Panasonic has just officially announced the Lumix LX5, the company’s follow-up to the popular LX3 compact cam. They didn’t stray too far away from what worked though, which is probably the best part. Basically, they kept the good stuff going by staying with the LX3’s retro design, and improved on the things that its predecessor did well.
Specifically, the LX5 offers a redesigned sensor that stretches the cam’s sensitivity to ISO 12,800 for better low-light shooting, a more flexible 24-90mm lens and bright F2.0-3.3 aperture, and a firmware update that lets it record 720p video in Panny’s AVCHD Lite format. The sensor’s resolution is still kept at 10.1MP CCD – a number that might seem low compared to new mid-range point-and-shoot compacts that offer 14MP sensors, but as with the original, this cam proves that it’s in the quality, not the quantity of pixels.
The overall body design has been maintained from the LX3, but added a better grip and a jog dial along the top for easier controls. Panasonic also kept the 3-inch LCD size from the LX3, but added LCD backlighting to the mix for better visibility, especially under direct sunlight.
Available in black and white colors, the Lumix LX5 is set to ship by the end of August for $500.
Tags: Digital Cameras, Lumix, LX5, Panasonic
