Color (8.23)
If photographers want their subjects to look as colorful in the pictures as they are in real life, they will need to know how accurate their cameras are when it comes to color. We tested the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 by photographing a GretagMacbeth color chart, which is composed of 24 color tiles. We uploaded the images into Imatest Imaging Software to view how the software analyzed the colors. Below is a modified GretagMacbeth chart output by the software program that compares the LX1’s rendered colors with the corresponding ideal. The outer square in each tile represents the color reproduced by the Panasonic LX1, while the inner vertical rectangle shows the ideal. The inner square is the camera’s produced color, corrected for luminance.

The degree of error can more easily be seen in the graph below. The circles represent the Panasonic Lumix LX1’s colors and the squares represent the ideal colors. The line that connects the two shapes is the amount of error the camera displayed in producing that particular color tone. Ideally, there would be no line and the circles would show up directly atop the squares.

The LX1 was tested at its different aspect ratios, and the native 16:9 mode was found to be much more accurate than the standard 4:3 mode. When using the sensor’s natural format, colors were also more vibrant and saturated. While some of the deep red and blue tones are far from what they should be, the colors are fairly accurate overall. The Panasonic LX1 received an overall color score of 8.23 with a 7.29 color error. Colors were over-saturated by 16.5 percent, which is quite common for a compact model. Overall, the LX1 performed well on our color test, rendering accurate colors with some brilliant tones.

Still Life Scene
Below are three shots of our elegant plastic assemblage captured with the Panasonic LX1 in each of its three offered aspect ratios.

16:9

4:3

3:2

Click on any of the images to view a full resolution version (CAUTION: the linked files are very large!)

Resolution (4.02)
Panasonic advertises 8.4 effective megapixels on its 1/6.5-inch, 16:9-formatted image sensor. We tested it by capturing several exposures of an industry standard resolution chart at various apertures and focal lengths and uploading the images into Imatest Imaging Software. The application analyzed the images and we reported the best findings.

The software program reads the picture for resolution, and expresses it in line widths per picture height (LW/PH)—how many individual black and white alternating lines of equal thickness the camera could theoretically discern in a picture, if they were crammed into the frame, before they’d become too fine for the sensor to distinguish from each other. Traditional resolution measurements are reported in line pairs per picture height (LP/PH), but this measurement does not allow for the various sizes of imaging sensors found in various digital cameras. We report LW/PH to standardize the results.

Click on the chart to view the full resolution image 

The LX1 appears to be sharpest at f/4.5 when shooting at a focal length of 16.7 mm. Unfortunately, the LX1’s best results were not that great. Imatest found that the LX1 read 1448 LW/PH horizontally and 1377 LW/PH vertically. This is far below what 8 megapixels should be capable of. The comparable 8 megapixel Olympus Stylus 800 read LW/PH in the 1700s with 1742 LW/PH horizontally and 1715 LW/PH vertically. Panasonic’s FZ30 also advertises 8 megapixels, but produced 1607 LW/PH horizontally and 1600 LW/PH vertically. Even the 7 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7 produced more resolution with 1654 LW/PH horizontally and 1973 LW/PH vertically. This is extremely disappointing news for the Panasonic LX1 and will put some strong limitations on print size and cropping.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 - 4:3 Mode

Click on the chart to view the full resolution image

We also tested the resolution of the LX1 in its 4:3 mode. These shots were also taken at a range of aperture settings at a 16.7mm focal length. Again, the LX1 was sharpest at f/4.5. At the reduced resolution, the LX1 read 1421 LW/PH horizontally and 1270 LW/PH vertically. This is in line with other 6 megapixel point-and-shoots with 4:3 imagers; however, the price is not. Most users willing to spend the money on the LX1 will probably elect to use the native 16:9 format over the more traditional 4:3 aspect ratio.   

Noise – Auto ISO (1.99)
Compact digital cameras aren’t really known for their crystal clear picture quality, but a few do surpass expectations and perform very well. Others seem to fall of at the other end of the extreme, which is where we found the LX1 to be. When the camera automatically set the ISO sensitivity, the Panasonic LX1 received an overall auto ISO noise score of 1.99. This is a new low for compact digital cameras. This amount of noise makes seemingly even-colored surfaces into mottled messes of blue-purple and green. This is what we’d expect from a drugstore one-time use digital camera – not a branded $599 model.

Noise – Manual ISO (2.51)
The LX1 offers only standard manual ISO ratings of 80, 100, 200, and 400. We tested the noise levels at each of these sensitivities and in both the traditional 4:3 and widescreen 16:9 formats. We took the best results and ran a regression analysis to determine the overall manual ISO noise score. Below is a chart showing the ISO ratings on the horizontal axis and the noise levels on the vertical axis. The red line represents noise levels in the 4:3 mode and the blue line represents noise levels in the 16:9 mode.

Excessive noise has been a major issue on many Lumix models and the LX1 seems to follow the trend; the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 does not handle noise well even when the ISO is manually adjusted. The 16:9 mode had less noise than the standard 4:3 format, though. The best results from the 16:9 mode produced a 2.51 overall manual ISO noise score, which is still extremely disappointing from such an expensive digital camera and will only produce clean images when the ISO 80 and ISO 100 settings are used.

Low Light Performance (3.5)
If a night out on the town with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 is in the works, consider the following test. We photograph the GretagMacbeth color chart at progressively diminishing light levels of 60, 30, 15, and 5 lux. The first two levels demonstrate the camera’s performance in common low light situations. 60 lux is roughly equivalent to the light in a living room with two soft lamps and no natural lighting. 30 lux is equivalent to the light from a single 40-watt bulb. The dimmer two light levels are meant to test the image sensor to see how it responds to long exposures.

Low Light Tests
60 Lux	30 Lux
15 Lux	5 Lux

Illumination remained fairly consistent at 60 and 30 lux, although there was a significant amount of noise visible (with this model that will always be a problem). The 15 and 5 lux images grew increasingly darker and exceptionally noisier. Below is a chart showing the noise levels in relation to the time the shutter is opened. The exposure time is on the horizontal axis and the noise levels are on the vertical axis.

The images are already noisy before even a half second, so the quick rise in noise happens before a full second. Still, there is a substantial increase in the amount of perceivable noise at 3 seconds. Beware of the LX1 in low light; the camera will truly only produce clean, saturated images in bright daylight.

Speed / Timing
Start-up to First Shot (6.33)
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 doesn’t take long to turn on, but it does take awhile to grab its first shot at 3.67 seconds. The auto focus is almost painfully slow.

Shot to Shot (9.67)
The Panasonic Lumix LX1 has three burst modes. The High-speed burst averaged a shot every 0.334 seconds for five shots. The Low-speed burst had the same 5-shot endurance, but shot at a slower 0.456-second rate. The Infinity burst mode took a little longer than the Low-speed mode at a picture every 0.565 seconds, but didn’t stop until the memory card was full. We used a Lexar SD card for this test.

Shutter to Shot (8.34)
The slow auto focus caused the LX1 to produce a 0.33-second long shutter lag. Sure, there are much worse compact cameras. But this one is incredibly slow for $599.

Intro	Page 2 of 12		Physical Tour
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 Digital Camera Review Navigation
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