Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 Digital Camera Review

The DigitalCameraInfo.com website has posted their review of the Panasonic LX-1, an 8.4 Megapixel 4x optical zoom (equivalent to 28mm to 112mm on a 35mm film camera) full manual compact camera. This creative compact incorporates a 8.4 Megapixel CCD and a high resolution 2.5-inch LCD in its undersized body. The aspect ratio is easily selectable between 16:9 wide, 3:2 and conventional 4:3 with a switch located on the lens barrel to snap in the framing aspect that best suits the subjects’ composition or image’s purpose of use. The lens unit is comprised of 4x optical zoom Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT Lens and renders superb picture quality.

“With 8.4 megapixels, a 2.5-inch LCD screen, and a Leica 4x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 has a lot to offer consumers. That is, consumers with lots of money to offer Panasonic. The LX1 retails for $599, which is a substantial amount of money for a compact digital camera. The camera body itself isn’t especially gorgeous; it is more functional than sleek. The camera body has some good aspects to it: sturdy construction, a large LCD that can be viewed at just about any angle, and the compact dimensions; however, if consumers are expected to drop $599 on a point-and-snap camera, noise should not be an issue.

The big distinguishing mark of the LX1 is, of course, the native 16:9 aspect ratio; the Panasonic Lumix LX1 is marketed as the first consumer digital camera with a 16:9 mode optimized for widescreen televisions. This does make the LX1 unique, though admittedly users can resize pictures to that format anyway – but not without a loss of quality. This is where the LX1 would shine, except it is not anything special in terms of image quality. In fact, this is one of its weaker points. It comes back to noise; like many other Lumix models before it, the LX1, with shutter speeds of up to 60 seconds cannot be used in anything other than bright daylight if optimal image quality is to be preserved. Users who do not mind chroma noise (colored grain and speckles) throughout the image will not object to the LX1, however, if clarity is an issue (as one might expect for users looking for a camera compatible with their HD television), the LX1 is surely not the answer. “