ScottUSA
New member
Pros: Excellent construction, Very easy to use, 16:9 Widescreen CCD sensor and 2.8" LCD, 28mm wide high quality lens, Image stabilization, Many white balance adjustment options, Nice quality video at the widescreen 848 X 480 30fps resolution option, Many features which can usually only be found on larger cameras (Manual focus, aperture, shutter speed, etc.), Aspect ratio switch, Metal body and tripod screw hole.
Cons: Image noise, No ISO setting available below 100, Weak flash, No option for external flash, Short battery life, 720 video is useless at 15fps, No zoom available during video, small front finger grip, lens barrow makes camera fairly thick, no wireless options, can not get RAW images to open properly in Photoshop CS2 even when using the newest(3.6) RAW plug-in, Wish lens could do 28mm wide images in the 3:2 aspect ratio(28mm only available in the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio)
I read many great things about the previous version of this camera(LMC-LX1), but the biggest complaint by most reviewers was the high level of image noise. In the Panasonic news release for the LX2 camera, they stated that Panasonic's new Venus Engine III was supposed to solve most of the noise problem found in the LX2's predecessor. But I find that there is still a bit of noise present in dark areas of images even at the 100 ISO setting. For that reason, I wish they offered a 50 or 80 ISO setting on this camera. I consider the 400 and higher ISO settings to be unusable for any cropped photos or for any prints bigger than 4X6.
Since the lens barrow on this camera sticks out quite a bit, I wish Panasonic would have just made the side finger grip larger which could have also make more room inside the camera for a bigger battery.
I find the flash to be very weak on the LX2, so it surprises me that Panasonic does not offer an optional external flash on this camera, or at least a wireless signal that could be used to control a handheld slave flash.
If you are expecting high quality video at the 720 resolution in the LX2... forget it. Any image benefits offered by 1280 X 720 resolution is offset by the unwatchable limit of 15fps. Choose the video resolution option of 848 X 480 at 30fps for best results.
Although I do point out many of the flaws with the DMC-LX2, it is still probably the best camera you can buy in a compact size at this price range.
Cons: Image noise, No ISO setting available below 100, Weak flash, No option for external flash, Short battery life, 720 video is useless at 15fps, No zoom available during video, small front finger grip, lens barrow makes camera fairly thick, no wireless options, can not get RAW images to open properly in Photoshop CS2 even when using the newest(3.6) RAW plug-in, Wish lens could do 28mm wide images in the 3:2 aspect ratio(28mm only available in the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio)
I read many great things about the previous version of this camera(LMC-LX1), but the biggest complaint by most reviewers was the high level of image noise. In the Panasonic news release for the LX2 camera, they stated that Panasonic's new Venus Engine III was supposed to solve most of the noise problem found in the LX2's predecessor. But I find that there is still a bit of noise present in dark areas of images even at the 100 ISO setting. For that reason, I wish they offered a 50 or 80 ISO setting on this camera. I consider the 400 and higher ISO settings to be unusable for any cropped photos or for any prints bigger than 4X6.
Since the lens barrow on this camera sticks out quite a bit, I wish Panasonic would have just made the side finger grip larger which could have also make more room inside the camera for a bigger battery.
I find the flash to be very weak on the LX2, so it surprises me that Panasonic does not offer an optional external flash on this camera, or at least a wireless signal that could be used to control a handheld slave flash.
If you are expecting high quality video at the 720 resolution in the LX2... forget it. Any image benefits offered by 1280 X 720 resolution is offset by the unwatchable limit of 15fps. Choose the video resolution option of 848 X 480 at 30fps for best results.
Although I do point out many of the flaws with the DMC-LX2, it is still probably the best camera you can buy in a compact size at this price range.