My new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 arrived yesterday. I haven’t had a chance to really put it through its paces, but so far I’m impressed with the few photos I have taken. The LX5 won out over a whole slew of contenders, and the decision to get it means a new strategy for my day-to-day photography.
The contenders included the following:
- An exact replacement of my S70 in the form of a refurbished S70
- An updated Coolpix, such as the S100
- A different small camera, such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10
- The Canon S100
- and the one I bought, the Panasonic LX5
Two things shifted me toward the larger, more feature-filled options on the list. First, I had tried the Nikon S cameras, and really was ready for something else. Secondly, the other camera on my list, the Panasonic ZS10, really got marked down for image quality in reviews.
But, more importantly, I had already shifted away from using a pocket camera. I got my first little camera, the Nikon S1 (image above on left), before camera phones were decent. I kept it in my pocket all the time until the screws started to fall out, and the camera wouldn’t turn on anymore.
The camera in the middle, a Nikon Coolpix S50, suffered a similar fate. It started to fall apart in my pocket like the S1. Even more so, in fact. The sides started to fall off, and the battery cover wouldn’t stay latched unless I wrapped a rubber band around the camera.
When Laura gave me the next one in the series, the S70, for Christmas one year, I decided to take better care if it, and not let it get banged up against the keys, knives, and other paraphernalia in my pockets. I always had the S70 nearby, but I was no longer using it as a pocket camera.
So, if I wasn’t going to keep the camera in my pocket, I could look at something a bit larger. The Canon S100 and the LX5 were those candidates. The S100 is newer and has more bells and whistles, including a GPS, but the LX5, which came out in 2010, won out hands down on speed and image quality. Plus, my brother Houston and friend Dwight own one, and highly recommended it.
The LX5 is almost exactly the same camera as the Leica D-Lux 5. They both have fast f/2.0 lenses,a nd pretty much the same specs across the board. The only difference is the name badge, and that Leica badge will cost you about twice as much as the Panasonic. It’s kind of like Honda and Acura, or Toyota and Lexus. In the image below the Leica is on the left and the Panasonic is on the right.
And here’s the LX5 as compared to my old S70…
I’ve only had a chance to take a few shots with the camera so far, but the ones I’ve taken are very sharp and noise-free. I’ll have to put it through its paces when I get a chance. I’ll write more about it one I get a chance to do that.
In the review I read, the lens got high marks, particularly because it maintains its large aperture capability much farther into its zoom range than does the competition, leading to a “brighter” image in the higher zoom range. The review I read didn’t seem to talk about the “glass” so much, so I don’t know about that. But sounds like an impressive “enthusiast” camera.
The thing I like about it is the full range of manual controls in a small package. I can set aperture priority and really control DOF. It won’t replace a DSLR, but it’s close. I looked at the 4/3 cameras, but they just seemed awkward to me, like a big lens stuck on a point and shoot body. For the expense and bulk, I’d just as soon wait and get a new DSLR.
This camera will be my sidearm, for when I don’t have my big camera. I’ll have my phone(s) with me all the time, so that will take up the slack when I don’t have either the LX5 or D50 available.
DOF seems to be a challenge on anything short of a DSLR type (or equivalent) camera. Due to the relatively small range of stops available. The review i saw had some pretty good demo images of how DOF can be done well. I have a tough time setting it up on my Canon Powershot due to the small optical viewfinder (no real dof preview) or the digital display, which again isn’t of sufficient resolution to let me get that good of a preview. But I like this sort of camera because it’s small enough to take most anywhere, but gives tremendous versatility and good quality. I now have a serviceable phone camera – though not of iPhone quality -, so the pocket camera need has gone pretty much as you described.
Even though pocket cameras have been replaced by camera phones, I still think there is an argument for keeping a smaller high quality camera available. Although camera phones are catching up in quality, it’s hard to beat a system dedicated to one task – taking pictures. Also, a smaller camera is less obtrusive in certain venues. In some places a DSLR is overkill.
Ahh . . . I that you chose black. My understanding is that more people who choose black cameras tend to apply for a concealed camera permits.
Who needs a permit? 😉
Good choice. I wished on my DC trip that I had a higher-end point-and-shoot with me when I got tired of carrying my DSLR late in a long day.
Just got an LX5 for a travel camera and admit I’m a newbie to photo gear and all the tech knowledge. I’ve shot in jpeg and auto settings primarily, and when first transferring the images to my laptop, they looked great with eye-popping definition compared to my old Olympus point and shoot. Opening the saved image files on my laptop now, though, the crispness and definition of the images is disappointing and pixillated. I read that the jpeg processing in the LX5 applies an algorithm that mushes them with noise reduction and then oversharpens the mush. Is this what is happening, or do I need to reconfigure/replace the graphics card in my laptop (a 3 year old Dell)? Appreciate your thoughts in how to maximize image quality in transferring and viewing on a computer–