between Lumix LX2 or Canon G7?

[Laurence_Bartone]

So, is that the choice? I'd like a 10 mpxl carry-around with a good lens, and I prefer wide at 28 (not critical though). I prefer RAW files, but would sacrifice that if necessary. I like to have something with me all the time that won't demand back surgery (as my 1DS does). I'm partial to Canon, just for the file type, but the Lumix looks cool and is considerably less expensive. In any case, I'd love some input from folks that've checked these out (or others).
Thanks
Laurence Bartone

[Scott_Witcher]

My 2 Cents.

I'd go with the Lumix! Personally I think the G7's only advantage is you can mount a Canon flash on it. A friend of mine has the Lumix and she loves it. She finds shooting RAW to be invaluable in post production and I agree with her. My old Minolta point and shoot digital shoots only jpegs and if I need a big fix, the file just falls apart and I end up wishing I had my D70s with me then.

I'd definately go with the Lumix!

[JimHayes]

The DMC-LX2 right?

I have the 8 MP DMC-LX1 and have used it all over, shooting RAW all the way. I carry it with me most places I go.

The LX2 stuffs more pixels on the chip and allows higher ISO. But they should have addressed the noise issue instead of loading up the pixels.

From the reviews I understrand noise is the same as LX1 per ISO, roughly. If that is true, I'll stick with my LX1.

It has a lot of advantages. The cons are that it's difficult to shoot clean higher than ISO 200. ACR helps remove the noise greatly, mostly color noise, but you will have some luminence noise left. The internal flash is not the greatest and a little flimsy. There is no viewfinder, and in bright sunlight, although you can brighten the LCD, it often is not enough. Also, unlike my Canon 20D which records about 8 megabytes to card per image and is an 8MP camera, the LX1, an 8 MP camera records an 16MP file for each image. So you need a fast, large SD card. A 2GB SD will get about 105 images per card. You only have to wait 2-3 seconds for the LX1 to write to a 150x SD card though.

Esp noteworthy pros: only camera with 16:9 wide image, really nice when you get used to it. Mechanical side switch for going from auto to auto-macro to manual focus. It is just about the smallest camera that shoots RAW. The lens does stick out a little more than you'd think though. Images are really sharp, nice lens...this makes up for the noise IMO.

I used LX1 for a trip to Ireland when I couldn't bring a camera bag (pub shots). Or for when I wanted a wide aspect shot, like a waterfall or a broad seascape.

I know nothing about the G7, but I do own an old G2. I find it not small enough for really stuff away in pocket shooting, and I grew to hate the 4:3 aspect ratio when compared to the 16:9. Still I liked many things about it, mainly the swivel LCD, viewfinder and flash shoe.

[Laurence_Bartone]

This was the right group to ask! Thanks, your replies are most useful. One question: is the LX2 quiet? Does it sound like a Leica or a 1DS? Too bad it doesn't take compact flash cards - I've got some, due to the 1DS...
Thanks
bartone

[JosephSavant]

Hi Laurence

I waited for a long time in the hopes someone would produce a great pocket-ish camera with all the features we like. No luck. I looked at most, and finally decided to go with the LX2 for the wide lens and aspect. Ended up with an LX1 that was being closed out at a great price.

I can only give initial impressions, but the camera is loaded with features - almost too many - and is impressive in it's niche. I looked at the larger cams like the G6 but knew if it wasn't really pocketable, it would end up being left behind. The LX is small and light and though not really a pocket camera it is easy to stuff in a coat pocket, laptop bag or small pouch.

I wanted a camera with raw that produced an image capable of capturing those shots you always seem to see when you don't feel like dragging an slr with you. It seemed to be the best solution for me and I absolutely love the wide shots with it. The raw files are soft out of camera but are quite nice when sharpened in post production. I grabbed a 1G Sandisk Ultra II card with it, and the write times for a raw file are in the 1.5-2 sec range I'd guess. Not as bad as expected.

Being used to Canon 5D files on a daily basis, you have to lower your expectations with the little point n shoots, but I like the camera and think it will fit the bill for what I envision - having a small camera with me most of the time that has the capability of capturing that special shot on occasion. The raw aspect is nice in that regard for further tweaking.

The G7 looked great and I wish it had had raw. IIRC it was a thicker and larger camera than the LX's.

Good luck in your search

Joseph

[JohnLund]

These two cameras would be my choice too Laurence.

If the Canon G7 had RAW it would be an easy decision as the camera is everything else I would like (including looking cool ). But it doesn't so the LX2 would be my choice.

My wife uses our LX1 and took it to Europe on an art tour. She is an amateur and came back with stunning shots. Having tested it out before she left, I made her swear not to use it above ISO 200 and it worked great. When I use it, I love the w/a lens, the small size, and the versatility of the three formats.

Again, my pick would be the LX2; at least until Canon comes out with the G8 and RAW.

Cheers,
John

[JimHayes]

A really important point I forgot between my G2 and LX1: Manual focusing on the LX1 is a breeze. I'm not talking about just the side switch, I'm talking about using the respective joy sticks. You can home right in on proper distance with the LX1; the G2 used to drive me nuts because it would always overshoot up and down.

I don't know about more recent Canon "G" cameras, but manual focus was next to useless IMHO on G2.

Noise: You can turn off beep mode where the LX1 beeps when you turn it on and for every button you press. The shutter has two loudness levels plus silent.

So you can operate the LX1 completely silent, except for barely-barely audible protrusion, retraction of lens on startup/shutdown. Or you can turn the beep and shutter up really loud, and independent from each other.

The G2 had no way to turn off the startup tune it played, although fake shutter sound could be turned off.