Panasonic LX100 6 Month User Review June 2015

LX100 Pink Roadhouse Oodnadatta

It is time for  a short user review of this interesting camera. I bought mine in November 2014 and have used it frequently since then except for a 2 month period earlier this year when the camera was in the repair shop awaiting a replacement main printed circuit board, the original having failed.

I have recently returned from a trip to Central Australia, using the LX100 every day generating about 800 frames in a variety of conditions.

The following remarks are a brief summary of my impressions with an emphasis on ergonomic issues. I have extensively reviewed the camera in other posts on this blog.

LX100 Post Office Farina

Concept     Panasonic has successfully figured out how to fit a 4/3” sensor, albeit cropped to an effective diagonal of 19.2mm as compared to the full sensor size of 21.5mm, into a compact camera with a wide aperture zoom lens of good quality. Thus far no other maker has matched this although I read rumors that Sony may be about to do so.

The result is a camera which is somewhat on the large side for a compact  and definitely not pocketable. However it does have a built in EVF which I regard as essential.

Some users  like the size of the LX100 but having used it a great deal I think it is a betwixt and between thing. It is not pocketable like a Sony RX100 but it also lacks the ergonomic capability of a slightly larger camera.

From the left, each with appropriate carry bag: Sony RX100, Panasonic LX100, My mockup about the same size as a Panasonic G5/5/7, Panasonic FZ1000.
The protruding lens of the LX100 prevents it from fitting into compact camera pouches. It fits well into the Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 5 as shown here. But the considerably larger and much more ergonomic mockup requires a carry bag only slightly larger.  The FZ1000 is a step up in both camera size and bag size.

Look at the photo above of four cameras each posing in front of its carry bag.

You can see that the bag required for the LX100 is much larger than that needed for the Sony RX100. 

But the bag for the mockup camera is only slightly larger even though the mockup is a substantially larger and much more user friendly design, with twin dials, fully ergonomic handle and a full suite of controls for the expert/ enthusiast user. This mockup is a close match to the body size of a Panasonic G5/6/7.

Conceptually I would prefer to see the LX100 go one of two ways, either:

* Keep the size as is, but re invent the design for much improved ergonomics, as shown in the photos or

* Go up a size to that of the larger of the two mockups shown here. This is very close in body size to the Panasonic G5/6/7. I envisage a fixed zoom lens with wide aperture and approximately 4-5x zoom range. The lens can telescope back into the camera body allowing a wider aperture and/or greater zoom range than is possible if it were required to be interchangeable.

It is possible to design a small camera exactly the same size (w x h x d) as the LX100 but with much improved holding, viewing and operating as shown by the mockup above. This is exactly the same size as the LX100 although it looks larger because of its shape and silver finish.

Picture quality is generally very good even at high ISO settings. I have made very large prints from LX100 files. They look sharp and clear with a commanding presence on the wall.  The modest pixel numbers are not a problem at all.

The only complaints I have are:

* The edges and corners are softer than the center of the frame at all focal lengths, particularly at the widest aperture.

* On my copy the left side is softer than the right side in 16:9 aspect ratio and full zoom. 

Performanceis generally very good and much better than most compacts I have used. The camera responds promptly to user inputs. Autofocus is fast and accurate, good enough to follow indoor sports like basketball.

Ergonomics  This is the camera ergonomics blog so I have most to say about this subject.

I find that some cameras become easier and more enjoyable to use with practice, others become less endearing. Unfortunately I find the LX100 to be in the latter category.

Here is a list of the things which continue to annoy me about my experience with the LX100.

* The [+/-] dial gets bumped off the zero setting about 50% of times I take the camera from its bag. If 

I am trying to get a shot quickly this may go un-noticed resulting in incorrect exposure. There are various things Panasonic could do to fix this, the simplest would presumably be to put a lock button in the center of the dial.

* I repeatedly bump the [Menu/Set] button when handling the camera. This can result in inadvertent setting changes.  The problem is that the control panel of the camera (the part of the back to the right of the monitor) is too small and cramped and too close to the right edge of the body.

* The Aperture ring is awkward to use. The problem is that the ring does not have serrations or grippable lands all the way around. It just has two small raised lands. These seem perpetually in the wrong place for my fingers and are almost impossible to reach in portrait orientation. The solution is a ring with full circumference serrations.

* The shutter speed dial requires two fingers to operate. This means completely releasing grip of  the camera with the right hand. In practice I also find it is easier to have eyes on the dial as I can never remember which way to turn it for value up or down. This means lowering the camera to work the dial. 

It is of course possible to work the dial while looking through the EVF as there is a shutter speed readout in the viewfinder. I just find it easier with eyes on the dial.

In addition the full range of shutter speeds cannot be accessed via the shutter speed dial. Slow and intermediate speeds require operation of the rear dial in addition to the shutter speed dial.  This is a clumsy workaround. In my view the shutter speed dial is simply not an adequate means of changing shutter speeds on a modern electronic camera.

In his recent review for DPR of the Fuji X100T (which has the same kind of shutter speed dial as the Panasonic LX100) Richard Butler wrote …..”as I scrabble around with two separate controls to set shutter speed I’d put forward the argument they’re a design affectation rather than a functional benefit”.  Precisely.

* The monitor is fixed. Having used fully articulated monitors on other cameras, I have come to appreciate their considerable virtues. This camera would be much more versatile with a fully articulated monitor.

* The EVF eyecup is too small and not deep enough for comfortable viewing. As a workaround for this I wrap my left index finger around the viewfinder to block stray light and achieve the correct viewing distance for my eye.

* The handle is too small.  I made a mockup to show that this problem could be solved within the size envelope of the LX100 by redesigning the entire right side of the camera.

Summary:   Betwixt and between concept, good picture quality, good performance, multiple ergonomic irritations.

That’s my take on the LX100.

The root of most of the operating issues I have with this camera is Panasonic’s decision, for reasons  never explained despite large amounts of promotional blurb, to use a ‘traditional’ style control system instead of the more usual and practical modern system based on Mode Dial and Control Dial(s). 

Panasonic knows perfectly well how to do a modern control layout as seen on the GH3/4, FZ1000 and G7.

Panasonic could fix all the problems easily enough either with a redesign at the same size point, as demonstrated by my mockup or by going up in size to a mini-SLR shape, which would be my preference as that option is easier to live with on an everyday basis and opens up more possibilities for the user interface.

Update: August 2015  I have just returned from a trip to the other side (of the world) taking in Svalbard, Iceland and various European cities. The LX100 performed very well. It proved to be a very capable street camera turning in very good results in a wide variety of conditions indoors and out.  It also managed large and small landscapes very well both hand held and on the tripod. Many of my in camera auto panoramas look very nice indeed.

I have now made a custom accessory handle for the LX100 (reported on this blog) which substantially improves handling. I no longer hit any buttons accidentally. 

The handle has helped me to feel more positive about the ergonomics.

One thing I should have mentioned in the initial post is the camera's very appropriate choice of aperture, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity in P mode. The LX100 having no Mode Dial that is "A-A-A" Mode. ( A on the shutter speed dial and aperture ring and Auto ISO).  In virtually all conditions the camera selects what I regard as being a very appropriate combination of the three primary exposure parameters. This means the camera can be left in "A_A_A" Mode most of the time especially when street shooting handheld.

I still want that fully articulated monitor though.

Andrew