The LX7 features a Raw capture mode, naturally, and although the camera's JPEG performance is very good, you get a little more when shooting Raw files, both in terms of flexibility (you can adjust white balance and exposure much more effectively post-capture) and critical image quality.

That said, even when sharpened pretty aggressively, the LX7's Raw files are barely more detailed than the JPEGs -the benefit to shooting Raw is almost solely the extra dynamic range and white balance/exposure control.

This camera is great its got alot of new things besides being able to shoot low light, and better video.....Its sensor is CMOS where as the LX5 is a CCD.

With the LX7 in video mode, I could start out with a great picture at the wide end of the lens, zoom in to the long end of the lens and the video image still stayed bright.

This immediately makes the LX7 a more engaging camera to use than the LX5; rather than having to constantly click-in the rear dial to change its mode, you can now set the aperture directly and use the rear dial to control exposure compensation or the shutter speed.

This immediately makes the LX7 a more engaging camera to use than the LX5; rather than having to constantly click-in the rear dial to change its mode, you can now set the aperture directly and use the rear dial to control exposure compensation or the shutter speed.

I can't say I was disappointed by the 720p video of the LX5, but full HD video is a treat - especially with memory prices as cheap as they are compared to two years ago.

The DMC-LX7 also has a fully loaded movie mode, which allows you to record Full HD video at 1080/60p, with stereo sound, for up to 30 minutes.

The LX7 provides excellent results in both areas (photos and videos), and I am very happy with the purchase, and more importantly, in the excellent video quality.

On first impressions the LX7 is a very attractive update to the LX5, and with its fast lens and expanded control set, rather more engaging to shoot with than its predecessor.

This won't come as any surprise to experienced photographers, but because the LX7 has an exposure mode dial and a variable maximum aperture zoom lens, there are situations where the camera doesn't or can't use the aperture value set by the ring.

This won't come as any surprise to experienced photographers, but because the LX7 has an exposure mode dial and a variable maximum aperture zoom lens, there are situations where the camera doesn't or can't use the aperture value set by the ring.

In the end, I coulda done w.out the heavy Pelican case and the L lenses and coulda shot everything w.the LX7.

Sony's RX100 is superb competition, and I was certain *IT* would be the camera that pulled me out of the Panasonic camp (I also own an old Panasonic DMC-FX50 "bridge camera" in addition to an LX5, which replaced my LX3 - plus my wife kept a Pana FX35 in her purse before she switched to Sony's slim TX9).

A year later this Lumix LX5 seems to me to be much more camera, at about 1/4 the price and 1/4 the size and weight as the Sony DSLR I was going to buy.