Panasonic Lumix L10

The L10 is the zoom compact for people who miss turning a ring to set the picture. Its 20.4-megapixel Four Thirds sensor sits behind a bright Leica 24-75mm-equivalent f/1.7-2.8 zoom with a manual aperture ring and a metal barrel, and you compose through a 2.36-million-dot OLED viewfinder or a fully articulating screen. Stabilization is in the lens rather than the body. At 508g it belongs in a bag or coat pocket, not a jeans pocket. It costs $1,499, or $1,599 in Titanium Gold, which undercuts Leica's D-Lux 8, a camera with the same zoom range.