Thoughts on the rumoured Panasonic LX5

Blueberries, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

Now that the Panasonic LX5 rumours are about to be confirmed (or perhaps not), I thought to write some further thoughts on the new camera from the LX3 perspective. These mirror some of the thoughts which I mentioned in the Dpreview interview a month ago.

Earlier I wrote: "My dream camera: LX3 but four stops better" This still holds, with some reservations.

Why four stops better? To be able to shoot handheld in winter here in Finland. With the LX3 I need to use 4-8 second exposures and a mini-tripod. But having four stops better sensitivity would allow going down to 1/4...1/2 second, which is well within the handheld capabilities of the LX3 (namely, the excellent image stabilization).

But four stops improvement is not possible with current technology. One stop better would be good to have, two might be borderline possible. (But I doubt.)

However, there are other things which are more important and may well shoot down the camera however good the specs. Namely, usability.

The menu system of the LX3 is far from easy for a novice, but when you get to know it and store your custom settings in C1, C2-1, C2-2 and C2-3, then things get rather easy. With the joystick, it is easy to change the exposure compensation and aperture (I'm using aperture priority), and manual focus when in use.

And programming the preview function to the function button allows easy access to review when needed. (No automatic review for me, please!)

I'm a bit hesitant about any changes to the LX3 controls, which have proved to be robust in extensive use. The leaked specs mention a jog dial for manual focus, but does this mean that the joystick is replaced?

There are two (minor) usability issues on the LX3 which would be nice to see corrected: the easily turning control knob on top of the camera, and the easily opening battery compartment door. Both need only minor improvements to make them really good.

In the leaked images of the LX5 there seems to be a red "video recording" button on the top of the camera. I hope this can be mapped to other purposes (such as autofocus/exposure lock etc.), as I don't shoot video.

What about the possible other (than sensor) improvements in specs? For example, would the LX5 have better image stabilization or autofocus? Well, the IS works already well on the LX3, so I hope it isn't any worse. And autofocus - usually it works on the LX3 as it should, but any improvements are welcome, especially faster (and more exact) focusing in low light. But this is not top-priority for me.

And what about the 24-90 mm f/2.0...3.3 lens? Well, more tele range (to the 60 mm on the LX3) is good to have, though I tend to use 24 mm mostly. However, having the possibility to shoot closeups from 30 cm away with 90 mm f/3.3 is something that would be handy to have when walking around in nature.

So, as a summary, I think preserving - or even slightly improving - the overall usability would be the biggest thing for me on the LX5. After all, if you take 100,000 photographs with a camera, usability matters.