that I’ve been getting out with the camera more and more recently. Once again it may just be the thing that saves me. I have sold off almost all of my gear and have removed all distractions. Reviews of the first 2 cameras ever loaned to me, sorry, not going to happen, guides, settings, best lenses articles, all out of the window because of the algorithm, I have been forced in to focusing purely on what I actually want to do and that is to have a creative life , even a modest one, where I can provide for my children, give them a safe and secure environment and hopefully, never have to rely on Google or their algorithm ever again.

And on that note, if you want to follow along with how this all works out, see my current photography projects, or support me in anyway, as well as be notified when print drops happen, then now is the time to subscribe to my personal website and my Instagram where all my focus and attention will be from now on.

To everyone who has read this website, who has offered words of thanks, encouragement and particularly the thoughtful comments and emails I have received, I want to say a huge thanks. They really did mean a lot.

This camera doesn’t need a massive kit to be effective, but a few small additions make daily use smoother. After testing it in the field for casual photo walks and longer shooting days, I’ve narrowed down the accessories that genuinely improve the experience without weighing you down. If you’re looking for recommendations on larger bodies, you can also check out my guide on the best Fuji camera and lens setups.

This article is based on real-world use. Every accessory recommendation has been personally tested in everyday shooting here in Scotland. All accessories discussed have been evaluated and tested directly through hands-on field use.

If you have just got your camera then I’ve written a setup guide that will help you get your X-T30 III setup the right way straight from the box.

TL;DR: The Minimalist X-T30 III Setup

If you want the absolute bare minimum to make your X-T30 III work effectively in the field:

• Power: Pick up at least 1 or 2 official Fujifilm spare batteries to combat battery life limitations.
• Media: A reliable SanDisk 128GB SD card offers the best sweet spot for the 26MP sensor.
• Strap: The Peak Design Camera Leash for fast, comfortable, pocket-friendly carrying.
• Protection: An Expert Shield screen protector to keep that hinged LCD screen safe from daily wear.

1. Spare Batteries: Essential Power for Long Days

Battery life can be a genuine bottleneck with the X-T30 III during intensive shooting sessions. Sticking exclusively to official Fujifilm batteries is always the safest route for consistent performance. I find that one battery only lasts me about 1.5-2 hours worth of shooting on days out, so spares are essential.

• Recommendation: Pick up at least 1 spare battery for casual outings, or 2 spares if you plan on shooting long days out in the field.

Check latest pricing here.

2. SD Memory Cards: The Right Capacity for the 26MP Sensor

Because the X-T30 III features a manageable 26-megapixel sensor, file sizes are reasonable—meaning you don’t need massive, high-capacity cards quite like you would for higher-resolution bodies. I always use Sandisk cards as theyve never let me down in over 2 decades of use, unlike other cards I’ve used.

• Recommendation: Sticking strictly to SanDisk SD cards ensures dependable write speeds and buffer clearing. A 64GB card is plenty for everyday shooting, but 128GB cards currently hit the sweet spot, offering the absolute best bang-for-your-buck value.

Check latest pricing here.

3. Camera Strap: Peak Design Leash

When running a lightweight setup, a bulky strap completely defeats the object.

• Recommendation: The Peak Design Camera Leash pairs perfectly with the X-T30 III. It is fast to connect and disconnect via anchor links, easily adjustable, and packs down small enough to slip into any pocket when not in use.

Check latest pricing here.

4. Camera Bag: Staying Streamlined

The X-T30 III is tiny compared to full-frame systems. If you paired it with the compact kit lens, you can technically fit the entire combination inside a jacket pocket—though it’s a bit awkwardly shaped for long-term comfort.

If you want a dedicated bag that keeps things streamlined the options below suit the size of the camera best. I’ve been using Peak Design bags for years now and they are incredibly well made, have thoughtful features and the outer material protects from all but the worst weather. I’ve used mine in South East Asia and here in Scotland and my gear has always stayed dry and protected. The straps are comfortable and they don’t look obviously like camera bags so keep your gear discreet from prying eyes.

• Avoid oversized options: Standard everyday bags (like a 10L sling) are simply too large for this camera unless you intend on hauling a massive collection of glass.
• Peak Design Everyday Sling 2L: This is the ideal size for the camera, kit lens, and one small prime. It can be worn as a fanny pack or as a sling, has room for your phone and essential accessories.
• Peak Design Everyday Sling 6L: Choose this version only if you want extra breathing room for multiple lenses and a few small accessories.

5. Screen Protector: Protecting Your Investment

The X-T30 III features a hinged LCD screen that remains constantly exposed during use, making it vulnerable to scrapes and knocks. Protecting your screen is essential.

• Recommendation: Expert Shield screen protectors are tough, accurately cut, reasonably priced, and very straightforward to fit without bubbles. They provide reliable protection against damage and everyday wear.

Conclusion

There’s no shortage of accessories you could buy, but for a lightweight body like the X-T30 III, less is almost always more. Sticking to the bare essentials—reliable power, dependable media, a comfortable strap, a streamlined bag, and proper screen protection—ensures the camera stays true to its core design: compact, fast, and effortless to carry.

If you are already looking beyond the kit lens then see my guide to the best Fujifilm lenses.

Frequently Asked Questions

What accessories are essential for the Fujifilm X-T30 III?

The absolute must-haves are spare official batteries (since battery life can be tight), a dependable SanDisk SD card, a minimal strap like the Peak Design Leash, and a screen protector for that exposed hinged LCD.

Do I need a large camera bag for the X-T30 III?

No. Because the camera and kit lens are so compact, a massive bag is overkill. A small bag like the Peak Design Everyday Sling 2L is ideal if you’re carrying the camera plus a small prime lens.

Which SD card size is best for the X-T30 III?

Because the X-T30 III uses a 26-megapixel sensor, file sizes are manageable. While a 64GB card works fine, 128GB SanDisk cards currently offer the best balance of capacity and value.

You can see my first impressions of shooting with the X-T30 III here.

I’m going to assume that you have done the initial setup of turning the camera on and inputting the time and date. This guide is about getting the best out of the camera so you can get great photos straight away and you don’t have to struggle with the camera. I will also walk you through how to connect your camera to your phone at the end of the article. All settings are kept at their default values unless they are specifically mentioned below.

If you’re looking to get the most out of your camera then i’ve published a guide to the essential accessories for the X-T30 III.

Shooting Mode

The shooting mode I recommend for most people is Aperture priority. This allows you to control the aperture of the lens which gives you creative control over depth of field, in other words, you can control if you want your subject to be isolated with an out of focus background (using smaller f numbers like f/1.2-f/2.8) or need more of the scene in focus (by using larger F numbers like f/5.6 and larger). Shooting in this mode means that you can hand off control of the other exposure settings such as shutter speed and ISO to the camera, allowing you to capture photos quickly. Later in the setup we will tell the camera the parameters it is allowed to use for shutter speed and ISO settings.

Set the shutter speed dial to A (as in the above photo) to enter Aperture priority mode.

If you shoot any moving subjects then select C on the front focusing mode dial. This will allow the camera to continually adjust focus while you have the shutter button half pressed to ensure it keeps your subject in focus, even if it moves.

Image quality settings

I shoot raw as I often edit photos later in software. However I also like to use the Jpegs from the camera so I set the Image quality settings to Normal + raw which produces a raw file and a Jpeg file for every shot you take. I’ve also included settings for Jpeg shooters too. If you bought the camera with the kit lens then at some point in the future, you will want to take a look at lenses which can take your photos to the next level. That’s why I put together a guide to the best Fuji lenses.

My settings:

Image Quality: Normal + Raw

Raw recording: Lossless compressed – compresses the Raw files to make them smaller without losing any quality.

Jpeg/Heif: Jpeg

If you dont want to edit photos in software later, then select:

Jpeg only settings

Image quality: Fine – This will give you the best quality Jpeg file straight out of the camera.

Jpeg/Heif: Jpeg – Jpeg files offer broader compatibility with different devices and currently outweigh the benefits of HEIF files for most people.

White Balance: auto – If shooting raw you can change this later and if shooting Jpeg the auto setting will usually give you an accurate white balnce to ensure the color of your photos is correct for the lighting in your scene. Later, when you have mastered the camera I recommend setting white balance manually when shooting Jpeg, but for now let’s keep it simple by using auto.

High ISO NR: -4 – In camera noise reduction can smear details, resulting in unatural looking photos. The X-T30 III performs well enough in low light, and the noise looks natural enough that turning the noise reduction to the camera’s lowest setting is preferable.

Clarity: 0 – If you allow the camera to adjust clarity then it slows down your shooting as it adds processing time when taking photos. This can be annoying if you want to take several shots in quick succession. By leaving it at 0 you minimise this delay.

Color Space: sRGB – Choose sRGB unless you plan on printing a lot and need the larger color space provided by Adobe RGB.

Auto Update custom Setting: Disable – I leave this disabled. This option, if left enabled, will automatically update your custom settings when you change them. I prefer to always know that my custom settings will remain the same every time I come back to the camera. This is much better than forgetting what you changed and having to work it out before getting back to your preferred custom settings.

AF/MF Settings Menu

The Fuji X-T30 III has decent auto focus performance for general photography but setting it up correctly is essential to getting the best out of it.

Thee are my recommendations for general photography where you will be shooting a variety of subjects, such as kids, street scenes, vacation photos. If you are shooting landscapes or other completely stationary subjects then switching in to Single Point AF mode will give more control over exactly where you focus.

AF Mode: Zone – The size of the AF box can be changed by pressing the joystick and then rotating the rear command dial. I suggest playing around with the size of the focus box to see which suits your subjects best as there is no one size fits all option. Usually the faster the subject is moving, the larger you want your box to be. However, a larger box comes with the trade-off that you are giving up control of where the camera focuses.

AF Point Display: Off – When switched to off, the camera will display the active focus points within your selected zone box. If you turn this on all focus points are shown all the time which can be distracting.

Face/Eye detection setting: Off – Leave this to off by default as if there is no people in your photo then the camera may look for faces outside of your Zone AF box and get confused. We will set up a custom button to quickly turn Face detection on later.

Interlock Spot AE and Focus Area: On – This setting relates to the Photometry (called metering by most photographers) setting in the camera. In general leave Photometry set to Multi. This will allow the camera to look at the whole scene and give a balanced exposure. However, as you progress, you may want to take more control over where the camera is metering from by using spot metering. By turning this setting on, the camera will spot meter according to your focus point. This works well when shooting portraits and ensuring that the camera prioritises the exposure of the subject.

Shutter Type: EF+M+E – E-Front curtain minimises shutter shock which can create shake in your images at slow shutter speeds, Mechanical means the shutter physically moves which reduces rolling shutter effect in images with movement and ES is an electronic shutter which allows you to use faster shutter speeds (in bright light for example).

Setting up Auto ISO

Auto ISO is an incredibly useful feature if we configure it correctly. Pros use it all the time, even if the mantra of shooting in manual is propagated, often auto ISO is the most suitable option when dealing with changing light, fast moving subjects or when you simply don’t want another exposure parameter to have to control before taking photos.

These are my auto ISO settings for general photography.

Auto 1 – Default Sensitivity – 160, Max Sensitivity – 12800, Min Shutter Speed – 1/160. This is my default setting. It makes the camera default to the highest image quality setting of 160 ISO when light allows, while allowing the camera to increase the ISO value up to 12800 when necessary (which on the X-T30 III still delivers acceptable image quality) and it ensure that the shutter speed never drops below 1/160 which is fast enough to capture sharp images of people.

Auto 2 – Default sensitivity – 160, Max sensitivity – 1600, Min Shutter speed – Auto. This is my daytime setting for still subjects. it caps the ISO level at 1600 as for still subjects, there is really no reason to go above 1600 in order to ensure great image quality. By setting Minimum shutter speed to auto, the camera will shoose an appropriate shutter speed to get sharp handheld shots according to the focal length that you use.

Auto 3: Default Sensitivity -160, Max Sensitivity -12800, Min Shutter Speed -Auto. These are the same settings as above but used for low light and nightime shots to allow the camera to raise the ISO a little higher to ensure sharp shots.

Things to change in the Set up Menu

If you dont want to hear the camera constantly beeping at you then, like me you can turn off audible signals in the camera’s Set Up menu (spanner icon on the left side).

Set Up > Sound Setting > page 1/2 > AF Beep Vol: Off

Operation Vol: Off

Custom Function button setup

The Fuji X-T30 III gives you quick access to most useful functions out of the box via the default Q menu (which you can customize via menu option >Set Up > Button/Dial Setting > Edit/Save Quick Menu). However adding the following custom function button settings speeds up the camera in use by allowing you to quickly access settings you may need to change on the fly regularly.

Menu option: Set Up > Button Dial Setting > FUNCTION (Fn) Setting

Fn: Set to Face detection ON/OFF – This allows you to quickly turn face detection auto focus on and off depending on if people are in your scene.

AE-L: ISO – This gives quick access to ISO settings including the auto ISO modes that we set up earlier. The reason that this is placed here for quick access is that if you are using the Auto 1 option that we set up earlier and you come across a still scene that doesn’t require 1/160 shutter speed, we can quickly change to Auto 2 to ensure that we get sharp shots without the camera artificially raising the ISO level uneccessarily, ensuring maximum image quality. You can of course control the shutter speed via the shutter speed dial which can come in useful, for example if you are shooting water and want to create silky water effects by using a slower than standard shutter speed, but for general use and when taking lots of shots of various stationary subjects, Auto 2 does a good enough job while keeping things simple and easy.

Connecting the Fuji X-T30 III to your Phone

One of the great things about the X-T30 III is that it allows you to easily connect the camera to your phone so that you can quickly see the photos you have taken and post them to your social media. Setting this up is quick and easy if you do it the right way.

Firstly, you will need to download Fujfilm XApp from the App store or Play store.

Open the App and click on the camera + Icon in the top right of the screen.

Turn your X-T30 III on and navigate to Menu >Network/USB Setting > Bluetooth/Smartphone click ok or right on the AF joystick.

Now Click Pairing Registration and you will see the screen below:

Click Pair on the Fuji XApp when you see the above screen and Click the OK button on the camera to confirm the numbers ar ethe same an finalise pairing.

This process is usually fairly quick. It took my Iphone 13 Pro about 30 seconds to connect to the camera. Sometimes it can take a little longer though so give it a minute or two.

Once pairing is completed you will see your Fuji X-T30 III appear in the app.

Now you are all set up. You can choose to receive photos from the camera automatically, downsize the photos for transfer or have full resolution images sent to your phone, remotely control the camera, have geo tagging information attached to your photos so you know where you took them and importantly, esily update your camera’s firmware via the app to ensure it gets any new features or bug fixes.

And that’s it—your Fujifilm X-T30 III is now set up to take great photos in a variety of different situations. These settings provide a strong foundation to ensure sharp images of people and places, while giving you control over the aperture. As the most important tool for storytelling in your photography, managing your aperture lets you shape your creative vision without getting bogged down by every single exposure choice.