The Panasonic Lumix LX100 II is a 17 megapixel enthusiast zoom compact with a 24-75mm equivalent F1. 7-2. 8 lens. It uses up to ~85% of the area of a Four Thirds-sized sensor to give a choice of aspect ratios without narrowing the field of view.
Like the Mark I, the LX100 II features extensive external control points but it now also gains a touchscreen to speed up processes such as AF point positioning and interacting with the customizable function menu.
Key features:
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
Along with the higher-resolution sensor, the LX100 II gains a host of clever features the company has developed since the launch of the original model. But, perhaps more importantly, it also gains the improved color rendering Panasonic introduced with the GH5, which should mean more attractive JPEG output.
The result is a really engaging enthusiast photographer's camera; not quite pocketable but easy to carry and travel with. The comparatively large sensor and bright lens make it remarkably flexible, but competition from the smaller and highly capable Sony RX100 series cameras mean it's not the stand-out camera its predecessor was back in 2014.
The LX100 II is available at an MSRP of $999 (a $100 premium over the original).
What's new and how it compares
The LX100 II gets an updated Four Thirds sensor, all of Panasonic's latest 4K photo features and more.
Read more
Operation and Handling
The LX100 II has a lot of direct controls and a good level of customization but sadly it still uses the same viewfinder as the 2014 model.
Read more
First impressions
DPReview editor Jeff Keller was a big fan of the original LX100 and finds the updates in the LX100 II make it an even more compelling offering.
Read more
What's it like to use?
Despite its size, the LX100 II lends itself to a range of shooting styles. It especially shines as a travel camera, we think.
Read more
Image Quality
We've shot our studio scene with the LX100 II to see how it compares with its rivals.
Read more
Autofocus and Video
The LX100 II's autofocus is pretty impressive, for both stills and video. The video shooting experience is a bit of a let-down, though.
Read more
Conclusion
We like the LX100 II a lot, and appreciate the updates over the original. However, the viewfinder and video performance, along with fierce competition means it's no longer the obvious choice that its forebear was.
Read more
Sample Gallery
We've been shooting the LX100 II for a while and have put together a gallery of samples.
Click here to visit the gallery page
2018-12-20 19:21
