Why I Can’t Stop Reaching for the Panasonic Lumix LX100

I am a seasoned shooter of DSLR cameras. My shoulders are callused by camera straps weighted with pro bodies and lenses, and my forearms could take down Paul Bunyan in an arm wrestling contest. I’m conditioned to not care about how heavy my gear bag is and have a mama bear sense for its whereabouts at all times. That is, until now.

I have been waiting for a camera to come out that would act as an alternative to my pro gear when being a professional isn’t the priority. Something that gives me the control I need, quality I am used to, has no digital shutter lag, and with weight and bulk I barely notice when out and about. We all know that’s a tall order and although it was attempted in many point-and-shoot camera models, it wasn’t until Panasonic released the Lumix LX100 that my checklist was met! Find out why I just can’t get enough of this best-of-both-worlds prosumer point-and-shoot.

I’ve tried them all: Nikon Coolpix, Nikon 1, Canon EOS-M, and, for good measure, the ever-popular Micro Four Thirds systems. There’re features of each that I’ve really appreciated. However, because of their digital shutter lag, these cameras never let me fully appreciate their size and technological advancements.

Accustomed to shooting with DLSRs that have zero digital delay, digital point-and-shoot cameras of the past haven’t allowed me to consistently capture images at the speed I am used to. This, however, is not the case with the Panasonic Lumix LX100 as its delay between depressing the shutter and when the image is captured is negligible, achieving AF in .14 seconds. I’m already sold!

In short, the Panasonic Lumix LX100 Digital Camera allows you to not only shoot 12.8MP stills but also allows you to shoot in 4K up to 15 minutes and pull 8MP stills from your video footage. It sports a fast built-in lens that covers both wide and portrait lengths and comes with a small, detachable flash unit for extreme low light conditions. You can quickly toggle between different aspect ratios of 4:3, 3:2, or 16:9 and you can shoot in fully manual mode with the dedicated lens ring and camera body dials.

The Panasonic Lumix LX100 also sports a wonderfully intelligent semi-auto mode that can easily be overridden by its classic placement of aperture control located at the base of the lens element portion of the camera. Did I mention that its max aperture is f/1.8 – the only of its kind so far?! This feature alone allows you the potential to trick the eye of a seasoned professional into thinking you shot it with a DSLR or larger-sensor mirrorless system.

If you are looking for more fine-tuning, the exposure compensation dial located at the top right of the camera allows you to lighten or darken your automatic setting by a simple twist of the dial. An invaluable tool when you want to pay more attention to your environment than your camera settings!

Again, let me remind you that I am not substituting my DSLR system with this point-and-shoot, but since discovering its usefulness I have been constantly grabbing it for scouting locations, social media BTS, vacation photos, and so much more!

Speaking of vacation cameras, before making the LX100 my go-to recommendation for anyone asking, I put it to the test against Panasonic’s G7 mirrorless camera and Micro Four Thirds lenses. This combination provided me the high-end feel and quality I normally desire. The tradeoff? Size and weight. I may not get the ‘pro’ body feeling with the LX100 but I can swing it over my shoulder and keep it there all day without accidentally bumping a protruding lens into something or someone. Otherwise, the image quality remains visually comparable even if the specs technically are not. Can you tell the difference in the image above?

Another feature that many new cameras have these days, including the LX100, is WiFi. I can transfer images to friends and social media with ease, as well as control its function from the palm of my hand. This has endless uses for someone with a busy life who can appreciate taking a step out of uploading images to a computer before sending them to a friend or posting to social media. I don’t think I can ever consider a camera without it. Thank you, WiFi gods!

Lastly, I don’t normally shoot with any of the special features built into cameras such as these, like black and white, miniature, or toy camera. However, the Lumix LX100 offers something much more than these gimmicky settings that I can find use of. Let me introduce you to time-lapse and animation in a point-and-shoot! These are features that I keep going back to for an assortment of creative motives that I may not want the bulk of a heavy camera rig for.

And so for all those reasons, I’m hooked on the Panasonic Lumix LX100 like a baby to its baba, dog to its bone, or celebrity to its Twitter account. Let us know what your thoughts are on the matter of prosumer point-and-shoot bodies. Do you feel that you can rely on them yet? Which is your favorite? We would love to hear from you!