Micro 4/3 Will the real LX100 please stand up?

[Ray Sachs]

Well Ray, the silver lining is that you can completely scratch it off your list and not even think twice about it. Better to be black and white on these things. Which it is not for me.

After deciding the LX100 was not (yet) for me I really revisited my desire to ditch my interchangeable lenses and have an all-in-one solution. So I have purchased the LX100 and the G7X (my second go around with this one). I will do a little head-to-head shooting and choose one to keep. As the G7X has some of the features I miss on the LX100 I think it will be an interesting comparo.

I'm imagining a kit of the LX100 or G7X, the Sigma DP3M, and maybe an "advanced" superzoom at some point (next gen FZ1000 or RX10 sort of thing). Maybe an E-PM2 + 45/1.8, but no other lenses. We'll see how that all works out...

Indeed, sometimes eliminating options is a nice feeling. There was really no reason for me to even want to play with one, but the overall gestalt of the camera has always appealed to me. And I do sort of subscribe to the "bigger sensors beat up smaller sensors" idea. Not in all cases, obviously - the smaller RX100 / G7X sensor beats up the larger but outdated G1X sensor - but all other things being roughly equal this tends to hold for me... And there is something about the images I'm seeing from the LX100 that bear this out. But it's not gonna happen for me. I'm just too specific in my street shooting preferences and while this sort of compact doesn't need to be a GREAT street shooter, it has to work for me in that context when I don't have my Coolpix A or Df along also. The G7X does, with almost no compromise in good light. The LX100 wouldn't.

I wish I wasn't such a picky sucker because I suspect for almost any other kind of shooting (up to 75mm obviously), I'd love the LX100.

I'll be interested in your progress and where you eventually come down on these cameras.

-Ray

 

[Les Klein]

The LX100 is as unique as every other camera. I've had my LX100 for a couple of months and it's been fun learning about it and how to use it. At first, I would say that this is not a beginner's camera (although I know someone who only uses it in iA mode), and certainly I'm not a beginner, having six decades of photography experience. Having come from an LX7, I had to unlearn some habits (e.g., keeping the colour profile on 'Vivid') and explore the menus for new settings and features.

My favourite features, aside from the EVF, are direct control of aperture, shutter speed, and focus. EV adjustment is also direct. Other features, such as white balance and ISO are within one-level menu operation. Two other features I enjoy are Focus Peaking (which can also be used to augment AF), and direct aspect ratio control.

As for IQ, which for many means "meets or exceeds my expectations", the LX100 is great. I know that it is not a perfect camera, and I know that a perfect camera does not exist. The arrival of new models attests to the continued quest for perfection and the entrepreneurship of manufacturers.

In summary, this camera is my best camera, for now. I love using it and I love the results. So, this is the real LX100, and it's standing up!