One of the most celebrated camera models that came out of the recently concluded Photokina made it in time for the Manila Photo exhibit by DPP. Fortunately for the Philippine market, the distributors are bringing in this little beast despite the fact that they were going to focus on the GH line… it is only because of the LX100’s ability to shoot 4k video that made this a possibility.
As far as advanced compacts go, none prior to this one carried a sensor bigger than 1”… the LX100 carries within it the very same micro four thirds sensor that can be found in the GM line. It is the combination of this sensor and an unbelievably versatile lens via the 10.9-34mm Leica DC Vario-Summilux at f1.7-2.8 arguably better than even the pro-grade 12-35mm Lumix lens which retails for approximately the same value.
Styled like a modernized rangefinder camera and packed full of features that can make any system camera weep, you’ll be hard pressed to find any fault within this package. Let’s take a look around the device to better acquaint ourselves:
The front reveals very little of how much power is inside of the camera; only when you read the numbers on the lens can one fathom just how much that is. Only the red-eye/focus assist lamp, the Lumix branding, the familiar L insignia and a few button/dial profilescan be seen here.
Round back we find the EVF which has very good magnification and resolution, a screen that doesnt register touch, a thumb grip, and a familiar layout of buttons akin to most of the GF series.
At the top we find the on and off toggle, two very manual controls in the form of exposure compensation and ISO dials, wire control for the focal length, a button to activate Intelligent Auto and the hotshoe flanked by stereo mics! On the lens barrel there liesan aspect ratio setting, a multi function ring, and an aperture ring that reads 1.7!!! Sweet!
AF toggles on the side of the lens barrel and of course underneath we find the battery/SD latch, the screw mount, and what appears to be a speaker grille.
During operation you will find the lens barrel to be extended within these two limits above at its widest and narrowest fields.
And while the LCD doesn’t tilt into any number of angles, you can use an app to control the camera wirelessly with very little only barely noticeable lag between the camera and the phone… literally all aspects of shooting can be controlled within it! Here’s a sample shot wide open, first the full frame followed by the hundred percent crop with EXIF data :
To be able to shoot at 200 ISO inside a mall setup with not that much light can work wonders for clarity especially for proper documentation. That photo was taken from pretty close and the separation from the background is quite nicely defined. While we had not been able to test using the higher ISOs with our card inserted, the sample we saw from the demo is really quite compelling.
There is undeniable potential with this unit by its lonesome as it covers most of the non zoom themed subjects leave for the likes of sports or wildlife / birds. Shooting street and everyday life will, without a doubt, be made better and plenty more fun with this in hand… With it you’d think you’re shooting with a prime lens the entire time.
A powerful and lightweight workhorse capable of supplementing even the most complete of setups. Heavily considering one ever since we laid eyes on its white counterpart with brown trims.
If it does retail for around Php40k, then stocks flying out of shelves is a definite expectation. Try and catch one on Camerahaus shelves and maybe even a demo unit (though there’s little possibility on this one).
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