Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic DMC-LX2EBK Digital Camera [10.2MP, 4 x Optical, 2.8" LCD, Mega OIS] Black

I recently purchased this camera from Amazon and have been delighted with it. I have been into photography for many years, owning a number of Nikon SLR's (I still have 2). However, now that I have young children, I didn't want to be lugging large camera bags around with us on our holidays, so decided it was time to get a digital camera that would still give me the high quality pictures, the flexibility & creativity that I normally expect. After looking at many cameras I chose the Panasonic DMC-LX2EBK. It is amazingly simple to use, creates great quality pictures in both wide angle or 35mm formats. It has Aperture & Speed priority settings, fully auto or fully manual capabilities. AE lock and a crisp, clear wide angle screen. The menu's are intuitivley easy to navigate. But best of all is the high megapixel picture sharpness & superb colour saturation on the pictures, all in a camera that will fit in your jeans pocket. This is a fantastic camera for both the semi-pro or amateur.

Great Camera
Flexible enough for an SLR user to enjoy some creative licence over image control, yet simple enough for anyone to pick up and use as a point and shoot. I particularly like the separate flash control so that even when the camera is screaming for flash you can ignore it. The fact that the camera records in RAW format was one of the deciding factors. The other was the Leica lens.

I'm so glad that I read between the lines of the more negative reviews and finally bought this camera. It's beautifully built, has an easy-to-use menu system, handy joystick feature, and is just big and heavy enough to feel solid in your hands.

With its genuine 16:9 widescreen images and display, and Leica optics, the LX2 is said to offer unrivalled possibilities for landscape point-and-shoot photography. (I've taken some good point-and-shoot images in the scene modes I've tried, but better ones at ISO 100 in semi-auto Program Mode.)

But it's also supposed to have a bad noise problem, and its Venus III engine a reputation for aggressive noise reduction. It wasn't a cheap camera, so am I pleased or disappointed with my purchase? Though not an experienced photographer, I offer my own impressions for what they're worth.

As regards noise, if I needed to blow images up and zoom/crop on the PC this would be an issue. But shooting at ISO 100 (or 200) in good light, for my usual postcard size images, it isn't a problem. It's certainly a pity that the camera's inbuilt noise reduction can't be switched off completely. (Only two settings are offered: High and Low. I keep my LX2 on Low all the time, but users vary as to whether it's best to keep the Saturation, Contrast and Sharpness settings low as well. This omission is the only thing which, in my view, prevents it from being a five-star camera.)

However, for those who want an alternative to in-camera JPEG output the LX2 produces RAW files. This `advanced' feature certainly gave me pause, as I didn't relish spending £250 and have to waste hours at the PC getting decent photos. (To be honest, most of my in-camera JPEGs come out well enough at ISO 100 that I can't tell much, if any, difference.) In fact, the Silkypix software supplied on the CD actually gives very good results out of the box. Just drop the Raw file in the software's window, and enjoy the default settings!

In my Amazon review of the Casio EX Z1050 I had two niggling reservations with that model: the lack of optical image stabilization, and the low-res LCD. Well, the LX2 solves both these problems with panache: the O.I.S. works a treat, and the 2.8-inch LCD is glorious. The LX2's not great in low light (I've now got a Fuji FinePix F30 refurb for that); but the 16:9 wide screen is awesome, and anyone wanting to shoot widescreen landscapes should check it out. I'm glad I did, and wouldn't want to be without it.

Just got these from Amazon following get very fed up with toting around much larger less easy to carry models such as the Sony DSC H9.

Very happy so far - I find it very easy to use, OK some of the feature are buried in menus but a quick read of the manual is all that is required.

I particularly wanted a compact with full manual control and this camera offers this - this is a feature getting quite hard to find in small compacts which all seem to be moving to auto and pre-set scene operation. The LX2 does pre set scenes and full auto too, it's just that when you want to stretch yourself a bit on the technical side this camera allows you to do this to.

It is very well made - feels solid in the hand (metal body helps here) - hopefully should last a while and take the odd knock.

The aspect ratio setting is very useful as is the pop up flash which hides in the camera body until you actually summon it - the adjustable intensity of the flash is useful too.

Optical zoom at 4x is about as good as it gets in a camera of this size - OK, further digital zoom on tap if required though (obviously affects picture quality).

For those of you who need the RAW format that is here too.

The LCD display cleverly can be switched to high angle setting meaning you can hold the camera high above your head and shoot over a crowd - this more than makes up for the absence of a tilting screen which is what I bought my SONY DSC H-9 for (since been sold on a well known internet auction site).

Be aware Amazon sell a Uniross battery for this at well below the price of a genuine one, the quality is just fine - I bought one for my LX2 and have had no problems with it. Panasonic warn you in the user manual to use only genuine Panasonic battery's - well they would wouldn't they, Uniross are a well respected manufacturer and their battery came with a 2 year warranty.

2 possible negs:-

1 - The protruding lens when switched off has made it surprisingly difficult to find a really well fitting case. I spent a whole afternoon yesterday trying to find something suitable, ended up with one from Boots, which is OK but bulkier than I really wanted. It will do 'till I find something better. Just commenting on this as size and bulk were something I wanted to reduce drastically.

2 - No optical viewfinder. I increasingly find that I use the LCD to view and frame shots and view images anyway. The lack of an optical viewfinder MAY be an issue in very bright sunlight (don't know yet as we haven't had any!!) or in situations when you are trying to save battery power. As I've already said though I bought an extra battery any way.

All in all a nice camera - one which I hope to keep for some time. The silver one is back on the Amazon web site at 23/02/08 just a little bit cheaper - personally I prefer the black one.

I've never been disappointed yet with any Panasonic product I've ever purchased in terms of reliability and results. - I'm optimistic this is going to be the case here too.

Lastly - usual high standard of service from Amazon - delivered exactly when they said they would. I'd previously ordered one of these from another company as it was a good few quid cheaper than Amazon had it for - wish I hadn't bothered, not only did their courier damage it but then it went out of stock, I only found out when I contacted them after it not arriving.

Lesson learnt - will just order from Amazon first next time.

The camera is good, but amazon has listed the Lowepro Rezo 20 case as an accessory for this item. Having bought this case I have found that the camera does not fit in the case as the lens has obviously not been taken into account.