Lumix LX5

One of my recent purchases from my Hong Kong is this Panasonic Lumix LX5 camera, a successor of the Lumix LX3 which my cousins and friend have been raving about. I was choosing between a Canon S95, a Panasonic Lumix LX5 and an Olympus XZ1. The first off my list was the S95. Although this is the smallest and lightest of the bunch, its also the weakest in my opinion. I was torn between a LX5 and a XZ1 but the decision was actually taken out of my hand as the XZ1 was not yet available in Hong Kong (it was only launched in January 2011 in the US). And besides, I'm sure the price would still be the sticker price if its that new. So I guess its the LX5 for me then.

First off, I would only settle for the white version of the LX5. Black colored cameras are too common in Manila (or elsewhere for that matter) so a white one was the only one that appealed to me. Fortunately, white colored ones are as easy to find as the black colored ones in Hong Kong.

Second was finding a shop that had the best price and/or deal. In Hong Kong, I only purchase my electronic stuff/gadgets at either Fortress or Broadway. Both shops are littered all over in Hong Kong. They may not be as cheap as the shops in Sham Shui Po or the other smaller shops but I am assured of no monkey business (eg batteries, memory card and other accessories sold separately) when I purchase from Fortress or Broadway. I was adviced by my friend to scout each and every Broadway and Fortress shop in Mongkok. Although they are practically beside each other, they might differ in freebies or even prices at times. I patiently did the rounds and eventually found the best deal. At HKD 3900 or Php 22,230 (others were selling the LX5 at HKD4390 or Php 25,023), the Fortress dealer threw in a camera case (ugly as hell but its free), a memory card reader (very handy), a tripod (an@l bead looking), a screen protector for the camera screen, and (the best part that sweetened the deal and no other dealer was willing to throw in) an extra battery.

Here are the specs of the camera: (I'm no camera expert so these are just the basic specs)
10.1 mega pixels
4.5x digital zoom
3.8x optical zoom
F2.0-3.3
3.0 TFT LCD Display
40MB internal memory
271 g with battery

I'm not a camera connoisseur which is why I always opt for a point-and-shoot and will never convert to a dSLR. Auto settings are fine with me and I rarely tinker with the manual settings. The camera has so far been churning out perfect pictures. I couldn't be happier with my new camera, in short...I just love it!