Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 (Black)

Pros: Great piece of glass for a point and shoot. Video quality is surprising for this class. Feels like a solid, quality device. Respectable low light shooting***

Cons: No lie - most JPEG's are useless. Shameful blotching and yellowing. Lens cap and "etched" button markings are a constant annoyance.

Summary: Lori's review is spot-on, but if anything she was too kind. I'm definitely in a love-hate mood with this camera. It *can* take almost professional looking shots (given its class), but RAW is a must, and the menus and settings aren't getting any more intuitive to me over time. This was supposed to be my go-to when I can't or don't want my dSLR, but I'm finding that I rarely pick it up anymore. It's frustrating limitations outweigh its convenience. If the video quality hadn't surprised me I would have returned it...probably should have when I could have.

Updated on May 6, 2011

After taking this exclusively on a two week, whirlwind vacation I feel it deserves another 1/2 star for something I overlooked: speed. No other camera in our tour group could boot and snap the unexpected photo op anywhere near this one. The auto-WB didn't impress much through unusual lighting changes touring ruins, but again, you almost must shoot RAW with this camera. I'm now firmly in the glad I bought it category. A JJC lens cap is on its way!