The 6-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 came to the market in early 2006. It features an optically stabilized 6x optical zoom lens and a compact body.
The LZ5 has a nicely sized LCD screen, but the resolution isn’t very good at all. Some digital cameras like the Kodak Z612 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. The Canon A700 has a 2.5-inch screen with 115,000 pixels and the Nikon S4 has the same size screen with 110,000 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. For those who need some assistance in framing subjects, the 6-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S4 has several modes that superimpose outlines of bodies and heads onto the LCD screen to aid in framing. The S4 also has a handy 10x zoom lens and an oddly shaped body that swivels to be more compact.
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 feet. This beats out the Canon A700, whose flash only lights as far as 11 feet.
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 toward red or blue. If Manual Exposure modes are what you want, check out the fully loaded Canon PowerShot A700.
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 Burst mode is much faster than the Nikon S4, which chugs along at 1.3 fps.
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 ounces. 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.
