Panasonic LX7 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 is a fixed lens compact camera that was revealed to the public in July 2012 and is equipped with a 1/1.7-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 10 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic LX7 a good camera? The LX7 has a Camera Elo of 1611. This rating puts the LX7 below average of all travel zoom compact cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (small sensor cameras), the LX7 also ranks below average. – Well, the Panasonic LX7 is more than 7 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2012.

Headline Specifications

Panasonic LX7
Fixed lens compact camera
24-90mm f/1.4-2.3
10 MP, 1/1.7" Sensor
1080/60p Video
ISO 80-6400 (80-12800)
Viewfinder optional
3.0" LCD, 920k dots
Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)
11 shutter flaps per second
330 shots per battery charge
111 x 68 x 46 mm, 298 g

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Panasonic LX7 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic LX7 alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Panasonic LX7	4.4 in	2.7 in	1.8 in	10.5 oz	330	n	Jul 2012	499	-		Panasonic LX7
	Canon G16« »	4.3 in	3.0 in	1.6 in	12.6 oz	360	n	Aug 2013	549			Canon G16
	Canon G15« »	4.2 in	3.0 in	1.6 in	12.4 oz	350	n	Sep 2012	499	-		Canon G15
	Fujifilm X20« »	4.6 in	2.8 in	2.2 in	12.5 oz	270	n	Jan 2013	599	-		Fujifilm X20
	Fujifilm X10« »	4.6 in	2.8 in	2.2 in	12.3 oz	270	n	Sep 2011	599	-		Fujifilm X10
	Panasonic LF1« »	4.1 in	2.4 in	1.1 in	6.8 oz	250	n	Apr 2013	499			Panasonic LF1
	Panasonic FZ200« »	4.9 in	3.4 in	4.3 in	20.7 oz	540	n	Jul 2012	599	-		Panasonic FZ200
	Panasonic GF5« »	4.3 in	2.6 in	1.5 in	9.4 oz	360	n	Apr 2012	499	-		Panasonic GF5
	Panasonic G3« »	4.5 in	3.3 in	1.9 in	11.9 oz	270	n	May 2011	599	-		Panasonic G3
	Panasonic GF3« »	4.3 in	2.6 in	1.3 in	9.3 oz	300	n	Jun 2011	549	-		Panasonic GF3
	Panasonic LX5« »	4.3 in	2.6 in	1.7 in	9.6 oz	400	n	Jul 2010	499	-		Panasonic LX5
Convert to Metric
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic LX7 was launched in the US market at a price of $499. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Panasonic LX7 features a 1/1.7-inch sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 4.65. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic LX7 among the smaller-sensor digicams that favor affordability and compact design.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The LX7 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the LX7 can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Panasonic LX7 and comparable cameras.

One convenient feature of the LX7 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

The LX7 has a zoom lens built in (4.7-17.7mm f/1.4-2.3), which, in full frame equivalent terms, provides a focal length range from 24 to 90mm. The camera is, hence, ready to shoot, while remaining more compact in size than an interchangeable lens camera with an optic that offers similar focal length and aperture specifications.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the LX7. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog).

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Panasonic LX7	+ +	75/100	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2012	499	-		Panasonic LX7
	Canon G16« »	+	-	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2013	549			Canon G16
	Canon G15« »	+	76/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	499	-		Canon G15
	Fujifilm X20« »	+ +	77/100	4.5/5	-	5/5	Jan 2013	599	-		Fujifilm X20
	Fujifilm X10« »	-	76/100	4/5	3.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2011	599	-		Fujifilm X10
	Panasonic LF1« »	+	-	4/5	-	4.5/5	Apr 2013	499			Panasonic LF1
	Panasonic FZ200« »	+ +	80/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2012	599	-		Panasonic FZ200
	Panasonic GF5« »	-	-	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Apr 2012	499	-		Panasonic GF5
	Panasonic G3« »	+ +	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	5/5	May 2011	599	-		Panasonic G3
	Panasonic GF3« »	82/100	71/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4/5	Jun 2011	549	-		Panasonic GF3
	Panasonic LX5« »	+	73/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2010	499	-		Panasonic LX5
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (-) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make your choice using the following search menu. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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