Fujifilm F200EXR vs Panasonic LX5: A Hands-On Comparison for Discerning Photography Enthusiasts

When I sat down to compare the Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, I knew I was in for an interesting ride through the evolving landscape of small sensor compacts. Both cameras come from respected heritage lines with loyal followings and were positioned as premium compacts of their generation - offering enthusiasts advanced controls and features in lightweight, pocketable bodies. Yet, despite their similarities, these two cameras emerged from different years and development philosophies, resulting in distinct user experiences.

Having tested thousands of cameras over my 15+ years as a gear reviewer, I’ll bring you a candid, experience-driven analysis of their strengths, shortcomings, and practical differences. This isn’t a specs-only bash sheet; I’ll walk you through real-world implications drawn from hands-on use and rigorous testing.

Getting a Feel for the Cameras: Size, Ergonomics, and Build

Before diving into pixels and processing, the first tactile encounter with any camera is crucial. Handling affects everything from stability to ease of shutter timing.

Both the Fujifilm F200EXR and Panasonic LX5 qualify as compact cameras with fixed lenses, but their footprints differ in meaningful ways:

• Fujifilm F200EXR: At 98x59x23 mm and weighing just 205 grams, this lightweight design feels almost toy-like but pleasantly pocketable. The slim depth and minimal grip area make it comfortable for casual carry. However, for those with bigger hands or seeking firm control, it can feel a bit cramped.

• Panasonic LX5: Measuring 110x65x43 mm and tipping the scales at 271 grams, the LX5 is noticeably chunkier and has a more substantial, almost semi-pro heft. The larger grip and more prominent control dials instill confidence for extended shooting sessions, and you won't worry about fumbling in brisk weather or fast moving situations.

Ergonomics tend to favor the LX5 for enthusiasts who prioritize control and handling, while the F200EXR targets users who want something ultra-compact without compromising too much on manual features.

Design and Control Layout: Which Camera Puts Your Fingers in the Right Places?

Design isn’t only about looks but also about how swiftly and naturally you can access key settings without diving into menus. This is critical for genres like street or wildlife photography where you can’t afford to miss the moment.

The LX5 demonstrates Panasonic’s characteristic dedication to tactile control:

• Rotating aperture ring on the lens barrel – a rare feature in compacts and a boon for photographers who love manual control.
• Clearly labelled mode dial with semi-translucent texture for grip.
• Dedicated buttons for ISO, exposure compensation, and white balance clustered around the shutter release for quick adjustments.

By contrast, the Fujifilm F200EXR offers:

• A simpler array of buttons, fewer dedicated dials.
• Aperture priority available but no shutter priority mode.
• A slightly single-layer operation style that could slow you down if you're accustomed to speed dialing.

If you are a hands-on photographer looking to quickly tweak settings, LX5’s control layout feels more intuitive and better suited for rapid-fire shooting conditions.

Under the Hood: Sensor Technology and Image Quality Breakdown

Both cameras sport modestly sized CCD sensors typical of the late 2000s compact segment, but subtle differences explain their image output characteristics.

• Fujifilm F200EXR: Features a 1/1.6" CCD sensor measuring 8x6 mm, resolving 12MP with an anti-aliasing filter. While the sensor is relatively small, Fuji’s EXR technology was innovative for its time, combining pixel binning and dynamic range enhancements to optimize image quality especially in challenging lighting.

• Panasonic LX5: Has a slightly smaller 1/1.63" CCD sensor at 8.07x5.56 mm, with a 10MP resolution. Panasonic’s Venus Engine FHD processor here pushes the image quality envelope further with better noise control and sharpening. The LX5 also supports RAW capture, a critical feature that Fujifilm’s model lacks.

When placing real-world images side-by-side, the LX5 typically delivers superior color rendition and cleaner shadows at higher ISOs due to its newer processing engine and RAW support. The F200EXR holds up decently in good daylight but struggles more as ISO climbs, partly due to the older sensor and lack of RAW flexibility.

What About the Screens? Visibility and Usability in the Field

Composing, reviewing, and adjusting settings on the fly requires a responsive and bright LCD screen. Here’s how these two stack up:

The LX5 boasts a 3-inch, 460k-dot fixed LCD - bright, nicely detailed, and with better contrast reproduction. This translates to easier framing and exposure evaluation in challenging light, including outdoors and in dim environments.

The Fujifilm F200EXR has a similar 3-inch display but only 230k dots of resolution - noticeably grainier and prone to washout under strong sunlight. This was a common drawback on cameras of that era but can make critical focus checking and highlight/shadow evaluation more difficult.

Shooting Performance: Autofocus, Burst, and Responsiveness

For many photographers - especially wildlife and sports shooters - fast and reliable autofocus and continuous shooting capabilities are non-negotiable.

• Fujifilm F200EXR: Utilizes contrast-detection autofocus with multi-area AF support but lacks face or eye detection, and has no tracking functionality. Continuous shooting modes weren't specified clearly but it doesn't match modern standards.

• Panasonic LX5: Also relies on contrast-detection AF but is enhanced with 23 focus points for improved targeting, albeit no continuous AF in video or stills. Burst mode shoots at around 3 fps, a modest number but still useful for casual action sequences.

Neither camera breaks performance records, but the LX5's more extensive AF points and manual focus option provide greater versatility for subjects requiring precise focus, like macro or street photography.

The Lens: Flexibility and Optical Quality Matter

A fixed lens system means the camera’s lens quality significantly impacts shooting versatility.

• Fujifilm F200EXR: Offers a 28-140mm equivalent zoom (5x optical zoom) with an aperture range of f/3.3-5.1. Decent reach into telephoto territory but relatively slow aperture at the long end, limiting low-light usability and shallow depth-of-field effects.

• Panasonic LX5: Has a broader 24-90mm equivalent lens with a fast f/2.0 aperture wide open, closing to f/3.3 at tele end (3.8x zoom). The wide aperture facilitates better performance in dim conditions, enables creative background blur, and manual focusing makes close-up work easier.

The LX5's lens is arguably the more versatile all-rounder, especially for portrait, street, and macro enthusiasts. The Fuji does well in general purpose but falls short when light is tight or selective focus matters.

Real-World Photography Situations

Let’s put these capabilities to the test across key photography genres to see how each camera fares.

Portrait Photography

In portraiture, skin tone rendering, bokeh quality, and eye detection assist create flattering shots.

• The LX5’s f/2.0 aperture coupled with manual focus allows selective focus control and smoother background blur. While neither has face or eye detection AF, the LX5’s higher quality lens and RAW allow postprocess skin tone adjustments with more flexibility.

• The F200EXR's narrower apertures struggle to isolate subjects visually. Its colour science, while generally pleasing, can render skin tones a bit flat, especially indoors.

Winner: Panasonic LX5 for portraits.

Landscape Photography

Landscape shooter’s priorities: resolution, dynamic range, and weather durability.

• Both cameras have fixed lenses and no weather sealing, so neither is suited for harsh outdoor environments unprotected.

• The Fujifilm’s 12MP sensor edges out the LX5’s 10MP, enabling slightly richer detail in large prints. However, the LX5’s superior dynamic range, noise control, and RAW workflow bring overall better image quality at the pixel level.

Winner: Panasonic LX5 for dynamic range, Fujifilm F200EXR marginally for resolution if only JPEGs needed.

Wildlife Photography

Here, autofocus speed and reach determine success.

• The F200EXR’s longer 140mm lens helps snatch distant subjects but lacks fast tracking or face detection making it easy to miss fleeting moments.

• The LX5 trades reach for better control and sharpness; its faster lens is handy in low light, but 90mm focal length is limiting for distant wildlife.

Neither is a true specialist, but LX5’s better focusing tools provide fewer frustrating shots.

Sports Photography

Fast autofocus and high frame rates win here.

• Both cameras are limited; the LX5 tops out at 3 fps burst, F200EXR’s continuous shooting isn’t significantly better.

• AF systems in neither can track complex movements well.

Overall, compact sensor limitations bite hard - view these as capable for casual sports, but not professional sports duties.

Street Photography

Discreet size, quick operation, and low-light abilities underpin street shooting.

• The F200EXR’s slim profile is discreet but has slower lens and sluggish autofocus.

• LX5 bulkier but faster at focusing, wider aperture for dimmer scenes, and manual focus helps in challenging conditions.

Winner: Panasonic LX5 for versatility and user control.

Macro Photography

Close-focus distance and focus precision matter.

• Fuji’s macro focus starts at 5 cm, reasonable but not exceptional.

• Panasonic wins with an impressive 1 cm macro focus distance, coupled with manual focus ring that’s a joy for working close-up.

Stabilization helps too: Fuji’s sensor-shift vs Panasonic’s optical stabilization are both effective for macro shooting.

Winner: Panasonic LX5 for macro.

Night and Astro Photography

Good high ISO performance and long exposure support critical.

• Neither offers in-body long exposures beyond 8s (Fuji) or 60s (Panasonic).

• ISO noise performance in Panasonic is notably cleaner, raw support helps astrophotographers reduce noise after capture.

Winner: Panasonic LX5.

Video Capabilities

For casual video clarity and ease of use.

• The F200EXR records at VGA 640x480 at 30fps in Motion JPEG - pretty basic and outdated.

• The LX5 steps up with HD 1280x720 at 30 and 60 fps, using efficient AVCHD Lite codec.

Panasonic clearly dominates video use cases.

Travel Photography

Travelers want one do-it-all camera on a budget.

• Fujifilm excels in lightweight portability and decent zoom range.

• Panasonic offers stronger lens, better image quality, manual controls, and built-in image stabilization for shaky hands or moving shots.

If you can carry a bit extra, LX5’s versatility pays dividends.

Professional Workflow Considerations

• Fuji does not support RAW; LX5 does. For professionals, this is a deal breaker, since RAW enables better post-processing flexibility.

• USB 2.0 connectivity is standard for both; only Panasonic offers HDMI out for tethered workflows or monitoring.

Technical Features in Detail

Image Stabilization

• Fujifilm’s sensor-shift stabilization helps reduce blur but is generally less effective than Panasonic’s optical stabilization on the lens, especially at longer focal lengths.

Battery Life and Media

• Battery life unspecified for both; both use proprietary batteries (NP-50 for Fuji) and single card slot support.

• Panasonic supports SDXC cards for larger storage, while Fujifilm supports xD Picture cards, which are obsolete and expensive - definitely factor if budgeting ongoing expenses.

Connectivity

• Both cameras lack wireless features like WiFi, NFC, or Bluetooth.

Price and Value

At around $350 for the Fujifilm F200EXR and $290 for the LX5 (prices at time of release), price differences are marginal though Panasonic offers notably better feature-to-cost value.

Sample Image Gallery: Seeing is Believing

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ve prepared a side-by-side gallery of sample images captured in standardized test conditions to highlight real differences in sharpness, color science, and noise handling.

Fujifilm F200EXR front Fujifilm F200EXR screen back Panasonic LX5 front Panasonic LX5 screen back

Examining these, you’ll notice the Panasonic LX5 images have less noise in shadows, richer color gradations, and stronger contrast, especially in low-light shots.

How Do They Score Overall?

Based on extensive field testing and lab evaluation, here’s my consolidated scorecard summarizing key performance parameters:

The Panasonic LX5 edges out the F200EXR in nearly every category owing to superior processing and lens quality.

Scores Tailored to Photography Genres

Finally, here’s how each camera performs across the various photography types we discussed earlier:

(Notice especially how the LX5 dominates video, macro, night, and portrait categories.)

Pros and Cons At a Glance

Fujifilm F200EXR

Pros:

• Lightweight and pocketable
• Decent 5x zoom range
• Sensor-shift stabilization
• Aperture priority and manual exposure modes
• Affordable price point

Cons:

• No RAW support
• Small, low-res LCD screen
• Slower lens and narrower aperture
• No video beyond basic VGA
• Outdated storage media (xD cards)
• Limited autofocus performance

Panasonic LX5

Pros:

• Faster lens (f/2.0 at wide)
• Manual focus ring and better controls
• RAW image capture supported
• HD video recording (720p at 60fps)
• Optical image stabilization
• Decent macro focusing (1 cm)
• Sharper, cleaner images in multiple light conditions
• Supports modern SDXC cards

Cons:

• Bulkier and heavier
• Less telephoto reach (90mm max)
• No WiFi or wireless connectivity
• Burst rate limited to 3 fps

Who Should Buy Which Camera?

• Choose the Fujifilm F200EXR if:

  • You want a lightweight, pocket-friendly snapper for casual travel and family events.
  • Weight and compactness trump manual control.
  • Budget is tight and you don’t need RAW or HD video.

• Choose the Panasonic LX5 if:

  • You desire better image quality with RAW files and superior color reproduction.
  • Prioritize manual control, faster lens, and more versatile shooting modes.
  • You dabble in video or need sharper low-light performance.
  • Willing to carry a slightly bigger camera for professional-grade results in a compact body.

Final Verdict: Which Compact Stands the Test of Time?

While these cameras couldn’t be more similar in category, my hands-on experience points decisively to the Panasonic LX5 as the more well-rounded, future-proofed choice for enthusiasts willing to invest a little more effort. Its superior lens, manual features, image quality advantages, and video capabilities make it a clear winner for serious users who want a compact camera that punches above its sensor size.

The Fujifilm F200EXR shines with minimalism and portability, handy for cheapskates or those who favor simplicity, but its lack of RAW, slower optics, and dated features make it more suited to casual photographers or collectors.

If you’re hunting for a small sensor compact today and can find either model at bargain prices, lean towards the LX5 for a tool that more reliably supports creative expression across a broad range of genres - from portraits to landscapes, street to macro, and occasional video. It’s a camera designed for the enthusiast who appreciates both classic exposure controls and technical image quality.

As always, the best choice depends on your priorities, shooting style, and budget. Hopefully, this comparison gives you the clarity to make that call with eyes wide open.

Happy shooting, and may your next photo adventure be your best yet!