Panasonic DMC-LX1

Reviewed March 2006

Image Quality

Equipped with a CCD that has an aspect ratio of 16:9 — a first — the Lumix DMC-LX1 is clearly designed to take advantage of the gradual changeover from display devices that have a 4:3 aspect ratio, to those that are more cinema-like such as wide screen monitors and HDTVs.

Nevertheless, the LX1 retains backwards compatibility with the 4:3 aspect ratio, simply cropping the sides of the image, instead of the top and bottom, as previous cameras that offered a 16:9 format have done.

Moreover, the LX1 also offers a 3:2 format, perfect for standard photo paper sizes, allowing for high resolution images that fit precisely onto commercial prints up 5 x 7 inches.

Indeed, the LX1 is unique in terms of the flexibility it offers. No other camera currently offers a choice of 3 aspect ratios, each with a variety of image resolutions and formats, giving the user the possibility of tailoring their images to their intended final use.

More importantly, to the photographer, the fact that the CCD has a native aspect ratio of 16:9 means new possibilities when it comes to framing and composing images.

The wide image area makes it possible to capture images that have a panoramic feel, and which can be as breathtaking; and even vertical shots take on a new dimension.

The wide field of view of the CCD is enhanced by a 4X zoom that is free of distortion, or chromatic aberration, and which is stabilized. The stabilizer makes it possible to capture sharp images at relatively low shutter speeds, or when the zoom is at the maximum telephoto when its largest aperture is only f4.9.

The different aspect ratios of which the camera is capable, however, mean that the field of view captured by the lens varies along with the aspect ratio. Set to 16:9, the lens offers a focal range equivalent to a 28 to 112 mm. Switching to the 3:2 ratio, that range becomes approximately equivalent to 33 to 132 mm, while when set to 4:3, the range changes to 37.5 to 150 mm approximately. Therefore, as can be seen, only when the full area of the CCD is used and the camera is set to a 16:9 aspect ratio does the wide angle correspond to a 28mm.

The LX1's primary metering mode, called Multi, is a type of averaging that measures the light at various points in the frame and combines these readings into a single overall set of shooting parameters that will produce a good overall exposure. Indeed, the metering is accurate and regularly yields good exposures, albeit with a slight tendency to give preference to lowlights over highlights.

Likewise, the default colour saturation settings produce accurate colours which are not overly vibrant, an indication that the Auto white balance setting is reliable under most circumstances.

Noise however can be detected at all ISO levels, although it is only at the 400 ISO level that is is unavoidable. Still, even at 80 ISO, the camera's lowest sensitivity level, noise can be seen in shadow areas, and can become more pronounced when the image is captured under poor light, or with its little flash.

The DMC-LX1 provides three image file formats: JPEG, TIFF, and RAW, a flexibility that is rare with most compact cameras, but which is valuable. Each of these formats offers benefits and drawbacks.

With JPEG the benefit is that the images are stored quickly, and take up comparatively little memory space. The drawback is that as JPEG is a lossy format, to reduce the image file size a large portion of the colour information captured by the CCD is permanently discarded. For the LX1, the best JPEG image quality is available when the Fine image quality is used, but even at this level the compression can be sometimes a bit coarse— in the range of 6:1 to 7:1 — and when some photos are examined at 100%, a few artefacts can be seen.

With TIFF, the benefits are that the format is non-lossy, it takes advantage of the full colour information captured by the CCD and processed by the camera, and it is instantly useable, even by a professional printing process. The drawbacks are all image file size related, using up more memory and time to store it there. Regrettably, in the case of the LX1, TIFF format images are nearly indistinguishable from those captured with the Fine JPEG format, lessening its value.

With RAW the output of the CCD, without any processing by the camera, is saved in a file that is more compact than TIFF — therefore saved to the memory faster — that also includes the camera settings, which allows for later processing and/or tweaking. The drawback is that the format is proprietary, incompatible with most image editing software, and that it requires conversion to be useable.

The DMC-LX1 is a "first", and by definition breaks new ground. Its use of a cinema-like aspect ratio makes it a very attractive camera to anyone who enjoys composing an image. Moreover, it is a responsive and well-crafted camera that not only offers new creative opportunities, but also is able to yield very good images. Overall, only its price point may prove to be a barrier.