Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5S 5MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Silver)

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Product Details

Product Manual [8.33mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 5 inches ; 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007OV46S
• Item model number: DMC-FZ5PP-S
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,468 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer
Panasonic is pleased to introduce the 5.0-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 with a Mega O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) that compensates the handshake, plus a newly developed 12x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 36mm to 432mm in a 35mm film camera). The DMC-FZ5 is heir to the 3.1-megapixel DMC-FZ3, but enhances its excellence not only through an increase in the total number of captured pixels, but also with other innovative technical improvements such as faster AF and various design development on the grip and position of the shutter button, to encourage higher-level shooting with comfortable operation. The DMC-FZ5 is distinct in its body size and usability, allowing users to enjoy an expanded world of photography.

The remarkable 12x optical zoom can capture large frames of photo subjects even a long distance away. Furthermore, Panasonic's Mega O.I.S. assures stability of the magnified image and resolves the problem of blurring when the zoom photography is operated by hand without the assistance of a tripod. The camera is equipped with a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens for high resolution imaging with very little distortion. Moreover, the combination of 3 aspherical lenses preserves an astonishingly compact body size even for a 12x optical zoom digital still camera.

The engine, or the brain, driving high picture quality and quick response of the camera is once again the leading-edge image processing LSI Venus Engine II, which boasts excellent resolution in the horizontal and the vertical, in addition to the diagonal. An industry-leading release time lag of 0.008 second and a shutter interval of approximately 0.4 seconds (not including time for AF) allows you to precisely capture your target subject. What's more, consecutive shooting performance boasts the capability of sequential shots at a rate of 3 frames per second at full resolution. An unlimited consecutive shooting function allows you to take photos in succession until the memory card or built-in memory is full.

Remarkable 12x Optical Zoom in a Compact Body
The Lumix DMC-FZ5 digital camera is equipped with a 5.0-megapixel CCD and newly developed Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens offering 12x optical zoom (equivalent to 36mm to 432mm on a 35mm film camera) with aperture of f2.8 to f3.3. The combination of 3 aspherical lenses, the crystallization of Panasonic's optics technology, generates high optical performance while preserving the compactness of the unit. The zoom range can be totally extended to 48x when combined with 4x digital zoom.

Mega O.I.S.--The Essential Feature for Digital Cameras
Mega O.I.S., which Panasonic strongly believes is indispensable for a high-magnification model, is subsumed with two selectable modes. In Mode 1, the O.I.S. lens continuously compensates the vibration, and in all Panasonic's own Mode 2, the O.I.S. lens suppresses hand-shake only at the moment the shutter button is pressed. In this mode, the lens can move in all directions at the moment to maximize its effect, and higher-resolution image can be taken by capturing the image as close as to the center of the lens. Venus Engine II also encourages this advantageous performance in the point of enhancing the accuracy of hand-shake detection; consequently, even without using a tripod, it allows you to reduce the shutter speed more than three steps compared to the conventional cameras without O.I.S., while assuring clear images. It is difficult to capture crisp and clear images in shootings with high-powered zoom or with macro mode without using a tripod. The shutter speed tends to slow when shooting in low-lit indoor conditions or taking pictures of nighttime scenery. However, Mega O.I.S. enables you to easily take clear, beautiful pictures in such situations.

The Venus Engine ll Leads the Industry for Its Quick Response
The Venus Engine ll engine is the brain of digital camera, driving high picture quality and quick camera response. Panasonic has achieved great improvements in both resolution and response compared with the performance of previous Venus Engine. In the previous Venus Engine, the luminance signal was extracted from all RGB pixels to improve the diagonal resolution by 50%. In addition to that, the Venus Engine II gains a new imaging process that adds the luminance signal extracted only from the G pixels upon detecting the horizontal/vertical lines in the image. This results in the improvement of the horizontal and vertical resolution by more than 10% compared with the former Venus Engine, while maintaining the 50% improvement in the diagonal resolution.

The multitask image-processing LSI realizes outstanding response with an industry-leading shutter-release time lag of 0.008 seconds minimum and a shutter interval of approximately 0.4 seconds (not including time for AF), achieving more stress-free operation. It also boasts high consecutive shooting performance, providing shooting at 3 frames per second at full resolution. The Unlimited Consecutive Shooting function allows limit-free consecutive shooting up to the capacity of the memory card or built-in memory. The number of recordable picture depends on the memory card size, battery life, picture size, and compression.

The Industry-Leading Short AF Time for a High-Zoom Model
An AF method can be selected according to the shooting situation: 9-point, 3-point high-speed, 1-point high-speed, 1-point normal-speed, and Spot. In the newly incorporated 1-point high-speed AF, the shutter time lag (including AF speed, i.e. the time from full shutter realease to image capture) has dramatically been reduced to one-third the level of the previous DMC-FZ3 model, and has resulted in achievement of industry-leading short shutter time lag for a high zoom model.

Although screen-freeze in high-speed AF is now minimized, if you take the picture of a subject with fast movement, you can select 1-point normal-speed AF, which does not have any screen-freeze while focusing. In addition, an AF assist lamp expands the AF ability even at night or under the low-light conditions.

A Variety of Settings with Mode Dial and Scene Modes
Convenientyly select from 9 scene modes that meet most any shooting situation thanks to the newly installed Scene Mode Help screen. This shows the description of each mode on the LCD monitor and makes it easier to select the mode that best fits the shooting conditions.

Manual functions such as aperture-priority AE, shutter-priority AE, or manual exposure are selectable directly by the mode dial, which offers smooth control. It also offers easy shooting even to entry-level users by providing a Simple Mode in which most settings are determined automatically. You just aim at the subject, zoom in or out, and press the shutter button.

High-End Usability Satisfies a Wide Range of Photographers
A 1.8-inch LCD monitor provides immediate visual image confirmation, and an extended battery life of 300 images (CIPA) gives the FZ5 more staying power than its predecessor.

Auto-angle detection, another new feature, records whether an image was taken horizontally or vertically. This ensures that when playing back on the LCD monitor and displaying images on your TV by connecting your Lumix with an AV cable, vertical images are automatically displayed vertically and horizontal images are automatically displayed horizontally.

Product Description
Though the Panasonic DMC-FZ5S Lumix 5 Megapixel Digital-Camera looks quite like an SLR - it lacks the ability to change lenses. But why would you need to? It has a 12x Leica Elmarit Zoom Lens that, at 6.0-72mm (35mm equivalent: 36-432mm), offers vast focal capabilities. With 5 megapixel effective you can achieve still picture resolutions of up to 2560 x 1920 and movie images up to 320x240 at 30 fps performance. Special Panasonic Mega Optic Image Stabilizer steadies the image despite normal shaking from hand movement. All images are stored on SD media memory cards and can be transferred to a computer for enhancement, storage, and e-mailing. Within its range, this Lumix offers a rather assertive menu of features and, when you consider all your needs and wishes, the DMC-FZ5 offers lots of possibilities you probably never considered. With automatic, smi-automatic, and manual modes, you can choose from flawless ease to challenging creativity. Potentials? They're here - ready and waiting for you to tap into them. Only a click away. Built-in Flash Mode - Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced On/Off // Effective Distances - Wide - 0.98 - 13.78 feet (ISO Auto); Tele - 1.64 - 8.53 feet (ISO Auto) 1.8 diagonal Polycrystalline TFT LCD SD and MMC memory card storage (We suggest purchasing optional SD card of 256MB or more for practical use of this camera) PictBridge - When used with compatible printers (amd many are), you can print stills without using a computer Venus Engine Image Processing Unit Dimensions (H x W x D) 2.69'' x 4.25'' x 3.34'' / Weight 0.72 lbs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

313 of 316 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tale of 3 Cameras, July 14, 2005

By	William Balsam "Ursus" (Taos, NM) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In the last few months three new extended zoom cameras have appeared on the market - the Canon PowerShot S2, Sony DSC-H1 and Panasonic DMC-FZ5. They are remarkably similar in many of their specifications. All are 5 mp, all are 12 X zoom, all are image stabilized, all have a maximum ISO of 400, all are larger than your average point and shoot digital and all have a list price of about $500. Despite these similarities, there are differences that lead me to decide on the Panasonic.

My first concern with a camera is image quality. Several web site have photos taken of identical subjects that allows the user to compare image quality. It was difficult to decide which camera produced the best images after downloading and printing pictures from the three cameras. The images are all so similar that the differences could have resulted from time of day, lighting conditions, temperature (increases sensor noise), etc. Comments from the pro's who reviewed these cameras indicates some differences. All the cameras have noise problems at higher ISO's, especially at 400 and perhaps at 200 for the Canon. The Sony may have slightly better noise control but chromatic aberration or purple fringing was a problem. So in terms of image quality, none of them is perfect, but all are very good. If you constantly shoot at low light levels the Sony may be the best choice as it is the only one of the three that has moderate noise levels at ISO 400.

Batteries are another major concern. Both the Canon and Sony use AA batteries which are widely available anywhere in the world, inexpensive and can be bought as rechargeable NiMH AA batteries. The Canon uses 4 AA's and gets ~500 shots per set of NIMH whereas the Sony uses 2 AA's and gets ~250 shots per set of NiMH. The Panasonic uses a proprietary Li ion battery and gets about 240 shots per charge. Although rechargeable NiMH AA's have the advantage of being inexpensive and widely available, they also have some disadvantages. Their charge decreases with time, reportedly about 1% of their charge per day. NiMH batteries also tend to have poor performance in cold weather and are subject to a "memory effect". Li ion batteries, on the other hand, have a number of advantages. They are lighter in weight, retain a significant amount of their charge when being stored, have reasonable cold weather performance, virtually no memory effect and are relatively small. From the point of view of batteries, I would down rate the Canon because it forces one to carry a set of 4 AA's as a backup as opposed to a small Li ion battery (Panasonic) or just 2 AA's (Sony). But, these are matters of personal preferences.

In terms of size and weight there are differences. The Panasonic is smaller (although none of these cameras is small) and weighs about 1/3 less than the Canon or Sony (with batteries installed). So if size and weight are important consider the Panasonic.

There are also major differences in movies. The Panasonic only has a low quality (320 x 240) mode for movies whereas both the Canon and Sony have a higher quality (640 x 480) movie mode. Having never used the movie mode in previous digital cameras I've owned, this was not a major consideration for me.

Based primarily on size and weight I bought the Panasonic DMC-FZ5 which can be found on the net for about $375. I've taken over 300 pictures with it and I am generally pleased with the performance. The focus is quick and accurate (the Canon is reported to hunt a bit) and image quality is very good, better than my 5 mp Sony DSCP-92. On one close-up of a bee in a flower the hairs on the bee's legs and pollen grains covering its face were sharp and clear. The image stabilization (anti-shake) works well, but has its limits. Those limits are clearly seen at low light levels and at maximum telephoto. If you are moderately steady, clear images can be obtained at about 1/30 of a second or even a little less, assuming the lens hasn't been zoomed too far and the subject isn't moving. As the zoom increases higher and higher shutter speeds are required to get clear images and the camera provides appropriate warning when shake could be a problem. In moderate sunlight and holding the camera in your hand it is possible to get good images zoomed to 12X (432 mm lens equivalent for a 35 mm camera). Without image stabilization this would be impossible without a tripod.

I was concerned about the digital viewfinder on this camera (as on all extended zoom cameras). Some users have reported trouble seeing clearly with these viewfinders and following moving objects. I actually like the digital viewfinder. Not only does it seem to work instantly, but when the sun is bright and it is difficult to see the LCD screen on the back of the camera, you can change menu settings looking into the viewfinder. The menus are clear, logically arranged and easy to use. There are many choices, but few surprises. I was. however, disappointed with two things. First, the 15 mb TIFF images didn't seem to be of any higher quality than the ~2.5 mb fine jpg's. Second, the camera does not automatically shift to ISO 400 to permit shooting at higher speeds at low light levels. This is not unique to Panasonic; I am not aware of any recent digital camera that will automatically shift to a high ISO, presumably to protect the user from noisy images. Personally, I would rather have noisy images than blurry images from shooting at too low a shutter speed. In general the Program setting works well both outside and indoors. The manual mode is extremely easy to use; it reminds me of an old 35 mm SLR. Put it in manual, press the exposure button and use the jog wheel to adjust f stop (up and down) and shutter speed (right and left). Press the shutter button half way and a scale appears showing the correct exposure and you can watch the indicator change as you change speed and f stop. The only thing that can't be operated manually is focus and the camera does a good job of that.

The reason to buy this camera is the lens, and it doesn't disappoint. The 12X Leica lens is great. But with this camera and I suspect with all 12X zoom cameras, the extended zoom is both a benefit and a curse. The benefit is the ability to zoom in close on subjects and the curse is shake. Because of shake problems when the lens is extended one has to be constantly aware of the shutter speed and the amount of zoom to get good images at low light levels (this is not a problem with flash). Fortunately, the Manual and Shutter Priority modes allow this to be done with minimal problems. Nevertheless, more thought is required with this camera indoors than with the average point and shoot camera.

My one major concern with this camera is ruggedness. The body is made of high quality plastic and seems fairly sturdy with well designed doors for the ports and battery. Time will tell.

So is the DMC-FZ5 an upgrade from my Sony DSC-P92? Without a doubt this is a better camera. Having said that, if you are looking for a camera that does everything for you; where all you have to do is press a button, neither the Panasonic nor any other extended zoom camera is for you. Stick with a 3X point and shoot model. Would I still buy this camera instead of the Canon or Sony? Yes, because it is smaller and lighter and has comparable image quality.

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing performance and ease of use, November 7, 2005

By	H. Cunningham (Boise, ID United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wanted a camera to take on a wildlife safari. I'm a novice photographer so I was looking for a lightweight camera that was simple, very easy to use and had excellent zoom. I wasn't ready to spring for an SLR camera and this Panasonic seemed like a great compromise; I bought it because of other reviews.

The camera FAR exceeded my expectations. It is very easy to use and the photo quality is outstanding. I was able to get incredible close up shots (the camera has 12x optical zoom and also has digital zoom so you can take shots which are 48x zoom). The image stabilization works wonderfully.

As a beginner I was very pleased with how intuitive and easy to operate the camera is, and the variety of features it offers. With very minimal time investment (5-10 minutes of familiarizing yourself with the camera) you can take great photos. I quickly found simple mode to be too simple and preferred photo mode, which has auto-focus but allows for a lot more zoom and other options.

The playback features are also excellent. You can view up to 9 images at a time, there's a multi-delete and an all-delete feature, and you can zoom in on the pictures to focus on a certain area and/or make sure you got the shot you wanted.

The battery life is also excellent. I was taking around 800 photos a day, as well as reviewing and deleting shots, and each battery charge lasted more than one full day. At night I copied the contents of the SD cards onto a Wolverine and then deleted all photos. With two batteries and two SD cards I was able to go 4-5 days without electricity or recharging.

If you don't want to spend a fortune but you want a camera that offers great zoom and is still light and small, this camera is a great choice. I was also impressed that it stood up to very tough travel conditions - very, very bouncy roads, dust, heat, humidity, etc. It never faltered. It comes with a lens hood which helps in bright conditions, and for about $30 you can buy a clear lens protector as an accessory (which I recommend if you are travelling to a dusty location and planning on lots of photos).

Another perk: you don't need a converter to charge the battery internationally - just a plug adapter for the country you are going to. It is built to handle voltages both in the US and abroad.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some great photos !, July 2, 2005

By	Larry Wagner "Athlete, Analyst, Coach, Dad" (Northridge, California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am not a great photographer, but I have an eye for great photos. They are hard to take. I have taken over 400 photos with this camera.
Outdoor photos: I took one set of 60 with my 14 year old daughter outside in 3 settings, and came up with a dozen great shots. Reflected light is a bit of a problem. But get your settings right, the camera will deliver. Photos were for head shot type enlargements of 8x10. I will definitely be able to do this. I also messed up a lot of pictures with reflected light from my pool cover. I did not realize it was there in a 4th set a week later. With better light though, I got some incredible shot of kids in the pool, with dead still water motion caught in the images.
Almost all this was in Program Mode, and the smallest autofocus area. Faces were gorgeous.


Indoor photos: As others have mentioned, it can be a problem. We have an old 4 bulb standing candlebra, that had 60 watt bulbs. I got my distances right with some juggling of the chair and tripod distance, and came up with many outstanding photos.
I then replaced the 60 watt bulbs with the same type 75 watt bulbs, and got a variable output switch for more control. What a mistake ! I could not get the yellow right at any, what I thought, light intensity. That was Program Mode, that I thougth I knew how to use.

Then I took pictures of my fair skinned blonde wife in a different room, low light, automatic portrait mode with flash. HUH ???! Great photo !! Went back to the other room, dimmed the lights and forced the flash the same. Great photo, great color !!

I have not tried all the settings. I inadvertently proved indoor light sources vary a lot, and can easily ruin photos that you might blame on the camera. A fellow at work works a 2nd gig nights and weekends doing photography. He still relys on film, since it very true on color, and not so light sensitive. I think I agree with him that a comparably priced film camera is more capable with a skilled photographer. But with the costs of film and develoment to find out how you did add up, and not till days later. With instant review, you keep shooting, make an adjustment, and shoot some more. You get great photos.
With patience, time to learn the camera, and a steady hand, this camera can and will deliver great pictures. Being digital, you save on film and development. Even more just printing those you want, and put the rest on CD or on your computer.

For those folks who don't like the flash of the FZ5, they need true white bulbs for their house, or have semi-gloss paint that is tinging color in the room, or something other problem the camera is revealing. Years ago I painted my living room in a light beige (California Sand) color semi-gloss. Every picture came out looking sepia-toned from reflected light off the walls and ceiling. That was a different camera, and film.

Back to the FZ5. My nephew took about 60 pictures as if it was in instant camera. Most came out terrible. He did not hold it steady, did not check light sources, did not catch good looks on people. But most cameras can't fix the issues a user of the camera who does not know what he is doing.

If you can hold a camera steady, wait for a beautiful shot in the viewfinder, or LCD, the camera will capture it. You will also be able to have outstanding enlargements. Oh. I also knocked over the tripod, and the camera hit the concrete pool deck putting slight scrapes near the viewfinder. !@#$%^. Nope, camera still works fine.

I bought the FZ5 for:
12X OPTICAL Zoom for good home distance shots and great portraits NOT standing in someone's face.
Image Stabilization for help with blurred images.
5 MP for film quality enlargements. Combining this with the zoom works really well.
Very good shutter speed for the price range and feature set.
Very good color accuracy for the price range and feature set.
Trying to stay near $500.
Added plus, a nice little lens hood.


I selected based on cameras of similar features I reviewed on both Amazon.com (somewhat helpful) and www.imaging-resource.com (very helpful). The latter includes nearly identical pictures of the same items with each camera and extensive, and identical reviewing standards. Sample lighting seems to vary just a little bit from camera to camera, but the reviewer I'm sure at least used consistent lighting.

I will get a 2nd battery, an A/C Adapter, and a basic set of lens filters. But no external flash. If you want that, the FZ20 should be your pick. Buy with the idea of using it heavily in the trial period. For me, I think the FZ5 is a keeper.