Panasonic LX100 The Concept

Going into battle. HMAS Vampire Ops Room. FZ1000.

 

I think the LX100  is one of the most interesting new products announced  last week.  Fair enough it was a lacklustre  Photokina so maybe the LX100 maybe did not have very much competition. But still.........it stood out from some of the other offerings like a bright little light.

Big quality, small camera   Many, probably millions, of photographers have dreamed for years about that elusive ideal, the camera with big image quality in a small body.

The pocketable solution  Sony has defined what is possible in this category since the first RX100 of 2012, followed by the Mk2 in 2013 and the Mk3 this year.

If you want to carry a quality camera in a pocket or purse or want really good image quality in an ultralight  camera for hiking and similar activities, the current model RX100Mk3 is simply unbeatable.

But some people, myself included, think a pocket is a really bad place in which to carry a camera. Pockets collect dust,  lint,  dirt,  gum, leaves, unidentified icky stuff and who knows what else. In due course, the dust finds it's way into the lens and onto the sensor and bits of grit get into the operating mechanism. Yuck.  So the sensible way to carry even the smallest camera is in a pouch hooked to a belt or even over the shoulder on a strap.

But as soon as you decide to carry a camera in a pouch or small shoulder bag there is no disadvantage to using a slightly larger pouch, which will hold a somewhat larger camera.

Photo courtesy of camerasize.com
RX100 with LX100

 

Ergonomics  The other issue with the genre of pocketable cameras is ergonomics. The RX100 trio are marvels of engineering but they are so small that the experience of  using them is not  particularly enjoyable.  They are difficult to hold comfortably, the monitor is very difficult to see in sunlight, the pop up EVF of the Mk3 has to be lifted and pulled out before it will work and the controls are very small and crowded.

There are two RX100s  (original version) in our household at the moment, one of which is readily available to me.  They make very nice pictures. But I never select the RX1000 for photographic opportunities. I just don't like using that camera. 

The non pocketable solution   Moving up a step in size opens up several possibilities for the design. The sensor can be larger for potentially better image quality.  Holding viewing and operating can be improved.  A camera can be developed which provides both better picture quality and a more enjoyable user experience.

In fact if done well such a camera can be a realistic alternative to a DSLR or MILC with kit lens or even a DSLR or MILC with E24-70mm f2.8 pro lens.

LX100---What a big camera !  This is the title of a recent post on a Panasonic Compact Camera users forum. Indeed, compared to one of the RX100 models the LX100 is very large. In fact it's box volume (width x height x depth) is exactly twice that of the RX100 Mk3.

You can compare them  in the photograph and the table. 

Model	Width mm	Height mm	Depth mm including EVF extension of LX100	Box Volume c.c.
Sony RX100 Mk3	102	58	41	243
Panasonic LX100	115	66	64	486

 

Photo courtesy of camerasize.com
The sensor size given is the diagonal measurement. That of the LX100 I derived by calculations and reference to published diagrams of the multi aspect ratio sensor.
Note that each of the cameras which appears in the photographs above has a lens of very similar equivalent focal length range and aperture. 

 LX100 What a small camera !  Now look at the next photo comparing the LX100  to the Panasonic GH4  (a micro Four Thirds MILC), the Canon EOS 70D (an APS-C DSLR)  and  the Nikon D750 (a full frame DSLR), each with an approximately equivalent 24-70mm f2.8 fast zoom.

Compare the equivalent focal lengths and apertures listed beneath each camera in the photo.

Consider that at the wide end the LX100  has a 1.5 stop brighter aperture than the larger cameras. The LX100 is said to be using the sensor from the Panasonic GX7, a known entity. You can see that the overall imaging performance of the LX100 is likely to be at least as good as the GH4 with 12-35mm f2.8 lens, very close to the EOS 70D with 17-55mm f2.8 lens and not a vast distance from the full frame D750 at the wide end.

Now consider the  typical buyer of an entry to upper entry level DSLR or MILC. This type of camera is often purchased with an E28-85mm or thereabouts, f3.5-5.6 kit zoom which stays on the camera all the time. This lens is two stops slower than the LX100 at all comparable focal lengths. Even the best of these cameras has a sensor only about one EV step better than the GX7.   So the  LX100 should have an advantage in straight image quality over the majority of  entry/upper entry DSLR/MILC kits.  I very much doubt the smallish, by modern standards, pixel count will be a problem.

And it is much smaller than any interchangeable lens camera with a built in viewfinder with any 3x zoom lens mounted.

Summary  I think there must be quite a few photographers out there who want a camera which is enjoyable to use, pouch size compact, and which makes really good pictures for which no excuses need to be made.

I don't know the size of the cohort who will be attracted to the LX100 but I do know that the Canon G series cameras were very popular for many years. These cameras attempted with partial success to fill the demand which is undoubtedly there for a  small camera  which makes big images. I had several of these Canon G cams over the years but was always frustrated by their image quality which was not quite up to the standard I wanted due to the small 9.5mm diagonal sensor.

Our family had a Canon G1X which was an ergonomic disaster and the G1X Mk2 also appears to be burdened with ergonomic problems.

Conclusion  I think the Panasonic LX100 gets the size/sensor/image quality/lens/price balance just right. The concept is very appealing.