Panasonic's new Lumix cameras: more of the same

Today, Panasonic announced the updates to its snapshot 6X-zoom camera line, headed up by the 6-megapixel Lumix DMC-LZ5. Enhancements to this model, as well as to its 5-megapixel sibling, the DMC-LZ3, include a single-point autofocus mode that ostensibly speeds focusing, and improved low-light performance for the LCD. As per usual, the cameras incorporate Panasonic's Mega OIS image stabilization. Unfortunately, Panasonic makes no mention of improvements to image quality--it uses last year's Venus Engine Plus processor--which has traditionally been the biggest drawback to the company's midrange and low-end cameras. Oh, well. Maybe at PMA.