Here are a few images that accurately reflect the abilities
of any given camera model. The images are altered only in
terms of size and sharpness after reduction and by the JPEG
compression used. Unless otherwise mentioned, assume that
any marbling or artifacts visible in the images are due to
the compression required to display them here. We feel however,
that they still faithfully represent the results we experienced.
STILL LIFE PHOTO
This subject is photographed in a room that has
a mix of fluorescent and incandescent light, but which is not
brightly lit. The camera's flash is used to add fill light.
The backdrop is 1.95 m (6.5 ft) from the camera.
This image, as well as the telephoto shot shown further below,
were captured using the RAW format and a 4:3 image aspect ratio.
The images were then converted using Photoshop CS2 and saved
as TIFF, as the software supplied with the camera only converts
images — automatically — to JPEG format and does
not even offer a choice of compression.
Photo
Information
Format:
RAW
Aperture:
f2.8
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/30 sec
Res.:
2880 x 2160
Flash:
On
Quality:
—
ISO:
80
File Size:
RAW: 16.1 MB
TIFF: 17.8 MB
Focal Length:
37.5 mm (35 mm Eq.)
The flash provides very even light
on the subject — even with a 16:9 aspect ratio —
at 80 ISO. But, although the lowest sensitivity setting is used,
a bit of noise can be seen in the image.
ZOOM PHOTO
Now we zoom in on a specific area. The intent
is to test the sharpness of the image at the zoom's maximum
setting. The camera remains at the same distance as with the
preceding photo.
With a 4:3 aspect ratio, the maximum telephoto setting of
the zoom becomes the approximate equivalent to a 150 mm focal
length in the 35 mm format. And, with a tighter field of view
the Auto White Balance is less influenced by the mixed lighting
environment and yields better more accurate colours than with
the wide angle shot.
And as with the wide angle shot above, a bit of noise can
be detected as "grain" in the image.
Photo
Information
Format:
RAW
Aperture:
f4.9
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/30 sec
Res.:
2880 x 2160
Flash:
On
Quality:
—
ISO:
80
File Size:
RAW: 16.1 MB
TIFF: 17.8 MB
Focal Length:
150 mm (35 mm Eq.)
The camera captures quite a bit
of detail, but, seen at 100% scale on a monitor, the image is
not quite as defined as what would have expected from a 6 megapixel
resolution.
Pushing the switch on the left side of the lens barrel to
the Macro position, the LX1 can focus on a subject
positioned 5 cm (1.95 in.) from the front element of the lens
when it is set to the widest angle, while at the telephoto
end, the camera is able to focus on a subject 30 cm (1
ft) away.
The width of the field of view
captured by the camera when the zoom is set to the wide angle
end — as measured in a horizontal frame — depends
on the aspect ratio in use:
a 16:9 aspect ratio captures a field of view of 11.5
cm (4.6 in.)
a 3:2 aspect ratio captures a field of view of 8.7 cm
(3.48 in.)
a 4:3 aspect ratio captures a field of view of 6.2 cm
(2.48 in.)
BUILDING PHOTO
This image is our outdoor test. The architecture
of the building, in particular the angled girders, immediately
show the presence of jaggies. The shadowed entrance can also
often reveal the quality of the exposure.
The building shot is captured using the 16:9 aspect ratio,
making it possible to have the full benefit of the 28 mm focal
length equivalent of the lens.
At this focal length, the camera is able to capture large
sections of the building's wings.
Photo
Information
Format:
TIFF
Aperture:
f4.5
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/400 sec
Resolution:
3840 x 2160
Flash:
Off
Quality:
No compression
ISO:
80
File Size:
23.7 MB
Focal Length:
28 mm (35 mm Eq.)
The LX1's metering yields a well-balanced
exposure that contains no overexposure and which captures detail
in the shadow areas. Similarly, no chromatic aberration can
be detected along the edges of high contrast areas, and barrel
distortion is undetectable.
ZOOM PHOTO
Zooming in on the entrance of the building, the
shadowed entrance takes on a greater importance for the metering
and can cause an overexposure of sections that are directly
lit.
Zoomed in, the 16:9 aspect ratio captures the equivalent
of a 112 mm focal length in the 35 mm format. This short telephoto
still captures a significant portion of the parts of the building
that are directly lit in addition to darker entrance.
Still the Multi metering, — the default metering
pattern — yields a good exposure.
Photo
Information
Format:
TIFF
Aperture:
f4.9
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/250 sec
Resolution:
3840 x 2160
Flash:
Off
Quality:
No Compression
ISO:
80
File Size:
23.7 MB
Focal Length:
112 mm (35 mm Eq.)
The paving stones in the foreground and the facade of the
building which are directly lit show no sign of overexposure.
And the entrance area, including the areas behind the tinted
glass doors, show good detail.
As with the wide angle shot presented above, the image reveals
no distortion nor any chromatic aberration. However, a bit
of noise — which looks like film grain — can be
seen in the darker areas.
NIGHT PHOTO
This camera is capable of long exposures, and
an image captured late at night is presented to give an idea
of its capabilities.
Panasonic has given the DMC-LX1
a broad shutter speed range that extends to 60 seconds, more
than sufficient to capture just about any night time scene.
Although the Starry Sky Scene mode is able to capture
a 60 second exposure, it offers no control over the white
balance or the sensitivity. The Manual mode on the other hand
provides control over both, making it easier to obtain more
precise results.
With a sensitivity setting of 80
ISO, and an exposure time of 20 seconds at f8, the camera
records an image that is considerably brighter than what can
be seen with the naked eye.
The image is captured with the white balance set to incandescent
to take into account the artificial lighting present in the
scene. Still, a yellow cast remains visible in some sections
of the image, caused by the sodium vapour lighting.
The LX1 is equipped with a dark-frame noise
reduction system, which has the effect of doubling the time
required to capture an exposure. The system works by capturing
a second exposure of the same duration as the original, but
without opening the shutter. This allows the second exposure
to record the ambient electronic noise, and that information
is then used by the camera's processor to minimize the noise
in the original image. While this process has a tendency to
lower the overall sharpness of the image, the resulting image
— as can be seen below — retains a high level
of detail.
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Test Photos
