14 DAY TRIAL // As expected, Panasonic arrived at Photokina 2014 with its sleeve full of tricks. We have already detailed some of the products launched by the company and now it’s time we tackled another one.
The Lumix DMC LX100 compact has been rumored to arrive at the Cologne event, and now we are seeing the product in all its glory. And based on the preliminaries, we can say that the LX100 is quite a beast squeezed inside a much smaller body.
Panasonic LX100 is a new 4K-ready camera
The new camera fills in a position above the LX7 (which is a lower-end camera) and boasts a retro look that we have to say is quite appealing (as seen at Dpreview).
But let’s see what this little guy packs in terms of specifications. The device uses a 12.8MP Micro Four Thirds MOS sensor (the same found in the GX7), which is bigger than the popular 1-inch sensor living under the hood of some high-end compacts and Panasonic’s latest smartphone/camera combo.
The sensor works side by side with the new Venus Engine image processor said to bring about noise reduction and higher-quality images. The camera is capable of continuous shooting at 11 frames per second. The ISO range can go up to a maximum of 25,600.
On the back lives a 3-inch 921k-dot LCD with a 2,764-dot wide Live View Finder (the same can be found in the GX7). The LCD can be flipped and you can even rotate it if you feel like it. On top of that, there are plenty of buttons and dials for you to fiddle with.
The new Panasonic compact comes with Leica lenses
The LX100 can play nicely with a new Leica DC-Vario Summilux lens with 24-75mm zoom (equivalent to a 3.1x zoom) that has optical image stabilization plus fast f/1.7-2.8 aperture.
Panasonic made a point in talking about the advanced levels of precision that went into manufacturing this baby, which should allow the lens to shoot at full resolution, while killing off any signs of distortion or chromatic aberration.
But what’s amazing about this little camera is that it can actually take 4K video at either 30 or 24 frames per second. In this sense, the camera will compete with Panasonic’s other 4K-ready, the GH4.
The shooter has just received a firmware update that brings onboard 4K Photo mode and tethered shooting. But apparently you’ll be able to take advantage of the same feature with the LX100. This basically means you’ll be able to capture 8MP stills at up to 30fps from 4K video.
Other features cover the Wi-Fi and NFC department, but also the ability to do RAW to JPG in-camera format conversion plus an external flash (which you don’t have to pay extra for).
The camera seems extremely light, and given its specifications, it will sell for a consistent price tag. The shooter will arrive in October, and if you want to grab it you’ll have to take $900 / €695 out of your pocket.
