Review posted for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1
By
Mike Pasini, The Imaging Resource
(Thursday, April 27, 2006 - 21:22 EDT)
The Panasonic LX1 is a pretty unique digital camera.
It packs a 4x zoom lens into a surprisingly compact body and mates it to a 16:9 sensor with options for 4:3 or 3:2 aspect ratios, too. Panasonic throws in their excellent Mega OIS Optical Image Stabilization technology for good measure. Image stabilization is becoming more of a factor in the market these days, and with good reason, as it really makes long-ratio zoom lenses a lot more useful than they would be otherwise.
Along with the 16:9 sensor and optical image stabilization, the Panasonic LX1 also offers 8 megapixel resolution, very bright color without oversaturating skin tones, good macro focusing, and very good battery life. Not to mention optional full manual control, programmed auto, and both aperture and shutter priority modes in addition to a simple auto mode and plenty of Scene modes.
The downsides are that its images get a bit soft in the corners at the telephoto end of its range, shots captured at ISO 400 are quite noisy, and its flash is somewhat underpowered. None of these are by any means fatal flaws though.
The Panasonic LX1 is an excellent little camera, and clearly one of the best bargains on the market in light of its resolution, color, and rich feature set. Its wide angle lens and 16:9 aspect ratio will make it an excellent landscape and vacation camera, making your photos feel like stills from a movie.
Hikers should take note. With a Leica lens and a solid build, it is a strong value, and a "Dave's Pick" to be sure. There's really nothing else quite like it.
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