easy to use
manual controls
HD video mode
Sync flash
stylish

Is there really no USB???

I'd rather not have a pop-up flash

some controls are made by using either the joystick or round button pad, for the same thing. other controls mandate that you use specifically use the joystick, or the pad. this is confusing and inconsistant.

A great stylish camera for an amateur photographer or snap-happy blogger.

This is my first digital point-and-shoot camera and it rocks.

I bought this camera after reading the pro review here, and after having great experiences with other Panasonic gear. I am a documentary filmmaker/photographer professionally.

I use it for photos of friends and roommates, but I plan to take it with me during location scouting. Since it can shoot a 16:9 image and has a wide angle of view, it's perfect to see if shots will work when I return with the movie camera.

A couple features I really needed in a camera were:

Manual controls
Good video/ motion picture mode
Slow shutter w/ flash

I'm stoked on the SlowSync/ Red eye feature in the Aperature Priority mode. This is a great "slow shutter w/ flash mode". Indoors, it snags a sharp subject while brightening and smearing the background.

The video mode is great. It's not MPEG-2, so I can edit it. It makes Motion JPEG Quicktimes. And, the high def 1280 x 720 res video rocks. Perfect.

The full manual controls are good. Focus is made using a small joystick, which works surprisingly well for close-ups and macro work. (Ask to see my 100 soft-focus shots of my bicycle.)

The pro reviewer, John, knocked it down a little for it's low light action abilities. It was just fine for me though. I'm probably not as demanding :)

great manufacturing quality too.

Similar Products Used:

canon powershot
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samsung with the fun slider buttons

1. The 16:9 display.
2. The control layout with reservations about the joystick.
3. The mega O.I.S image stabilisation. My dslr (a Konica Minolta 5D) has built in image stabilisation, so it's a feature that I am used to. The stabilisation in the LX2 definitely works, though not as well as the stabilisation in the KM5D.
4. The lens quality, resolution is very good indeed, outperforming budget dslr lenses in some cases.
5. It's small.
6. The on-lens aspect ratio and AF mode switches are very accessable.
7. RAW mode, see the weaknesses section for more info.
8. The colours produced by the camera are very nice, more so in RAW mode and the auto white balance works well.

Noise produced by the sensor is no worse than the Canon A620, if slightly different in nature. It is often commented on because the camera goes to iso800 &1600 where the A620 stops at iso400.

The single biggest weakness is the in camera jpeg processing. At iso 100, for the most part you need to view the images at 100% to see it's effects, but from iso200 up, the effects are more noticeable. Jpegs from the camera especially at higher iso exhibit artifacts and an effect that makes images look like a watercolour painting. I must emphasise that these effects will not be apparent in 6x4 or 7x5 prints until the iso value is 800+.

The saving grace of the camera is that it will output images as RAW files allowing them to be processed to jpeg files by software more competent than that which is in the camera. Iso100 raw files produce great artifact free images and iso200 and 400 images also retain a lot of detail with better processing. I have tried a number of different raw processors with the LX2 RAW files and the best is the supplied SilkyPix V2SE or SilkyPix V3Free (though you lose a lot of adjustability and batch mode with this version), next I would rate Adobe Lightroom (and presumably Photoshop/Elements via ACR) and last of the processors tried, is Bibble which is a shame as I prefer it's layout and I use it for my DSLR RAW files.

I purchased the LX2 as a replacement for my Canon A620 and as a backup for my DSLR. I shoot a lot of landscape and the standout feature of this camera is the 16:9 format sensor.

The camera is small, it won't fit in a shirt pocket but fits into a jacket pocket quite happily. Side by side, it is noticeably smaller than the A620. The layout of the controls is generally good, but unlike the reviewer, I don't find the joystick as useful. It is too close to the screen and a lot of it's functions are replicated by the four way button array. The full range of PASM controls is also a feature that drew me to the camera, I don't buy cameras with auto only modes as they are too limiting.

I am very happy with the camera so far and would recommend it with reservations. As the reviewer says, it's not for action work or even low light work at parties. Other cameras will fill those roles better but if a tripod is used and the camera is set at iso100, night photography is very rewarding. I haven't used the movie mode, so I can't really comment on it.

The camera is also superb for black and white photography, iso400 images processed from RAW files have a grainy film like look to them.

Similar Products Used:

Canon A620
Pentax Optio 750z
Minolta F100