A 5 mega pixel camera, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 captures sufficient details for photo-quality 13×17-inch prints. A popular successor to the very successful DMC-FZ3, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 also has a Leica-branded DC Vario-Elmarit zoom with a 12x optical range. However, the larger sensor has resulted in a slightly slower F2.8-F3.3 aperture range. Powered by a Lithium-ion battery, it uses Secure Digital (SD) cards to store images. A 16 MB card has been included along with the camera for the user’s benefit. Its amazing 12x optical zoom gets the bets image quality while super-fast shutter times make it picture-perfect. It takes .008 seconds to release (not including AF time) and .4 seconds between shots. With a 1.8 inch colour screen, the camera from Japanese firm Panasonic has new fast focus mode and longer battery life which ensures that the camera works longer. It has new orientation sensor and Venus II image processing engine.

An interesting gadget, it is user-friendly and easy to operate. A good camera for a first-time user, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 has 9 scene modes and full photographic control. Equipped with an ultra-fast start-up, focus, shutter lag and shot-to-shot time, the camera is pleasure to use. Responsive and practical, it has bridged the gap between the high-end and mid-range Panasonic ’super zoom’. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 camera includes features like an eye level colour electronic viewfinder with dioptric adjustment, program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual modes to differentiate it from other cameras on the market. As for connectivity, it has a plug-n-play USB and is mass storage compliant.