Panasonic Lumix LX-5 is an old compact camera which was launched in 2010. It has a 10 Megapixels CCD sensor, Leica DC Vario-Summicron lens with a focal range of 24-90mm (35mm equivalent). Its image quality is not bad, and it can support the raw file format. But for the video, this camera can record only 720p HD at 30 fps.
I bought the LX-5 in 2011 or 13 years ago. At present I rarely use it because I have newer and better cameras. What should I do with this old camera? Throw it away. Sell it. Donate it. Use it as a paperweight. Nope. My LX-5 still looks new and in good condition. I’ve taken pictures by using this camera less than 7,000 files. I always keep the camera in the dry cabinet and recharge the batteries regularly. If you look at the picture below, you can see that I attached the Ricoh LC-1 self-retaining lens cap and the Panasonic external electronic viewfinder (DMW-LVF1).
The pictures below are strait-out-of-camera jpeg files. The image quality is still good, especially for posting on the social media.
If you would like to have a better image quality, shoot a picture in RAW image file. Then using the good quality image processor application to post process the files. The resolution is too low, that’s not a problem at all. Nowadays, some applications can increase the resolution. For the noise reduction is not a problem at all. With the new technology in post processing and the use of AI, you can do almost anything with your old image files.
The pictures below are the post processed from the RAW files.
My final thought is that though the Panasonic LX-5 is far from being the most modern compact camera. But its solid build, manual controls, and decent image quality can still make it a usable option in 2025. However, for more demanding tasks or advanced features in terms of better performance like fast autofocus, larger sensor, or 4K video, it might be worth to explore newer options. For me, I think I’ll keep it as my collection.