Canon S95 vs Panasonic DMC-LX5

Showing 25 comments

LiquiBrain

(1:18 AM, February 07, 2012)

Hello friends,

I took some test shots with both cameras. They are straight Jpeg from the
camera. Please bear with the amateur level shots but these pics were taken in
real life light situations (It is difficult to rely solely on studio/tripod
shots available on the internet).

You can check the uploaded comparison pics here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/102101177325037972967/LX5VsS95#5698872653681115698

Points listed below are based on my personal opinion and experience and is not
to challenge anybody's views or facts. I respect all my fellow photographers
and appreciate their input.

Both cameras are fabulous.

Canon s95 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Pros:
- Great picture quality
- Very fast capture - you wont miss those quick shots, even in low light
- Crisp and sharp images
- Easy dial for quick options
- Front ring is very useful in P,S,M modes
- Very Handy - size - pocketable and lightweight
- One button press - ON - and its ready to shoot
- Great on ISO 800+ (Indoor pics? no problem)
- Generic mini USB port - no need to carry special cable
- Easy menu options
- Little cheaper than LX5
- Faster over all operation
- Auto stitch panorama assistant (though a tiny feature - manual in LX5)

Cons:
- Noisy pics in low light
- Colors in extreme low light can be inaccurate (little desaturated).
- Possible that it might blow out highlights on default mode
- No hand grip
- Battery life - 200 shots (175 in actual)
- Bumps up the colors and contrast
- (28mm vs 24mm) May not feel wide enough in certain situations
- No video zoom

Lumix LX5 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Pros:
- Great picture quality
- Sharp
- Low light handling + brighter lens
- Fast focus
- bit more manual controls
- Good dynamic range
- Renders better colors in low light
- Feels sturdy to hold - over all body make
- Better grip
- Wide angle 24mm (4mm does matter)
- Video zoom
- Macro (1 cm)
- Handy controls for video, aspect ratio, MF/AF/Macro.
- Battery life 400 shots (350 - 375 in actual with reviewing occasionally)
- Hot shoe
- You can go really slow on shutter speed: 60 Secs.

Cons:
- Menu feels little old school
- Size and weight (Only if you are too picky, it's not that 'big' but may not
fit in regular tight jeans pockets)
- Lens cap can be little annoying
- Lens needs steady hands in extreme low light
- Slow memory card writing - at least in my case

So in short, both cameras do the job well. If you want quick, sharp and handy
camera with great picture quality, go for s95 . On the
other hand, along with superb picture quality if you want little wider angle,
macro, on-body controls than go for LX5. S95 and LX5 are
fantastic cameras.

Please chime in if you have more fact findings or suggestions

Best regards,
Puneet Thakar.

Puneet Thakar

(8:04 PM, February 06, 2012)

I did a little direct from camera JPEG comparison test of these two amazing cameras. It might help. Check here : https://picasaweb.google.com/102101177325037972967/LX5VsS95#5698872653681115698

Regards,
Puneet Thakar

Amit

(0:36 AM, January 19, 2012)

Lost my last camera LX3 from checked in luggage, used to love that camera, looking at the discussion below I am leaning towards LX5.

Steven

(4:59 PM, November 18, 2011)

Both LX5 and S95 shoot raw, if that's important to you.

calgarybri

(2:38 AM, November 17, 2011)

Also the Cannon shoots Raw if that's important to you

Alex

(3:10 PM, October 14, 2011)

Not really true. The LX5 is marginally the better camera when it comes to features and control. However, consider these cameras are marketed as compact-enthusiast devices. Size should be a huge factor here. The S95 is more popular because: 1) Compactness/Ergonomics 2) Nice Features 3) Great Picture Quality 4) Cheaper

With the LX5, you get marginally better control and features...that is it. Once you consider size and price, you would be much better off with something like a GF2/3 or NEX 3/C3 which are far superior cameras to the LX5...and S95 for that matter.

In my case, I bought the LX5, which was awesome. However, because of its size, I decided to might as well upgrade to the NEX-C3 for even better features and control. Once I had the NEX-C3, again because of its size, I found myself using my DSLR instead. Finally I got the S95. I found it to be the perfect compromise as far as size, features and Pic Qual.

For me there is no in-between. I either carry my S95 in my pocket, or my DSLR gear.

kdizzle

(3:53 PM, October 10, 2011)

"Simply the better camera" huge logical fallacy, you name the Panasonic's advantages yet completely ignore that of the Canon's - in this particular review you're trying to further your own interests without regard to giving a well-rounded review. You also consistently use vague phrases without any backup or description like "more function" "more control" "more options." This is simply a fluffy LX5 feel-good review. If you take a look around, you'll see that people who are serious about image quality in their stills consistently go for the Canon S95 - why? Because in every aspect of image quality, the S95 beats the LX5 by a significant margin. On the other hand, LX5 is wider, so likely better for heavy landscape/architectural shooters, has a hotshoe for external flash which can make it or break it for certain people, and has a faster 6fps shooting mode (at the cost of IQ) for people interested in shooting sports/action. Neither of these cameras is "clearly the victor" it's completely contextual. I hope people stop writing biased reviews that contain no credible, thoughtful information.

paul

(9:21 PM, September 13, 2011)

My S95 broke whilst on holiday (it did not like that big wave.... oops!) and I have replaced it with a LX5. Early days yet but I do like the control you have when using the LX5 zoom, I did not like the "stepped" zoom on the S95. The macro on the LX5 is also amazing. I like the access to functions you have in P mode on the LX5 which seems easier to use. I think I will miss the low light capability of the S95 which I thought was great for a camera of this class. I enjoyed owning the S95 and it was a great camera, the LX5 is also great. I don't see how you make the S95 out to be that much better though....... in many respects the LX5 is better and a perfect "carry" camera for a DSLR user.

Audrey C

(3:54 AM, September 07, 2011)

hi...Ben camera is all bout quality of the results & not because of the outlook.
no point to own a nice camera minus the quality & performance

Audrey Chui

(3:50 AM, September 07, 2011)

no doubt canon is more popular brand camera among us not because of its quality but simply just because of their marketing strategies.

Ramon Guevara

(1:05 PM, September 05, 2011)

I just bought an LX5, last Sept. 3, mainly for its Leica lens.

Spdavies

(2:10 PM, July 04, 2011)

By the way, for those of you who are rich, you can get the same case from Panasonic in Real Leather for about $100 or so - just sayin'.....

Spdavies

(2:00 PM, July 04, 2011)

Ben - You're right - an LX5 would only fit in a jacket or cargo pocket - definitely not in tight jeans - but that's mostly because of the lens. It feels just right in the hand. However, there is a beautifully designed (imitation) leather fitted case for it that you can get on eBay in brown or black for about $8 - $15 from Hong Kong. The camera screws into the bottom of the case with the tripod screw - the top of the case snaps completely off so you can use the camera without removing it from the bottom. There is also a tripod receptacle in the bottom of the case so you can use it on a tripod without removing the case. The case is small like the camera and has a rich "retro" look to it that matches the camera well - mine is in brown and looks like real leather - like an old rangefinder case. I find I feel comfortable taking the camera with me everywhere, throwing it in the car seat, into a back pack, wherever, without worrying about it getting damaged. I use Nikons usually but since having the LX5 (and the LX3 before it - currently selling that one on eBay), I now always have a camera with me. And the pictures are beautiful.

Sebastian

(9:56 AM, July 04, 2011)

if you have butter fingers, stay away from S95 :)

Snapsort

(3:39 AM, June 30, 2011)

Hi Spdavies, lots of good info in your comments! Regarding sensor size, we store sensor size as mm (WxH) and then categorize the sensor as say 1/1.7" based on its size. The categories like 1/1.7" are buckets, so both these cameras fell into the 1/1.7" bucket, perhaps we're missing a bucket? Regardless, we compare the size of the sensors based on their mm height and width.

Ben

(0:19 AM, June 30, 2011)

@Spdavies

Hold on..."once you have them out"....as in out of your pocket
or out of the case? It's more likely that I'll bring a camera along
somewhere if I can shove it my pocket and whip it out when I see a good
shot, so how realistic is it to do that with the LX5? I know I can do
that with the S95 when I owned it (had to return it because I
was poor), but once it was in my hands it felt a little too small to
grip with confidence. I want to like the LX5 for all the reasons you mentioned, but I'm worried it's just
too big for my habits...which would lead me back to the S95 again. What do you think?

Spdavies

(11:59 PM, June 29, 2011)

For anyone trying to decide between the two, here is my take - they both have better picture quality than any other compact - the Canon is smaller, smoother, more pocketable, which could be a deciding factor for some - once you have them out and are shooting, the Panasonic is simply the better camera - more function, more control, more options - and better looking, if that means anything to you - it's a little jewel. All just In My Humble Opinion, of course.

Spdavies

(11:51 PM, June 29, 2011)

If you take out the pointless popularity quotient (which is also by far the most heavily weighted item, for no apparent reason), the cameras score Canon S95 = 198.3 vs. Panasonic LX5 = 197.2 - a statistical dead-heat, which is actually a more accurate reflection of the relative merits of these two cameras, which is why they are so hard to choose between. For another take on the popularity issue, look at the voting above on this website as to user ratings on the two cameras.
See my comment above on choosing between the two.

Spdavies

(11:29 PM, June 29, 2011)

I agree - I don't understand the heavy weight given to popularity in these reviews. I came here to get an idea of quality differences, not what's popular. This is a major downfall in the information on this website, IMHO.

Spdavies

(11:25 PM, June 29, 2011)

Another feature of the LX5 you don't mention is the availability of an optional Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) - this is what tipped the balance toward the LX5 for me - very often, framing and focusing in bright sun using the LCD is nearly impossible (with either camera).

Spdavies

(11:21 PM, June 29, 2011)

I don't understand your sensor sizing on these two cameras - you consistently list them both as 1/1.7 when they have significantly different mm sizes - the LX5 has a larger sensor.

Patrick P

(4:03 PM, June 09, 2011)

The Canon ultimately scores better because .... it's more popular? Why is that even in the equation??? Battery life would be nice to compare.

And why only look at the brightness of the lens at 28mm resp. 24mm? The LX-5 has still f3.3 at 90mm, the S95 f4.9 at 105mm! The LX-5 lens is much brighter!

Sascha

(9:58 PM, June 06, 2011)

According to dpreview.com, the S95 has only half the battery life of the LX5:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q42010highendcompactgroup/

Beltz_crestedbutte

(2:54 PM, April 24, 2011)

I have a S95. If I had to do it all over I'd go with the LX5.

NAT

(5:14 PM, April 15, 2011)

Hi I am really torn between these two cameras and not sure what to go for. The price doesn't really bother me because the difference between them in the UK isn't much. I am more concerned about the capabilities and functions, for example the f/2.0 is an advantage and so are the fps but is the sports shots and larger sensor really a bigger advantage on the lx5 because I like the look and size of the canon but don't want to jip myself out of the features... discussions and points of view much appreciated

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Canon PowerShotS95 vs Panasonic LumixDMC-LX5

Canon PowerShot S95

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot S95

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro digicams, and ignoring price

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Advantages of the Canon S95

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-LX5

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Canon PowerShot S95 Competitors

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Canon ELPH 300 HS

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Showing 25 comments

Canon PowerShot
S95
vs
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-LX5