Auto Mode (7.75)
The automatic mode is just as it should be. It transforms the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 into a simple point-and-shoot. There are no decisions to make other than which subject to point at, how close to zoom in, and when to press the shutter release button. If desired, users can select the picture size and quality and can activate the digital zoom and burst modes, but not much else. Still, the Auto mode is a quick fix for when users don’t have time to scroll through the scene mode menu or adjust the exposure controls. Also, in use, when set to full auto mode, the camera set remarkably accurate exposures with pretty good white balance. The only issues came up when we had three strong orange (photographic tungsten lamps) on, which was a bit too strong of a color cast.
Movie Mode (7.5)
The movie mode is one of the better features on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1. The image is pretty good quality unless the user is shooting in low light or the subject is backlit. Granted, the focus can be finicky when either the subject or the camera moves, but this is quite common on compact digital cameras. A handful of compact models do allow use of the zoom lens while shooting in movie mode, but the LX1 does not. In fact, digital zoom does not work either (but that’s just as well because it ruins image quality). Zooming can be done before and after recording, but not during.
If the subject is far away and the lens is at its most telephoto setting, the Lumix LX1’s mega optical image stabilization system will come in handy. The system has two modes and can be shut off as well, but I’d recommend keeping it on. It definitely works; it reduces the amount of hand-shake seen in the video clips. The LX1’s movie mode records monaural audio at three different image sizes: 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 in the 4:3 format, and 848 x 480 in the 16:9 mode. All of these sizes are available at both the 10 and 30 frame-per-second rates.
The 16:9 widescreen mode is definitely unique to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1. Users can shoot video and watch it on their widescreen plasma television sets and not worry about losing information. At this point in digital imaging, the LX1’s 16:9 movie recording feature is perhaps the cheapest way to capture native 16:9 video. Currently, camcorders with native 16:9 chips are reserved for the upper portions of the market and generally run well over $5,000.
Drive / Burst Mode (7.75)
The burst mode is available in every mode on the LX1 including the automatic and scene modes – so if you need to get some fast shots in the Food mode, this is your camera. The Panasonic LX1 has a decent burst mode. It has three options – high speed, low speed, and unlimited – that are easily accessible with the designated burst button (also the delete button). According to the spec sheet, the high speed option shoots 3 frames per second at a maximum of 5 fine or 9 standard pictures. The low speed option shoots 2 frames a second with the same maximum frame numbers. This seems silly. You may as well use the unlimited burst because it shoots 2 frames per second as well, but goes for as long as your card has memory. Of course, those are the figures according to the specs. In actual testing, the unlimited mode actually was slower than the low speed mode, though only by a tenth of a second.
Panasonic says the figures listed in their specs are for when an SD card is used; an MMC card can be used in this model but will supposedly not perform as quickly in the burst mode.
Playback Mode (7.5)
The playback mode is fun to tinker with. Navigation is simple; scrolling through pictures, movie clips, and menu options is intuitive. Users can view each picture individually or push the zoom toggle toward the ‘W’ for the multi-up function that lets users view 9, 16, or 25 images at once. And for users who like to view all at once and delete all at once, there are extensive deletion options. When the delete button is pressed once, the camera can delete the single picture. When tapped twice, the camera goes into a multi-up mode and users can scroll through the pictures and mark which ones they want deleted. There is also a Delete All option.
When individual pictures are viewed, they can be zoomed in at 1x, 4x, 8x, and 16x. Images can be rotated, trimmed, resized, protected, played in slide shows, or marked as favorites or images to print. Movies can be viewed in the playback mode with sound; the clips can be rewound and fast-forwarded with the right and left buttons on the multi-selector and played with the bottom button. For those photographers who like viewing pictures instantaneously, there is an Auto Review option. It lets users check pictures for 1 or 3 seconds after it has been recorded. The function can also be turned off or selected to Zoom, which shows the normally framed picture and then zooms into a smaller portion of the center. And for users who want another quick peek but don’t want to turn the dial to the playback mode, the bottom button of the multi-selector accesses the last picture recorded by the LX1. Overall, the playback mode is very thorough and complements the 2.5-inch LCD screen, making it a nice photo viewer.
Custom Image Presets (7.75)
The Panasonic LX1 has 14 scene modes that range from the standard Portrait mode to the unique Baby mode to the somewhat odd Food mode. Portrait, Sports, Food, Scenery, Night Scenery, Panning, Night Portrait, Fireworks, Party, Snow, Baby, Soft Skin, Starry Sky, and Candle are the full list of offerings. These are displayed in a colorful menu with large text. Scene modes can be selected when the right button on the multi-selector is pushed. When the left button is pushed, the LCD displays the Help screen that explains that particular scene mode. The Help screens are full of fragments and odd phrasing that sound like a bad translation. For example, the Soft Skin help screen reads, “Detect the flesh tone area like human face and add soft effect on it to show the skin detail more smooth.” While the wording is poor, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1’s scene modes are extensive and easy to find with the Scene 1 and Scene 2 options on the mode dial. The same list of scene modes is available from both positions on the dial, but one starts at a lower part of the list so scenes are easier to access (if you’ve memorized which position they are at). The Baby scene mode is unique to Panasonic and is more useful for the textual information it stores rather than the actual images. The pictures I took of my 5-month-old turned out better in the Auto mode than they did in the Baby mode. However, the Baby mode recorded exactly how old he was to the day (“5 months 12 days”) which could be very useful information for when I upload the pictures onto my disorganized computer.
