Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 Pro Reviews

Yes. I would recommend the LX100 to damn-near everyone. The only thing it's not great for is telephoto shooting, which requires an interchangeable system or a much larger superzoom. $900 is a tough proposition for many of us, and certainly you don't need such an expensive device to take good photos. That's where creativity comes in. But if you've got a budget and want a great tool for your photographic adventures, you can't go wrong with this one. If you were thinking of buying a Sony RX100, know that the LX100 is superior on almost all counts except for portability and price. The earlier generations of the RX100—the original and the Mark II—still provide great value if you're budgeting under $700. The other main competitors are the $700 Canon G7X, which is very similar to the RX100 Mark III in image quality and size, and the Canon G1X Mark II, which is larger with a bit more zoom, but doesn't deliver in image quality or performance. If you're looking for the creme de la creme of compact zooms, the LX100 is the one you want.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 is an ambitious compact camera with a big sensor, a wide-aperture lens, and 4K video recording, but it falls just short of top honors.

The Panasonic Lumix LX100 is a serious compact camera with both a large sensor (Micro Four Thirds), and a brighter than normal f/1.7-f/2.8 Leica lens giving the equivalent of 24-75mm in 35mm terms. The LX100 offers an impressive combination of lens and sensor, without the size that would be necessary for such a bright zoom lens if you were trying to get the same with an interchangeable lens camera, in fact the lens on offer here is brighter than the typical 24-70mm equivalent lens, such as the f/2.8 Panasonic 12-35mm Micro Four Thirds lens, and considerably smaller. The LX100 is one of very few digital cameras capable of recording 4K video (with the Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 being another) and as one of the smallest currently available, this will be a big selling point of this camera. If you are looking for a "serious compact" with a large sensor, then there are no other cameras available that offer everything that the LX100 offers, for example, you can choose an alternative with a large 1.5inch sensor such as the Canon Powershot G1 X MKII, but this doesn't feature 4K video or an EVF built in. Another option would be the smaller Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III with built in EVF, however, this doesn't feature 4K video recording, nor the dedicated external aperture and shutter dials. A camera with the external controls of the LX100 would be the Fujifilm X100T/s, although this features a fixed lens without the optical zoom, or 4K video.