Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

      Photo Review 8.5
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      leadpic_DMC-LX5-K-Slant

      In summary

      An upgrade to Panasonic’s popular enthusiast digicam flagship with improved ergonomics, autofocusing and image quality.The enthusiast digicam market has changed in the two years since Panasonic released its popular DMC-LX3 Lumix digicam and the new LX5 model faces tough competition both from high-end digicams from other manufacturers and the new Micro Four Thirds cameras released by Panasonic and Olympus. To meet this challenge, Panasonic has improved the user interface on the LX5 and increased the range of the zoom lens to the equivalent of a 90mm lens in 35mm format. . . [more]

      Full review

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      leadpic_DMC-LX5-K-Slant

      The enthusiast digicam market has changed in the two years since Panasonic released its popular DMC-LX3 Lumix digicam and the new LX5 model faces tough competition both from high-end digicams from other manufacturers and the new Micro Four Thirds cameras released by Panasonic and Olympus. To meet this challenge, Panasonic has improved the user interface on the LX5 and increased the range of the zoom lens to the equivalent of a 90mm lens in 35mm format.

      In a marketplace where large-sensor ‘mirrorless’ camera are currently attracting a lot of attention, some readers will be disappointed the LX5 doesn’t have a larger sensor. Others may have expected a faster lens. Instead, the sensor is the same size as in the LX3 – and its effective resolution remains at 10-megapixels.

      On the lens front, although the maximum aperture is still f/2 and the widest angle-of-view still equates to 24mm in 35mm format, the effective focal length on the LX5’s zoom lens has been extended by roughly 30% to the equivalent of 90mm. This is much better for portraiture than the 60mm (equivalent) limit of the LX3.

      The MEGA O.I.S. optical stabilisation system in the LX3 has been replaced by the latest POWER O.I.S. module, which claims to provide double the stabilisation. A new 1:1 aspect ratio has been added to the 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 settings on the slider control that sits atop the lens barrel.

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      DMC-LX5-K-ASPECT3-2

      The new aspect ratio selector on the LX5. (Source: Panasonic.)
      Aspect Bracketing is also available via a setting on Page 6 of the shooting menu. When switched to On, this setting lets the camera take an image in all aspect ratios simultaneously. All frames are recorded as JPEGs and users can choose the one they prefer after shooting.

      Build and Ergonomics
      Panasonic has stuck with the basic LX3 design in the new model, which is still one of the few pocketable advanced digicams available. Build quality is similar to the earlier model, with a solid metal casing that’s slim enough to fit into a jacket pocket. The LX5 is marginally larger than its predecessor – but also just over two millimetres thinner.
      Improvements to the finger grip on the right hand side of the camera have made it slightly deeper, while a textured, rubber-like cladding makes it more secure to hold. The hard metal surround on the fingerpad has also been removed, making it blend more gently into the rest of the camera body.

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      DMC-LX5-K-Front-Pop-Up

      Front view of the LX5 with the pop-up flash raised. (Source: Panasonic.)

      The top panel has changed very little from the LX3, with the main modification being the replacement of the LX3’S Focus button by a dedicated Motion Picture button that starts and stops video recording. A pair of small microphone slots has also been added just left of the front edge of the mode dial.

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      DMC-LX5-K-Top

      Top view of the LX5, showing its size, relative to a typical user’s hand. (Source: Panasonic.)

      The mode dial carries an additional setting that accesses the My Colour Mode, which enables users to apply a range of colour effects from 12 built-in pre-sets. In addition, since the camera has a direct movie button, the former movie mode has morphed into a ‘Creative Motion Picture Mode’ that enables users to record video clips using the camera’s manual settings (P, A, S and M shooting modes. The table below shows which functions can be set with the rear dial.

      Exposure Mode

      Functions adjustable by pressing and rotating the rear dial

      Program AE

      Program Shift

      Exposure compensation

      Aperture-priority AE

      Lens Aperture

      Exposure compensation

      Shutter-priority AE

      Shutter Speed

      Exposure compensation

      Manual Exposure

      Shutter Speed

      Lens Aperture

      You can also focus manually when shooting videos as long as the focus selector switch on the side of the lens barrel has been set to MF. However, operating sounds may be picked up by the camera’s microphone.

      The rear panel still carries a 3-inch monitor and its resolution is unchanged at 460,000 dots. The arrow pad remains in the same place and its design is unchanged, although the function linked with two of the buttons have been changed. Focus has replaced exposure compensation on the top button and ISO has replaced flash on the right.

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      DMC-LX5-K-Back

      The rear panel of the LX5. (Source: Panasonic.)

      The most significant change on the rear panel has been the replacement of the joystick/Q. Menu button with a dial wheel. Depending on the camera setting and mode selected, rotating this dial adjusts Program Shift, aperture, shutter speed or manual focus settings in record mode. Pressing it in switches between exposure compensation and manual focus adjustment.

      The Q. Menu button has been shifted to the lower right corner and its position is now taken by the AF/AE Lock button. A new Playback button replaces the former AF/AE Lock button to its right, doing away with the shoot/play slider selector.

      The Leica DC Vario-Summicron lens in the new camera extends by approximately 25 mm when the camera is switched on and maintains much the same length through all zoom settings. According to Panasonic, the lens unit consists of 10 elements in nine groups with three aspherical lenses and five aspherical surfaces. Maximum apertures range from f/2.0 at the widest focal length to f/3.3 at full tele zoom.

      Selecting the Step Zoom function in the camera’s menu enables users to jump directly to a pre-set focal length (equivalent to 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 70mm or 90mm) via the easy menu. The camera also provides a magnification increase of 1.3x via the Intelligent Zoom control (which doesn’t noticeably reduce image quality) and up to 800mm equivalent focal length is available by combining the Intelligent Zoom and digital zoom (which does).

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      DMC-LX5-K-Side

      Side view of the LX5 showing the focus selector. (Source: Panasonic.)

      The camera comes with the same clip-on lens cap as the LX3. A tether is provided for attaching it to the strap eyelet (which can be a bit of a nuisance). Other physical attributes of the new camera are essentially the same as the LX3.

      Sensor and Image Processing
      The ‘1/1.63-inch’ type (Approx. 8 x 6 mm) High Sensitivity CCD sensor in the LX5 has the same dimensions as the sensor in the LX3 and identical resolution (11.3 million photosites with 10.1 megapixels effective). However, it’s a new sensor with improvements that Panasonic claims increase the sensitivity by approximately 31% and the saturation by approximately 38% over the previous model. Dynamic range expansion has also been claimed.

      The maximum ISO setting has been raised from ISO 3200 on the LX3 to ISO 12,800 for the LX5. However, to achieve this level, Panasonic reduces the resolution to 2048 x 1536 pixels and images can only be recorded in JPEG format.

      According to Panasonic’s website, two features are responsible for these improvements: the use of larger, more efficient microlenses over each photosite and ‘VCCD expansion’ plus ‘Photo Diode Deeping’, which together increase each photo diode’s signal capacity. The illustrations below from Panasonic’s website show both technologies.

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      LX5-sensor-1
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      LX5-sensor-2

      Like its predecessor, the LX3 supports both JPEG and raw file capture. It also lets users record raw and JPEG images simultaneously – and choose the compression ratio for the JPEG shot (although not the image size). JPEG compression appears to be significantly lower than it is for other Panasonic digicams, particularly at larger file sizes. Two compression ratios are supported for each JPEG image size. Typical image sizes are shown in the table below.

      Aspect ratio

      Resolution

      Fine

      Standard

      4:3

      RAW

      3648 x 2736

      18.29MB

      10M

      3648 x 2736

      4.65MB

      3.10MB

      7M

      3072 x 2304

      3.79MB

      2.33MB

      5M

      2560 x 1920

      3.20MB

      1.77MB

      3M

      2048 x 1536

      2.56MB

      1.31MB

      2M

      1600 x 1200

      1.60MB

      0.82MB

      0.3M

      640 x 480

      0.33MB

      0.20MB

      3:2

      RAW

      3776 x 2520

      12.49MB

      9.5M

      3776 x 2520

      4.65MB

      3.01MB

      6.5M

      3168 x 2112

      3.79MB

      2.33MB

      4.5M

      2656 x 1768

      3.20MB

      1.77MB

      3M

      2112 x 1408

      2.56MB

      1.31MB

      2.5M

      2048 x 1360

      2.43MB

      1.28MB

      0.3M

      640 x 424

      0.19MB

      0.12MB

      16:9

      RAW

      3968 x 2232

      11.64MB

      9M

      3968 x 2232

      4.45MB

      2.93MB

      6M

      3328 x 1872

      3.79MB

      2.33MB

      4.5M

      2784 x 1568

      3.30MB

      1.77MB

      2.5M

      2208 x 1248

      2.66MB

      1.35MB

      2M

      1920 x 1080

      1.34MB

      0.58MB

      0.2M

      640 x 360

      0.15MB

      0.10MB

      1:1

      RAW

      2736 x 2736

      10.04MB

      7.5M

      2736 x 2736

      3.66MB

      2.33MB

      5.5M

      2304 x 2304

      3.10MB

      1.77MB

      3.5M

      1920 x 1920

      2.56MB

      1.35MB

      2.5M

      1536 x 1536

      1.28MB

      0.69MB

      0.2M

      480 x 480

      0.15MB

      0.10MB

       

       

       

       

      Coupled to the sensor is Panasonic’s new Venus Engine FHD image processor. Containing three CPUs, this processor supports significantly faster processing than the one in the LX3 and enables HD video clips to be recorded at 1280 x 720 pixel resolution using the efficient AVCHD video format. Three bit rates are selectable: SH at 17 Mbps, H at 13 Mbps and L at 9 Mbps.

      Four resolutions are available for Standard Definition video clips, which are captured in the Motion JPEG format. Two aspect ratios are supported – 4:3 and 16:9. All clips are recorded at 30 frames/second. Typical recording times for an 8GB memory card are shown in the table below

      Movie format

      Resolution

      Aspect ratio

      Quality

      Bit rate

      Recording time/8GB card

      AVCHD Lite

      1280×720

      16:9

      SH

      17 Mbps

      1 hour, 2 minutes

      H

      13 Mbps

      1 hour 22 minutes

      L

      9 Mbps

      1 hour, 58 minutes

      Motion JPEG

      1280×720

      16:9

      HD

      n.a.

      33 minutes 40 seconds

      848 x 480

      WVGA

      1 hour 25 minutes

      640 x 480

      4:3

      VGA

      1 hour 28 minutes

      320 x 240

      QVGA

      4 hours, 15 minutes

      The new Venus Engine FHD image processor is also reportedly more energy-efficient for recording video clips. Panasonic claims a CIPA rating of 400 shots/charge for still image capture with 50% flash use. For video, the claimed recording time is approximately 200 minutes per charge.

      Controls
      Most of the controls provided in the LX3 have been carried over into the new model. However, there have been some variations as well as a couple of new additions aimed at improving usability.

      Probably the most vexing variation is the reduction of the buffer memory for continuous shooting from five frames in the LX3 to three frames (JPEG Large/Fine and RW2.RAW). The LX3 has been criticised for its limited buffer memory so to have it further reduced isn’t beneficial. You can still get up to five JPEGs in a burst as long as you use Standard compression but we feel an increase in the buffer memory would have been preferable to a reduction.

      On the plus side, the LX5’s hot shoe can accept accessory flash units or a choice of two viewfinders: the DMW-VF1 optical finder or the DMW-LVF1 electronic finder that was designed for Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-GF1 camera. As we didn’t receive either finder with the review camera, we can’t comment on their usability – but at least these options exist.

      Another plus is aspect ratio bracketing, where the camera can record the same scene four times in four sequential shots, one for each aspect ratio. Only JPEGs can be recorded but you can choose from four image sizes. Examples are shown below. If exposure compensation is required, it must be set before aspect ratio bracketing is engaged.

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      LX5_P1020343_1X1
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      LX5_P1020344_4X3
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      LX5_P1020345_3X2
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      LX5_P1020346_16X9

      Aspect ratio bracketing. The four aspect ratios provided by the LX5: (from top) 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9.

      The LX5 also features Panasonic’s new Sonic Speed AF system, which combines a higher-speed actuator, optimized algorithms and parallel software processing to improve autofocusing speeds. Its performance is reported on in the Performance section below.

      Like the LX3, the LX5 also gives users the option of moving the AF area selection around the frame with the arrow pad. However, the LX5 also lets you resize the AF area but you must act immediately after setting 1-area AF by pressing the Display button. This turns the borders of the AF area yellow, after which you can enlarge the ‘box’ with the dial wheel and move it around with the arrow pad buttons. The setting defaults to normal when the camera is switched off.

      The LX5 also provides a Step Zoom setting that enables you to zoom to pre-set focal length positions. The 35mm equivalent focal lengths available via this setting are: 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm and 90mm. It’s not available for movie capture. Panasonic provides a ‘zoom-resume’ setting that takes you directly to the last-used focal length when the camera is switched on.

      There’s also a new Intelligent Zoom option that uses ‘Intelligent Resolution technology’ to extend the zoom ratio by approximately 1.3x without compromising picture quality. This new processing system automatically detects outlines, detailed texture areas and areas with soft gradation.
      Edges are sharpened to provide clean outlines, while textured are moderately enhanced to provide a sense of finer detail. Noise reduction processing is applied to areas with soft gradations to make them appear smoother. Together, this processing helps to maintain the appearance of detail in shots.

      Switching Intelligent Zoom on while the Digital zoom is also set to on enables an extension of the optical zoom range of up to 5.0x. The Extra Optical Zoom function that extends zoom power to 6.7x by cropping out the centre of frame – but resolution is lost.

      In the video area, Panasonic provides a range of simple in-camera editing functions to enable users to cut-out unwanted scenes. You can also save frame grabs from video clips – but only as JPEGs and quality is fixed on Standard.

      Playback and Software
      The LX5’s playback modes are the same as those on the LX3, with single, multi-image (12 or 30 thumbnails), zoom magnification (2x, 4, 8x or 16x) and slideshow being the main display options. Calendar and category views are also provided and you can zoom in to the focus point when viewing single shots.

      All the standard rotation, protection and deletion modes are available and slideshows can be played with or without ‘canned’ music soundtracks from the camera’s memory. (You can’t add your own soundtracks.) Images categorised or tagged as favourites can be played selectively. Movie playback is also available and you can ‘grab’ frames from a video clip for saving as still pictures.

      The supplied software bundle contains Silkypix Developer Studio 3.1 SE (for raw file ‘development’) plus PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.0 HD Edition for organising and editing video clips. Both are limited in their capabilities so serious enthusiasts will be likely to favour third-party applications. The good news is that the latest version of the Adobe Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements is usable wit raw files from the LX5.

      Performance
      Two features stood out when we were using the camera: the improved autofocusing speed and the greater efficiency of the image stabilisation. Photo Review’s timing tests showed average autofocusing lag was reduced from 0.8 seconds to 0.2 seconds, which is a significant improvement for the new model.

      The Power O.I.S. stabilisation system also proved very effective, enabling us to hand-hold the camera at full optical zoom and use shutter speeds as slow as 1/5 second (an example is shown below). More than 60% of test shots were acceptably sharp in our tests.
      Shots taken with the test camera appeared detailed and colourful. The wide dynamic range in outdoor shots was retained in the new model and colours appeared natural and saturation was well-controlled in JPEG images.

      As with the LX3, we found no real difference in resolution between JPEGs and RW2.RAW raw files converted with Silkypix Developer Studio 3.1 SE. Both were below the resolutions we obtained when RW2.RAW raw files were converted with Adobe Camera Raw, so we’ve used the latter as the basis of raw file evaluation in this review.
      Imatest showed resolution to be slightly below expectations for a 10-megapixel camera for JPEG files but above expectations when raw files were measured. Our tests also revealed differences in centre and edge resolution at wider apertures. Best results were obtained between f/3.5 and f/4.5, with a noticeable fall-off occurring as diffraction takes effect with smaller apertures. The results of our Imatest tests across the camera’s aperture range at different focal length settings are shown in the graph below.

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      LX5_Res-vs-FL-graph

      Resolution remained relatively high between ISO 80 and ISO 200 (inclusive) then tailed off gradually from ISO 400 onwards. There was a noticeable jump down between ISO 400 and ISO 800, which was reflected in shots taken at each setting. Shots taken at ISO 3200 were visibly noise-affected – although not nearly as much as the two higher ISO settings which have been substantially reduced in size. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests.

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      LX5_Res-vs-ISO-graph

      Lateral chromatic aberration was low at most apertures (as shown in the graph below) and focal length settings and coloured fringing was negligible. Lens flare was quite common with even modest back or side lighting. Digital zoom shots were a cut above average but still showed some processing artefacts.

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      LX5_CA-graph

      Low light performance was excellent with little noise visible up to ISO 800 and only a slight progressive increase thereafter. Flash performance was similar to the results we obtained with the LX3. The built-in flash was just capable of illuminating an average sized room at ISO 200 but provided a good balance of flash and ambient lighting right up to the highest sensitivity settings. However, softening became obvious at ISO 1600 and by ISO 3200, noise was also visible. Shots taken at the highest ISO settings included compression artefacts as well.
      Auto white balance performance was typical of most digital cameras. Test shots taken under incandescent light retained a noticeable orange cast. However shots taken under fluorescent lighting showed only a tinge of residual blue. The LX5 provides a Kelvin temperature option for matching light source colours exactly. Fine tuning of image colour balance is also available across the amber/blue and magenta/green colour axes.
      Video quality was as good as you could expect from a Full HD camera, although the microphone picked up a lot of wind noise – even with the filter set to on – and also traces of the camera’s ‘operational sounds’. The monaural soundtracks were fairly clear but not overly impressive.
      It took just under two seconds to power-up the test camera and Photo Review’s tests measured an average capture lag of 0.2 seconds, which changed to instantaneous capture with pre-focusing. It took 2.6 seconds to process each JPEG image and 3.0 seconds to process each raw file. A RAW+JPEG pair was processed in 3.9 seconds, on average.
      Although the specifications claim the LX5 can record bursts of up to five frames, in fact this is only true for standard JPEGs. Bursts of Fine JPEGs and/or raw files are restricted to three frames. The review camera recorded three high-resolution JPEGs in 0.9 seconds and took 2.3 seconds to process this burst.

      The same capture rates were recorded for raw and RAW+JPEG modes. It took 6.5seconds to process a burst of RW2.RAW files and 10.6 seconds for three RAW+JPEG pairs.

      Buy this camera if:
      – You’re looking for a pocketable digicam with raw file capture and 720p video recording.
      – You want a wide range od user-adjustable controls.
      – You want good wide-angle coverage and image stabilisation for shooting both video and still pictures.
      – You’d like good AF performance for still photography and video shooting.

      Don’t buy this camera if:
      – You’re looking for a significant update to the previous model. (The improvements aren’t enough to justify the price.)
      – You want high burst capacity at high resolution.
      – You require fast image file processing.

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      IMATEST GRAPHS
      JPEG files

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      LX5_P1020247_YAR37_cpp_JPG
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      LX5_P1020247_YBL74_cpp_JPG

      RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFF format Adobe Camera Raw

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      LX5_P1020247_colorerror_RAW
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      LX5_P1020247_colors_RAW
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      LX5_P1020247_YBL74_ca_RAW
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      LX5_P1020247_YAR38_cpp_RAW
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      LX5_P1020247_YBL74_cpp_RAW

      SAMPLE IMAGES

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      LX5_P1020144_AWB-tung

      Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.

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      LX5_P1020146_AWB-fluoro

      Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.

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      LX5_P1020125_night_ISO100

      8-second exposure at ISO 100, 6.9mm focal length, f/2.2.

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      LX5_P1020128_night_ISO800

      8-second exposure at ISO 800, 6.9mm focal length, f/4.

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      LX5_P1020130_night_ISO3200

      8-second exposure at ISO 3200, 6.9mm focal length, f/6.3.

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      LX5_P1020132_night_ISO12800

      4-second exposure at ISO 12800, 6.9mm focal length, f/8.

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      LX5_P1020135_flash_ISO100

      Flash exposure; ISO 100, 19.2mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/3.3.

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      LX5_P1020138_flash_ISO800

      Flash exposure; ISO 800, 19.2mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/3.3.

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      LX5_P1020140_flash_ISO3200

      Flash exposure; ISO 3200, 19.2mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/3.3.

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      LX5_P1020143_flash-ISO12800

      Flash exposure; ISO 12800, 19.2mm focal length, 1/125 second at f/3.3.

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      LX5_P1020336_close

      Close-up; 5.1mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/2000 second at f/3.2.

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      LX5_P1020306

      5.1mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/50 second at f/5.

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      LX5_P1020304_veiling-flare

      Veiling flare: 5.1mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/25 second at f/5.

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      LX5_P1020385_flare

      Lens flare: 5.1mm focal length, ISO 80, 1/500 second at f/5. (Note the posterisation around the bright area in the sky.)

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      LX5_P1020397

      6.4mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/80 second at f/7.1.

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      LX5_P1020388_cows

      Dynamic range; 19.2mm focal length, ISO 80, 1/640 second at f/5.6.

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      LX5_P1020359-portrait

      Portrait; 5.8mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/50 second at f/4.

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      LX5_P1020381_stabilisation-test

      Stabilisation test; 19.2mm focal length, ISO 1600, 1/5 second at f/3.3.

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      LX5_P1000460-circus

      19.2mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/40 second at f/3.3.

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      LX5_HD-video-1_sml
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      LX5_HD-video-2_sml
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      LX5_HD-video-3_sml

      Three frame grabs from Full HD video clips:

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      LX5_WVGA-video_2

      Still frame from WVGA video.

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      LX5_VGA-video

      Still frame from VGA video clip.

       

      Specifications

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      leadpic_DMC-LX5-K-Slant

      Image sensor: 1/1.63-inch type (~8 x 6 mm) CCD sensor with 11.3 million photosites (10.1 megapixels effective)
      Lens: 5.1-19.2mm Leica DC Vario-Summicron f/2-3.3 zoom lens (24-90mm in 35mm format)
      Zoom ratio: 3.8x optical; up to 4.5x digital
      Image formats: Stills – JPEG, RAW, RAW+JPEG; Movies – AVCHD Lite at 17, 13 & 9 Mbps; Motion JPEG
      Image Sizes: Stills – 4:3 aspect: 3648 x 2736, 3072 x 2304, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480; 3:2 aspect: 3776 x 2520, 3168 x 2112, 2656 x 1768, 2560 x 1920, 2112 x 1408, 2048 x 1360; 16:9 aspect: 3968 x 2232, 3328 x 1872, 2784 x 1568, 2208 x 1248, 1920 x 1080; 1:1 aspect: 2736 x 2736, 2304 x 2304, 1920 x 1920, 1536 x 1536, 480 x 480; Movies – 1280 x 720, 848 x 480, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 (all at 30 fps)
      Shutter speed range: 60 seconds to 1/4000 second
      Self-timer: 2 or 10 seconds delay
      Image Stabilisation: Lens-shift Power O.I.S.
      Exposure Compensation: +/- 3EV in 1/3EV steps
      Focus system/range: TTL contrast-based Sonic Speed AF with Face, AF Tracking, Multi (23pt) , 1pt (flexible/scalable) modes; range 50 cm to infinity; macro to 1 cm
      Exposure metering/control: Intelligent Multiple, Centre-weighted, Spot metering
      Shooting modes: Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual, Program Shift (Program AE Mode); 23 Scene presets (Portrait, Soft Skin, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Panorama Assist, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, High Sensitivity, Food, Party, Candle Light, Baby1/2, Pet, Sunset, Hi-Speed Burst, Flash Burst, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Aerial photo)
      Picture Style/Control settings: Film Mode settings: Standard, Dynamic, Nature, Smooth, Vibrant, Nostalgic, Standard B&W, Dynamic B&W, Smooth B&W, My Film 1, 2 , Multi Film; My Colour Mode settings: Expressive, Retro, Pure, Elegant, Monochrome, High Dynamic, Dynamic Art, Dynamic B&W, Silhouette, Pinhole, Film Grain, Custom Happy (iA mode only)
      ISO range: Auto, Hi Auto (ISO 1600-6400), ISO 100, 200, 400,800, 1600, 3200; ISO 6400 & 12,800 by pixel mixed readout
      White balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Flash, Halogen, Colour Temperature, White Set 1&2
      Flash modes/range (ISO auto): Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, Flash Synchro; 1st /2nd; range: 0.8 7.2m (Wide/ISO Auto)
      Sequence shooting: Max. 2.5 frames/second; Max. 3 frames JPEG Large/Fine, RAW, RAW+JPEG (up to 5 frames JPEG Large/Standard)
      Storage Media: 40MB internal memory plus SD/SDHC/SDXC expansion slot
      Viewfinder: Optional OVF/EVF
      LCD monitor: 3-inch TFT LCD with 460,000 dots
      Power supply: ID-Security Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, Minimum: 1250mAh); CIPA rated for 400 shots/charge
      Dimensions (wxhxd): 110 x 65 x 25 mm
      Weight: 233 grams (without battery and card)

       

      Retailers

       

      CamBuy

       

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      Camera House

       

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      www.camerahouse.com.au
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      Camera Pro

       

      www.camerapro.net.au
      CameraPro Pty Ltd
      Suite 607, 180 Queen St, Brisbane 4000
      Tel: 07 3333 2900
      Australian owned and run company based in Brisbane.

      Camerasdirect

       

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      www.camerasdirect.com.au
      Retailer of digital camera equipment and more.
      Secure online shopping and delivery across Australia.
      Ph: 1300 727 056

      Camerastore.com.au

      Camerastore.com.au
      Ph: 1800 155 067

      Camera-Warehouse

       

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      camera-warehouse120

      www.camera-warehouse.com.au
      Comprehensive range of digital cameras and accessories online (www.camera-warehouse.com.au) and an online print service (www.royalexpress.com.au).

      Digital Camera Warehouse

       

      www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au
      174 Canterbury Road 367 High Street
      Canterbury Northcote
      NSW 2193 VIC 3070
      Ph: 1300 365 220

      Electronics Warehouse

       

      www.electronicswarehouse.com.au
      1300 801 885
      Australian retailer of Vapex rechargeable batteries offering factory direct prices and fast, free shipping Australia wide.

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      Photographic Equipment & Supplies – Retail & Repairs. Click here for list of stores.

      Ted’s Cameras

       

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      Teds-Logo120

      www.teds.com.au

      1800 186 895
      Big range of cameras and photographic products with stores in most states and online.

      Rating

       

      RRP: $799

      Rating (out of 10):

      • Build: 8.8
      • Ease of use: 8.5
      • Autofocusing: 8.5
      • Image quality: 8.5
      • OVERALL: 8.5

      Buy