12Sep Panasonic LX100 4k point & shoot – First Impressions
Even though I turn over 1080p footage for the vast majority of the work that I do, I’ve started to shoot 4k whenever available. It’s not that I really “need” to shoot 4k, but the data penalty and workflow aren’t really that bad and I’ve kind of falling into the philosophy “If you have it you may as well use it.”
In the past i’ve used my Hero 4 black edition as the camera for tight shots, but that wide angle isn’t always very attractive and even with protune, grading footage can be a little tricky. For that reason I’ve been searching for a Hero 4 replacement that fits into roughly the same form factor but allows for a little more flexibility in terms of controls and focal range.
It’s actually the reason I got in on the E1 M43 Camera kickstarter 4 or 5 months back. While the E1 looks good, development of a kickstarter project can take some time so I recently started glancing around on craigslist for something like the Sony RX100 IV or Panasonic LX100. Both of these cameras are slim, have full manual controls, a decent focal range, and relatively good lenses.
After glancing around at the specs, I was leaning towards the LX100 which ended up popping up on craigslist for $475. At that price it’s actually a bit cheaper than a Hero 4 and a lot more flexible as a video and photography tool.
The LX100 is a nice looking camera and the 24-75mm f1.7 to f2.8 lens is very impressive for a point and shoot. The (almost) 4/3 sensor used in the LX100 is also very good in low light, I’d put this in the same class as the original Canon 7d.
To get this thing to work as a video tool there are a lot of adjustments that need to be made in the menu system. Once you’ve set it up, you have to make the same changes to convert back to stills. A custom user setup will probably be pretty important.
I haven’t done something as in depth as a camera review for quite awhile so i’m gathering up ideas.
Currently on the list are the normal suspects:
- High ISO
- AF system
- Built in mic
- HDMI output
- GH4, LX100 comparison samples
- Best video settings
Feel free to leave a comment with anything else you’d like to see added. More on the Panasonic LX100 to follow.
September 12th, 2015 at 5:16 pm
I love this camera. I shot a short film on it recently. Shot in 4k, converted to 1080, cut on final cut, and colored by an amazing professional colorist.
Looks great. There are some limitations… got a follow focus to work with it, but it was a pain.
My bosses I showed it off to liked it. So, instant win.
I just bought a Panasonic g7. So between these two I have a nice lil cam package. Woo Panasonic.
September 12th, 2015 at 10:19 pm
So far testing is positive, LX100 footage cuts very well with GH4 footage. Should be a good combo!
September 14th, 2015 at 9:28 am
Wish u would post more often.
I know podcasts are easier, but posts like these are much more interesting.
September 16th, 2015 at 1:05 am
Awesome tips so far. I did not realise the 4k photo should be on!
I’ve been using this camera for a while and reach for it a lot over the gh4.
Look forward to what you find in testing so I can tweak this bad boy a little more.
September 17th, 2015 at 11:43 am
Yeah, ur site kinda’ blows now that all you do is link to podcasts.
It used to be better………..
September 19th, 2015 at 11:01 am
Working on getting some more writers. I’m only one man.
September 20th, 2015 at 11:47 pm
The Image App is a good help while shooting I admit.
As for the mic I saw an article in FB that it is possible to extend the mic input outside of the camera box. But still there is no phone connector to control the audio quality and sure it is a warranty case.
September 21st, 2015 at 5:47 pm
I haven’t seen any method for sending audio back to the camera via the phone application. I suppose you could use a cellphone with a lav and record audio in the phone, sync in post or sync via BWF tags possibly.
September 21st, 2015 at 11:06 pm
https://www.facebook.com/100000374147159/posts/923584840997312/?pnref=story
September 25th, 2015 at 6:23 pm
That’s an interesting move. I’ll look into it.