Here are some final observations about the Panasonic LX5. (See here also.) I'm once again making a comparison with the LX3, as it is the camera I know best.
What is good (in order of goodness, compared to the LX3):
- Lens: I really like the 90 mm reach of the lens. Also, I like the way this lens renders subjects not in focus. (The Leica look!)
- Battery endurance: In my use so far the battery fares significantly better than on the LX3. But see also the bad side of this.
- Battery door compartment: It stays closed when you close it. A nuisance eliminated.
- Aspect ratio switch: Now you can select 1:1 directly. Good!
- Focusing speed: There is a feeling that the LX5 achieves focus faster than the LX3. Of course, this will be improved further given how far the micro 4/3 cameras have already gone, but for my purposes the focusing speed is good enough already. I'm not taking photographs of action sports or flying birds.
- Handgrip: The camera feels lighter in the hand.
- Image quality: I think there is a very slight improvement in the image quality, but nothing major. It is also a matter of taste.
What is bad (in order of badness, mostly compared to the LX3):
- Chipped battery: Panasonic is keeping the price of the battery up by making it hard for copy-makers to offer batteries. Here in Finland the battery prices range between 50 and 70 euro, and that is a lot. For the LX3 I bought non-Panasonic batteries, which worked perfectly, costing less than 10 euro including shipping.
- Top mode dial: It still turns by mistake; same as on the LX3.
- Software bug: There is a problem in macro mode switch being disabled when switching repeatedly between custom modes. This bug was originally present also in LX3 but a firmware update fixed it.
- Control wheel: I think the control stick was a better solution. But one can live with control wheel also.
- Shut down speed: The LX5 is a bit slower in shutting down than the LX3. Nothing major, but things add up little by little...
So, there you have it. Of course, a lot is still to be explored, such as how well the camera fares in winter time, when it is dark and one has to strain to get photographs at all.
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7 comments:
Just wanted to say that #4 and especially #1 are spectacular :)
Yes, agree with Andreas on #4: The soft colors and the smooth blur are, well, not spectacular, just outstanding! I had a look on the larger sizes at flickr and this image is more than convincing.
Re. the LX3/5 comparison: for me it's a bit astonishing that the difference is not really biiig, taking the 90mm longest focal length not into account. Well, a positive explanation is that already the 3 was a mature tool. But I could have imagined that the sensor development has made greater progress in the last 3 years - in the DSLR sector at least it seems to have.
@Andreas: I like them too... For #1 the longer 90 mm equiv. reach of the LX5 was good, as the dragonfly was deep in the pond.
@Markus: I think sensor developments are often rather overrated; it is the total package which matters.
For the overall photographic experience you are certainly right - and here the LXs definitely shine - but especially the low light capacity when retaining highest resolution has grown amazingly in the DSLR sector. Not that I would really need 24 MPix however...
@Markus: And also the mirrorless are developing rapidly. A colleague has been very impressed with the Sony NEX cameras, using one for concert photography in low-light conditions. There is still room for improvement, though.
"Ladybug" is beautiful!
Great composition, my friend!
I liked the LX3's colors better :( Could be the light... contrast?
Art
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@Art: Thanks!
There is a different feeling to the colors on the LX5 - but it is a subtle thing. Maybe less warm - but it is also less warm out there, so I don't know. So far, I like what I get from the LX5. However, at some point I might do a bit of tweaking of the settings.
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