Panasonic LX-7 hands on review by Hosea


ed9119

Moderator
Staff member
Mar 11, 2002
11,014
48
48
61
Singapore
www.walkeast.com
I just picked up the camera this afternoon and Hosea (Stan) has kindly agreed to do a hands-on review feedback on the brand new LX7 camera.

specpage.jpg



Hosea is an ideal candidate to be reviewing the LX7 , being already a very heavy user of the LX5 for the last couple of years


I'll help Hosea along with a short descriptive of the LX7

Panasonic LX7 main features

•A fast F1.4 - F2.3, 24-90mm equivalent lens

•There is a built-in 3 stop neutral density filter

•1/1.7" 10.1 MP multi-aspect ratio 'High Sensitivity MOS' sensor (slightly bit smaller sensor than the LX5 [1/1.63"])

• Expanded ISO range from iso80 through iso12800

•Adjustable ring around lens barrel for aperture control together with a ND/manual focus control dial at the back

•Fast 11 fps continuous shooting (5 fps with AF tracking) (!!!!)

•920,000 dot 3" screen with Anti-Reflective coating

•Full HD 60p/50p video with built-in stereo mikes

•There is a port for the evf (DMW-LVF2)
 

Last edited:
Thanks Eddy for this opportunity and I am really anxious to test the power of LX7 as I truly like my LX5.

Here are some photos and slide show of photos taken by LX5

A Slide show taken with LX5
http://www.stanleykay.com/p770590765/slideshow

LX5 performs well in color during the golden hours

Sunrise at Cebu
p958436158-4.jpg


p940435424-4.jpg




Morning is Breaking at Cebu
p555334133-4.jpg





A photo taken with High ISO without tripod
p374188111-4.jpg
 

Last edited:
I am very impress with the B&W quality when using LX5 ( B&W Dynamic) under Film mode in LX5

Monochrome for LX7
Monochrome for LX7 is now available under photo style with various selection for Contrast, Saturation and tint instead of the Standard, Smooth and Dynamic B&W selection on LX5. This allow flexibility to create your own Monochrome images preference

Alternatively, you can also find Dynamic Monochrome under Creative Control in LX7.

Here are some from LX5 before I try Monochrome on LX7

Rush- Vietnam HCM
p1044319855-4.jpg



Round boat - Vietnam
p548676617-4.jpg



Curiosity - Cebu
p979068358-4.jpg
 

Last edited:
DMC-LX7 NEW FEATURES

APERTURE RING
This is a very good improvement especially for Aperture priority user. No need to use the rear Dial anymore which is not as user-friendly as the push and rotate rear dial

APERTURE F1.4 - A great new feature for a good portraits shot with shallow D.O.F

Mic- you can see the mic at the top panel of the camera next to the horse-shoe in LX7

DMC -LX7 ( Photo taken with LX5 )
p1015544223-4.jpg
 

Last edited:
Testing at F1.4 with macro AF on my cup of Lime juice.
F1.4 , 1/25sec at ISO 200, Focus length :24mm
Beautiful shallow D.O.F. and color is natural.
Lime Juice
p981915311-4.jpg
 

Last edited:
Testing at F1.4 with macro AF on my cup of Lime juice.
F1.4 , 1/25sec at ISO 200, Focus length :24mm
Beautiful shallow D.O.F. and color is natural.
Lime Juice
p981915311-4.jpg

Just wondering in low light situation, have u tried pushing the ISO real high and check on the noise level on this cam? Also on the focusing speed in both good and bad light?
 

Hosea said:
Good query, I will be sharing on this soon.

Looking forward to yr feedbacks. Thanks.
 

Hand-held snapping at the Garden by the Bay
I enjoy snapping without carrying tripod;it allows lot of composition versatility.
Pictures could speak louder than words.
I hope to share more photos in this review instead of the usual long review writes up.
Kindly do not use these photos without the photographer's permission.



Sharing some shots I took 2 days ago at the Garden by the Bay (Singapore) at dusk to test mainly on LX7 fast lens (at F1.4) and usage of high ISO (ranging from 800-2000) under low-lighting condition.



Sunset@ Garden by the Bay
F2.8, 1/100, ISO 400, SHADE, SPOT METER, APERTURE PRIORITY, 55MM FOCAL LENGTH OF LENS
Aspect ratio 1:1
Capturing the Sunset with zooming. ISO 400 is sufficient during this hour.

p417819487-4.jpg
 

Last edited:
F2.3, 1/80, ISO 1000, SHADE, SPOT METER, APERTURE PRIORITY, 90MM FOCAL LENGTH OF LENS
Aspect ratio 16:9

Raising up the ISO and using F1.4 ( zoom at 90mm is F2.3 ). You can start observing some grain; it is acceptable to me.

Super Tree - Garden by the Bay

p373146378-4.jpg
 


Photo quality using ISO800 vs ISO1250
The grain is obvious but it depends on individual on acceptance. ISO800 is enough in this situation.
Selecting a normal rather than a vivid 'photo style' could reduce the color grains.

Dusk at Garden by the Bay 1
F1.4, 1/40, ISO 800, SHADE,
Multi-Metering, APERTURE PRIORITY, 29MM FOCAL LENGTH OF LENS
Aspect ratio 1:1
p240910970-4.jpg


Dusk at Garden by the Bay 2
F1.4, 1/50, ISO 1250, SHADE, Multi-Metering, APERTURE PRIORITY, 29MM FOCAL LENGTH OF LENS
Aspect ratio 1:1
p338765566-4.jpg
 

Last edited:
Mono-chrome looks good with high ISO at 1600 ; it has a film grain appearance.
LX7 is would be a great choice those Candid & Street photography.

F2.3, 1/25, ISO 1600, SHADE, Multi-Metering APERTURE PRIORITY, 108 MM FOCAL LENGTH OF LENS

Aspect ratio 1:1

Super Tree - Singapore Monochrome
p464085684-4.jpg
 

Last edited:

Trying on higher ISO 2500
The result is not that bad due to the background of this photo.
Using an IS0 800-1000 should be enough at such condition; this is mainly to test to its limit.
Btw, the grainy result when using ISO 6400 is no good in my opinion. Anyway, we hardly would need to use such a high ISO.

F2.1, 1/25, ISO 2500, SHADE, Multi-Metering APERTURE PRIORITY, 82 MM FOCAL LENGTH OF LENS

Aspect ratio 1:1

p885352582-4.jpg
 

Any chance you could post blow ups? :) Very nice pictures!
 

Guess most mirror less compact have issues wif high ISO but most perform very well in good lights with wide apertures...
 

Thoth said:
Guess most mirror less compact have issues wif high ISO but most perform very well in good lights with wide apertures...

Btw, focus in low light is not a problem with the aid of the AF assist LED
 

rain5533 said:
Look great the photos in low ISO with big aperture.

ISO performs best at 800 for color and 800-1600 for Monochrome in low light.
 

Last edited:
Great insights and fantastic images you captured at Garden by the Bay.:thumbsup::thumbsup: