Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 Easy Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 debuted early in 2006 with its 6 megapixels and 6x optical zoom lens in a compact body. What’s better about the lens is that it is optically stabilized, so a little hand shake here or a little earthquake there won’t blur the pictures or ruin the movies. The Lumix DC Vario lens extends an equivalent 37-222 mm, so it isn’t wide enough to comfortably cram a nearby family portrait in the frame.

 

The LZ5 has a nicely sized LCD screen, but the resolution isn’t very good at all. Some digital cameras have 230,000 pixels on this size screen, and almost all models have at least 115,000 pixels. The Panasonic LZ5 reaches a new low with only 85,000 pixels.

 

This digital camera has 15 scene modes complete with a help screen to explain each one. The scene mode list includes the basics like Portrait and Night Scenery as well as two Baby modes that save the age of the subject along with the rest of the file information; the two Baby modes are virtually the same thing but are intended to be used for two different children.

 

There is also a High Sensitivity scene mode that uses ISO 800-1600 ratings to snap naturally lit shots in low light. The High Sensitivity mode will reduce the need for the built-in flash, which reaches as far as 14 ft.

 

 

The Lumix LZ5 is mostly automatic, but does offer a few specks of manual control. You can manually set the white balance by pointing the camera at something that is truly white under whatever lighting you’re in. If that isn’t good enough, there is a white balance fine tuning feature that lets you lean more towards red or blue.

 

While the camera can shoot widescreen still pictures, it can’t record widescreen movies like some of its Lumix siblings. Television-quality movies are recorded with 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels at a frame rate of 30 fps. Movies can be shot with the same color effects that are available for still pictures, but optical zoom is unavailable for movies. Another downer: the audio isn’t that great so your child’s first words could sound muffled.

 

As far as performance goes, the Panasonic LZ5 does well at keeping its colors accurate and realistic. Its 6-megapixel resolution is decent, but the pictures get awfully dark and speckled in low light. The camera has three burst modes, the fastest of which can shoot 3.4 frames per second. The lens can focus on subjects as close as 5 cm in the macro mode too.

 

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 is mainly an automatic digital camera. It is simple to use and has some great features like a 6x optically stabilized zoom lens and 15 scene modes. The camera measures 2.4 x 3.9 x 1.8 inches and weighs 6.6 oz. It is powered by two AA batteries that can get 235 shots per charge. The Panasonic LZ5 is great for beginners, but would frustrate consumers who want more manual control. It retails at $249.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 Compared to the...