For the second half of 2012, Panasonic has announced a new premium compact digital camera in its popular LX series; the Lumix DMC-LX7. It features a 10.1-megapixel MOS Sensor (1/1.7 inch) and a 3.8x optical zoom lens that is rated to an F1.4 brightness at its widest angle and F2.3 at full telephoto;...

Anyone in the market for a top point-and-shoot camera is probably deciding between Canon's PowerShot S100 and Sony's RX100 . But Panasonic is back in the game with the Lumix LX7, a sequel to one of the top shooters of 2010, the wildly popular Lumix DMC-LX5 .

The LX7 is an addictive compact camera. The more you use it, the more you want to play. The direct control over the lens aperture is something that would greatly enhance the appeal of many compacts, and without question it's the LX7's best feature.

Tactile aperture control; Sharp lens; Impressive stills output

Some noise at high sensitivities; A little more expensive than the competition

Announced two years after its predecessor, the LX5, Panasonic's Lumix DMC-LX7 fits into the same market slot but now comes in a white body as well as traditional black. Its 10.1-megapixel sensor has the same resolution as the LX5's but it's a new CMOS chip, instead of CCD, which was used in the LX5.

You're looking for a pocketable digicam with a wide range of user-adjustable controls; You need good performance in low light levels; You want Full HD movie recording; You want effective image stabilisation for movies and still pictures; You'd like fast autofocusing.

You're looking for a significant update to the previous model. (The improvements aren't enough to justify the investment; You want the ability to zoom in and out rapidly, You require in-camera red-eye reduction processing.

The Panasonic Lumix LX-7 came to the table as a solid looking competitor - with a well-built body, a nice design, and the prior reputation and name. We felt like we were looking at an award winner. However, as we dove in we found the LX-7 to bring little to the table over the competition.

Full auto is great for fast stree candid work.

Bright LCD; Easy Setup; Easy to Keep Clean; Easy To Use; Great Picture Quality; Strong Construction

Panasonic has taken an interesting approach with the new LX7 - it looks more like a range finder than a typical point-and-shoot camera. The lens does not retract fully inside the camera and with the maximum aperture at f/1.4 it is one of the fastest lenses available for compact cameras.

Fast lens; Manual aperture ring; Creative movie mode

High noise above 1600 ISO

A premium compact with excellent image quality & control. Ease of use could be improved though:- No touch screen (so no touch focus), no articulated lcd, no built-in view-finder, no remote. GPS, Wi-Fi and a microphone input would be welcome, too.

Interchangable lens compact system cameras may offer a more portable option than a DSLR, but unless you're using a relatively flat pancake lens, they're still considerably bulkier than a digital compact camera.

Speedy auto focus; Excellent picture quality; Manual aperture ring; Speedy auto focus; Excellent picture quality; Manual aperture ring

High ISO performance could be; Smaller sensor than rivals; No touchscreen; High ISO performance could be; Smaller sensor than rivals; No touchscreen

This tiny full-featured 10.1MP camera, with a mostly metal body, boasts several benefits over Panasonic's highly-rated Lumix DMC-LX5, which it replaces. Improved aspects include the LCD screen, sensor, and Venus Engine processor with multi-process noise reduction.