Panasonic DMC LX2 Review

Advanced Digital Cameras

Picture
Panasonic DMC LX2 Ease of Use 8
Features 9
Movie Mode 8
Build Quality8
Colours 7
Photo Quality 8
Style 8
Lowlight 9
Macro 8
Value for Money 8
10 Megapixels
4x Zoom
2.8 inch LCD Screen
105.7 x 55.8 x 26.3m
187g

Overview

The Panasonic DMC LX2 is an advanced digital camera. It has many of the features you would expect to find on a digital SLR, but in a compact body. The DMC LX2 is also set up to take wide angle shots. The camera has both a wide angle lens and also a special wide LCD screen. I would say the camera is most likely to appeal to someone who sees photography as a hobby and either does not want the bulk of a larger digital SLR or is looking for a second more compact camera. This is a ten megapixel* model with a four times zoom lens.

Main Features

Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:

10
4x
2.8 inches
105.7 x 55.8 x 26.3m
187g

Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:

5cm
No
Yes
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/MMC

Image Quality - See Sample Images Below

Hmm… The DMC LX2 comes close to being a very good digital camera. On the whole picture quality is very good, but there are one or two points where it could improve.

The first point that strikes me when I am looking at the outdoor shots is how sharp they are and the strong colours the camera has produced. In the first shot the brickwork in the building is in sharp focus. Moving out to the edges the level of focusing is maintained to an impressive degree. A couple of not so good points though are the way the camera looses detail where the bright sunlight falls directly onto the boats. This has also caused a small amount of purple fringing where the sun strikes the edges of light coloured objects. This adds a thin purple line in places.

In the second photo where the lens is zoomed right out focusing is not quite as good. Here I can also see purple tinges added to the top of some of the ridges on the water. The sky is very strongly coloured. Even though it was a deep blue on the day the DMC LX2 has ramped up the depth of the colour.

With the lens zoomed in to its full capacity in the third shot the sharpness comes back into the picture. The water in the shot is very blue and a small amount of noise creeps into the sky.

Looking at the outdoor portrait colour levels go beyond strong into overpowering in my opinion. Skin tones take on an orange glow and the photo starts to have an unnatural feel to it.

Likewise the specific test for colour produces a strange result. The colours once again do not look natural.

Indoors it's a different story. In the lower light the DMC LX2 excels. Both of my test photos are bright and sharply focused. With the flash being used the colours are better controlled and these photos stand up well when compared with the majority of other digital cameras. The indoor portrait shows no sign of red eye. This may be down to the fact that the camera includes a flash unit that pops up taking the light source away from the lens. It is normally the proximity of the lens to the flash unit that causes red eye to occur.

The macro shot displays a higher level of detail than I am used to seeing. It is also a bright and clear photo. My only complaint is that a small amount of purple has been added in. This is only likely to occur when photographing jewelry or other very light objects.

Panasonic have made great advances in controlling noise when shooting at higher ISO levels. Both my tests at ISO 400 and ISO 1600 are far better than most other cameras manage.

See sample images link arrow

Style

The DMC LX2 is a classy compact. In terms of look and feel it is a cut above the majority of other compact digital cameras. The lens protrudes from the body giving the impression of a higher quality camera. There is also a small grip on the front. The camera is available in black and silver.

Shutter Lag Times

Shutter Lag Rating Slow

Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash

0.43 seconds
8.17 seconds
0.55 seconds
11.23 seconds


Shutter Lag Table link arrow

Ease of Use

Ease of Use - Par You will need to acquaint yourself with a variety of buttons and the control dial. The menu system is very easy to read and easy to your your way around.

Points I Like

Bright and clear LCD screen - wide angle lens - well structured menus - lowlight shots - design

Where it Could Improve

Very small internal memory - sun glare problems

Verdict

The Panasonic DMC LX2 has many good points. These include my lowlight test shots, a high quality LCD screen and its style and design. It takes very good photos in most situations, but some people are likely to find the colours too strong from time to time. I would also have liked to see the camera handle sun glare better.

*The full ten megapixels are only available when shooting in wide screen mode. When taking photos to fit on 6 x 4" paper roughly eight megapixels are available. In standard 4:3 mode roughly seven megapixels area available.

Product Shots

Front View

Front View

Back View

Back View

Top View

Top View

Sample Menus

menu iso

setup playback

Top Rated Cameras in this Category

Panasonic DMC LX5 Rating 91/100

This camera is one of the very best I have ever reviewed. Picture quality is excellent and I love the small size of the camera. It is packed with advanced features and I found it was able to handle a variety of different shooting conditions without a problem.

Read Review: Panasonic DMC LX5 Review

Canon Powershot G12 Rating 90/100

The Canon Powershot G12 is an excellent choice for anyone who is looking for a high quality digital camera. The sharpness and clarity of the photos it takes is hard to beat. I was also bowled over by the build quality.

Read Review: Canon Powershot G12 Review

Canon Powershot S95 Rating 87/100

The Canon Powershot S95 is a great little camera. Picture quality is spot on and there are not many cameras offering so many features in such a small body. I really like the colours it produces. The sharpness of the photos it delivers is eye catching.

Read Review: Canon Powershot S95 Review

Related Pages

Panasonic DMC LX2 Review Panasonic DMC LX2 Specification Panasonic DMC LX2 Sample Images Panasonic DMC LX2 Features

Review Date

May 2007

Best Deals



Photography Courses

UK WIDE COURSES
learn how to use your DSLR
1 Day Digital Photography Intro
2 Day Digital Photography Intro
London Photography Tour
Portrait and Studio - 1 Day
Half Day DSLR Camera Training
Landscape Photography - 1 Day
Photo Holidays & Weekends
One-to-One Training
Photography Tutorials

Red Cloud Website

Search By Price

Digital Cameras Under £50
Digital Cameras £50 - £100
Digital Cameras £100 - £150
Digital Cameras £150 - £200
Digital Cameras £200 - £300
Digital Cameras £300 - £500
Digital Cameras £500 - £1000
Digital Cameras Over £1000

Search By Camera Type

Simple and Easy Digital Cameras
Pocket Sized Digital Cameras
Extra Zoom Digital Cameras
Super Zoom Digital Cameras
Advanced Digital Cameras
Waterproof Digital Cameras
Compact System Cameras
Digital SLRs

Search By Camera Brand

Canon Digital Cameras
Casio Digital Cameras
Fuji Digital Cameras
Kodak Digital Cameras
Nikon Digital Cameras
Olympus Digital Cameras
Panasonic Digital Cameras
Pentax Digital Cameras
Samsung Digital Cameras
Sony Digital Cameras

Camera Reviews

Simple and Easy
Canon Powershot A1200
Canon Powershot A3200 IS
Canon Powershot A3300 IS
Canon Powershot A495
Canon Powershot A800
Fuji Finepix AV200
Fuji Finepix AV250
Fuji Finepix JV200
Fuji Finepix Z70
Kodak Easyshare C143
Nikon Coolpix L23
Panasonic DMC FS16
Panasonic DMC FS18
Panasonic DMC S3
Sony DSC W510
Sony DSC W520
Sony DSC W530

Pocket Compacts
Canon IXUS 115 HS
Canon IXUS 130
Canon IXUS 220 HS
Canon IXUS 300 HS
Canon IXUS 310 HS
Fuji Finepix Z300
Fuji Finepix Z700EXR
Nikon Coolpix S3000
Nikon Coolpix S3100
Nikon Coolpix S80
Panasonic DMC FP3
Panasonic DMC FS10
Panasonic DMC FS11
Panasonic DMC FX70
Panasonic DMC FX700
Sony DSC J10
Sony DSC T110
Sony DSC T99
Sony DSC TX1
Sony DSC TX7
Sony DSC W310
Sony DSC W350
Sony DSC W380
Sony DSC W570
Sony DSC WX5

Extra Zoom
Canon IXUS 1000 HS
Canon Powershot SX130 IS
Canon Powershot SX210 IS
Canon Powershot SX220 HS
Casio Exilim EX-H5
Fuji Finepix F300EXR
Fuji Finepix F550EXR
Fuji Finepix F80EXR
Panasonic DMC FS33
Panasonic DMC FS35
Panasonic DMC TZ10
Panasonic DMC TZ20
Panasonic DMC TZ8
Panasonic DMC ZX3
Sony DSC H55
Sony DSC H70
Sony DSC HX5

Super Zooms
Canon Powershot SX30 IS
Fuji Finepix HS10
Fuji Finepix HS20EXR
Fuji Finepix S2500HD
Kodak Easyshare Z981
Olympus SP-800UZ
Olympus VR-310
Panasonic DMC FZ100
Panasonic DMC FZ45
Pentax X90
Sony DSC HX1

Advanced
Canon Powershot G12
Canon Powershot S95
Nikon Coolpix P300
Nikon Coolpix P7000
Panasonic DMC LX5
Samsung EX1

Stylish Compact
Panasonic DMC FS30
Pentax Optio i-10

Waterproof / Tough
Canon Powershot D10
Fuji Finepix XP10
Olympus Tough TG-310
Olympus Tough TG-610
Panasonic DMC FT10
Pentax Optio W90
Sony DSC TX10

Compact System Cameras
Sony Nex-3
Sony Nex-5

Digital SLRs
Nikon D3000

Buyers Guides

Digital Cameras
Memory Cards
Digital SLRs
Major Features
Shutter Times
Batteries
Where to Buy
Digital Cameras Under £100

More Guides

Local Guides

All Local Guides
England
English Counties
London Locations
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales

News Feeds

XML RSS My MSN My Yahoo