Tested In-Depth: Panasonic Lumix LX100

[@tested]

Learn more about the Lumix LX100 here: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1082158-REG/panasonic_lumix_dmc_lx100_digital_camera.html

[@ReginaldEsque]

This is the best review of this camera... You guys talk about all the details other videos don’t even mention... Thank You!

[@lifeisgood12341]

That Lumix is beautiful. I love the classic design

[@stephanenaulet8029]

i just love physical control, this is really a revolution !

[@jamescollins1272]

It’s 2020 May, and this is still one of the best reviews of a camera on the internet but hard to do with all the questions and actually showing the display in action. But unfortunately Jamie and Adam are not doing tech reviews on a regular basis.

[@adamtroupvlog3441]

I love the lx100, there are smaller cameras but it does fit it my jacket pocket and the sensor is fantastic. I use it mainly for shooting video for the majority of all my personal shooting and vlogs.

[@InterestingTed]

After an insane amount of research, I purchased the LX100. It takes insanely good quality video (even when used at 1080). This camera is just amazing!

[@michaelmejia3561]

Interesting Ted Do you feel like the lack of a mic input made you hesitant to buy this camera? Which other cameras were you debating?

[@InterestingTed]

The lack of a Mic input was actually a pretty big thing for me. It turns out though that I haven't even once missed it. I had a T3i prior to the Lx100 and didn't use it there either. I have an external recorder that I use occasionally, but rarely. In a quiet environment the mic on the Lx100 does a pretty great job. Audacity will remove any extra noise you come across. The one thing that bugs me is that the mic pics up some camera noise here and there even while the camera is just sitting there on a tripod. I also considered the direct Sony alternative the Rx100 and Panasonic's own dominant 4K, the Gx7. After owning the camera for a while now and shooting a dozen or so videos with it, I freaking love this thing. It blows my T3i out of the water in video quality hands down. Ease of use, auto focus, batter life, clarity, portability, it's hands down the best camera I could own.

[@michaelmejia3561]

Interesting Ted Dang my man. We are like the same background. I also had a t3i and my story is super similar to yours. Thanks for taking the time to reply thoroughly. Definitely grabbing this camera now. I was in high debates with other camera but I really am so interested in this camera. Image really rocks. 4k is lovely. Im going to be grabbing the older version of something like this (Lx7) hopefully today bc someone is selling it cheap. But hopefully by the end of summer I will join you in being the proud owner of the Lx100 🙏

[@InterestingTed]

No problem man! Yeah, I was all over the Lx7 for a while as my goal camera. Ended up skipping the Lx7 and going right to the Lx100. I think the main reason I wanted the Lx100 was for the 4k (obviously haha) and the view finder. That Lx7 sure looks to be an awesome camera as well. Good Luck man!

[@TheNinjek]

+Interesting Ted Hi! I'm currently deciding if I should buy the LX100. Right now I also have the T3i. My main use for it would be to shoot videos. According to you, the LX100 blows the T3i out of the water in video quality. May I ask if it's better than the T3i when it comes to low light video as well? I currently use the 50mm f/1.8 prime lens with my T3i. Thanks!

[@jalfa1]

Hi, I don't consider this an in depth test at all. Just call it an overview of its photographic capabilities. The fact that its shoots 4k and it's moving focus is very good and it has very good manual controls is very important to those that want to shoot both still and video. There are also more functions that were not mentioned for its photographic capability that make it really sensible an easy to shoot ie aspect bracketing and sensible easy filters and much more.

[@staticinteger]

Those eyes on the bottom left of Norm are like O.O

[@Fur8002]

I think you are missing the point of this camera. It does have an add on flash that comes with the camera. It is very good for video whether HD or UHD, having full manual controls including 'Focus Peaking', 'Histogram', Manual focus via ring around the lens, 'Manual White Balance', and when 'Photo Mode' is assigned in the video setup, the main shutter button is used for video on/off. The EVF is very good too. I tried the Sony RX100 Mk3, but much prefer the LX100, which does fit in my jacket pockets.

[@leslawrenson]

I've just bought this camera in 2021 for £175. I've owned the LX5 for the last 7 years, and I love that camera.

[@igalk474]

pros: *lens is very sharp (lieca) usable and have great bokeh *can take both potraits and macro *can take good photos and great videos (mp4 is best) *4k recording is very sharp *11/40 fps shots, electronic shutter *very comfortable controls on lens *very light and small , almost pocketable, very usefull controls and handling *cheap price for great quality, a gh4 in your pocket for third of the price *mirrorless is awesome, interchangeable lens is overrated, not needed if kit lens is very very good *autofocus is really fast and good *stabilization (not 5 axis),metering & white balance is good *focus peaking is really great , very helpful *the attached lenscap cable is a great idea cons: *12.8 mpx is not really enough, needs at least 16-24mpx sometimes for good editing quality(after that can be 2mpx) *in door, low light ,shadow ,alot of noise, espacially after iso 3200 , must have a flash & tripod in this conditions *4k not 60 fps , also flat profile like S log2 is missing , xavc codec for smaller file size *sensor size too small? needs at least aps-c for less noise and more details *battary ends too fast, should be x2-x3 more time/pictures *not weather sealed, magnesium allow body *no mic in port *no usb3 for transfering 4k big videos fast

[@mkteku]

no flip screen on the lx100, however, you CAN you the wifi app from Panasonic to use your phone as a "flip out screen", at least in a sit-down sitch.

[@noorur]

I got the LX100 and love it!!

[@PowerToolism]

Aperture priority means that speed and ISO is automatically controlled depending on what aperture you choose, so putting the aperture ring to auto is not aperture priority, it would put the camera in to time priority.

[@JoseBYOB]

LX100 or the Nikon D5300? I'm interested in color accuracy and low light performance.

[@adrinathegreat3095]

I don't think the lx100 uses the entire sensor, so its f1.7 aperture at its widest is equivalent to perhaps around F1.9 in m43 terms. F.2.8 perhaps equivalent to around F3 at 75mm in m43 terms. So noticeably better in low light than say a gx80 with 3.5-5.6 lens. I'm considering buying this camera as I dont want to be carrying around seperate lenes, it has to be small enough to fit in a coat pocket or small bag. I've already got a fuji x100, but need something that can go a bit wider and a bit further, but still retain excellent IQ in non perfect lighting conditions, so this pretty much ticks all the boxes. Plus easy manual control not pissing about through menus which is the reason I bought the fuji x100

[@antoniodragonheart8965]

Just a chaotic rambling, no thorough review whatsoever.

[@BrainDesmo]

This is a great camera.

[@erikaust2205]

Thanks guys. Really helpful and insightful review.

[@markboucher3345]

Interesting video. I think you forgot to talk about the leaf shutter. We can do interesting things with that.

[@loft4me]

I like the banter; it does take a degree of concentration to extract the meaning of Will's questions and comments, but it serves to round out and in some cases, help explain Norm's review. Reminds me of Myth Busters. Good for the thinkers and tinkers.

[@MrNYCman530]

Hi, good video. I just purchased the LX100 at B&H. There have been times I shoot in Raw, which is usually recommended, but often I don't have the time for post processing. So what would be the optimal settings for shooting quality Jpgs such as the Photo Style settings and other menu settings for general use? BTW, I rarely make large prints over 8 x 10. I post a lot of social media.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

The aperture ranges on a variable aperture lens refers to the minimum (maximum?) aperture at either end of the focal range. So, on the LX100, at 24mm the minimum aperture is f1.7 and at 75mm the minimum is f2.8 and it varies infinitely in-between.

[@MrBanjokat]

3.9M subs? I must be missing something.

[@harwoodphotography4872]

If only Mr. Beard would stop butting in with unnecessary chatter, it would be a nice flowing review.

[@lesterduludis8892]

This chinese guy is explaining the sensor's adaptation to image sizes as if he were explaining the USA budget for the new year

[@tsizzle]

Please test the new Sony RX 100 mark 4 when its released. Thanks.

[@RiffMagMetalMag]

Dear Reviewers... Can you please explain how much would cost to buy an 24mm F1.7 lens, plus an zoom lens, for an almost identical quality GH4? Can you add those to the price difference between this model and the G7 or GH4?

[@dvamateur]

I bought both the LX100 and D-Lux Type 109. Yes, it's excessive, greedy, and lustful, but it's what it is. I love this camera. It is THE camera I've been waiting for years.

[@UnknownGunslinger]

Is the Leica equivalent worth the extra bucks? Software wise or build quality?

[@dvamateur]

+Ivo Sotirov The overall aesthetics are worth it.

[@VideoTronism]

+Andrew Piatek You've been waiting years for a 12mp camera?

[@dvamateur]

+VideoTronism yes, it's perfect.

[@legendp2011]

+Andrew Piatek is there any advantage other than the aesthetics

[@surrogatemarker]

Hi Norm, might be nice to do a tested video on the post production tools you like or use.. The physical camera is only half of the equation to great pictures and video.. (E.g Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop and Photomatix for HDR perhaps?)

[@mikehirst1605]

Wait - so the full equation to great images is a physical camera and postprocessing software? Oh cool! No need for any photographically knowledgeable human being then? I'll just tether my camera to lightroom then and leave whilst I'm off to the pub! Should have a host of great images waiting for me when I return! /s Silly gearheads.

[@surrogatemarker]

Ha.. Still working with silver film are we?

[@mikehirst1605]

Nope, I haven't the time anymore to do the developing and all that. At the moment I'm shooting mostly with my phone or my dad's old D80 until I have the money to get myself something nice to further my learning with.

[@eugeneschwartzman3481]

As a compact camera I've got Nikon Coolpix 7800. Its is smaller sensor, bonus is 28-200mm zoom range. I'm getting nice photos. Camera build like a tank! Was considering LX100 - but lettering on the dials cumming off on LX100 after little use

[@laurabartha606]

Do you recommend Panasonic lx100 then Canon gx7 mark II?

[@XPIEXBUNNYX1]

That's what I would like to know 😩

[@esaedvik]

If you wanna see what this camera's video output looks like on KZbin productions, Paul's Hardware channel just swapped to this one in his recent video. Looks pretty damn nice. Pretty much the budget GH4.

[@Richfilms111]

Thx for the info. Can You do a camera shoot out? Maybe a small cam, and med cam, large cam...

[@LucidStrike]

People confused about the pricing must not own any fast zooms. Given the quality and speed of the lens, buying an LX100 is like buying a fast zoom with a free camera thrown in. Fast zooms are expensive.

[@ArcticGator]

That lumix looks like it has borrowed a lot of elements from the olympus pen line up, particularly the epl5, do you guys think at one point olympus and panasonic may actually merge?

[@tilago]

To distinct competitor brands merging? Maybe if one was way bigger than the other one so the little guy just got obsorbed... This design is just the modern taste for hipsters right now

[@LucidStrike]

Arctic Gator It actually took a lot of design cues from Panasonic's own LC1, which I think was released over a decade ago.

[@olofolsson652]

+Arctic Gator Olympus is in so much trouble, so I guess everything is up for grabs. Sad really, they are a great brand destroyed by awful management.

[@DENMONKEY]

I wonder if you could set the exposure compensation high to force a higher shutter speed with auto iso ?

[@0tispunkm3y3r]

Contrast detection is more accurate as a way of focusing I believe. But relies on processing to find the contrast edges in the frame. I think Panasonic/Olympus get round this by running the processing at around 240 FPS which is what makes it so fast.

[@Herfinnur]

Man, I really miss these two together

[@dacasman]

You guys should do a video of the Pentax Q series. It's the smallest interchangeable lens camera there is. it's SUPER small and it's very affordable. I love mine.

[@brandondyck20]

Would like to see you guys review the Sony 7RMkII. Now that's a camera to get into photography with.

[@GeraintHewett]

I have a Canon 70D and a 6D, however I find that they can be somewhat cumbersome in certain situations, such as street photography. I have often thought about buying a compact camera that I can carry around with me to take street shots. Which one would you recommend, the Panasonic or the Sony? It sounds like the Panasonic is a bit on the large side to fit in your shirt pocket, but takes a better photo than the Sony. I am torn between the two.

[@XPIEXBUNNYX1]

Lumix or the canon g7x mark ii ?

[@gazagxrlx2974]

Lumix 100

[@RoamThePlanet]

g7x ii

[@joeschu6336]

Gxzx Gxrl \x/

[@YTeradicant]

what about g7x or eos m3

[@RodTDavies]

My compact camera Leica Deluxe 6 with grip and ev3 viewfinder truly superb. Cheers

[@B0GlES]

those hands look soo soft! i bet they haven't done a hard days graft in years!!

[@Currrn]

LX100 or the GX80 with the 12-32 f3.5-5.6 kit lens? GX80 is 80 Euro more expensive

[@robertchoutka3191]

Why did you not install and test the external flash unit that comes with the LX100 ? I can't get my camera flash settings to work properly - ie: forced flash

[@jonnyboyh2102]

Would this camera be good, or at least decent for landscape photography

[@alberttatlock5237]

Canon 750d, sony nex 6, canon m5, Fuji x100t, lenses, flash, the whole lot was sold after I bought this

[@angelikikosmidou387]

I want this for filming and for occasional photography. I have ZERO knowledge when it comes to cameras, so can someone help me? Should I buy this or go for something else?

[@InterestingTed]

See my comment above (top comment I think). This camera is amazing.

[@norau3961]

+Aggeliki Kosmidou If you need a camera for filming mainly, why don't you get a video camera? Plenty to choose from.

[@angelikikosmidou387]

You are right..I am just on the research. Do you have any recommendations on cameras for filming? Nora U

[@BrainDesmo]

+Aggeliki Kosmidou, I enjoyed using this camera. I thought It was easy to use and photo/video quality is pretty good!

[@educationchannel2168]

Sure lol but im 2 years late

[@ivooliveira1221]

I bought a LX100 and after 3 months i noticed that i had spots on my photos. This was clearly seen in closer apertures (F11). I returned the camera and got a new one. After a month i have again dust in the sensor. I think it's some problem with the construction of the camera, because the dust gets in the sensor when the lens retracts. I again will return the camera, but now i'm thinking on trading by a sony a6000. By the way, i love the LX100, image and video quality are excellent and the manual controls are great, but having the same issue in two cameras...

[@mpreece8581]

Ivo Oliveira 38 l

[@martmuru]

Panasonic G7 or Lx100? For low light filming.

[@AroPnut]

+Mart Muru If you don't mind buying extra lens and want a easier to use body with more external buttons and a mic jack, then G7. If you just want a compact all in one camera that's easier to carry the LX100 might work, but keep in mind there is no mic jack. I have the G7 and it's a really nice camera.

[@martmuru]

Thank you! I already have G7 and now I am looking for lenses. Do you know any cheap combo? Adapter + lens or should I just buy panasonic lenses? Thanks!

[@samiam9059]

No match for the much bigger aps-c sensor(imho). If you have the same scene area to photograph. The bigger sensor will prevail for more detail. a6000 is a far better way to go. There is a limit on micro 4/3 they don't talk about.

[@samiam9059]

It has excessive ca and the sensor is not slightly bigger. A lot bigger... there is a reason full frame cameras rule the detail. Common sense. Have an Olympus m-5 that is better easily than this but still no match on low light and detail for a larger sensor.

[@samiam9059]

just common sense. why do you think there is a low limit to micro 4/3 sensor res? figure it out. same with the smaller sony sensor. This is a nice camera and very well made but again if you have two cameras the smaller sensor has to cram the same scene info into a smaller area. Just the way it is. Photos in a lot of ways are just art. If people like what they use then that's what counts. Could fill a book on all the folks that actually think phones have great cameras in them.

[@sclogse1]

They kind of speeded up talking about video. One wants to know how many still options function in video mode in terms of exposure. Can one simply go manual on video and set the exposure with the lens to get the depth of field they want? Can you pick a high ISO and then have more options with frame rate?

[@DrMaillard]

There are two reasons for not using the full sensor area: 1. Angle of view doesn't change between crops 2. The lens would have been larger

[@atfritz]

I think this would be perfect for backpacking.

[@deadlycroissant]

Would you gents consider doing a Tested In-Depth on the Sony QX "lens style cameras" lineup? They seem like a very innovative, useful, and interesting product idea and not a lot of big channels like you folks have done reviews.

[@michaelquattrocchi1757]

Norm, the sample images you show in the video almost all have a muddy look to them. Not sure if this is KZbin compression, or what. Can you post a link for us to download the sample shots shown in the video so we can see what the original images actually look like?

[@QuirkyGiraffe]

I'm looking to get a Sony A6000, Does anyone know what lens i should get first and a all round okey lens before getting into macro and telephoto lens. Any help would be much appreciated?

[@BubblesPothowari]

LX100 has "24mm" lens. Page 194 manual says, at 4K, it shoots narrow. What is the focal length when it shoots HD & 4K videos. Thank you,

[@NCLme]

G7F and the 1J5 would you recommend any of these?

[@beerg1]

Test the Nikon 1 J5 as fast as you can get your hands on one! :)

[@1970nikkisixx]

Im looking for a small camera to take to concerts. I currently use the Panasonic zs100, but was looking for something with a slightly bigger sensor. Was looking at this camera but wasn’t sure about the mega pixels for this camera. Do you have any suggestions?

[@voramai6286]

I'm loving those cute decals on your wall there. They are so cute! Where can I purchase them? ☺

[@FinchIsFubar]

I have to say for the price i would just kick it up and go with the sony cause of the pop out screen and what not. the Lumix seems to be a very nice camera but you are still paying close to $800 for it.

[@AlexBill1994]

They said the camera doesn't have basic functions like a flash... is this true as I'm sure there is a picture on Amazon with the flash raised from the camera at the top?

[@shaunlew322]

There's external flash available

[@veryannoyingname]

+Alex Bill It comes with a free external small flash which works great. Great deals around recently on amazon warehouse where around christmas i got a silver LX100 for £310 and there were black ones for £290 for open box returns. Mine was in mint condition with only damage on box. The lens cap isnt auto retractable but you can buy panasonic auto lens cap for about £38 but i bught 3rd party generic silver version from ebay for £11 which works awesome and just as fine as the panasonic one and even fits slim filters under it unlike the original panasonic one. The small external flash bundled free with the camera take very good pictures without the usual rubbish flash effect common on built in flashes.

[@MwRYum]

Could you guys test the Nikon D750 in-depth?

[@ianh101]

Can you stream on youtube or other apps with this camera?

[@lewtoncole]

Surprised you didn't mention how similar this is to the LEICA D-lux.

[@MidniteSon]

Please test the Lumix ICL GM5

[@jjc5475]

it's 460€ so i think i'm gonna get it now.

[@rep3e4]

thanks

[@navarrerunwalkmeetup]

I am learning night photography and love it. I haven't captured the perfect Milkey Way due to using LUMiIX DMZ-ZS7which I have had since 2010. It only has ISO 1600 and the noise is so bad at that level, I can't print anything larger than a 5x7!. I love the quality of photos otherwise, and I know it's features well. I hardly ever use a flash as I shoot in M manual mode and know how to adjust ISO. How would this model compare? And isn't the zoom much smaller with this model? I want something like this to travel with. But I want superior night shooting results too. And I want to be able to zoom in to capture birds clearly or the moon at night. What do you recommend?

[@PaulDoyleGaelicGamer333]

Love these camera video's . I'm looking for a good superzoom camera 50x + optical zoom. Any good recommendations ?

[@trendo78]

+Paul Doyle (GaelicGamer333) , FX 1000 is as good as LX 100, but with good zoom.

[@Wolfie-76]

How this camera stands in 2024? And how image quality compares to LX100 II ?

[@henryborska9098]

So, should I get the Sony RX 100 mark iii or Panasonic Lumix LX100???

[@leslawrenson]

LX100???!!!!

[@acfdreams]

I have the LX100 and i noticed that, when recording 4k videos, the camera records in segments of 5 minutes and 55 seconds. I know that's because FAT32, but even if i format my SD card to EXFAT, it still records in segments! Is there anything i could do to fix it? Thanks

[@nougatbitz]

Had the LX5 . Loved to carry it with me. Quiet. But the bland colour rendition made me sell it.

[@mubblemann]

Great review. Thanks.

[@sarowie]

when the f-stop value remains constant when zooming, the lense would have to physically open the aperture opening, as the f-stop value is the ratio of focal length and opening. So, it makes total sense that the f-stop value increases when zooming. But: The mapping of physical aperture opening to displayed f-stop value is a bit arbitrarily due to rounding errors. Long speak, short sense: When you compare f-stops between different zoom lenses in between minimum and maximum focal length, take it with a grain of salt. The rounding error might be bigger then the physical difference. Labeling a camera as "not as good" in this aspect when it just rounding/calculating the values different would be unfair.

[@MalasianMamothMassag]

Test the pentax Q series next please !!

[@kriscamp608]

I'd like to see the Samsung NX1 camera

[@engeliasoei]

Can we attach external mic to this camera?

[@DopeInc7]

Nope

[@ZlimboardOfficial]

Will's beard seem to be growing in and out very quickly, or is this the magic of movie production? ;)

[@MarkMphonoman]

Noticed that you have a lego Apple IIe computer on your shelf. I also built one of those. Way cool. 👍

[@TimmyTechTV]

I actually returned my LX100 and bought the Sony. Norm is right when he said why not just buy an a6000.

[@MidniteSon]

TimmyTechTV I don't really see where the LX100 fits in the marketplace. For basically the same size the a6000 does every thing the LX100 does and more minus the limited 4K video options.

[@TimmyTechTV]

keithrig Rumor is the new a7000 will have 4k

[@MidniteSon]

TimmyTechTV Interesting. Do you know if it will be in a larger or smaller form factor as the a6000? I'm actually looking at the Lumix GM5 as a travel camera. The Sony APS-C will have better pictures, but the lenses are quite a bit more huge than the M4/3.

[@TimmyTechTV]

No idea. All rumors right now.

[@LucidStrike]

TimmyTechTV Since when can you get an a6000 with a fast zoom for $900 or less? Do people forget that f2.8 24-70 (and similar) lenses are pretty damn expensive? :|

[@KarmaMission]

Tested In-Depth: Panasonic Lumix LX100 very nive video shared many thanks

[@GeneralSzadek]

LX100 or LX10/15? I can´t decide :( want to use it for photography and filming

[@ZeroMass]

Its like watching bizzaro world Adam and Grant XD

[@rodswim91]

Tested Have you seen the news for the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera? It would be great if you did a review about it.

[@xanyjlo]

hey guys! so I just bought this camera a couple of weeks ago, but i can´t move the aperture ring, I think it has some kind of lock but i can´t deactivate it, please help me, don´t judge

[@JanWillemBoelens]

Will's beard really does grow fast...

[@johannlopez4524]

do i get this or the tz 100

[@willj476]

They are the same thing

[@johannlopez4524]

no they arent

[@murraytinker]

I have decided on the TZ110 which is the same camera as the TZ100 but the Australian Model #. I wanted built in flash and a little more Zoom. I wanted a compact for travel with no need to carry other items. It is a newer camera with more useful features. In the past I have bought cameras when the price dropped and regretted the decision.

[@simplymortified]

Good review.

[@TheAldoo1995]

Lumix lx100 or Gm1?

[@vitom50]

Does anybody know why the silver model cost $200 less than the black one. The specs look identical to me.

[@TheWingrider92]

how bout test any of the Pentax Q series, I've heard nothing but good things about it

[@dominikkulas3038]

I would like to start making videos, like places I visit or myself talking, so in this case what would be better for me? nx 500 or lx100? Or maybe even something else? Thanks for help! :-)

[@melaskew2]

I love you guys, "the View" for cameras minus Whoopie, but I love Whoopie. lol. I think you should have shown more pictures for each discussion point. The initial talk of cropping, you should flash pictures not just fingers. lol. But keep on trying. I look forward to seeing more of your videos.

[@joeprete7424]

This camera is only available as used now, but at twice the price of when it was new!

[@jjchockey]

Where? I’m about to buy one for $300 USD. Not the nicest one but you can get a mint one for $400

[@janetsers4895]

in Florida we don't have jackets