Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2K (black)

October 2, 2006 01:34

4.0/5
Since I was fed up with small Cannons and likes with restricted wide-angle 35mm+ (equivalent), I decided to buy something that will allow me to capture larger views. In reality its not always possible to create enough distance between the cam and the object because of other buildings, narrow streets, cars or simply room walls. A wide lens and a wide CCD is a dream come true for all panoramic photographers. You cant go wrong with that as everything in TV and computers is becoming 16:9 wide. Still, changing the aspect ratio couldnt be easier than with LX2. The camera is packed with features and you can control manually almost everything. Which brings me to the target audience. This camera is best suited for a pro or semi-pro that needs a small backup cam with a big heart. This camera is cool, small and beautiful, but dont be fooled: its a performer too. Landscapes, macro photography, close ups, paper-copy (magazines)&almost anything works perfectly already in AUTO mode. I think that the LEICA lens really makes a difference. The flash will never fire accidentaly as you can turn it manually on or off by using the OPEN button. Even the AF assist lamp may be turned off. Discretion is guaranteed! Optical image stabilization works well, as hand-held shots Ive taken with LX2 are often comparable with shots taken by other cams that were mounted on tripods. LX2 is far from best if you like taking a lot of night shots since noise becomes annoying above 200 ISO.
Ive heard a lot of complaints about noise issues on old LX1. Naturally, Panasonic has incorporated the new noise reduction algorithm, but switching over to RAW will allow you to use unprocessed pictures and apply software-based noise-reduction of your choice, which is as always the best choice. Ive bought the fastest 2 GB memory card and shooting RAW works like a breeze, unless youre doing sport photography. Still, I wonder where this mega-pixel race is going to take us? Hopefully, Panasonic will realize the need for bigger sensor in this premium compact camera. That may take a few years since they will probably need to upgrade the lens to match the sensor size.

I wanted a solid, discrete and high quality camera that performs way above the competition. I bought my LX2 and have never ever looked back since then.

However, this camera is rather overpriced in Sweden at around 850 US$. If price is an issue, then take a look at the brand new Lumix FX1 or Ricoh Caplio R5.

- S:P.

October 6, 2006 07:30
Excellent
2.0/5
This camera is well built, with many good features as already discussed in various forums (Do a google search under DMC-LX2 review). Leica optics is definitely a plus. I tried all modes and the results were mixed. The biggest problem is the noise with ambient indoor lighting, even using ISO100 with noise reduction. Too many color grainy dots on black objects. Mega Optical Image Stabilization (either mode 1 or mode 2) works only marginally well, essentially no difference from my Canon SD500, which does not have image stabilizer. Known for its versatility, this camera come with a surprise that it has no zoom/focus control once the motion picture mode (i.e., video mode) starts. This is rather stupid from design standpoint of view. I hope this flaw can be fixed with future firmware upgrade.

- all_about_gps

February 8, 2007 02:00

4.5/5
I read almost every review I can get my hands on, in print and on line, but after months of research and deliberation, I finally had my top 5 list for my next point and shoot: Leica D-LUX3, Canon G7, Panasonic DMC-LX2k, Ricoh Caplio R5, Sony DSC-H5B

The Sony had a super long zoom and the advantage of using a non-proprietary power source (AAs). The other advantage was that I could use my DuoPro cards on my PSP to view pictures on the go.
Ricoh had the best combination of a 7x zoom and a wide 28mm (35mm equivalent) lens in a compact camera. Certainly a deadly combination!
Canon G7 had classic old school styling, excellent build quality, 10 mega pixels, a great number of manual controls rivalling that of a small DSLR.
The Panasonic had a unique widescreen format, a wide 28mm lens, Leica optics, 10 mega pixels, a ton of manual controls and a stylish black body.
The Leica was the prettier smarter twin sister of the LX2k.

At the end of it all it was between the G7, LX2k, D-Lux3. Basically, the G7 got bumped because of its bulk and because it was only 35mm at its widest. The Leica would have been my first choice but it wasnt worth the premium for what you get in return further LX2k prices just dropped making it the smarter investment for a mechanically identical product.

I have taken close to 500 shots with my LX2k now and have been very satisfied with my shots. Its a little disappointing that no photolabs print at widescreen aspect ratio (yet) but I have been very satisfied with the results of my pictures printed and on the computer.

It performs very well as a simple point and shoot but really shines when you use its manual features and take advantage of its wide screen and 28mm wide lens. Ive been able to take shots I wouldnt have been able to before without stitching photos together with a program. I mostly take architectural and portrait pictures and this camera always continue to amaze me when I am able to compose and capture a picture perfectly.

At first I must admit that I was hesitant in purchasing the LX2k at first because of some of the not so stellar reviews out there. I just think that people expected too much from this camera (expecting and leaps and bound improvement from the LX1 and its very impressive specs) but most had a lot of good things to say. This camera had way too many pros going for it than there were cons in my perspective not to give it a chance. When I finally got the camera in my hands and took a few shots with it, I seriously did not understand why this camera did not receive better marks from reviewers. It is not a DSLR replacement but as far as a point and shoot goes, with that mentality and philosophy behind of photography, in my humble opinion I think that the LX2 is a very capable near perfect camera.

Its not perfect&but its pretty close. Good set of features, small and pocketable, great lens, excellent build quality, RAW, rangefinder like throwback good looks&etc&etc.

Improvements I would make:

Having all the analogue type controls physically available on the body would be amazing! ISO, aperture, shutter speed, zoom ring, focus ring&etc.
The capability to use non proprietary source of power like AAs.
A slightly longer zoom.
An included leather case or form fitting skin.
MORE ACCESSORIES such as standard filter adapters, slave flash, remote control&etc. <<couldnt they use the ring that the cap clips on to for an adapter? I know there are universal adapters available and DYI projects you can do to make filters work&but whats the point of getting a sleek sexy camera when you are going to make it look like Frankenstein with a piece of PVC, hot glue and a yogurt cup?

Final word:

A good buy especially at the cheaper price. ($100 cheaper now!) Zero buyers regret. I can foresee many years of enjoyment and use out of this camera. Even when its 10mp sensor does get old in the megapixel race, certain features and innovation unique to this camera will be enough to give this camera longevity.

- Architorture77

October 5, 2006 12:35
Excellent
2.0/5
The LX2 would be a great camera if Panasonic reduced *intrinsic* noise in the chip, rather than post-processed it away. It's absurd to combine a beautiful lens with a crummy sensor, then use Venus III as a band-aid to a fundamental design flaw. Result? Overprocessed- looking images. I prefer images shot with my LX1 in raw mode and post-processed with NoiseNinja or Adobe Camera Raw to Venus III-processed LX2 images. Panasonic: drop back to 8 MP, clean up the sensor and you'll have a remarkable digicam.

- raoul_lipschitz

March 10, 2007 12:33

4.5/5
I sling Canon Mark II N's all day long and going to parties, get togethers, and even hikes with the kids seemed like work when I brought an SLR with me.
So the search went on for a small digi with good glass, RAW files and easy to use manual features. After looking at the Canon G7, and finding out they nixed the RAW files from it, I scoured the net and found the Leica D-Lux 3. A little more researched directed me to the Leica's cheaper twin. I found a lot of people slamming the LX2 for have poor image quality at high ISOs. What do you expect for a point-and-shoot? If you want solid images from all ISOs get a Canon 5D. If you want something pocketable, that creates decent images, this is the camera. Images up to ISO 400 are definitely useable. Above that, you may want to work them in Noise Ninja. I toss my images into Adobe Lightroom and within a few minutes have a shot that pops and shows what this little camera can do.
In fact, the first day I had this camera I put it in my bag while shooting a softball game for the newspaper I work for. When the call came out to find some "stand-alone" art for the next day's edition, I pulled out the LX2 and headed across the street to the park. Twenty minutes later I was headed back to the office turning in my image taken with my $400 point-and-shoot rather than my $4,000 Mark II N.
The 16:9 aspect ratio is a great feature considering that it is the native size rather than having a 10 MP camera that crops in to give you a 16:9 ratio. The manual controls work well enough with just the joystick controlling three things  shutter, f-stop and focusing point. Simple, yet effective and no buttons to push to get to it.
The main gripes I have is the little battery that runs this camera. If it goes dead, there's no popping in AAs to get it going again. So either always keep it charged up or keep an extra on hand. And I wish they would put an internal lens protector on this camera. Having that little plastic cap that I have to take off and put on every time I use the camera, although miniscual in the grand scheme of shooting, is still tedious. And that piece of plastic is the only thing protecting that Leica glass. Oh, and you can't put this camera in your pants pocket like the little Elphs and such. But then again, the lens on this camera gives it a look all it's own.
So, to recap, any point-and-shoot you get will have noise at high ISO to some extent. Just keep in mind what you're getting and balance out the pros and cons.

- Romer45

December 21, 2006 11:51

4.5/5
This is overall a great camera. Like most compact high resolution digitals you will see a lot of noice at high ISOs but in good lighting and lower ISOs its flawless. Also, unless you are printing over 8X10 you wont notice unless your up close anyway. Most people complain about noise but in high res cameras like this its unavoidable without having a huge lense or spending over $500. If you are looking for a $400 camera (like this one) to have images comparible to a $1000 SLR you are dreaming. Compared to the best 6mp to 8mp cameras this one is on par as far as image quality is concerned and far ahead on features.

Simply put, compact cameras at high mega pixels will result in noise at high ISOs. No exceptions.

- tlucash

November 29, 2006 02:59

4.0/5
The detailed reviews say most of it: too much noise. Raw format is great, since I take many shots and then edit in Photoshop. Indoor shots are not so great thanks to noise. Difficult to carry in your pocket without a case since the on off switch wants to move as well as the mode control. Canon does these switches better. Nice and compact battery charger included, not like Sony the included charger and cables take up more room and are heavier than the camera

- jtimouri

May 17, 2007 12:58
Spectacular
2.5/5
I was very interested in this camera, so I went to one of the biggest dealers I know personally on the west coast to demo the LX2. The Salesman and I tried all sorts of tests and displayed the pics on a 17" dell laptop.

Well, for such an outstanding LENS and 16:9 CCD we were both disappointed with the quality and noise levels as we started at 100 and went up. This is such a MAJOR issue and the most important one. There's NO ISO settings below 100, there should be a ISO 50-64 and 80 considering the quality of the lens and CCD. Duh, who thought this one out?

Next the HD video mode is at 15fps second... really not video, they need to bump this to 24/30fps and/or bump the HD resolution level needs to be up'd to real HD levels.

The last short coming is the Lens barrel which protrudes too far out. Not that it's a MAJOR show stopper, but we did the pants and shirt pocket tests and the LX2 failed both, damn, only if the lens barrel didn't stick out! If the Barrel extension can be reduced or eliminated, then this is definitely, the carry anywhere camera without the ANNOYING inconvenience of having to be in your hand everywhere.

2.3 point deduction for NOISY PIC QUALITY (ISO, algorithms, etc)
1.0 point deduction for lacking true HD video
1.5 point deduction for camera size/design/price

The SALESMAN said the LX3 is being released next quarter(Q3,07) so we'll see what is fixed/improved in the next gen model, till then... I holding out on purchasing.

- One_Eyed_Pony

May 16, 2007 10:17
Excellent
2.0/5
For having the best lens in the digital market, and a new and innovative 16:9 designed CCD sensor... the pics are very noisy for the Quality and Price!

Where's the 50/64 ISO setting? Someone at Panasonic needs to fix the image processing/compression, because it's fairly bad!

HD Video is a 15fps, WTF Panasonic? That's not Video, bump it up to 24/30 fps!

How about sliming it down a bit... keep the BULKY LENS barrel on DSLRs not compact models!

Rumors are: the LX3 is coming out in July/Aug... hopefully PANASONIC will address the all the issues, especially the image quality.

DISAPPOINTED!

- mzcmdr

April 19, 2007 05:24
Good
1.5/5
1) Noise at ANY ISO, color smearing at ISO >200. Women will kill you not just for regular noise but terible dark dots on their faces even with ISO 100. With this camera you loose not just 400-500 bucks, you trash much more - your valuable moments of life.
2) LCD screen is well visible only at normal incidence, absolutely not usable at grazing. So called High Angle LCD Mode - is useless trickery. LCD ideally must be detacheable.
3) video zoom does not work as soon as you start recording - what a joke
4) slow RAW shooting up to 4-5 sec/shot even with 150x flash
5) 13MB RAM - is even bigger joke, It's twice less than in cheapy Panny 6 Mpixel point-and-shoot cameras
6) Venus is smearing colors at ISO >200
7) Optical image stabilization actually does not work as I expected. I trashed many night shots
8) GUI could be better made. Fonts are primitive. Needs often to look at manual to find what is what, needs better help. And in big hurry by mistake you can wipe everything from flash instead of Fast Shooting because they share the same button ! Touch screen would decrease button verlay

Compare image quality of LX2 with ANY SLR camera to see what actually must be image quality and run fast from this camera!
Use, for example, Comparometer at imaging-resource dot com which though gave so glowing review to this camera as if there will be no tomorrow. But read also comprehensive 17 page review at DPReview http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasoniclx2/

- Scnet01