Panasonic Lumix LX10 Review

The top end of the small market has always attracted a decent amount of attention, but Sony’s choice to cram a 1.0-inch sensor into the RX100 four years ago provided the format a much-needed boost.

Although such cameras have limitations and can’t always replace interchangeable-lens systems, their continual development in output quality and their small size make them a popular first choice for casual shooting and occasionally more deliberate photography.

• Product
• Features
• Photos

Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II Digital Camera - Wi-Fi Enabled

• 131 megapixel at 4:3 / 128 megapixel at 3:2 aspect ratio 15"-type CMOS sensor
• Operating temperature:32 to 104 °F (0 to 40 °C).24-120mm equivalent F2-39 lens with optical image stabilizer (5x optical zoom)

Last update was on: May 28, 2023 10:54 pm

$779.00

More Info

• 131 megapixel at 4:3 / 128 megapixel at 3:2 aspect ratio 15"-type CMOS sensor
• Operating temperature:32 to 104 °F (0 to 40 °C).24-120mm equivalent F2-39 lens with optical image stabilizer (5x optical zoom)
• ISO 100-12800
• Dual control rings
• 3" tilting touch LCD with 1,040,000 dots
• 1080/30p HD video
• Optional electronic viewfinder with 2,360,000 dots (sold separately)
• Raw and Raw+JPEG shooting
• SD/SDHC/SDXC memory
• Built-in Wi-Fi, NFC, and GPS

Thanks in part to the sensor at the heart of these models and the use of premium lenses and cutting-edge video capability, Sony has experienced considerable success with its RX100 line.

Features

The 20.1MP 1.0-inch CMOS sensor used in Panasonic’s most recent ZS100/TZ100 and FZ2000 superzoom models is the foundation for the Lumix LX10. This has an effective sensitivity range of ISO125-12,800 and can be expanded to ISO80 and up to ISO25,600 equivalents. Images are captured in a 3:2 aspect ratio, as usual.

The sensor captures still images and records 4K UHD video (3840 x 2160 pixels). This can be recorded at a maximum frame rate of 30 frames per second, with 25 and 24 frames per-second options. If this is too fast for your needs or your memory card can’t handle it, you can record in Full HD at various frame rates of up to 60 frames per second.

The ability to extract 4K-resolution frames from the video and a 4K Live Cropping option, which enables you to zoom into the scene and program the camera to pan across automatically, are just two of the many additional and related choices that come with 4K video recording.

The lens’s (35mm-equivalent) focal length range is 24-72mm and has a respectably wide (f/1.4-2.8) aperture. In addition, the presence of two dual-sided aspherical ED elements, four dual-sided aspherical elements, and one Ultra High Refractive (UHR) element emphasizes the high-quality optic’s narrow focus range and broad maximum aperture.

The lens also includes a nine-bladed diaphragm to aid in producing circular bokeh, and when used in macro mode at its wide-angle setting, it can focus as close as 3 cm from the subject. It also has a sensor-based stabilization system and an optical image stabilization system from Panasonic comprising a five-axis Hybrid OIS+ system.

A 3.0-inch touchscreen LCD with a 1.04 million dot resolution and the ability to be tilted upward and 180 degrees to face the front is located on the camera’s back. A few portrait-specific settings, including skin softening and slimming filters, both available in varying degrees, are immediately displayed after performing this step.

Structure and handling

The Panasonic Lumix LX10 and LX15 are made to fit into a pocket because they barely fill the palm of an average hand. Its main body is metal, and the different dials have been constructed to the same standards. A few buttons on the back are somewhat small but have good travel.

Two dials are located on the top plate; one adjusts shooting modes, while the other is a command dial mainly used to alter exposure settings. The mode dial’s rigidity isn’t entirely unexpected, but its flatness does make it a little trickier to get a grip on. On the other hand, the command dial is a good size and rotates effortlessly. However, this might not be a problem if you only use a few exposure options.

A zoom collar surrounds the shutter release button on the top plate, with video recording and shutter release controls. A small catch on the top plate releases the flash from its top plate, and everything on this small body is easily graspable.

There is a raised portion of the front plate that serves as a grip, unlike the models in the RX100 family. This has the advantage of adding little to the camera’s size, though some people may have wanted something slightly beefier because it doesn’t make much of a difference to the handling.

The lens is surrounded by a control ring, which can be customized for various tasks, from focusing and exposure correction to several choices like resolution and aspect ratio. By default, the control ring is set to zoom the optic.

The aperture ring with two protrusions around its smooth edge is located between this and the body and serves as a grip for the user. Although the proximity of the aperture ring to the main body and its shallowness makes it hard to operate comfortably, the two circles together only add a few centimeters to the camera’s profile.

Overall, the Panasonic LX10/LX15 is constructed to a high quality, offering a wide range of physical controls at the user’s fingertips and plenty of customization options. However, the narrow grip and aperture ring design indicate that size was prioritized over convenient handling and operation.

It’s lovely that the LX10 / LX15 exhibits the snappy performance we’ve anticipated from Panasonic. The last few generations of Lumix compacts and compact system cameras have been endowed with exceptional AF speeds.

In good lighting, the camera achieves autofocus almost instantly, or at least without noticeable delay. The focus is frequently performed in highly dark settings with only a little delay, thanks to the handy AF-assist lamp. When confronted with darker conditions, the lens quickly bounces back and forth before confirming focus.

You can choose this focusing point with ease thanks to the touchscreen’s responsiveness, and you can change the size of this box by turning the command dial on the top plate. This is excellent for when you need to concentrate on a little (or far away) thing, though you may also use the Pinpoint option for higher accuracy.

In this case, the camera takes a little longer to find focus than when using its default settings, but once focus is verified, the center of the screen is magnified to help you see what is and isn’t in focus. Of course, you can also change how long this magnification lasts, which is a lot of control for a small camera.

Performance

The Panasonic LX10 / LX15 isn’t exceptionally quick, but it’s typical for a model of this type to completely extend its lens and be ready to shoot after being powered up. A slight delay lasts around an extra second as soon as the camera is turned on.

Despite being essential, given its short length, the lens moves quite slowly across its focal range. The ability to precisely adjust the focus range in single mm increments is made possible by the zoom collar’s responsiveness to even the slightest nudges around the shutter release button. So you might select to step the zoom if you need standard focal lengths like 35mm and 50mm.

Although using the camera reveals that the maximum aperture shuts down to f/2 by 27mm and to f/2.8 by 32mm, which may disappoint some, the lens’s maximum aperture of f/1.4-2.8 compares favorably with rivals that only manage f/1.8 or so at the wide-angle end.

Picture Quality

In daily photography, there doesn’t seem to be much of a need to use the camera’s exposure correction feature because the default evaluation pattern works well with various settings.

When shooting on the street, the camera keeps balance throughout the frame and is only slightly underexposed when confronted with a more extensive region of bright skies.

Unlike so many others, the camera isn’t readily tricked into producing an overexposed image when photographing a primarily dark subject.

Such sceneries also exhibit some reasonable latitude when processing raw photos. For example, areas that are only a stop or so underexposed can be successfully elevated, and places that are considerably more underexposed can also be saved—but only in conjunction with meticulous noise reduction and sharpening.

With a good selection of settings, including the option to store files over current versions or as new ones, raw processing in cameras is often well thought out.

Only a light pattern impacts photographs taken in moderate illumination when utilizing mid-range sensitivities like ISO1,600, which may be readily processed without negative consequences. Image noise is absent mainly at lower sensitivity.

But when applied to photographs with higher sensitivities, noise reduction destroys the fine details and the color saturation, making the images look lifeless. Although you may also alter this as part of the camera’s Raw-processing features after capture, unlike many other cameras, high-ISO noise reduction is modified for each Photo Style rather than applied worldwide.

Panasonic Lumix LX10 Specifications

Conclusion

• Product
• Features
• Photos

Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II Digital Camera - Wi-Fi Enabled

• 131 megapixel at 4:3 / 128 megapixel at 3:2 aspect ratio 15"-type CMOS sensor
• Operating temperature:32 to 104 °F (0 to 40 °C).24-120mm equivalent F2-39 lens with optical image stabilizer (5x optical zoom)

Last update was on: May 28, 2023 10:54 pm

$779.00

More Info

• 131 megapixel at 4:3 / 128 megapixel at 3:2 aspect ratio 15"-type CMOS sensor
• Operating temperature:32 to 104 °F (0 to 40 °C).24-120mm equivalent F2-39 lens with optical image stabilizer (5x optical zoom)
• ISO 100-12800
• Dual control rings
• 3" tilting touch LCD with 1,040,000 dots
• 1080/30p HD video
• Optional electronic viewfinder with 2,360,000 dots (sold separately)
• Raw and Raw+JPEG shooting
• SD/SDHC/SDXC memory
• Built-in Wi-Fi, NFC, and GPS

Panasonic has a long and laudable history in the enthusiast compact market, and the LX10/LX15 is yet another excellent contribution to the Lumix portfolio.

It is a pleasurable camera to use thanks to its quick autofocus mechanism and crisp, responsive touchscreen, and the quality of both photos and movies is consistently outstanding.

Due to the camera’s small size and proportions, you won’t be deterred from bringing it out for the evening. However, you will still feel comfortable using it when an interchangeable-lens camera is more appropriate.

It is not the only company that manages to provide all of this, and competent competitors from brands like Sony and Canon make it worthwhile to consider carefully what you need and what you’re willing to do without.

For example, the absence of a viewfinder and a proper grip alone will deter many people, especially those used to interchangeable-lens systems.

The lack of an ND filter may also annoy those photographing seascapes or long exposures, but this is a minor complaint and won’t annoy everyone.

Panasonic Lumix LX10 FAQs