Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Summary

Panasonic DMC-LX5

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 is a compact camera with full manual-controls and a bright stabilized ultra-wide 24-90mm F/2-3.3 lens. It has excellent expansion options that include a hot-shoe for external lighting and a port which supports an optional EVF, making it one of the very rare compact cameras which can be used at eye-level.

The LX5 uses a larger-than-average 10 MP CCD sensor which delivers reasonably good results for its class. Add this to the bright F/2 maximum aperture and we have a camera that can produce higher quality images under the same conditions than most of its competitors.

The performance shown by this Panasonic holds up well. Besides autofocus, the LX5 is quite fast and remains generally responsive unless it is applying noise-reduction. Its main weak point is rather poor automatic white-balance and low color accuracy, which can be worked around by shooting RAW files.

Overall, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 provides a comprehensive choice for an advanced compact. The interface may have a few quirks but works reasonably well, providing plenty of photographic capabilites in a small package.

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