My go to everyday M43 camera body and a Leica lens on a budget. The Panasonic LX100 II.
I thought I’d post a small summary of my thoughts on an affordable compact style rangefinder body with a built in Leica 24-75/F1.7-F2.8 lens equivalent lens on a Micro 4/3rd sensor. Part of my way of life of making an income is traveling the country and sometimes internationally keeping B737-800 aircraft running for an airline. I spend lots of time on the road, and I needed to find a solution that balanced the need for Depth of Field and Resolution over a cell phone sensor, and yet be compact and smaller than the traditional DSLR and accompanying lenses. This camera is built for the gear enthusiast, with the opportunity to experience the Leica glass hype that permeates the photography world on a budget that doesn’t break the bank like a traditional Leica camera will. Fully manual controls with Aperture Priority or the ability to set manual shutter speeds up to 1/4000 a sec with Auto Aperture as well. The lens has an aspect ratio selector built into the top, with the options of 16:9, 4:3. 3:2, or 1:1, and three different autofocus mode selections, with Macro, Regular Autofocus, or Manual Focus. The EVF is fantastic and accurate, IBIS is so good I’m able to handhold shots down to a 1/15 of a sec. The only place that the camera struggles is with low light as expected with a M43 sensor, and battery life is limited. Color is fine up until about 1600 ISO, and B&W seems to render just fine until about 3200 ISO, until they both become too noisy for my personal taste. The lens zooms to the most common focal lengths used in photography, 24, 28, 35, 50, and 75 are the focal lengths built in. My favorite part of this camera is just the way the built in color profiles saturate and render my photos without losing the quality of depth of field and detail that a lousy 1 in smart phone sensor would render. It’s also a great throw in your pocket camera to document whatever may cross your path on an everyday basis, and I was able to grab mine at $600 used with a flash and extra battery. The previous generation bodies are now going anywhere from $275-$350 used in the MidWest where I live.
Awesome shots and good write-up! Can't beat portability. I love my Ricoh GR for that. Only the latest version has IBIS though, and that's the part I really miss. I pretty much have to keep it at 1/60th or faster.
I still can't believe the value that they hold. I was looking at the 10MP 1st generation and was blown away at the price.
Quote from SpruceBruce on April 3, 2021, 4:17 pmI still can't believe the value that they hold. I was looking at the 10MP 1st generation and was blown away at the price.
It's a bummer. If they were even cheaper it would be a no brainer recommendation rom me to try out. I was able to get my 16mp APSC one for $250 I think? Even then I was questioning whether or not I'd be into it, but now I love it. Thought about getting a GRiii one day but it's just so stinkin expensive. $800 for a fixed lens pocket camera. It's dang good though, so I guess if that's exactly the tool someone needs then it's there...
I was trying to decide between this and an RX100 when I was researching a first camera. I ended up going with an RX100 because I found one for cheaper, but always felt like if I had the viewfinder and larger sensor it would have made a lot of difference in my shooting experience. Do you find that it's more of a jacket pocketable camera or a pants pocketable camera?
Jacket pocketable, unless you have cargo shorts or pants on. It's definitely not as slim as a GR. I'd say it's profile similar to a Fuji X100 series.
Quote from Justin Tung on April 4, 2021, 3:00 pmI was trying to decide between this and an RX100 when I was researching a first camera. I ended up going with an RX100 because I found one for cheaper, but always felt like if I had the viewfinder and larger sensor it would have made a lot of difference in my shooting experience. Do you find that it's more of a jacket pocketable camera or a pants pocketable camera?
I don't know if you've seen this video, but I think Andrew did a good job talking through some of these cameras and their differences. Kinda left in a toss-up of what features you most want vs. how compact it gets. I think the LX100 ends up being his pick because he couldn't live without an EVF.
This is all so helpful, and I have been very intrigued by the LX100 (I & II)! Glad it has been such a great photo companion. To add my rather irrelevant two cents: In the past year of trying to find the camera that feels best to me, I definitely prioritized size over almost everything else. But then one day I was walking in the woods with a GR in my pants pocket and it was a little annoying; it felt bulky and it was obstructing my perfect form walking on a terribly difficult* hiking trail (*that is a lie). "Isn't this the pocketable camera?" I said to no one. I found myself putting it in a little cheap bag to throw in my car, or in my normal messenger bag, and rarely in my pants. "So if it's not going in a pocket, then who cares about the size?" I said to my steering wheel. Anyway, this dumb post is just to say, sure those small cameras may go in a pocket, but I often found myself putting even the small GR's in a bag anyway. Insert size not mattering joke, if you want.
Speaking of that little cheap bag, here it is! Or rather here they are. My wife and I use these for so many things:
CLC Custom Leathercraft 1100 Multi-Purpose Clip-on Zippered Poly Bags, 3 Pack
I used an LX100II for a little while, I really liked it. I feel like with a leather half case it would feel perfect. In the end, I like small M4/3 primes too much to settle on the power zoom that's on the LX100 series, but deep down there's still a lingering desire to get the camera again. It does so many things right, especially the second rendition with better resolution, and nicer JPEGs.
