Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 review

Available on the high street for around £230, or online for £199.95 [$237 - $300], the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 is cheap enough to be described as a budget camera, but like most products that are built down to a price rather than up to a target specification it has a number of problems.

On paper at least the LZ5 sounds like a bargain. For your £200 you get a 6-megapixel sensor, a high-quality 6x optical zoom F2.8-4.5 lens, a 2.5in LCD monitor and optical image stabilisation. On first inspection it looks good too. Its external design shares the same styling features as the rest of the Lumix range, with a slightly retro and vaguely art-deco motif. However whereas most of the other Lumix cameras are slim and elegant, the LZ5 is a big chunky lump of a thing. At 45mm thick it is a full 2cm thicker than the stylish LX1 or the lovely new FX01.

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