between Lumix LX2 or Canon G7?

[Ken_Tanaka]

I faced a similar choice recently and chose the G7. As I do not receive commission from Canon I'll not aggressively sell my choice. Here were its highlights.

- The lack of RAW is a drawback...but not nearly as significant as many would moan. The advent of Adobe's Lightroom, which I use daily, has dramatically enhanced my ability to adjust even an 8-bit cooked image's tonality. Frankly, although my S70 featured RAW files it was a pokey feature that really heated-up the camera after a few serial shots. I could also never get S70 RAW images to really look good. So I don't really miss RAW on the G7. Nuff said.

- The G7's lens is sharp...really sharp. Yes, it's widest focal is 35mm (vs 24mm) and it's a stop slower than it might be. No real big deal.

- The G7's feel is much better than any p&s I've used, including the Pannys. Very substantial and easy to manage.

- Manual exposure is a cinch to use. Manual focus on the G7 is also relatively simple but, frankly, it's a waste of time on cameras with such tiny sensors.

I could go on but I doubt it will make a difference to anyone's decision. So I'll just leave it by saying that I've been greatly enjoying my little G7 for the past two months. Enjoy whatever you ultimately choose.

[Laurence_Bartone]

Jeez, Ken. I'd just decided on the LX2. And now, you have to add your two-cents. Think the G7 pulls more detail the the lumix? OK, I'll check out both of them in person - though I may have to visit an actual camera store. Oh, is the G7 quiet?
Thanks,
bartone
Bartone Photography & Productions of Virtual Reality and Digital Video

[Ken_Tanaka]

The G7 is absolutely silent, unless you activate its artificial shutter sounds and other cue effects.

I really couldn't assess the G7's detail in comparison with the Panny. For my purposes it really didn't matter.

[JimHayes]

To round out the "picture" here are direct links to some shots of Ireland I took with the LX1 RAW with ACR correction and PK sharpener:

Ireland Travel Gallery

Ireland Travel Gallery

Ireland Travel Gallery

and this last an example of about the best I could do with low light in a Pub using in-camera flash, sort of a grab shot:

Ireland Travel Gallery

Look at the table to the left of the bottle of beer and you might spot the noise issue.

In retrospect there were many good things about the G2 which have an advantage over the LX1 style. I don't think you would go wrong with either. It would boil down I think to 1) Is RAW and smaller size important or is a viewfinder, hotshoe, tilting LCD important (assuming G7, like the G2 has this); 2) Is 4:3 format okay or do you want to have that odd but neat 16:9 ?

[Lenny Hartley]

May be a little late but their is a comparison test between the leica d-lux 3 and the canon g7 in the 01/31/07 issue of the British Journal of Photography

[spicerd]

Hello -

I have the Lumix LX2 and really find the digital noise a problem... Could anyone comment on the noise improvements that the Leica version supposedly brings to the table? I have read that their algorithms for noise reduction are better, but they would need to be significantly better to justify the additional cost (especially since I already have the LX2)...

But, other than the noise, the thing is just so close to ideal I can't give up without checking all possible solutions...

Thanks -

Donald

[Laurence_Bartone]

Lenny, can you give us a quick review of how the article compares the two? Also, I didn't realize there's a difference between the Leica and the Panasonic - and I hear the noise on the Panasonic is an issue. If the Leica's better, then the extra $200 would be worth it, no? Or is it a non-issue if you shoot Raw?
bartone