Large-sensor compact

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 is a large-sensor compact with a 65.5 × 9.7 mm sensor measuring 65.5 × 9.7 mm and 10.1 megapixels. Its crop factor is 0.65× — wider than full frame, so a 50 mm lens frames like 33 mm. Every number below is calculated for this exact sensor.

65.5 × 9.7 mm0.65× crop10.1 MP
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 camera
Photo: Anders Lagerås, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.65×
Crop factor
65.5×9.7 mm
Sensor size
635 mm²
Area · 74% of full frame
10.1 MP
Resolution
17.96 µm
Pixel pitch
f/26.8
Diffraction-limited aperture

Specifications#

Model
Lumix DMC-LX5
Sensor size
65.5 × 9.7 mm
Crop factor
0.65×
Resolution
10.1 MP (3,648 × 2,736 px)
Continuous shooting
2.5 fps
Weight
271 g (9.6 oz)
Sensor
1/1.63" CCD
Storage
Secure Digital Card (SD/SDHC/SDXC)
AF points / area
Face, AF Tracking, Multi (23-area), 1-area (flexible / scalable)
Exposure modes
Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual, Program Shift (Program AE Mode)
Flash
Internal
Battery
Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6 V, 1250 mAh)
Dimensions
109.7 mm × 65.5 mm × 43.0 mm (W × H × D)
Lens
5.1–19.2 mm (35mm equivalent: 24–90 mm) f/2.0–3.3
Drive
2.5 fps for 3 frames (Fine), 5 frames (Standard)

Specifications merged from Wikipedia and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.

Sensor size compared#

Medium format 44 × 33 mmFull frame (35 mm)Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5APS-CFour Thirds / Micro Four Thirds1" (one-inch) sensor
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 sensor (highlighted) drawn to scale against common formats. Its area is 74% of a full-frame sensor, which collects about 0.4 stops less total light at the same exposure.

Focal length equivalents & field of view#

Multiply any focal length by 0.65 to get the full-frame field of view. For fixed-lens cameras use the real focal length printed on the lens (e.g. “6.1–18.3 mm”), not the 35 mm equivalent.

Lens on this cameraFull-frame equivalentHorizontalVerticalDiagonal
21 mm14 mm114.7°26.0°115.2°
23 mm15 mm109.8°23.8°110.4°
28 mm18 mm98.9°19.7°99.6°
32 mm21 mm91.3°17.2°91.9°
35 mm23 mm86.2°15.8°86.8°
45 mm29 mm72.1°12.3°72.7°
55 mm36 mm61.5°10.1°62.1°
63 mm41 mm54.9°8.8°55.4°
80 mm52 mm44.5°6.9°45.0°
90 mm59 mm40.0°6.2°40.4°
110 mm72 mm33.2°5.0°33.5°
120 mm78 mm30.5°4.6°30.8°
150 mm98 mm24.6°3.7°24.9°
180 mm118 mm20.6°3.1°20.8°
250 mm163 mm14.9°2.2°15.1°
350 mm229 mm10.7°1.6°10.8°

Depth of field table#

Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 45.9 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor).

FocalAperture50.0 cm1.00 m2.00 m3.00 m5.00 m10.0 mHyperfocal
33 mmf/1.83.5 cm14.8 cm61.1 cm1.42 m4.39 m35.4 m13.2 m
33 mmf/2.85.5 cm23.1 cm98.2 cm2.40 m8.94 m∞8.50 m
33 mmf/47.9 cm33.5 cm1.49 m4.00 m28.1 m∞5.96 m
33 mmf/816.2 cm73.0 cm4.74 m∞∞∞3.00 m
66 mmf/1.80.8 cm3.5 cm14.7 cm33.5 cm94.4 cm3.91 m52.8 m
66 mmf/2.81.3 cm5.5 cm22.9 cm52.3 cm1.49 m6.41 m34.0 m
66 mmf/41.8 cm7.9 cm32.8 cm75.4 cm2.17 m10.2 m23.8 m
66 mmf/83.7 cm15.8 cm67.0 cm1.58 m5.03 m56.1 m11.9 m
112 mmf/1.80.3 cm1.2 cm5.0 cm11.4 cm32.2 cm1.31 m152 m
112 mmf/2.80.4 cm1.8 cm7.7 cm17.8 cm50.2 cm2.05 m97.7 m
112 mmf/40.6 cm2.6 cm11.1 cm25.4 cm71.9 cm2.96 m68.4 m
112 mmf/81.1 cm5.2 cm22.2 cm51.1 cm1.46 m6.32 m34.3 m
185 mmf/1.80.1 cm0.4 cm1.8 cm4.1 cm11.6 cm47.4 cm414 m
185 mmf/2.80.1 cm0.6 cm2.7 cm6.3 cm18.1 cm73.8 cm266 m
185 mmf/40.2 cm0.9 cm3.9 cm9.1 cm25.9 cm1.06 m187 m
185 mmf/80.3 cm1.7 cm7.8 cm18.1 cm51.8 cm2.13 m93.4 m

Equivalent aperture#

Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.

Aperture on this cameraFull-frame equivalent (depth of field)Hyperfocal at 66 mm
f/1.2f/0.879.1 m
f/1.4f/0.967.8 m
f/1.8f/1.252.8 m
f/2f/1.347.5 m
f/2.8f/1.834.0 m
f/4f/2.623.8 m
f/5.6f/3.717.0 m
f/8f/5.211.9 m

Diffraction & pixel pitch#

With 17.96 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/26.8. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/14.7 and f/27; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.

ApertureAiry disk diameterSpread overAt 100% view
f/2.83.8 µm0.2 pxsharp
f/45.4 µm0.3 pxsharp
f/5.67.5 µm0.4 pxsharp
f/810.7 µm0.6 pxsharp
f/1114.8 µm0.8 pxsharp
f/1621.5 µm1.2 pxsharp
f/2229.5 µm1.6 pxsharp

Maximum print sizes#

At 10.1 MP the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 produces 3,648 × 2,736 pixel images. See the 10 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.

ResolutionTypical useInchesCentimetres
300 DPIPhoto-lab quality12.2 × 9.1 in31 × 23 cm
240 DPIFine-art inkjet15.2 × 11.4 in39 × 29 cm
200 DPIWall print18.2 × 13.7 in46 × 35 cm
150 DPIPoster, viewed from 1 m+24.3 × 18.2 in62 × 46 cm

Night-sky exposure limits#

Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.

Focal length500 ruleNPF f/1.8NPF f/2.8NPF f/4
21 mm (14 mm eq.)36.4 s28.7 s30.3 s32.3 s
31 mm (20 mm eq.)24.7 s19.4 s20.5 s21.9 s
37 mm (24 mm eq.)20.7 s16.3 s17.2 s18.3 s
54 mm (35 mm eq.)14.2 s11.1 s11.8 s12.6 s
77 mm (50 mm eq.)9.9 s7.8 s8.3 s8.8 s

Open the NPF / 500 rule calculator →

Handheld shutter speed guide#

The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.

Focal lengthNo stabilisation (1/equiv. focal)With 3-stop ISWith 5-stop IBIS
37 mm1/25 s0.3 s1.3 s
77 mm1/50 s1/6 s0.6 s
153 mm1/100 s1/13 s0.3 s
306 mm1/200 s1/25 s1/6 s

Lens#

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 has a built-in, non-interchangeable lens. Use the real focal length of that lens with the tables above; its full-frame equivalent is that number × 0.65.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the crop factor of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5?

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 has a crop factor of 0.65× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 66.2 mm vs 43.3 mm).

What size is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 sensor?

65.5 × 9.7 mm (65.5 × 9.7 mm), an area of 635 mm² — 74% of full frame.

Is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 full frame?

No — its sensor is larger than full frame (medium format).

How many megapixels does the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 have?

10.1 megapixels (3,648 × 2,736 pixels), enough for a 12 × 9 inch print at 300 DPI.

How long can I expose the night sky with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5?

With a 31 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 21 s.

Sources & licences#

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources