Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 - Expert Reviews

Award: EISA Award!

Review summary: Small is not only beautiful but also powerful in the case of the Lumix DMC-FZ5. This very compact camera includes a fast 12x Leica zoom lens, which can be used with confidence at its maximum focal length and in low light thanks to Panasonic's Mega OIS ...

Review summary: Even after a few lattes, your images will be focused

Pros: 12x image stabilized optical zoom, flexible feature set for experienced users and snapshooters, good performance and image quality, bundled lens adapter and lens hood.

Cons: Small control buttons, built-in flash vignettes lens causes shadows when shooting at a downward angle, below average movie quality.

Verdict: High capacity, high speed SD card

Review summary: Panasonic is a company that started a little slow in the digital camera market, but have really come on strong in the last year or two. The five megapixel Panasonic FZ5 is largely based on the three megapixel FZ3 model we reviewed in 2004, which at ...

Pros: Long 12x optical zoom lens, Good corner sharpness at wide angle (but only average at telephoto), Optical image stabilization really helps make use of the long zoom, Fast shutter response, Excellent shot to shot speeds, Excellent macro capability ...

Cons: At maximum telephoto, corner sharpness decreases from very good to average, LCD/EVF doesn't "gain up" under low light conditions, hard to aim the camera at the lowest light levels it can shoot at, Exposures longer than 1/4 second require use of more ...

Verdict: , to see how the DMC-FZ5's images compare to other cameras you may be considering

Review summary: The smallest megazoom with an optically stabilized system currently.

Pros: Compact size ; 12x optically stabilized zoom ; good feature set ; fairly good image quality

Cons: The handgrip is a tad small ; no manual focus ; manual exposure setting is a little unwieldy

Review summary: Megapixels: 5, Included Memory Amount: 16 MB, Included Memory: Media Card, Media Format: Secure Digital, Maximum Re...

Pros: Long zoom lens. Good color fidelity. Versatile burst mode. Geared toward different skill levels. Decent battery life.

Cons: Image quality is just average. Image stabilization doesn't improve images or work well in low light. Electronic viewfinder is very grainy.

Verdict: With average image quality and poor low-light performance, the FZ5 didn't really impress us, despite its fairly rich feature set.