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INSTAPUNDIT FANS KNOW that I?ve been a big fan of my Panasonic Lumix LX-3 camera. Yesterday, I got ?

By Glenn Reynolds

INSTAPUNDIT FANS KNOW that I’ve been a big fan of my Panasonic Lumix LX-3 camera. Yesterday, I got the successor to that in the mail, the new Lumix LX-5. Like the old Lumix, this one is designed to excel in low light. It has a wide-angle (24mm equivalent) f2.0 lens and optical image stabilization. But where the LX-3 went to ISO 3200, the LX-5 goes all the way to ISO 12800. The zoom range is expanded from 24-60mm equivalent to 24-90mm equivalent, which is a considerable improvement.

Controls are easy to use, and somewhat simplified from the LX-3. A Nikon-like adjustment wheel makes manual or semi-manual operation much easier. The LCD screen is big and bright. One carryover from the LX-3 — and the only annoying thing about the LX-3, really — is the fully detachable and easy-to-lose lens cap.

I’ll try to post a full report once I’ve gotten to play with it more, but it looks like a worthy successor to an already great camera. On the other hand, the LX-3 is now selling for considerably less than the LX-5 and it’s a terrific camera itself. If money’s an issue, or if you don’t need the higher-ISO and longer zoom range, you might want to pick one of those up while they’re still available.

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on September 05, 2010 (boomark / email).