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Jul 21

Panasonic Launches LX5 and a Zillion Other Compact Cameras

Panasonic has released five new compact point-and-shoot cameras, ranging from the $250 TS10 up to the $500 LX5, whose premature store listing we covered yesterday. Instead of just running over the specs of the lineup, which would probably be even more boring for you than for me, we’ll take a look at the highlights, starting with the LX5.

The LX5 replaces the two-year-old LX3, but the similarities are bigger than the differences – the sensor is the same 10.1 MP CCD with tweaked sensitivity, for example. New is the redesigned hot-shoe which will now work with an optional electronic viewfinder, as is the ƒ2.0 lens, which now runs from 24-90mm instead of stopping at 60mm (35mm equivalent). Also new is a bigger grip and a GF1-style click-wheel instead of a joystick and the addition of the AVCHD-Lite format for recording 720p video. The price will be $500.

Next in line is the big fat FZ100, the new top-end hybrid which offers the bulk of an SLR with the trimmed-down functions of a compact (seriously, why does anyone buy these?). It has a 3-inch, 460,000 dot tiltable LCD, a too-big 14MP sensor and a huge 25-600mm (equivalent) zoom which opens to ƒ2.8-5.5 as you zoom. That’ll be another $500.

The $400 FX700 can be described as “competent”. It will fit in a pocket, shoot 1080i AVCHD video and 14.1MP stills and show them off on a 230,000-dot LCD, which is also touch-sensitive and does away with most of the buttons. The lens is a decent ƒ2.2-5.9 zoom with an equivalent focal length range of 24-120mm.

Skipping to the bottom-end we get to the $250 TS10, a ruggedized camera with yet another overcrowded 14.1MP sensor, which is waterproof to ten feet and can be dropped from five, shoots 720p video and has a zoom equivalent of 35-140mm. The aperture range is a pitifully average ƒ3.5-5.6.

Phew. The standout here is clearly the LX5, unless you want a bigger camera with a bigger zoom, in which case you should probably just go buy a cheap Canon or Nikon DSLR. Otherwise, buy any of these Panasonics, or any camera from any other first-tier manufacturer. Let’s be honest, they’re all pretty much the same.

LX5 [Panasonic]

FZ100 [Panasonic]

TS10 [Panasonic]

FX700 [Panasonic]

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