mort Loc: california

anyone using the panasonic lx5 ? a few questions . i have been
using one for about 5 months and find that i have been get some
flair if i am at a right angle to the sun . also , my jepgs seem to
look washed out when brought up on my mac . i usually can
correct this with iphoto , but i wonder if anyone has a method for
setting up the camera to get better jepgs ? closeup photos look
the best with the camera , and i like being able to use the lvf ,
being an old leica rangefinder fan . any ideas would be
appreciated .

Dria Loc: Ohio

You can get sun-flare with any camera depending on the angle of the sun.
The nice thing is that for D-slr there are "hoods" to put on the lens.
Suggestion-
what about making a "hood" yourself that you can slide on the lens when sun-flare is a problem.
a piece of black paper rolled up as a cone with the end cut to slide over the extended lens and maybe about 3" long over all? I would try it.
and who knows--google them maybe someone out there is even making/selling them.

geoffmalter Loc: NorCal

I have a LX-5. As you have found out, flare can be common when the lens is a certain angle to the sun. You can make a "lens cover" as suggested but using it could be a real pain with any P&S. I have a filter adapter tube (so I can use my 52mm filters such as polarizer), made for the LX5 ($25 online, the Bower is $20), that could act as a "mini" lens shade. Screwed on, it protrudes about 1/4" more than the extended lens when the camera is turned on. This might be of some help with the flare problem, but left on hinders the LX5 from being pocketable.

As to "washed out" jpegs, have you gone into the camera's menu and adjusted the film mode? I like to keep mine on "Dynamic" as I prefer more saturated colors. There are a number of adjustments affecting the image that you can tweak using the menu. Experiment. It's a great way to learn the camera. I know the manual can be intimidating, so I purchased the "Photographer's Guide to the Panasonic Lumix LX5", by Alexander White (soft cover about $25, Kindle edition $10). It's a great guide on using the camera. And it's a great camera. I use it much more than my DSLR.

geoffmalter Loc: NorCal

One other thing: I bought the JJC ALC-5B lens cover on Amazon, to replace the cover that came with the camera. It screws on to the lens (after first removing the screw-on lens ring). This cover has three hinged sections that open like petals when the camera is turned on, pushed by the lens as it extends. About $12. Probably the most practical accessory for the LX5 that I have purchased.

mort Loc: california

thanks for your input . i have the jjc lens cover , which is great , but doesn't
act as a sun shield . i will try using the dynamic film mode , up the contrast
and see how that works . if the lx3 had a viewfjnder i would go back to using
it as i never seemed to have these troubles . maybe the problem is the expanded zoom with the larger front lens element . this is a great forum and i appreciate your help .

geoffmalter Loc: NorCal

Just a FYI, after answering your post, I went into my back yard with the filter tube on the camera, shooting perpendicular to the sun (blue skies, bright sun at around 11 am PST) and did not register any flares.