Incoming: Panasonic outs Lumix LX7 compact cam with fast and bright F1.4 lens

If you’re currently in the market for a premium point-and-shoot compact, here’s something you’re going to want to wait for. Panasonic has just unveiled a handful of new compact cams (to go along with the Lumix G5 mirrorless cam), but this has got to be our favorite of the bunch: the Lumix LX7, successor to the popular LX5, and bearer of an F1.4-F2.3 lens.

That new F1.4 aperture at the wide-end is the biggest ‘new thing’ on this cam, giving it improved low-light shooting and impressive shallow depth-of-field effects. It also offers overall faster shooting compared to its predecessor and its fixed-lens rivals, in a market where an F1.4 is still relatively rare.

The camera’s sensor also got a nice upgrade, now sporting a 1/1.7 inch CMOS sensor compared to the CCD sensor on the LX5. This new sensor now allows you to use the camera’s manual aperture and shutter controls while recording 1080p/60fps video.

While the LX7’s exterior generally looks the same with the line’s familiar retro-Leica design, it now offers a number of control tweaks. Adjusting the aperture is a lot more intuitive thanks to a rotating click-ring around the lens, while a neutral-density (ND) filter can be adjusted with a dial above the 3-inch LCD at the back. Additional shooting modes include an improved 11fps burst at full resolution, an HDR mode, and a 3D still mode. Like the rest of the LX line, the LX7 is capable of shooting RAW images.

The Lumix LX7 will be available in black and white colors, and is expected to cost around $500 when it starts shipping in August.

Three more cams:

Panasonic also launched three more fixed lens cameras to go along with the LX7, including the 12-megapixel FZ200 and 16-megapixel FZ60 zoom cams that both offer 24x optical zoom lens. The Lumix SZ5 is a 15-megapixel compact camera that featured a 10x optical zoom and Wi-Fi connectivity that works with iOS and Android apps for uploading photos wirelessly.