2000 Unbiased Reviews Since 1999
or Browse:
Type
Brand
Price
Need
Browse By Type Find the digital camera that fits your needs
Browse By Brand Find a digital camera from your favorite brand
Browse by Price Choose a max price using the slider below
Max Price
Any

$150.00

Any Price
Buying Guides Find the perfect digital camera for... See more
Jump to a part
Advertisement

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2

First Impressions Review

Previous: Page 1

Physical Tour

Next: Page 3

Design / Layout
October 12, 2006 By Richard Baguley
0 Comments
(add your own)
 
Viewfinder
There is no optical viewfinder on the LX2; all viewing is done with the wide LCD screen, which boasts 100 percent coverage of the recorded frame.
 
LCD Screen
The LCD screen is a large, bright model that is in a 16:9 aspect ratio, in order to fully display the photos taken in the native widescreen mode. However, at 207k pixels, it is not especially high resolution, and the pictures look a little grainy. Details are also a little hard to discern, although you can zoom in up to 16x to check the focus of details. This situation is further exacerbated when shooting in the 3:2 or the conventional 4:3 mode: in these, black bars are added to the sides of the screen. This further reduces the effective resolution of the screen. But, to be fair, pictures don’t look bad and you can see enough to check things like focus and color. It’s just that other cameras have higher resolution screens that look more attractive. For maximum use of the space, the camera allows you to turn the display of information such as shutter speed, etc off by pressing the display button. The polycrystalline TFT LCD screen has a Power LCD mode that adds contrast for shooting in bright lighting and a High Angle LCD mode for shooting above the head.
 
Flash
The small flash pops up with a reassuring thud when you flip the flash button, and fits cleanly into the case when not in use. Panasonic claims a flash range of just under 2 feet to just over 16 feet, and we didn’t see any reason to dispute this in our (very basic) tests. The following flash modes are available: Auto, Auto with Red-Eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On with red eye reduction, Slow Sync with Red-Eye Reduction and Forced Off. The power level of the flash can also be controlled up and down two stops in one third increments.
 
Zoom Lens
The lens is a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit model with a focal range of 6.3 - 25.2mm, which translates to a 4x zoom 35mm equivalent of 28 - 112mm. That range is pleasingly wide at the bottom end, making it easier to take close group shots. It’s also not bad at the telephoto end: while it won’t be enough to photograph vicious animals, it’s long enough for general use. It is possible to extend the length of this lens to a 5.5x magnification by using what Panasonic calls Extra Optical Zoom, where only the center of the sensor is used, then the image is enlarged. The restriction on this is that the maximum image size is 5 megapixels. An additional 4X digital zoom can also be applied to this, but there is a serious price to pay in terms of image quality.
 
The Leica 4x lens is constructed with 9 elements in 8 groups with 3 aspherical elements. To complement the lens, there is an optical image stabilization system with two modes to work continuously or only when recording. The system includes a moving platform with the image sensor on it that shifts to compensate for slight movements of the camera – like when hands naturally shake. We weren’t able to do an extensive test of this feature, but there was a definite improvement in the sharpness of images when it was enabled.
 
There is no built-in lens cap for the lens. There is a slip-on lens cap that is included, but it dangles from a strap and can be annoying. 
 

Shop for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2

Loading Recently Viewed Products
Advertisement

Latest News
& Reviews

Top Rated Point & Shoots

  • Panasonic Lumix FZ150
    Panasonic Lumix FZ150
    $459.99
     1

    Panasonic Lumix FZ150

    Excellent image quality, speedy performance, and a great design add up to the best superzoom that has ever graced our labs. That distinction seems to change hands every week, but trust us when we say that the FZ150 is a truly great camera. Read full 16-part review

    $459.99
    Read full 16-part review
    Types
    Any Zoom
    3,5.1
    3.1x to 5x Zoom
    5.1,10
    5.1x to 9.9x Zoom
    10,
    10x & Larger Zoom
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,
    > 10 Megapixels
  • Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
    Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
    $378.89
     2

    Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

    Canon's SX30 got a CMOS makeover that resulted in the SX40 HS, an impressive ultrazoom that captures beautiful shots in almost any scenario. Read full 16-part review

    $378.89
    Read full 16-part review
    Types
    Any Zoom
    3,5.1
    3.1x to 5x Zoom
    5.1,10
    5.1x to 9.9x Zoom
    10,
    10x & Larger Zoom
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,
    > 10 Megapixels
  • Sony Cyber-shot HX100V
    Sony Cyber-shot HX100V
    $427.95
     3

    Sony Cyber-shot HX100V

    This professionally-geared ultrazoom offers some of the best color accuracy we've ever seen. It's a shame the other scores weren't quite so strong. Read full 16-part review

    $427.95
    Read full 16-part review
    Types
    Ultra-Zoom
    Any Zoom
    3,5.1
    3.1x to 5x Zoom
    5.1,10
    5.1x to 9.9x Zoom
    10,
    10x & Larger Zoom
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,
    > 10 Megapixels
    16.8 MP
  • Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47
    Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47
    $314.95
     4

    Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47

    Panasonic resists the urge to cram more megapixels and more focal length into their latest ultrazoom. The FZ47 instead focuses on image quality and features, resulting in an incredibly strong camera that we loved shooting with. Read full 16-part review

    $314.95
    Read full 16-part review
    Types
    Any Zoom
    3,5.1
    3.1x to 5x Zoom
    5.1,10
    5.1x to 9.9x Zoom
    10,
    10x & Larger Zoom
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,
    > 10 Megapixels
  • Canon PowerShot S100
    Canon PowerShot S100
    $417.00
     5

    Canon PowerShot S100

    Canon's PowerShot S100 improves on the popular S95 and takes its place at the top of the point-and-shoot food chain. Read full 16-part review

    $417.00
    Read full 16-part review
    Types
    Any Zoom
    3,5.1
    3.1x to 5x Zoom
    5.1,10
    5.1x to 9.9x Zoom
    10,
    10x & Larger Zoom
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,
    > 10 Megapixels

Features

Jump to a part

Shop for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2

Advertisement
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2
First Impressions Review
0 Comments
(add your own)

Previous: Page 1

Physical Tour

Previous: Page 3

Design / Layout