Official: Panasonic LX5: A New Expert Compact

Panasonic Lumix LX5 MARCHANDS €     Pixmania  305.00  Amazon.co.uk  318.00  Pixmania  320.46  John lewis  349.95  Compare prices

We know that Panasonic updates its LX range of cameras every two years in even years, so we weren't surprised to see the arrival of this new camera, which takes the place of the LX3, launched back in 2008.  The fact that it's called the Lumix LX5 isn't that a much of a surprise, either, given that the number four is considered unlucky by the Japanese ...

But it's also Panasonic's worst-kept secret for several years now, and the LX5's spec has been widely discussed online for several weeks, even accidentally appearing on the manufacturer's US site four days before the official launch.

In general, the LX5 is an update of LX3, but there are a few changes on the cards.  First up is the zoom, which moves from 24-60 mm to 24-90 mm, but as a result no longer has the f/2.8 aperture in telephoto.  It's a shame, as that's something of a symbolic barrier for photographers, and now that the Samsung EX1 offers lenses that open to f/2.4 at their longest focal length.

The sensor is very similar to the one found in the previous model, and is still a 10 Megapixel 1/1.63'' CCD, but Panasonic has thoroughly improved it, making it 31% more sensitive, and widening the dynamic range by 38%.  Of course, we'll have to check these figures in the lab, but the range of available sensitivities has been increased to 3200 ISO.  It still offers a choice of aspect ratios, and the viewing angle is almost identical in both 4:3 and 16:9, but the new square format that's been added has a higher focal length.

Strangely, the image treatment chip is Venus Engine FHD.  That's strange because this hardware was designed for high-speed MOS sensors and Full HD video, but the CCD sensor here only records 720p HD video and can only capture 2.5 photos per second.  Video isn't the LX5's strong point, actually, and only captures mono sound.  That's hard to justify when the Panasonic TZ10 already has a stereo mic, but it's still not yet a standard feature.  Canon and Samsung are even worse: they don't even have 720p HD on their compacts yet.

The user interface and controls have been reworked, based on the popular GF1.  That means Panasonic's two expert-level compact cameras look pretty similar.  The LX5 can also use the optional electronic viewfinder designed for its big brother on its hot shoe.  That said, we prefer using Olympus' viewfinder, which has better contrast and details, but the two manufacturers have chosen alternative systems ...

The LX5 gets the GF1's clickable scroll wheel, which is easier for adjusting settings than the LX3's joystick, as well as a button for launching video recording under your index finger, next to the camera shutter release.  The new camera has inherited its predecessor's 3'', 460 000 pixel screen, but the LX5 has a new backlighting system, which should improve its colour reproduction.  That said, we couldn't really see that much difference when we got our hands on a prototype at a launch.

Overall, we were impressed by the prototype LX5 when we spent a few hours with it, but as ever, we'll need to do a full lab test on the final version before we reach a final verdict ...

The LX5 will go on sale at the start of September for around £450.

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