Panasonic DMC-LX7 preview

[Ray Sachs]

this
should really please Ray!

It does/would. But I'm seeing more early reports that, even using raw, there's a 2-2.5 stop difference in sensor performance between this and the RX100. That 800 is very useable and 1000-1250 is OK, but by 1600 noise is a real issue and there seems to be noise suppression in the raw files from 1600 up that really limit what you can do with it in that range. For some of my shooting, the faster lens would be enough to compensate, but so much of the time I'm looking to maintain both reasonably fast shutter speeds and reasonably DEEP depth of field (shallow DOF with compact cameras is an absolute non-issue for me, except when shooting macros, which I almost never do), so the fast lens doesn't help nearly as much as better high ISO handling. And the RX100 is frighteningly good even at 3200 and sort of useable at 6400, which is incredibly useful and amazing to me. I know I'd absolutely love shooting with the LX7 and the handling would beat the LX5 which already beat the pants off the RX100 (in my hands anyway). So I'm bummed to reach this conclusion, but I'm reluctantly making my peace with shooting the RX100 until sometime in the next year or two when Panasonic, Fuji, Ricoh, etc start using this larger sensor in cameras I'll very probably like a whole lot more than the RX100....

The best write up I've seen so far is this one, if anyone's interested:

There is no miracle with LX7: Panasonic Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

-Ray

 

[Yeats]

Shame that NR is being applied to high-ISO RAW, according to the user report in your link. That wouldn't really affect me, as I don't go over ISO 800.

Looks like the DR may be improved, which would be welcome.