Panasonic has surprised many with their new high end compact DMC-LX7

[Quadophile]

Panasonic today (July 18th) announced the release of much awaited DMC-LX7 high end compact camera, successor to the highly praised predecessor LX5.

How it differs or improves upon the LX5 that it replaced?

• a MOS sensor instead of the CCD
• very fast f1.4-f2.3 Leica DC Vario-Summilux 3.8x 24-90mm optical zoom lens
• 5fps instead of 2.5fps continuous shooting speed with autofocus (11fps with manual focus)
• 920k dot instead of 461k LCD
• An aperture ring around the lens
• Internal ND filter
• Full HD movie recording
• Stereo mics instead of mono
• HDR mode
• 3D Photo mode
• Panorama mode
• Time Lapse photography capability
• Nano surface coating
• Also new is the Panasonic Lumix LX7's level gauge, which helps you get level horizons and prevent converging verticals.

LX7 vs LX5 side by side

I am personally very impressed with what Panasonic came out with, it is a worthy successor to the LX5, in fact it is a perfect upgrade. This camera is still in the classic category as to what it offers and its picture taking capability at the price point. I would be buying it for myself in near future.

What are the pundits saying about this new release by Panasonic

Panasonic DMC-LX7 at DP Review


Panasonic DMC-LX7 at Imaging Resource

 

[floppybootstomp]

Looks good. Not released yet. MRRP: £449.00 which is on a par with my Canon G9.

Considering this as a replacement tbh, I should get a few pennies for the G9.

 

[Quadophile]

Considering this as a replacement tbh, I should get a few pennies for the G9.

Yes it is an excellent camera and Panasonic did well in upgrading it from LX5 and still managing to keep it in the same price bracket.

 

[floppybootstomp]

I notice it has a Leica lens. I owned a Leica camera briefly, either 1970 or 1971. It was a small static silver camera, can't remember the model number, used 35mm film and took superb pictures. As I recall the settings were very limited.

I was working on a newspaper at the time and had gone to interview a very old lady who owned a shipping company and lived at a place named Belmont Hill, Lewisham. She had a large rambling detached house which was full of nautical paraphenalia, boats in glass cases, lifeboats and lots of brass stuff.

She noticed the camera I had and asked me if I'd like to buy the Leica, she told me it had been with her (now deceased) husband during WW2 and was of no use to her. She let me have it for about £2.00 (wages were about £20.00 a week then).

Although it was a good camera, SLR's were very much in vogue at the time so I sold it - at some considerable profit - and used the money to help upgrade from a Pentax SLR (possibly a Spotmatic) to a Nikon F SLR.

But I always remembered the quality of that Leica lens.

 

[Quadophile]

Anyone who has used a Leica lens knows that it is a quality lens and they have been famous for portraiture. The skin tones rendered by a Leica lens was to die for, of course it was great lens for other purposes too. It was never a budget offering since those who demanded quality were very much willing to pay for it.

I really liked the image quality from the LX5 and therefore it would be a very easy pick for me too. Besides it offers all the good features that I want to have in a camera based on my personal style of photography.

 

[Quadophile]

Here is a complete (almost) list of new features on the LX-7 that sets it apart from its predecessor LX-5

• Time Lapse recording
• Aperture Ring
• Internal ND Filter
• Level Gauge
• Radial Defocus
• Light Speed AF
• 11 fps at full resolution
• Focus Lever
• Multi-Process Noise Reduction
• Intelligent Noise Reduction
• Intelligent HDR
• Panorama shooting mode
• Creative Modes (selective retouching)
• Full HD video recording
• MP4 video recording
• Stereo microphones
• High Speed videos in MP4 format
• New grip design
• Intelligent IA+ mode

 

[bootneck02]

Great stuff Quad, enjoy your new toy, I look forward to your photo's

 

[V_R]

Great stuff Quad, enjoy your new toy, I look forward to your photo's

Welcome to last year...

 

[floppybootstomp]

Aye, and the LX7 can now be had for £329.00 in the UK, which is a bit of a bargain, though it's likely to be superceeded soon, such is the nature of the photographic market.

 

[Quadophile]

Aye, and the LX7 can now be had for £329.00 in the UK, which is a bit of a bargain, though it's likely to be superceeded soon, such is the nature of the photographic market.

I paid $328 for the camera itself, the UK price of £329 in comparison is way too much for me

 

[floppybootstomp]

I paid $328 for the camera itself, the UK price of £329 in comparison is way too much for me

Yes, prices in the US are way cheaper than those in the UK, American citizens don't realise how lucky they are.

I have found that, in general, prices translate as identical sums, that is $100 = £100 for the same product in each location. Therefore currency conversion is pretty much a waste of time. The LX7 originally went on sale in the UK for £429 which is why I referred to its' current price as a bargain.

If only we could forego the import duty/VAT in the UK it would be beneficial for us to purchase goods from the USA.