Panasonic DMC LX1 Review

The Panasonic DMC LX1 is an eight megapixel digital camera with a four times optical zoom lens. One of the big attractions of the DMC LX1 is the fact its lens is capable of taking wide angle shots. It should be noted that the there are times when the full eight megapixels are not available. These are important restrictions and are covered in more depth in the features part of this review.

Aside from that there are a wide range of features packed into what is a pleasingly compact shape. With fully manual mode available this camera is likely to appeal to someone who is serious about their photography rather than someone who is looking for a simple point and shoot digital camera. This camera also offers optical image stabilisation.

All in all I was very impressed with the photos I managed to take with the DMC LX1. The colours are deep and vivid, but the most striking feature was the amount of detail the camera was able to pick out. This is especially true in very light areas where I have become used to more or less all detail being lost.

These points are visible in the outdoor scenic type shots. In the first test shot this camera manages to pick out the detail in the white wood below the roof of the building in a way I do not remember seeing before. This bodes well for all types of photo. The images are also sharper than I am used to seeing. The sharpness also remains right up to the edge of each shot. There is one area of these photos that disappoints me and that is the sky. Although the colour is good there is a degree of pixilation showing. This is where individual pixels start to show. This detracts from the smooth expanse of sky you would normally expect to see.

Not surprisingly the test for colour works well. No single colour dominates and the colours are strong. Again this should provide a positive effect in all types of photo.

Both of the portrait photos are commendable. The colours showing in the outdoor portrait are very strong, especially when you consider the time of year the picture was taken. Many other digital cameras I have tested recently have produced outdoor portraits with a washed out feel. Here it is a different story and this helps to bring out the skin tones.

The indoor portrait is one of the best I have taken. The camera focuses well in less than ideal light and the level of detail is again outstanding. The camera handles the lighting well to produce a bright photo. With the flash unit popping up away from the lens there is no red eye showing in the shot.

The other indoor photo taken of some bottles in more or less complete darkness is another success story. Taking the conditions into account the picture is well lit and sharply focused. My only criticism is the pixilation issue shows up again at the base of the photo.

The macro shot comes out well too. It is not exceptional, but suggests this camera is able to cope with close up photography.

The final test is for image quality when the camera's ISO setting is pushed up to 400. You may wish to use this setting in lowlight and when you are trying to freeze movement. Although the DMC LZ1 makes a decent attempt there is still the normal reduction in the quality of the photo.

I was able to take a single shot in 0.30 seconds and five shots in 7.32 seconds. The single shot time is about average, but the time taken to take five shots is faster than average.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

A very important point to understand is the aspect ratios available with the DMC LX1 and the impact they have on the number of megapixels available. The aspect ratio is the relationship between the long side and the short side of a photo. If you are having a photo printed as a 6x4" print then the ratio between the long and short side is 6:4. This is more commonly described as 3:2. A wide screen television set has an aspect ration of 16:9.

This camera offers three different aspect ratios 16:9 (ideal for widescreen television), 3:2 (ideal for 6x4" printing) and 4:3 (ideal for viewing on a computer monitor). If you select the 16:9 aspect ratio and try to produce a 6x4" print then part of the photo will need to br cropped to fit the photo on the paper. For this reason it is important to use the correct aspect ratio depending on where you plan to view the photo. The other very important point to keep in mind is that when you shoot in either 4:3 or 3:2 aspect ratio the number of megapixels available drops to 6 megapixels. Therefore it is only when you are shooting for viewing on a widescreen television that the full 8 megapixels are available.

The 4x optical zoom lens has a focal length equivalent to 28 - 112mm in 35mm format. The aperture of the lens is f2.8 - f8 when the zoom lens is not in use. This changes to f4.9 - f8 when you zoom in. For macro photography the camera can focus from 5cms away from the subject.

To focus the camera you can select either auto or manual focus. For auto focus metering you can select from 1 point, 1 point high speed, 3 points high speed, 9 points and spot.

For composing images and accessing the menu there is a 2.5" LCD screen. The screen is made up of roughly 207,000 pixels. You can increase the brightness of the LCD screen by pressing a button on the back of the camera. There is no viewfinder however.

The flash unit pops up from the top left hand corner of the camera. This is a very useful innovation as by distancing the flash unit from the lens Panasonic has drastically reduced the chance of photos being blighted by red eye. The flash modes available are Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction and Forced On/Off. The maximum range of the flash unit is 4.1m An AF (auto focus) assist lamp is available to help the camera to focus in lowlight situations.

When you are taking a picture you can add up to five seconds of commentary. If you wish to change the commentary later or add comments to a photo without any commentary then you can add ten seconds of audio whenever you wish to.

To help you take the best possible shots there are a series of pre programmed scene modes. When you select a scene the camera is able to use what it considers to be the optimum settings for the type of shot. All you need to do is select the most appropriate scene. The scene modes available are: Portrait, Sports, Food, Scenery, Night Scenery, Night Portrait, Baby, Fireworks, Party, Snow, Self-portrait and Soft Skin.

There are a number of controls you can use to enhance your photos. These include colour effects (Cool, Warm, Black and White, Sepia) and Picture Adjustments (Contrast: Low, Standard, High. Sharpness: Low, Standard, High. Saturation: Low, Standard, High. Noise Reduction: Low, Standard, High).

You can shoot movies with the DMC LX1. There is a special resolution of 848 x 480 specifically for playback on widescreen televisions. Other resolutions available are 640 x 480 and 320 x 240. With a maximum capture speed of 30 frames per second these movies are of suitable quality for playing back on a television set. Although sound can be recorded you cannot zoom in and out while a movie is being record. Each movie can be recorded up to the capacity of the memory card.

Among the more advanced features are shutter speeds ranging from 60 seconds to 1/2000 seconds, three types of light metering (Intelligent Multiple/ Center Weighted/ Spot), auto bracketing (+/- 1/3 EV -1EV step, 3 frames), exposure compensation (1/3 EV step, -2 - +2 EV), white balance (Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Halogen / White Set White Balance Adjustment (150K step, -1500K - +1500K) (Except for Auto WB)) and ISO sensitivity (Auto / 80 / 100 / 200 / 400).

To help you determine the exposure of a photo a histogram is available. You also have the option to save photos in TIFF or RAW format instead of Jpeg. When you would like to appear in a shot yourself there is a self timer. The delay of the self timer can be set to either two or ten seconds.

A burst mode is available allowing you reel off up to nine consecutive shots at a rate of three or two frames per second. You can record up to nine images in fine mode or five images in standard mode. There is also an unlimited consecutive shooting feature. This lets you fill up the memory card. Photos are recorded at a slower rate than when you are using burst mode.

Panasonic supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the DMC LX1 to a television set, PictBridge compatible printer and a computer.

As with any digital camera with this number of features it takes time to get to know all the features. I have always liked the Panasonic menu systems and this really helps you to get up and running as quickly as possible. There are a number of dials and buttons on the top and back of the camera. There are also two sliders on the lens. This helps to put as many controls as possible at your fingertips.

You can pick up a Panasonic DMC LX1 for around £315. This compares to around £300 for a Canon Powershot S80, £225 for a Kodak Easyshare V570 and £350 for a Fuji Finepix S9500.

As you can see there is not too much to choose between the DMC LX1 and the Canon Powershot S80. These are quite similar cameras.

The DMC LX1 is more compact than any camera I can think of with this range of features. I like the design and the camera feels good in the hands. It has a rectangular shape but the sides are rounded giving the camera a less harsh look. You can buy the camera in either black or silver. It weighs in at 185g and has dimensions of 105.7 x 55.8 x 25.6mm.

A lithium ion battery is used to provide power to the camera. Panasonic estimates you should be able to take in the region of 240 shots before the battery needs to be recharged. Both a battery and charger are supplied with the camera.

SD cards are used to store images on. Panasonic supplies a 32mb card with the DMC LX1. I was able to take just six shots with the camera before the card was full. This was using the 16:9 aspect ratio and shooting 8 megapixel photos. This is pretty poor and you will need to pick up a high capacity card to go with your camera. Click here to save money on SD cards..

Indoor photos
Compact model consider features and controls
Easy to use
Optical image stabilizer

Small capacity memory card supplied

The Panasonic DMC LX1 takes very good photos. It has a very strong set of features yet manages to retain a compact size and a fair amount of ease of use. With its wide angle lens I can see this camera being very popular indeed.

Panasonic DMC LX1 Front View

Panasonic DMC LX1 Back View

Panasonic DMC LX1 Top View

Sample Menus

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Panasonic DMC LX1