I would not use the LX-1 at ISO 400. It can be a bit noisy at ISO 80 - sometimes needing a bit of Noise-Ninja, sometimes not, depending on the image. At ISO 200, it usually needs moderate noise reduction.
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Mark,
Thanks for your opinion. Testing various cameras in the store before buying would probably give one a good idea as to noise but could be fraught with danger as regards resolution. These ultra compact P&S cameras generally don't have tripod mounting or full manual mode with aperture priority. One could easily end up comparing different apertures at different shutter speeds with different degrees of camera shake. Imaging Resource do a pretty good job comparing cameras at various ISO settings shooting the same targets, so I guess I would rely primarily upon their results in making an upgrade choice.
Generally, it seems to me, if the purpose of carrying a small compact everywhere is in order not to miss that interesting shot which so often gives rise to the lament, "Why didn't I bring my camera?', then such a compact should be as versatile as possible. I notice on the Imaging Resource site, most of their LX1 shots are very much exposed to the right, to the point of overexposure, in order to reduce noise even at low ISOs. Because of the susceptibility to blown highlights with these small cameras, autobracketing is a useful feature. The Sony T1 can take 3 shots at highest image quality in a second or so.
Is shooting RAW with the LX1 not a PITA? You wouldn't be able to do autobracketing in RAW, would you? After the first RAW shot, the camera is inoperable for several seconds, is it not?
I'm actually torn between 3 models, the Canon SD700, the Sony T30 and the Fuji F30. They've each got their strong and weak points. The SD700 has a 4x zoom, IS , very low chroma noise and excellent sharpness. The T30 has the advantage of a non-protruding lens as well as IS, slightly higher resolution but more chroma noise. The F30 has the best high-ISO performance of the three and the greatest dynamic range, but no IS.
Difficult decision .