Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5

Auto Mode (7.75)
The Lumix LZ5 has three very automated modes in addition to its custom image presets. Its Simple mode takes over exposure, white balance, autofocus pattern and ISO – leaving the user to compose the picture and press the shutter. Standard shooting mode and energy-saving mode automate exposure, but allow the user to set ISO, autofocus pattern, white balance, burst mode, exposure compensation, exposure bracketing and color parameters.

Movie Mode (7.0)
When it records to an SD card, the LZ5 can shoot at either 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 resolution, at 30 or 10 frames per second. 640 x 480 at 30 fps is comparable to a regular television signal. When recording to the internal memory, smaller resolution and slower frame rate options will make much smaller video clips, but with much lower quality. The LZ5 does not zoom while shooting video. The microphone is under a single hole in the top of the Lumix LZ5, so it does not produce high-quality sound. Movies can be shot with all the color effects available for still photos.

Given the poor sound quality and the lack of zoom, the Lumix LZ5's video capability falls in the range of a novelty – fun every once in a while, but not a tool for shooting quality clips of important events.

Drive / Burst Mode (7.0)
The LZ5 features three burst modes, labeled High, Low and ∞ [infinite]. High takes 3.4 frames per second, and low takes 2.5 fps. Both had maximum bursts of 6 frames. The camera will record continuously at 1.2 frames per second until the memory card is full.

Playback Mode (7.5)
The playback mode on the LZ5 has a thumbnail feature that shows 9 or 16 images at a time. It can show shooting information including ISO, exposure, image number and histogram.

The slide show option doesn’t offer transitions or other advanced features. It will display either all the images in memory or selected ones, but the selections must be made individually. The playback mode does not sort by date or file name. The interval can be set for 1, 2, 3 or 5 seconds, and the show can be looped. The first frame of each movie is shown as a still.

Images can be shrunk to the cameras' smaller resolutions and can be cropped. The Lumix LZ5 can record audio notes associated with images. Images can be deleted one at a time, as a selected group, or all of them can be deleted at once. Images can also be copied to the camera's internal memory.

Custom Image Presets (7.75)
The Lumix LZ5 has Panasonic's typical list of image presets, designed to help casual users take the sorts of pictures most snapshooters enjoy most. It also includes a few that users might enjoy playing with.