The Panasonic Lumix LX100 II is a 17 camera lover zoom compact with a 24-75mm equivalent F1.7-2.8 lens. It utilizes around ~85% of the area of a Four Thirds-sized detector to give a choice of aspect ratios without narrowing the field of view.
Much like the Mark I, the LX100 II features extensive external control points but additionally, it also gains a touchscreen to accelerate procedures such as AF point placement and interacting with the customizable function menu.
Panasonic DC-LX100 II Key specifications:
Up to 17MP images (from crops of 20MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor)
24-75mm equivalent F1.7-2.8 zoom
4:3, 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1 aspect ratios using selector switch on lens
4K video at up to 30p
2.76M-dot equiv. electronic viewfinder
1.24M-dot rear touchscreen
Wi-Fi with always-connected Bluetooth
Up to 17MP images (from crops of 20MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor)
24-75mm equivalent F1.7-2.8 zoom
4:3, 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1 aspect ratios using selector switch on lens
4K video at up to 30p
2.76M-dot equiv. electronic viewfinder
1.24M-dot rear touchscreen
Wi-Fi with always-connected Bluetooth
Together with the higher-resolution sensor, the LX100 II gains a lot of smart features that the company has grown since the introduction of the original model. But, perhaps more importantly, it also increases the improved colour rendering Panasonic introduced together with all the GH5, which ought to mean more attractive JPEG output.
The end result is a really engaging enthusiast photographer's camera; not quite pocketable but simple to transport and travel with. The relatively large sensor and glowing lens make it unusually elastic, but competition in the smaller and highly capable Sony RX100 series cameras imply it's not the front-facing camera its predecessors has been back in 2014.
What is new
The LX100 II is the first camera that Panasonic has widely marketed as a'Mark II' version of an current product and that provides an indicator of just how much has changed. There are minor tweaks and improvements that will be significant to a lot of users, but it still shares a lot with its immediate predecessor.
The LX100 II is the first camera that Panasonic has widely marketed as a'Mark II' version of an current product and that provides an indicator of just how much has changed. There are minor tweaks and improvements that will be significant to a lot of users, but it still shares a lot with its immediate predecessor.
Multi Aspect detector and upgraded processor
The greatest changes are to the sensor and processor. Panasonic's multi-aspect design dates back to 2008's LX3: it uses different crops from its detector to give a variety of aspect ratios that maintain exactly the same diagonal angle of view, meaning that you don't lose your wide-angle capability just because you have switched to 16:9.
The greatest changes are to the sensor and processor. Panasonic's multi-aspect design dates back to 2008's LX3: it uses different crops from its detector to give a variety of aspect ratios that maintain exactly the same diagonal angle of view, meaning that you don't lose your wide-angle capability just because you have switched to 16:9.
The LX100 II uses the same 20MP CMOS detector as the DC-GX9 though the multi-aspect design means you only ever get to use up to some 17MP, 187 mm2 crop of it (the full sensor area of 4/3 is 225mm2). The sensor does not have any anti-aliasing filter, and it will be likely to mean that a slight increase in sharpness at the expense of a greater chance of aliasing (based on how sharp the lens remains).
Regrettably, there is a drawback of the system so you won't get to utilize the entire sensor area, and therefore don't really get the full picture quality possibility of the detector you've paid for. The diagram above shows how small goes rancid though. We have tended to locate the creative opportunities provided by the multi-aspect design (and the instant of its prominently-placed switch) make up for this slight limitation. The LX100 II additionally receives the chip from the GX9, so improved JPEG colour and sharpening in addition to a redesigned menu system.
Touchscreen
Another significant change is the addition of a touchscreen (3" in dimension, with 1.24 million dots). It utilizes the identical touchscreen interface which Panasonic has honed over the past eight decades.
Another significant change is the addition of a touchscreen (3" in dimension, with 1.24 million dots). It utilizes the identical touchscreen interface which Panasonic has honed over the past eight decades.
The stand-out feature (that Panasonic initiated ) is Touchpad AF, which permits you to place the AF point working with the LCD while your eye is on the finder. Users have the choice of relative positioning (like a trackpad on a laptop) or absolute (touch the specific place where to concentrate ). You cannot, however, limit the busy area to one part of the display, to limit it to a place your finger can reach (or even wherever your nose can't). There is also a touch-friendly, customizable version of the camera's Q.Menu accessible.
The accession of the touchscreen additionally includes five customizable'soft buttons' into the LX100 II, that adds around 10 total customizable buttons. However you use it, though, we suspect many LX100 users will love the ability to choose an AF point much faster compared to old model.
Other changes
The Mark II profits Bluetooth, which enables the camera to stay linked to a intelligent device without demanding too much battery power away from either. Maintaining this link accelerate the procedure for establishing a complete Wi-Fi link for image transfer. As before there is the option to re-process Raw documents from the camera if you want to adjust settings such as color style or white equilibrium before sharing.
The Mark II profits Bluetooth, which enables the camera to stay linked to a intelligent device without demanding too much battery power away from either. Maintaining this link accelerate the procedure for establishing a complete Wi-Fi link for image transfer. As before there is the option to re-process Raw documents from the camera if you want to adjust settings such as color style or white equilibrium before sharing.
And, although the camera body is a game for the first LX100, the Mark II lets you customize more of the buttons, which should make it easier to set up to suit your shooting style.
The transfer to a newer processor sees the LX100 II gain all the additional multi-shot manners that Panasonic has developed since the original camera premiered. This means it offers Post Focus and Focus Stacking manners, aperture and focus bracketing, alongside the Automobile darkening and Sequence Composition features in 4K Photo mode.