Panasonic LX100 II First Shots: More megapixels, better I.Q. for this large-sensor compact?

posted Monday, October 29, 2018 at 6:44 PM EDT

Click here to see our Panasonic LX100 II First Shots

These days, the premium compact camera market is dominated by cameras with 1-inch-type sensors. For small, pocketable digi-cams, these are still really large sensors compared to what we used to see in more entry-level compact cameras. Panasonic, too, offers an advanced compact camera with a 1-inch-type sensor, the LX10, but they also offer something unique, a premium, fixed-lens camera with a Four Thirds sensor, the Panasonic LX100 II. As the name suggests, this Mark II model is an upgrade over the original, which debuted back in 2014. However, as before, the LX100 II keeps the Four Thirds sensor, yet gets an upgrade in resolution, going from 12MP to 17MP.

The LX100 II is also updated with Panasonic's latest Venus Engine processor, so it should offer improved image quality compared to the predecessor (though it maintains the same native ISO range as before). The camera also sports the same Leica-branded DC Vario-Summilux lens with a 24-75mm-eq. focal length range and fast f/1.7-2.8 variable aperture.

To get a sense of what the image quality is like from the LX100 II, we present our classic First Shots series of lab sample images. Here, we've tested the camera against a standardized still life scene across its full ISO range, both at default noise reduction processing and at the most minimal setting. We also have RAW files for download, should you want to dabble with your own image processing. With First Shots, not only can you get a sense of the LX100 II's image quality as the ISO rises, but you can also easily do side-by-side image comparisons against practically any other camera we've tested using our Comparometer.

Below is a quick comparison of the LX100 II against its predecessor as well as one of the most popular competing premium compact cameras (with a 1-inch-type sensor), the Sony RX100 VI. (Note that all cameras here have different resolutions (LX100 II: 17MP; LX100: 12MP; RX100 VI: 20MP), so the 1:1 crops appear slightly different in apparent size.)