There are many beautiful photos of LX7 here
http://www.popco.net/zboard/view.php?id=dica_review&no=810

---

Added on August 14, 2012, 6:21 pmHow I estimate LX7 sensor performance?

We will use dxomark extensively. It is the best reference while many argue the accuracy. But I have downloaded many sample raw pics from dpreview to analyst many cameras from 5d3 to XZ1 and I can confirm that dxomark is very accurate. We will be very interested in ISO score and we will talk a bit on dynamic range score. We are not interested in dxomark "overall score" which is meaningless.

The sensor size of LX7 is 1/1.7", same as Olympus XZ1, Canon G11/G12/S95/S100 and Nikon P7100 and slightly smaller than the 1/1.63" of LX5.

The biggest different this sensor with them is that it is a CMOS while all others are CCD (except S100/G12). CMOS tends to have better noise performance than CCD. That's why full frame Leica M9 CCD sensor has a poorer ISO performance than a smaller APS-C Nikon D7000.

And for the first time, LX7 is not using a panasonic sensor (strange for a company that made their own sensor). This is told in the launching interview in Taiwan. Their excuse is that they don't have such size. They can either buy from Aptina or Sony. But why not buy from the best if you have to buy form a third party? I do hope it is Sony.

Sony made sensors for many great camera brands such as Nikon and Pentax. The best APS-C sensor today are found in Pentax K5 and Nikon D7000, which is made by Sony.

Pentax Q has a sensor half the size of LX7. It is a CMOS and is believed to be made by Sony. The sensor, albeit smaller, outperform all 1/1.7" CCD sensor in ISO performance and dynamic range!
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/C...tabase/Pentax/Q

Pentax Q has a score of 189 for ISO performance.

That means if we use the same technology and put the same amount of megapixels (12) on a double sized sensor. It will 100% sure to be better!

How I estimate RX100 sensor performance?

Sony made the best sensor in the world. And for marketing reason for consumers (and 'pros' that think they know something but actually they don't), they like to stuck a lot of megapixels in their sensor, this will draw down the sensor performance but because they are ahead of the technology, it will still be better than other sensor makers.

The best reference is actually Nikon 1, which has the same sized 1" sensor but made by Aptina. However, it is 10mp only. Since RX100 jammed twice more pixels into it, the sensor performance will be around the same or slightly better than Nikon 1 only (by assuming Sony has an edge over Aptina).
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/C...base/Nikon/1-V1

It has a score of 346 for ISO performance.

LX7 vs RX100 ISO sensor performance

So my conclusion is very straightforward, if LX7 has a conservative score of 200 and RX100 has a conservative score of 400, RX100 will have at most 1 stop advantage over LX7 'only'. That means if you shoot f2 at ISO800 of RX100, you can shoot at f1.4 at ISO400 on LX7 using the same shutter speed. That's why the f1.4 bright lens play the biggest magic here.

Dynamic Range
Unlike the old CCD sensors, dynamic range for both CMOS sensor are good enough to stay above 11EV. So I assume they are good enough for a compact of such size.

---

Added on August 14, 2012, 6:36 pmHow do I gauge RX100 and LX7 lens performance?

Imaging Resource provides a lot of test pics for analysis for both RX100 and LX7 (and also LX5) such as this one. To get them, Google for the specific camera review.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/pana...7/LX7hVFAWB.HTM LX7 24mm f1.4
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/sony...RX100hVFAWB.HTM RX100 28mm f1.8

I am interested in these cameras when they are shot WIDE open and at both WIDE end and TELE end because those are the "soft" spot.

Most lens are sharp at the center but the problem usually arise at the corners so I pay a lot of attention on them.

LX7 vs LX5

Both are Leica lenses (for ego purpose) and to my surprise, the f1.4 LX7 is obviously sharper than LX5 at the corners!!! Taking the same picture with LX7 at f1.4 will look better than LX5 at f2.0!!! That means LX7 is fully usable at f1.4 and not just a hype!!!

LX7 vs RX100

LX7 simply kill the RX100 at the borders and corners. This means while RX100 has a better sensor, it doesn't have a good enough lens to resolved it.

But RX100 is 20 megapixels and LX7 is only 10! If you downsized RX100 to 10mp and compare....

I hear you! Why downsized RX100 to 10mp? Why don't we make it more fun by up sizing 10mp to 20!!! Do it and be surprise that LX7 is actually much better? Why? Because sharp pictures can be up sized easily and still look very good.

But corners are not important
You win!

---

Added on August 14, 2012, 6:52 pmDepth of Field (DOF) Comparison

I choked when both camera markets themselves as good at creating professional SLR quality bokeh... These compacts can do a lot of things as good as those high end cameras EXCEPT bokeh. Unless you shoot something very close to you (aka macro), shallow DOF is very hard to get.

LX7 has a crop factor of 5.1
RX100 has a crop factor of 2.7

LX7 aperture range f1.4-2.3
RX100 f1.8-4.9

In full frame DOF equivalent, we are like shooting with a 5d mark iii or D700 at the following aperture setting
LX7 f7.1-11.7
RX100 f4.9-13

Both sucks. Even though the f4.9 look "interesting" but it is on the wide end which is 28mm of FF so you don't really get much from it.

If you need bokeh, both cameras are not for you.

---

Added on August 14, 2012, 7:00 pmWhy LX7 will kill off Canon G11, G12, S95, S100, Nikon P7100 and Olympus XZ1?

G11 and G12 has largest aperture of f2.8. The sensor is slightly worst than LX7 due to CCD characteristic.

LX7 has largest aperture of f1.4 that is fully usable. It has 2 stops advantage on low light performance! When you need to reach ISO800 on G12, you can still use ISO200 on your LX7 and on sensor so small, it is SKY and EARTH on noise level!!!

Aperture means a lot. The S95/S100 has f2.0 but still means 1 stop poorer than LX7. The XZ1 is f1.8. [XZ1 has the worst 1/1.7" sensor made by Panasonic, lol]

This post has been edited by samsungfreak: Aug 15 2012, 04:51 PM

Thanks for the reply. I thought no one interested in LX7.

Hong Kong already have stock and selling at eBay, the price keep dropping and now reach USD$510. US retail price is $499. A bit hard to guess Malaysia price because Panasonic camera stuff can be more expensive here.

Japan believe to get stock 23 Aug. Other places on September.

I have been able to "hack" the LX7 raw file and load it into LightRoom 4 and ISO400 of LX7 is very slightly better than GX1 ISO 1,600! This is a GREAT NEWS because let say you use GX1 with kit lens at f3.5 to f5.6. You will get better low light performance with LX7 than the GX1 because of the bright f1.4 lens and better CMOS sensor!!! If you shoot with GX1 at ISO1,600 at f3.5, you can shoot at f1.8 on LX7 ISO400 and still get very slightly better noise performance! And you still have room to stop down to f1.4. The same applies to the entire focal length. And the kit lens cannot go as wide as 24mm.

The Depth of Field of LX7 is almost the same as any m43 cameras using the kit lens! LX7 crop factor is 5.1x. m43 is 2x.
LX7 f1.4-2.3 becomes f7.1-11.7
m43 f3.5-5.6 becomes f7-11.2

Instead of thinking that it has a zoom lens, I prefer to think it as compact camera with 6 primes build in!

24mm F1.4
28mm F1.6
35mm F1.7
50mm F1.9
70mm F2.1
90mm F2.3

Just turn on the Step Zoom feature and you can move around this 6 focal length easily.

I have never been so excited about a small camera.

This size is not compared because I am trying to show something that most people can't see instead (low light performance, corner sharpness, etc).

For size, it will be very obvious to the buyer. Just like it is very obvious iPhone will be smaller than any of these and 5d mark iii will be bigger than this two.

Both are good cameras and depends on what you what to pick on, if you want pocket ability, RX100 is the way to go. If you want better shooting experiences (more buttons and dials, better menus, etc)
, LX series is the way to good. So as the 24mm wide end, do you need it? If you need it, RX100 will be out. Also do you plan to use the hotshoe, maybe for a flash or electronic viewfinder? These stuff a bit more obvious, what I try to bring to the table is again, the combination of the sensor with the lens.

p/s your LX3 mode dial... can also see your hand in the shutter button, haha.

This post has been edited by samsungfreak: Aug 18 2012, 02:06 PM

Here is a LX7 hands-on review by a Singapore photographer will quite some good pics.

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/reviews/112...view-hosea.html

Hello Guys,

Canada is shipping the LX7 right now. A shop in US is shipping the FZ200 1 week ahead of schedule. All shops in US promised LX7 shipping in August. Japan will be this Thursday. There should be more user reviews coming out but hopefully we we got some good photos and not just snapshots.

---

Added on August 20, 2012, 6:12 pmCorrect. His eyes are quite good. Looks to me he is interested in web posting only and never prints since he say ISO800 looks good. He also shoot JPEG only.

This post has been edited by samsungfreak: Aug 20 2012, 06:12 PM

First LX7 user review, lots of good info comparing to RX100 and Nikon 1.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat...thread=42305485

Definitely another web only photographer who don't print...

I just want it to be good at ISO200 and emergency use on ISO400. Never expect myself to use ISO800. Hope more reviews keep flowing.

Updates:

Popco review on LX7 (in Korean but with beautiful pictures)
http://www.popco.net/zboard/view.php?id=di...DMC-LX7_01.html

Lighroom release update to support LX7 and RX100 raw file, you can start doing your RAW comparison!
http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/lightroom4-2.html

Manufacturer Recommended Selling Price

This must be joke of the century, I need to hide under the table. US is selling $499, Hong Kong selling $489, I guess street price will be around RM1,599 in Malaysia.

DXOMark release score for RX100!!!









It has very good color depth and dynamic range. If they have not stuck more megapixels into it, it should have a better high ISO performance. Now it is just slightly better than Nikon 1.

DXOMark is strange because they have not publish score for OMD-EM5 but actually went to publish the score for RX100 which is a very new camera. Hopefully they will publish LX7 score ASAP.

Got Antidote One Meh? Apple mix with Colgate? TV + Remote Control? LOL

Oh, that is temporary cure only, trust me it won't work!

Sooner or later bank account will have money. Start with a lot of itchiness, then more and more, then fully poisoned! LOL.

Photokina coming, lots of poison coming... including XZ2!

This post has been edited by samsungfreak: Sep 7 2012, 03:11 PM

Here:-

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2499025

No, not from him. Lots of people selling now.

Because on paper, everyone has a perception that RX100 is better than LX7. This is because of the sensor size and the mega sized 20 megapixels. But these cameras does not have interchangeable lenses and you have to look at them along with the lens aperture and quality. By using Dxomark and ImaginingResources samples, we can evaluate their performance and compare them. Also I have focused more on image quality (combination of sensor and lens) instead of other factors such as camera size and ergonomics (shooting experience), focal length, etc.

EX2F is very similar to LX7 because they have the same sensor size. So as XZ-1, S100, etc. The most interesting feature it has over LX7 is the flip screen. Unfortunately, they don't get market share and most review sites don't even bother to look at them. Dxomark doesn't even rate ex1 and to be very honest I am not aware of ex1 all these time! ImagingResources doesn't provide image samples for ex2f too. So it is hard to do anything as what I have done with RX100 and LX7. Now dxomark has released score for RX100 (ISO score of 190) which makes the comparison even more easier. If dxomark score of LX7 came out around 195, it will confirm everything I have said.

If you have specific questions about any of the cameras, just ask it here and all of us will be very happy to discuss them.

When using base ISO (80 for LX7 and 100 for NEX 5N) the picture of NEX 5N will always be cleaner. However ISO 80 of LX7 looks very good already and can sustain some post processing too.

At high ISO, they perform the same thanks to LX7 large aperture of 1.4.

I estimate Dxomark ISO score of LX7 to be 180+.
NEX 5N is already rated as 1,079.

NEX has close to 2 2/3 stops advantage in ISO performance.
However, if you are just using kit lens on NEX, at the wide end, LX7 will have 2 2/3 stops advantage (f1.4 vs f3.5) so it offset the NEX ISO advantage by exactly the same amount.
At tele end, LX7 is f2.3 and Nex kit at f5.6, that's also 2 2/3 stops difference, so it again offset the NEX ISO advantage.

So they are the same when come to low light shooting.

However, depth of field is different. You will still get 1 stop more bokeh from NEX in full frame equivalent. What I mean is the bokeh you get is the same as shooting with a full frame camera at f5.25-8.4 (NEX) and f7.14-11.73 (LX7). Since we barely shoot more than f8 with full frame, both setup are not really good at getting bokeh, unless you invest in a f1.8 primes for your NEX camera.

That's why I have sold my Nex 5N to fund this LX7. I can no longer swap lens but I get a smaller camera in return that can do almost the same as the kit lens. I also get more buttons and dials to play with which I really miss with the Nex 5N (However, the new NEX 6 announced today has more buttons and an EVF! But it will cost RM3k+).

LX7 is RM1,500. NEX 5N with kit is around RM2,200. NEX camera has very good grip although the camera is very small. But the lens is just too big for my taste. LX7 is power zoom white NEX is mechanical zoom. Some people don't like the zoom speed of the LX7. I can shoot with primes when I use my SLR so certainly turning the lever to zoom is certainly faster than changing lens.

I understand both cameras quite well, feel free to ask anything you want.

p/s when it come to mirrorless with changeable lenses, I have decided to go for micro four thirds because of the lens choice and for some reason, I just love Panasonic cameras although they don't sell well (have tried Olympus, Sony and Fuji... sold them all).

---

Added on September 12, 2012, 4:26 pmIf you calculate the same way, you will be surprise that LX7 will be better in low light comparing to other "kits" such as 600D/60D/7D with kit lens and also GX1/GF1/PEN with kit lens. Of course, those camera can come back to kill LX7 by using primes. Size, weight and compactness is the biggest trade-off here.

This post has been edited by samsungfreak: Sep 12 2012, 04:26 PM

Do consider NEX 6 as well. To me it looks better than Nex 7 and Nex 5R (replace Nex 5N) because it is "only" 16mp, has a build in EVF & hotshoe, 1 external mode dial + 2 control dials (but not implemented well, hopefully firmware will fix it) and of course, it is cheaper than Nex 7. Unfortunately, the touchscreen feature found in NEX 5N/5R is not available in the 6 and 7 (Really 67... lol)

I believe LX7 sales is not doing very well for Panasonic and I think they have abandoned the line completely and focus on GM series instead.

Sony RX100 mark III has just be announced and it comes with faster aperture and live viewfinder! RX100 series totally killed the once-a-legend LX series, not killed, slaughtered.

Even I am a big Panasonic fan, I have to say if you are looking for camera of this size (serious compact), RX100 mark II or mark III is the way to go.

I think I am wrong, Panasonic is not abandoning LX series!

http://www.43rumors.com/ft5-confirmed-by-t...coming-in-july/

I guess LX8 will match RX100 mark III specs with the same 1" sensor size and built-in EVF or else there is really no point to launch it at all.