Panasonic LX100 Gets Large Sensor

2014.09.16

Panasonic LX premium cameras have long been known to photography enthusiasts for their bright lenses and powerful photographic controls in compact designs. Now, the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 takes the concept to the next level to challenge Sony and Canon's flagship premium compacts which offer a significant advantage in image-quality over the LX7 reviewed here.

While the LX7 uses a 1/1.7" sensor, the just-launched LX100 offers a Four-Thirds sensor. Like a handful of earlier models, it does not use the entire surface-area in order to maintain a constant angle-of-view at different aspect-ratios. This gives it a 2.2X crop-factor to expose 12 megapixels of its 16 MP Four-Thirds CMOS sensor. Its lens offers a 24-75mm focal-range in 35mm terms with a bright F/1.7-2.8 maximum aperture. The ultra-wide angle-of-view is maintained in 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 aspect-ratios which makes the LX100 highly versatile.

This premium compact offers plenty of manual controls, including dedicated aperture and focus rings, plus both an exposure-compensation and a traditional mode-dial. Other advanced features include 7-shot AEB, WB Fine-Tuning, Spot metering and, obviously, Manual Focus. There is a standard hot-shoe but not built-in flash.

The high-speed 16 megapixels CMOS sensor of the LX100 can shoot continuously at 11 FPS and capture 4K Ultra-HD video. It offers a fast 49-area Contrast-Detect AF system. Using an electronic-shutter, the LX100 can shoot at 1/16,000s. For low-light, it can perform exposures of up to 60 seconds.

Impressively, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 includes a large ultra-high-resolution EVF with 2.8 megapixels and 100% coverage. The EVF features an essential Eye-Start sensor too. This camera also offers a 3" touchscreen LCD with 920K pixels.

The LX100 slots itself right between its closest competitors, the smaller Sony RX100 III with its 1" sensor and the larger Canon G1 X Mark II with its large 1.5" sensor, while offering a comparable lens. Like the RX100 III, the built-in EVF makes framing with the LX100 easier, particularly in bright light. The G1 X Mark II supports an optional EVF which makes it more awkward. It does offer a longer telephoto reach of 120mm, albeit at F/3.9.

Panasonic's new premium compact is expected before the end of this year at a suggested price of $899 USD. B&H Photo and Adorama are already accepting pre-orders, just follow these respective links to secure one quickly.

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