Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 Review

Overall Rating

Pictures are absolutely stunning! The features are so numerous that their complexity is daunting. A special "red heart" button is available to help new owners, but even using the fully automated feature, my first pictures were more than satisfactory.

Clunky lens hood and adapter unit, which if used as advised in sunlight, means a much bigger bag than the camera dimensions would suggest, so if you don't mind toting a big bag, this is the one for you! Otherwise take care!

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 digital camera does absolutely everything for you, if only you can find the right button or menu.
It really really wants to do the focussing for you, since there are no rings to turn and no manual focus controls at all. But do not dispair ... Focus is the least of your worries ...
It just takes a little time to adjust to this. For example - you have a herd of cows in bright sunlight some distance beyond a wire mesh fence in deep shadow. You point the FZ5 at the cows and let it do it's thing. The picture contains blurred over-exposed cows, but a wonderfully sharp and correctly exposed bit of wire mesh fencing. Solution - Find a menu to force the camera to focus on infinity (SCENERY), and take the picture again. Now you have a correct exposure and a superbly sharp cow picture.
I have used the camera for about four weeks now, but I must warn you that like all cameras with access to this level of complexity, you have lots of ways to do things wrong, and very few ways to do them right!
Another example - You come in from the garden and decide that a flash picture is required. First remember to remove the clunky lens hood. Oh and it's adapter too! Because if you don't there may be some vignetting (that's a shadow on the recorded picture to you and me). You open the flash unit and, perhaps find a button to select the type of flash. A bit of anti Red-eye (2 flashes) or not (just 1 flash). Just how close will the subject be (wide angle 1X or telephoto 12X)? Do I need to adjust the intensity of the flash at that distance (is that +1 or +2 exposure values or should it be -1 or -2)? Or should I select PARTY mode from a menu to take care of people indoors and their background? But what if they are backlit? And, then again should I use the SIMPLE mode (that's the red heart switch) to limit the number of flash settings (Red-eye or forced on or forced off)? and reducing the 18 different picture format alternatives to 3 (4.9M/fine; 1.9M or 0.3M standard). And so it goes on...
If you're a gadget freak you will adore this digital camera, and I guarantee you will learn something new every time you pick it up.
If you want to pick a camera up, switch it on, point it, take a picture and put it away again, well ... as the advert says ... "You'll hate it!"
OTHER BITS:
Modes that let the camera control everything, or just the shutter speed, or just the aperture. Or perhaps you want to do all of this instead, well it's all possible.
Take motion images with sound at 10 or 30fps... yes.
Annotate individual compressed still pictures with a 10 second sound bite when you take it, or sometime afterwards as you start to realise things may be confusing when you get back home (Where was that or "This tea service is lot number 568").
Did I mention Macro mode? ... very versatile working with either wide angle or telescopic settings to bring out detail from 5cm to 2m or 1m, depending on which bit of the lens system you are using.
All the usual expectations apply to protecting and reviewing pictures. Also to deleting unprotected pictures individually, in groups or the whole lot (please download first though)!
My favourite, left nearly until last, is the choice and format of the display that is possible. Choose the viewfinder (has fine adjustment to match your eyes) or the LCD screen. Alter the level of brightness, look at the outside world or superimpose over it a tic tak toe grid (does that horizon look crooked to you?), and then add icons to tell you what's up doc (battery? / pictures to go?/ every camera setting under the sun, or is it just too dark outside?).
You can also add a "Histogram" display to the icons.
If you have used any software to manipulate picture settings you will probably recognise this. It graphs the present "live view" or "recorded picture" brightness in pixel counts, between black to the left and white to the right. Too many peaks to the left indicates an overall under exposure, peaking around the middle is good, but too many to the right, well you get the drift.
Your last choice then is to make the size of the outside world display a bit smaller, and push all those techie icons into the remaining black "L" shaped area.
LOTS OF OTHER THINGS TOO
1) That clunky adapter and hood also have one redeeming feature. A 55mm screw thread that takes a filter, though I'm not sure if it would let you twiddle a polarising one, since there is little space available inside the hood when it is fitted - you would need to try this out in the shop. A UV filter works just fine, but it will have to come off again each time you need to use the flash! This also means the clip-on lens cap has to be retrieved and re-wired to the camera to protect the superb "Leica" eye.
2) Battery life is adequate when I use the camera through the viewfinder. Have not tried using the screen for anything but reviewing pictures. Though I did get a second battery for backup just in case (takes 2 hours to charge and is only small!)
3) Yes - for that informal photography, you can switch off every last beep leaving just the faint purr of lens mechanics as it zooms in and out.
4) As I mentioned earlier the camera can be forced to behave within the constraints of a specific mode (e.g. SCENERY is a long way off so focus set to infinity). There are many others to remember too including:(PORTRAIT; SPORTS; FIREWORKS; SNOW etc).
5) Pictures can be made in Cool; Warm; Natural and Vivid colour, or in Sepia tones or Black and White.
6) You can switch off the 4X digital zoom as well (what a relief!).
7) Lots more for specialists: flip animation for all your creature comforts; bracketing; self timer; white balance; corrections and adjustments for most things involving exposure control (see mention of adjusting the flash); ISO settings (noisy little things!); Oh and 3 metering modes with 5 focussing modes to choose from (see how the permutations slowly mount up).
8) A clever anti-shake system inside the lens helps make those long hand-held telephoto shots a little sharper than they would have been, especially when you left the tripod in the car.
FINALLY
Fashion accessory or not, I like the FZ5 in BLACK! Though, mostly, it seems to be available in SILVER, which is nice too! It fits in the hand snugly, if you happen to be right handed. I'm not sure what all you left-handers may make of it though! (Oh well when in Rome!)
The most important controls are at or near the fingertips, while the "Leica" lens begs you to stand back and pick out your subject with consumate ease and simplicity.
Self concious subject ... No worries!