Reddit reviews Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX7K 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Optical zoom and 3.0-inch LCD - Black

Lumix LX7 goes on sale for $300 often.

If you choose to buy from Amazon, it would be awesome if you used this link, because then we will get a small % of the sale, which we use for community building. (Giving out gold and prizes for competitions, etc.)

I also vote for the Lumix LX7. Either that or one of those tough/waterproof cameras.

I'd keep it simple if I were you and pick the Lumix LX7 for trips like this.

ignore this comment, just a temporary step to make sure I have the formatting right before I paste it into the FAQ.

| Price | Used Mirrorless | New Mirrorless | Used DSLR | DSLR
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| under $100 | original NEX 3 (body only) | | |
| $100 - $200 |NEX F3, Nex 5, Nex 5R, Fuji X-E1 (body only) | |Canon 20D, 30D, T3 (body only), Nikon D3100 (body only), Sony A500 |
| $200-$300 | Fuji XE-1, Olympus E-m5 or E-m10 (body only) | | Canon T5, T3i, T2i|
| $300-$400 | Sony A5000, A6000 (body only) | |Canon 5D mark 1, 1D mark 2, 60D, T6, SL1, Pentax K-5 II/III, Nikon D3300, D7000 |
| $400-$500 | Ricoh GR | | | Nikon D3300
| $500-$700 | Fuji XT-1 | Sony A6000, Fuji X-A3| Nikon D700, D7100, T5i, T6i, 7D| Nikon D3400, Pentax K-50, K-S2, K-70 (body only), Canon SL1, T6, T5i
| $700-$1000 | Fuji X-T1, Sony A7| Fuji X-E2, Canon EOS M5, Olympus OM-D E-M5 II (body only) OM-E E-M10, Panasonic GH4 (body only) | Nikon D600/610, Canon 6D, 5DII, 80D | Pentax K-3ii (body only), K-70, Canon 70D, 80D, Nikon D7200
| $1000 - $1500 | Olympus OMD-M5 II, Fuji XPro2 (body only), Sony A7R | Fuji X-T10, Sony A6500, Panasonic G80/85, GX8 (body only)| Canon 7DII, Nikon D750, D800, Sony A99 | Pentax K-3 ii, Canon 6D, 80D, 7D2
| $1500 - $2000 | Sony A7s | Sony A7ii, OM-D E-M1, Fuji X-T2, Panasonic GH5 | Canon 5DIII, Nikon D810 | Nikon D750, D500, Pentax K-1 (body only)
| $2000+ | | Sony A7RII, A7SII | | Canon 1DX II, 1DC, 5D IV, 5DS, 5DS R, Nikon D5, D810, D810a, Df, Sony A99ii

| Price Range | Point & Shoot | Mirrorless | DSLR |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $0-100 | Budget compacts. See the Snapsort ranking for suggestions. |||
| $100-200 | Mid-range compacts and superzooms. See the Snapsort ranking for suggestions.|||
| $200-300 | Some older premium cameras like the Canon S100. || Used models 7-9 years old. |
| $300-400 | More premium cameras like the Canon S120, Panasonic Lumix LX7, or Fuji XF1. | Micro Four Thirds systems like Olympus PEN or Panasonic Lumix G | Used models models 2-5 years old. |
| $400-500 ||| Used mid-tier models 4-6 years old.|
| $500-700 | Top-end point & shoot like the Fuji X20 or Sony RX100. | APS-C systems like Sony NEX or Samsung NX. | New entry-level models. Used full frame models. |
| $700-1000 ||| Mid-tier models like the Canon 60D or Nikon D7000. |
| $1000-1500 || Premium systems like Fuji X or premium Micro Four Thirds like the Olympus OM-D EM-5 or Olympus OM-D EM-1. ||
| $1500-2000 ||| Entry-level full frame models like the Canon 6D or Nikon D600. |

If you ask for suggestions on this sub, people are always going to suggest DSLRs. It sounds like you don't want to be carrying around a big camera if you're living in one bag. I'd suggest a compact system camera like the Olympus PEN a Sony NEX a Panasonic LX7 or a Nikon 1.

You won't get the exact same quality as a DSLR, but the size is 1/3rd that of which you'd have to carry on your back, and they will certainly take good pictures.

Enjoy Asia, and if you come out to Taiwan, send me a message!

Do you have a lot out experience with cameras? If not jumping straight into a DSLR may be a bit overwhelming.

Also, as the dad of a 1.5 year old, I can say that such a large camera is not always practical, nor is the sound of the shutter. Beside setup shots, you're not going to easily be able to hold the camera for a quick "selfie" of your baby sleeping on you. it's a specific example, but a lot of situations will come up where such a large/somewhat loud device will hinder you.


Consider down the road, after the first 3-6 months of house arrest, you'll want something light and small that you can carry around top of all the other baby gear, and that your kid isn't going to immediately want to play with instead of having their picture taken. I probably would have missed some of my best shots if I didn't have such a small camera that is unobtrusive and easy to carry for sort walks to the park or other situations where I would be discouraged in bringing a big SLR.

I wanted to get a DSLR to replace my s/o's point and shoot a few months back but I decided to wait on the investment and bought a Panasonic Lumix LX7. I couldn't be happier.

The lens is amazing, having a very wife aperture which allows for great indoor low-light photos--the main reason i wanted a new camera. Not every photo has an instant amazing pop of modern DSLRs, but if I stop and think about the shot the results are outstanding for a $300 camera


I mostly use aperture priority, turn the aperture ring appropriately for the scene, and go to town, but the auto mode is smart enough to be able to hand to anyone. The movie button will begin recording with your current settings so you don't have to switch the dial to movie mode. It will shoot raw+jpeg so you can share the photo instantly while having an archive quality version. And if youre willing to learn to do some post processing when you have time (in a couple years maybe? Harhar), 60 seconds of adjusting in Lightroom will really bring out the quality of the camera and make for great prints. You'll also be able to save photos that you thought were incorrectly exposed or have too much contrast.

In the end the best camera is the one you'll actually have with you all the time. And when you eventually decide to step up to the SLR, the technology will have greatly increased for your price range and you'll still have a great backup.

I have to go to work and would love to badly type more on my phone, but if you have questions about my experience lemme know.

Here's some reviews:

http://blog.mingthein.com/2013/03/25/leica-d-lux-6-panasonic-lx7/

http://blog.entropicremnants.com/2013/03/08/virtue-in-downsizing--panasonic-lumix-dmc-lx7-compact-camera-review.aspx

I bought mine on amazon for $280 "used" from warehouse deals. The minor damage described was only on the box. The prices seem to have gone back up a bit though. I would suggest square trade insurance for whatever camera you buy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008MB719C/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1370800161&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

edit: Okay, I've thought about the lens thing. Can you tell me what the price range, portability, and learning curve on that stuff? I'm a very quick learner when it comes to gadgets (I rooted my phone the 3rd day I had it, I do tech support etc). The "travel" video you linked is basically exactly what I want to do, but I also will need audio.

Edit2: Oh...I just reread it (I'm half asleep)...So the thing is, this is going to be a big hiking trip, and I'm not so sure I want to be lugging that bad boy around :/ It's kinda huge. If I have to stop and keep taking it out of the bag every time I want a shot, or I can't climb trees or something wild it's gonna put a huge damper on things. I'm a big climber and although I don't think a GoPro is appropriate due to limitations in zoom etc, I'm not certain that big thing would work.

Edit3: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B008MB719C/switctrave-20 I found this after reading this
http://www.switchbacktravel.com/best-cameras-hiking-backpacking I know I want to be a bit ...not reckless..but..I want to be able to bounce from rock to rock with grace and not risk falling into the water as a result of camera weight. Like if I see something interesting, I dont wanna get out a 4 LBS (how much does your camera weigh?) and be like "oh lemme just jog to get this shot" :P So that's why I was looking into active cams etc, but I also want good quality so :/

Edit4: I'm pretty interested in something with compact size, even if that means sacrificing a bit of quality. I need to be able to move this thing from point A to point B, even if point B is high up in a tree.

>the 18-55mm zoom lens is purely manual - the camera lacks a power zoom

hmm...
____

Holy heck! This is a lot to take in. I'm starting from almost total scratch knowledge here, so I'll have to give some look at what some of this means :P

As much as I'd like to stretch my budget, I'm not sure it's worth it..even if I could. A few questions before I've really understood and digested most of this.

• Is the difference between specs like a phone? Like to me the difference between say the iPhone 4 and the Samsung Galaxy s5 are big enough...just because it's android. But like the Galaxy s3 to s5? Or Motorola at half the price point? To me they're just phones :/ I wouldn't use half the features anyway.... Are cameras like this? I don't necessarily need the really high-end specs right now. I'd love to have them, but $400 is STEEEEP.
  
  
• Baring in mind I have next to no professional video editing experience (only stuff like power point, windows movie maker [a joke], and audacity audio stuff) do you still think the difference in nuance is worth it?
  
  
• What are the pros and cons of near doubling my budget?
  
  
• Do you think it's better to wait until I have the skills of editing and filming to get a better camera? Start small and go big next time? or is this something I should just jump right into.
  
  
• In a few years, do you think the prices of this stuff will drop considerably? Will 4k be the new standard?
  
  As much as I'd like to get a REALLY nice camera, I really am broke :/
  
  Thanks so much for this brilliant response! This is why I didn't just listen to the goons on the other sub and kept looking :D

there's a lot to be said for (potentially) breaking rental stuff. I just get into that "if i use this X number of times..." loop. I am vaguely pondering this as (yet another) back up camera... thing is, I really do need a point and shoot as I have a Moto X phone and the camera on that is abysmal...

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-LX7K-Digital-Optical-3-0-inch/dp/B008MB719C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1422588176&sr=8-2&keywords=Panasonic+Lumix+DMC-LX5

I use a panasonic lumix. I think this one. Not quite as advanced as a DLSR, but much better than a point and shoot. But if I had the option of picking a camera instead of being gifted this, I would have probably just went ahead and spent the money on a Canon Rebel since it's not that much more expensive.

Lighting is everything in photographing makeup! Sitting by a good light source can make even a phone camera look amazing.

Depends what your budget is

Sony DSC-RX100 is a great camera and pretty much considered the best non-interchangeable lens camera. This is the older version but still very similar to the newest.

Panasonic LX7K

Panasonic LF1

Nikon P340

these are all considered better cameras

lx7

$259?

I'm going to ignore good form and suggest something just over your price range: Panasonic LX7. It's near $300 right now, but should drop near $200 if you wait for a sale. Incredible glass on that thing (for a <$300 P&S).