Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC5

Opinion: still good enough

Opinion: Writing a review of a 2001 release date camera in 2007 is not for those thinking of buying one new. It is aimed at those thinking of buying one on the second hand market. Read through this review to see my thoughts.

I was one of the first Australian owners of an LC5 in early 2002. Since then I have taken well over 20,000 photos with this camera in locations all over the world. It has been to remote and rugged places and has always performed well.

I followed the saga of 'image quality' in the early days of this camera with bemusement. I have never found a fault with the image quality, except in very low light conditions where any camera would struggle. I have made lovely crisp prints up to A4 (10"x8") size and when viewed on my Mac screen I have always been more than happy. Some of my shots taken in Europe can be seen here:
serendigity.net/projects/Europe2002/index.htm

In answer to those who like to zoom in the 4MP images to 100% and see the graininess on their screens, did you ever use film cameras? Did you ever scan a negative or slide and try to zoom in the same way you do with digital images? Of course there will be graininess. In the same way that a newspaper photo is meant to be seen a comfortable reading distance from the eye, these digital images are meant to be seen reduced so the whole image is visible on the computer screen... Common sense really, and it shows the lack of understanding some people had over the nature of these small sensor chips. It also shows the expectation people had in 2001 of a then whopping 4MP. If you want 100% zoom in of the digital file to be perfect, go to a top end DSLR or even better, get a large or medium format camera with a sensor to match. You may need to sell your car to pay for it however...

Getting that issue out of the way, lets move on to the camera and its good points. I really warmed to the retro styling of this camera. What a bold move to design a 21st century camera along the lines of a 50 year old Leica... (I was always disappointed with the style of many brands of digital cameras, ranging from boring to ugly. Things have now improved substantially in 2007).

Having full manual control, exposure bracketing, a great 3x zoom lens with excellent wide angle capability and rugged construction with metal alloy body are the main pluses for me. This was always meant to be an enthusiasts camera. Image quality is right up there due to the excellent Leica lens.

The LC5 is not a point and click camera. If you don't use shutter speed priority, aperture priority, full manual, exposure bracketing, and if you don't like to do long exposure night shots - don't get one.

Whilst overtaken by most camera manufacturers with the latest models, this camera still has a better lens than over half the low end point and shoot cameras on the market in 2007. 4MP capability and using SD cards also help to retain the competitiveness of this camera.

The battery has a good longevity factor. Cheap aftermarket batteries are now available, if you get two or three and have a few 2GB SD cards, you will be right in remote places for a week or so of photography.

Many traditionalists who have remained film camera users would do a lot worse than seeking out one of these cameras to test-the-water with digital. New prices for the LC5 in 2002 were outrageous - around $AUS2,000. But back then this camera was a breakthrough cutting edge digital camera. Comparable with its innovations to the new Lumix DMC-LX2 or even the DMC-L1.

Second hand, they now sell for around $AUS150. At this price they are a true bargain. In my opinion, in 2007 you would still have to spend around $AUS400 plus to get a better camera.

My recommendation - seek out a used Lumix LC5. It will be a real bargain, and if it has been looked after, it will prove to be a gem of a camera.

Opinion: My girlfriend bought this model because it had been marked down substantially.
Examining the output showed why - the image quality is appalling. Don't be fooled
by the first-time digicam owners who rave about this camera. The reports of
extremely bad posterization and low-light noise are true and easily verifiable with
example closeups. Google for "Steve Lang madmaxmedia" and you'll find an LC5
gallery. Make sure to click 'Original' on the examples and you'll notice how similar
the LC5 looks to a webcam's output, just with higher resolution.
I have compared this camera to some of the low-end Canon digicams and the EOS
300D, and they're not even in the same ballpark. Avoid at all costs.

Opinion: just found this on amazon dot com. since i just bought one it's very good news!

An extremely good find, February 5, 2005
This camera got panned in some early reviews. This is a very good thing, because the follow up reviews corrected the initial concerns, but by then people got afraid of the LC5. As a result you can get this $900 camera for about half price.

Now what happened? This camera is specifically designed to produce high quality prints. At the time of its introduction, monitors had difficulty reproducing its images. So it got panned. Reviewers said the camera was terrible, but they did not print anything. After the reviewers actually printed photos from the LC5, they recanted their initial comments.

At one point Panasonic issued a firmware update to make the images look better on monitors. Today, it's a non-issue and you are better off with the original firmware.

Net, net... this is a great camera -- especially if you are going to produce prints. I've got this coupled with an Epson 2200 and an Olympus P400 and the results are great.

My advice: if you can find one of these, and it feels good in your hands -- buy it.

Opinion: I confirm the availability of a new firmware upgrade for DMC-LC5. I'm waiting mine (it's a question of day). I'll tell you more about the improvement asap ...
I think that, if image quality is better, there will be no equivalent of a such great camera on the market.

Opinion: I bought this camera 1 month ago. All the features are great except the quality of images. There s a kind of posterization. I just wonder if the prints will have any posterization at A4 format.
In some reviews I found there s a possibility of firmware upgrade. However there should be a link or something how to find such one!
Anyway, it is great camera to find the way how to use manual features with these kind of cameras.

Opinion: To answer Resistance critics, I can assure the Firmware Update was done successfully on my camera. Noise reduction improved, ISO 200 far better and perfectly usable (yet not ISO 400), noise still exists but slightly fine grain only at ISO 100, without blotches, keeping the definition unlike the blurring effect we have with other cameras.
I feel pity if Panasonic Service worldwide is not as good as it is in Switzerland ('swiss quality') :-)

Opinion: I was intrigued by Olivier16's comments about the firmware upgrade for this camera. I called Panasonic Product Support and was told what I had suspected from the start: there is no firmware upgrade for this camera...

Opinion: Oliver16 Contact me re firmware update or post in form a few of us are looking for the firmware update but cant find it any help would be great fastoys2nv@3web.net