My LX-10 has been the primary video camera for my two youtube channels for several years. Since I record situations with lots of dirt and grime, I don't want anything too expensive. The LX-10 is a workhorse and I have little to complain about. I even took it apart myself to clean the sensor a few months back, and it went back together without a problem. Great little camera.
@@arenalsurferphoto You'll want to get a separate sound recorder rather than use a mic connected to the camera anyway. There are many available now. I use an old Tascam DR-05 with a wired mic, but there are lots of other units with wireless mics now. You combine the sound and video in your editor.
I have a Lumix TZ100 with 1" sensor that I use for backpacking and mountaineering where weight is my number 1 criterion. I use it in raw mode and find the pictures are fine provided I don't have to process them too much in post. It has an f2.8 max aperture which is fine for all but the lowest light. And the 25-250FFE zoom is great for covering most subjects. The in-built pano mode is useful in the mountains too. And the EVF is usable when the screen glare is too high. I love my Olympus EM1 for "serious" photography but the compact definitely has its uses too.
Almost every camera is good enough if you understand its limitations and intended purposes and use cases. Personally, I love small cameras. Robin, you got a lot of great shots with the LX10 in this video. Your home town is beautiful and very interesting.
I have that camera in addition to my Olympus system. It's fine when you just want to go light and are doing fun stuff. It's quite feature rich... I do like the "Handheld night mode". When you push the shutter it takes a series of photos and stiches them together. The result is quite good!
Life is about choosing the best compromises. The LX10 is my most convenient to carry camera, so it goes with me when travelling, hiking or if photography isn't the main purpose of my outing. A small belt pouch and you hardly notice you are carrying it and a silicon skin case provides secure grip without a strap. A 1.4-2.8 aperture is fantastic for almost any situation, including low-light forest macro when hiking. Good for video too. Modern raw processing software can do wonders in adjusting to taste and using personal style presets means editing need not be laborious. An eight year old design, but still on sale, so it's also great value. Any camera and lens combination which will out-perform it is going to be bulkier, more obtrusive and much more expensive and as far as price is concerned, that goes for smart phones too.
Thank you for bringing up the 1" cameras and lovely street snaps. They are compact, easy to use and has lots of potential. In fact im still using Nikon J5 to date for travel, hiking and casual shutter therapy.
I also use a Nikon 1 J5. It is small enough to fit in your pocket and can also be used for more "serious" tasks. I see no need to upgrade to a larger format.
I'm a big fan of the one-inch sensor. I've used a variety from the compact Sony RX100 MkV and MkVII, the Lumix FZ1000 and 2000, and hope to pick up a Sony RX10 MkIV. My favorite for its performance to cost is the Canon G7X MkII. The one-inch sensor is truly all I need for anything posted on a computer screen. My Canon with its f/1.8 lens does well even in low-light where I don't mind a little graininess. I would like an EVF but then I have to pay much more for the Canon G5X MkII which is essentially the G7X plus EVF. I probably carry my Canon more than any other of my 16 cameras (it's embarrassing) and have won photo contests with it. Thanks for this video. I wish more camera companies would produce more in the 1-inch format. I know that phone makers are looking at the sensor enviously.
Thanks David for sharing, and don't worry about the 16 or soon growing numbers of cameras! The more the merrier, as long as you shoot with them and make some awesome shots. And yes, for many situations the 1 inch is definitely more than good enough, especially with good light! The fact that these cameras are so small and truly compact make them such a joy to use.
Yeah and that's the problem. Most folks wanting a pocket camera use their phone. So a small compact camera has to offer so much more than a phone. This is why Panasonic (and others) are discontinuing their entry level compact camera ranges - they do not offer anything more than a mobile phone now, nobody is buying them. Japan, the market leader, is buying mirrorless, interchangeable lens, but not full frame, smaller bodies but more bang for the buck than full feature pro level.
It's great to see Kuching, Robin. You capture the ambiance and bring us along. I have used a series of Lumix LX100s over the years on trips when I could only take one camera and no lenses! Looking through that camera, no touch screen, fixed LCD display, still produced some photos I cherish. Glad to watch you champion the place of the one-inch censor in the photographic firmament!
Had a Sony rx100 iii and love those images. Now have a Samsung nx mini which also has a one in sensor and love that camera even more. I use a one inch sensor when I’m out and walking around and not in any situations where it would have issues (like high iso/lowlight etc.)
My wife uses a Sony RX100 VI, and gets some excellent results even in early morning shots. They do require a lot of work sometimes, with denoising, shadow and highlight adjustments, fixing chromatic aberrations in high contrast areas, and sometimes adding blue to blown out skies. But the color rendering is really nice. And the autofocus is surprisingly good, even for wildlife.
Yeah Sony makes some nice RX100 series cameras. Unfortunately, I believe I will come into the same problems - poor handling and ergonomic, and limitations of 1 inch sensor, but also get same benefits - small compact form factor, and definitely more than sufficient in good light!
I used the Canon G7x MKii for a long time before moving to FF. With the extra bit of reach (100mm equivalent), rendering shallow depth of field in portraits is definitely doable. I’ve also managed to sneak this camera into places that otherwise forbid photography, such as concerts. For color, 1600 ISO is about the highest I’d want to use on this camera, though I’ve gotten some pretty cool black and white results with 6400 ISO.
I chat to the band and get practically on stage with them. They want photos? I gots photos 8) Work with the band. Don't get in their way and don't block the audience.
I love my LX10. I used it at a Madame Tussauds wax museum in Hollywood for the first time in 2018 and was surprised by the image quality. It was also my main camera for a Disneyland trip that year too.
Because of you i bought the LX10.... let see how it goes... I am impressed with 1.4 aperture so far. Portrait bokeh is not the best but i am happy with it.... i will sell my canon Gx9ii , Lumix GX85 and Canon 1200D...
I didn't mind the crunchiness of those high iso test shots you took with the LX10. I think most of the images from this camera would only ever get printed as 4x6 prints, if printed at all.
@@robinwong I have the FZ200 with even smaller 1.2.3" sensor. It is a limitation. The resolution will dictate the ultimate print size (who still prints photos?) but we are also dealing with the smaller photosites, and the older Venus engines, and older sensor tech. But the LX10 is 2016 so its tech should be on par with the G7 which is just as capable as the E-M5ii. An issue I notice with the FZ200 and Lumix G5 is the monitor resolution is low and monitor image is poor, giving the impression the photo is fuzzy and the colours off, but not when they get on to the computer monitor.
I myself used this Panasonic years ago. So I can say, you are right. The one inch sensor is good enough for travel photography. Only the service of this LX 100 is a little bit complicated. So I gave it away. The Panasonic TZ 202 was better for me back then.
Whenever I've looked at the LX5, LX7, LX10, LX100, Ricoh GR3/X, small compacts I have always found interesting - I've gone back to my little E-PL7. Not because it is so much better but because it does more of the same. The tilt screen is better in that you can tip it up and down, and has good resolution. And it is the last of the E-PLn that can take the EVF in the Access Port (the E-PL8 being just a facelift E-PL7), which beggars the question why on earth did they discontinue this excellent feature.
I'm a long time m4/3 user and I also shot with a Sony RX100 M1 for a number of years. There is an obvious difference in photo quality. Interesting to hear about the Panasonic colours--my daughter had the same complaint when she borrowed my Panasonic GX85. She said it had a greenish tinge to the whites. The colours were not as clean as those from my Olympus E-M5 Mark I that she had been using.
I have a LX10 as well, and it's a fun and versatile camera capable of impressive images under the right conditions. It is always in my bag, even if I'm using larger/better cameras. It handles much better with a silicone skin case, as the body is so slippery.
I have few APSC format camera. They are not bulky but heavy! For the 1” sensor I have a Sony RX10 Mk3, Panasonic FZ2500 and Sony RX100. The first two are bulky and heavy to carry around. Nowadays I seldom take any long zoom shots so the best camera for casual use definitely is my Sony RX100. I love the image quality from RX100. I am still using it frequently.
The LX10 is great for underwater video, it's my primary camera now, and you can see some of my examples of UW shots I took in neighbouring Indonesia - I'm also attracted to the RX100 vii, which has improved manual white-balance capabilities a somewhat crisper footage, but then with the longer zoom you have to choose a different port for macro or wide-angle shooting, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a versatile compact in the first place... I've used it on land with an ND filter adapter and a gimbal, it's great.
I own two 1" cameras, the Canon G9X and the Lumix TZ100. Enjoy using them both, the Lumix has the advantage of having a zoom that extends equivalent to 250mm. Obviously both have their limits but as small compact point and shoots they beat any cellphone camera available today.
The LX10 was my go to pocket camera for 2 years. Only recently turned it in for a Sony ZV-1 as I needed more video-centric features with my non-traditional use of the LX10. I hope Panasonic can refresh this line with a new sensor and their new AF system and it could be a vlogger’s dream.
It's funny that you're out having some holiday fun with a compact camera just as I picked up a little Canon G16 yesterday to play around with myself. I used to have a G11 and had a lot of fun with that (I even sold stock images taken with it) so I thought I'd see what changes happened in the 5 models between. Both have sensors smaller than 1" though. I think it'll be perfect to shoot reference photos with when I'm out with my sketching/painting gear.
Ah the Canon G series semi-pro compacts! And yes, 1 inch is definitely very good, as long as you keep the ISO numbers down, it can produce fantastic quality!
I wouldn't say that I dislike Panasonic's colours, but I definitely love the colours on my E-M5 Mkii. Out of camera, they are my favourite, and I have been using Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony.
I have both an old Canon G1X APSC and a slightly newer G3X 1 inch sensor. The image quality is noticeably better in the G1X even thought it is older. The only reason why I had to get a G3X is the G1X doesn’t allow manual control in video mode and if memory serves correct the G1X has no mic jack.
Yes, I absolutely agree with you about Panasonic colors, I had a Mini-DV camera with inferior colors comparing to my previous Sony Hi8, and for a short time I had Panasonic Lumix DMC-G80 which I returned because I hated skin colors which I had to tweak on every picture and generally processing RAWs took much more effort than when I worked with RAW files from Canon and Olympus cameras. It's a shame, because that Panasonic had great ergonomics and video quality. Since then I had many temptations to buy a small Panasonic camera for travel, but looking at samples of pictures made with them found that this color specificity was rather inherent for this maker regardless of the sensor used and being a conscious choice, which was a no-go for me.
Yeah I just don't understand how the colors and look so off! I am generally ok with colors produced by different cameras and brands, but Panasonic got their colors waaayyyyy off!
As far as I'm concerned Panasonic didn't start to get colors right until the GX8, and were best in the G9 era. The G9 is good enough that I don't feel every keeper photo needs to be fixed in raw.
@@NicDade Good to know that Panasonic eventually corrected this flaw. Why it haven't done it earlier, remains a mystery - good color rendition seems to be no rocket science, since other makers had it done long ago.
I have a Lumix ZS200. My only real issue with it is no tilt screen, and the Lumix menue system is difficult. Otherwise it is a great little camera. I took some quite good night scenes in Las Vegas and all 3 night modes worked well.
I love my G7XII. Even though I bought it for my wife. Video is amazing from it, photos are okay. I think my ideal travel set up would be the G7XII and the GRIII.
I started out shooting the Nikon 1 Series cameras. I had the Nikon 1 J3 along with the Nikon 1 Nikkor 18.5mm prime lens and it was so inspiring. I recommend that set up.
@@robinwong i definitely recommend getting either the Nikon 1 J3 or J5. But if you are looking for the smallest in the series then get the Nikon 1 S2. Also there is a 10-30mm VR kit lens that comes with the more recent models that is very good, but the none VR kit lens is for the most part defective. The aperture blades tend to jam and stay closed. Also, the Nikon 1 V Series cameras are the most sought after. But ebay has some great deals on the J5 often and it has built in wifi and a touchscreen
The most 1" sensors I tested are about one stop behind mFT. When you use it at base ISO, it can be even better than mFT, as there is no ISO100 at mFT. The best 1" in terms of high ISO is the Canon G5X MKII. And here comes the thing, the Canon with it's 24-120mm F1.8-2.8 is able to produce a lot of DOF. It's also the better photographic tool, as it has really nice ergonomics than the LX10. The Canon is a camera that can be easily used as professional camera at events etc.. Yes, you can use a mFT with something like a nice 25mm F1.2 etc. but if you're more the 12-40mm F2.8 type of person, the Canon knocks at the door and remind you for it's reach. I use it as my second camera beside Sony ff and it matches so damn well. I used to have a mFT before the Canon as second camera, but the Canon G5X MKII is way more versatile, so mFT was out. I also bought a RX100 VII two years ago and this camera is such a beast. I see the mFT users so often with the 24-100mm F4 and the Sony is exactly that, but way more compact with an almost perfect AF system. To make it clear, all formats below FF are challenged. 1" is more or less forgotten, as it never was a big thing and mFT is close of being osolete.
Thank You for a wonderful review of the LUMIX LX10 camera. As you marvellously and correctly stated (and demonstrated), the 1” sensor has a narrower Dynamic Range and more noise at ISO > 1000. However, it is also obvious that the electronics, software systems design, and other features of the LX10 facilitate a great photographer such as yourself in creating excellent, thought provoking art with more detail and dynamic range than many of the priceless paintings in the Louvre Museum. Salomè, und leb wohl! (Peace unto You, and Live Well!) Mögest Du in das Licht, der Wahrheit, und dem SEIN der Schöpfung leben.
Hi Robin, I agree with you about the colors , they seem a little exaggerated. I had this camera and an LX3 and LX5, the later seemed to have better colors. The handling and controls are also not ideal from medium to larger hands. I bought a gariz half case for it which helped to hold it, but the controls were still too small. I bought the camera to have something pocketable for stills and video. Great specs but difficult to use between the controls and let's not forget the lack of microphone input. Thanks for the video
Robin, try the SONY RX100 IV and above. That camera surprised me in very low light conditions, focus speed and great control. And I'm a Canonist. :-). Thank you so much for your videos, they help a lot.
Thanks Martin. The Sony RX100 series is awesome, no doubt. But the problems will still be the same with LX10, bad handling/ergonomics, the image quality not that far different.
Some Lumix cameras get flesh tones right on. The LX10 really shines in low light thanks to the 1.4 lens. Good for low light video (as well as the motorized zoom).
I have had an LX10 for some years now and still use it when size is the criteria. The leica lens produces a leica look. I have one for my GX80 and I have a Leica X1 and the LX10 compares favourably, similar sharpness and rendering. Even night time shots with a wide aperture allowing a low ISO setting works well if the camera can be kept steady. I avoid anything requiring ISO greater than 800.
About Lumix color science I had the LC1 back in the day and the colors were great in jpeg SOOC and the same with Lumix L1 and the GX8. I got the old Olympus E500 this fall and the colors are very good and the XZ-1 but not all Olympus m43 is that nice. There are smaller 1 inch compacts like Canon G9X and there are the really big advantages having a big sensor in a small camera I think.
Panasonic colour profile. Many tests have shown that Panasonic Lumix has the most authentic colour reproduction of any camera brand. Certainly in the "Standard" Photo-Style. This means true to the original i.e. use colour test cards. This is important for scientific/technical photos and probably product shots - but usually considered boring. You are probably used to the more lively Olympus colour reproduction. I do not often use "Standard". Panasonic's "Vivid" can be a bit noisy (and Olympus "Vivid" is way OTT for me). I normally go with "Natural" or "Scenery", and here we can emulate Olympus. If you are familiar with Panasonic MFT, their compact and bridge camera use the same Venus engines and menus: the Photo-Styles can be customised a bit; I normally turn the NR down a notch and the contrast up one. The Photo-Styles do affect the raw exposure solution: one Photo-Style cannot be adjusted into the next; there seem to be more parameters within them than we are allowed to fiddle with. Shoot "for the jpeg" and the raw will look after itself.
That is so not true! I shoot a photo and compare screen to real life I can tell you the colors deviated so so so much! Of course if you shoot and test in a "lab controlled" environment all the colors look so good. But out in real life with different lighting conditions the Panasonic colors just fail miserably. Just look at how many people who also experienced the same in this comment thread alone!
Hi Robin Interesting. I do have a TG6 which is used for underwater video and photos but not used as a compact camera for street that I rarely do. However, currently in Madeira with my Panasonic G9 and series of shorter focal length lenses including the 42.5mm Nocticron and 8-18mm for wide angle doing some street type photos. Not actually noticed “green” in photos but will look in more detail when I get home. Right now just having some fun and shutter therapy 😊😊
I've been using a Canon G7X MkII for about 5 years and it can produce very good quality images up to about ISO 1600 if you shoot RAW. Well designed for one one hand to shoot and zoom, good touch screen controls on the flip up-down screen. On the wifi-app you can zoom the lens as well as take pictures.
if you are after shallow DoF, this camera is quite nice at 24mm f1.4 is equivalent to f2.1 on m43, f2.6 on apsc and f4.2 on a full frame at 72mm f2.8 is equivalent to f4.2 on m43, f5.3 on apsc and f8.4 full frame so it produces shallower DoF than a m43body with 12-32 mm(24-64) f3.5-5.6 lens at any focal range or at the wide end shallower DoF than the m43 12-35(24-70) f2.8 m43 lens so just regarding shallow DoF it outperforms a m43 body with kit lens, probably also apsc body with kit lens but the lx100 is even better :D
The best camera is the one you have on you... Got a Canon 5GXii (Similar to this Panasonic) coz my wife did not want me lugging around my Sony A7III on our dates and special events. Now I can capture those precious moments on a good camera that's non intrusive; Much better quality than Mobile Phone Camera. I do miss the quality of my Full Frame sometimes when I capture a really good scene and then get to thinking how much richer the colours could have been. I do find straight out of camera the canon photos are soft 70% of the times. I shoot raw so nothing some post work cant fix.
I actually don't have issues with Panasonic colors but then I use a G9, G95, GX85, GX1, and LF1 regularly with DxO PhotoLab 6 for processing. I just bought an LX10 for when I need something sharper than my LF1 but smaller than a GX85 and thus still pocketable. I had been considering an RX100 VA but the sharpness of the LX10 lens, lower cost, and menus similar to cameras I use at weddings and events tilted things towards the Lumix. The sensor obviously isn't as good as the later 16 and 20 MP M4/3 sensors, but the faster integrated lens should help offset that in low light situations. I often use my GX85 with a 20 f/1.7 or 14 f/2.5 and they work well but then I don't have zoom. I have a small 12-32 but it's much slower which means ramping up the ISO really high indoors or at night so it usually gets left behind. I also looked at the LX100II and it's brilliant but not much smaller than a GX85 (though it does have a fast integrated lens). I think 1 inch equipped advanced compact cameras will be safe until smart phones can cover 24-70 at f/5.6 in FF terms with a 1 inch sensor. Given that it would be hard to create a zoom lens of that type within the constraints of a normal smart phone body, I think we'll be waiting a while. Current phones have a relatively fast prime on the 1 inch sensor module and smaller sensors in the ultrawide and telephoto modules.
I've never used the LX10, but I had the LX3 and LX5 back when they were the current versions. I enjoyed using them, but I concur with you in regards to the colors. It never looked quite right to me and required me to tweak it. I took one of my favorite photos with the LX5 when traveling in Switzerland. I think the ergonomics were better on the LX3 and LX5. I especially liked the dedicated aspect ratio switch on the lens.
I think it's just preference. I have 3 Fujifilm cameras because everyone including myself loves Fujifilm's colors. I also have the LX10, and I don't think there is anything wrong with the Panasonic colors. When I look at the pictures between the Fujifilm and Panasonic, I can tell which one is the Panasonic....but it's not different in a bad way.
I've had my LX10 for over 5 years; though it barely sees any use. Even though I have a very nice Fujifilm mirrorless APS-C system (with lots of lens), the LX10 has its place because of its super compact size that I can literally put in my jean's pockets. If I'm just going out for dinner with friends/family, I can easily just put my LX10 in my jacket pocket. There is no way I would tote around a mirrorless system with all of the fancy lens and stuff if I'm simply going out for dinner (people would think I am weird).
A long time ago, I owned a Panasonic G6 mirrorless camera. I loved the huge viewfinder, which was a bonus as I wear glasses. The compact size and lighter weight was nice, too. However, the one thing I really disliked was the muted colours the camera produced and the relatively low 16MP resolution. Even when editing the images in Lightroom, I found it difficult to warm up the colours. So I don't think you are wrong in thinking that there is a problem with Panasonic colours. Dynamic range is also a bit limited with many Micro Four Thirds cameras.
I love 1 inch sensors, but the thing is smartphones these days quickly catch up on this level. They carry 1 inch or 1/1.3" sensors and can give you RAW files with really great quality. The only thing missing is the lens flexibility.
On Panasonic colors: I agree they can be tricky, when you're spoiled with Olympus color science, it's easy to be disappointed with other color profiles and white balancing.
@@robinwong I've never done so, but I believe shooting a color calibration chart and then creating a color profile for use in Lightroom etc. will make it a lot easier to deal with color correction. When shooting with very different cameras side by side, creating a neutral color profile by photographing a color calibration chart would probably be a necessity to create consistent output across different cameras. Might be a great idea for a video, Robin.
My son has the Nikon J3 1 inch sensor camera with the 10-100mm (28-280 in 35mm equivalent). In looking at his files at 100% to 300% zoom, I can say that given enough light AND a good lens, the 1 inch sensor can produce very good quality images. The smaller sensors used in cell phones do an amazing job, considering their very small size, but it's no match for the larger sensors. Personally, I feel that 1 inch should be the minimum size for a consumer camera. Pity that camera makers pushed higher pixel counts over sensor size.
Nice Video as ever! I would like to hear (maybe see in a video? 😉) Your opinion to Panasonic G9. I switched from Olympus EM5iii to G9 because of the perfect handling. And further in think my images are more clear and have a better image quality than with the EM5... Looking forward to your opinion 😊 AHH... Wish you happy New year 🎉
Interesting, because I was looking at doing the opposite. Largely as the size and weight of g9 a bit too much for my uses (backpacking and hiking). In the end I often use a GoPro and the Sony Rx100mk 7. Maybe that’s good enough!
Thanks Dominik. I have reviewed the G9 before, in a blog format. Do a quick search and you will find it. My only issue (for now) is no phase detect AF. I rely on that now for video making purposes, as a one man crew, a reliable phase detect AF is a make it or break it scenario. G9 not having that just makes it so difficult to work with!
I've used a lot of digital cameras dating back to the early 2000s. Over the last 10 or so years, I went from a Lumix ZS7 to a ZS20 (both 1/2.3") to an FZ-1000 (1") to a G9 and I've gotten great results from all of them. With regard to "IQ" (a highly-overrated and subjective term--most of the "best" photos ever made have terrible IQ by today's ridiculous pixel-peeping "standards"), gear truly doesn't matter (other than having the right FL for the shot). A great photographer can get great shots with anything (even a Holga). Also, with DxO DeepPRIME and Topaz DeNoise/Photo AI, noise is no longer an issue, so the only advantage worth noting (and it's minimal in the real world) is more DR from larger sensors--certainly not enough to justify the bulk/weight/cost (and super-shallow DoF is overrated, and easily achieved without larger-format cameras). Obviously, you know that as you're not trying to push people to waste their money on "FF" or APS-C and realize that MFT has way more than sufficient capability. BtW, If you opened the image file (RAW or JPG) @ 8:03 in Photo AI, that minimal noise would disappear and the image could be sharpened beyond the one from the E-M5 (unless of course, you did the same for that image). DxO's even better, but it only works on RAW and TIFF. Everyone's color sense is different and I have no problem with Lumix color science. I shoot RAW (+JPG for reference) anyway and if I don't like the way something's rendered, I can of course easily change it. The main reason I got the G9 was that even the quite generous 25-400mm EFL range wasn't enough for my "needs," so I had to go to an ILC (other pro features, like a weatherproof Mg chassis and dual card slots are also a plus). I do use pro glass, with the endpoints of my 16-800mm EFL range anchored by Leica 8-18 and 100-400 lenses, but I've gotten gallery-worthy large prints from even earlier digital cameras (even from a Sony CD Mavica at 1MP--that's right, one MP--Topaz Gigapixel rocks!) so a 1" (or even a 1/2.3") sensor is certainly more than adequate for most situations.
Yeah when it comes to sufficiency Micro Four Thirds is more than enough to do what I need professionally even today. Of course, the 1 inch sensor is also very good, as long as we keep the ISO numbers down. I am not against the modern AI noise reduction software, but you can only get good results if the noisy image has enough good details retained. A lot of the case, the noisy images, even from 1 inch sensor has not enough details, and after aggressive noise reduction they looked smooth like oil painting. I'd take the noisy images any time. As for the colors from Panasonic, it is not so easily corrected. Of course some extensive edits can get the colors to where I want it, but that's just too much work. I prefer the images to render as closely as possible to the real scene.
@@robinwong I appreciate that, but in my limited experience with the programs so far, both DxO DeepPRIME XD (included with PhotoLab 6 Elite) and Topaz DeNoise (included with Photo AI) not only eliminate noise but they also preserve detail and sharpness (and can even enhance those if that's what you want), but there are indeed cases where you may not get the results you desire (especially with smaller format/high-ISO images). Regarding color, it's impossible to get "accurate, real world" colors with any imaging system, as all screens look different and prints never match screens precisely. But if it looks "right" to me, I don't care if it were possible to return to the place and time I made the exposure and held up the print (or monitor) and said "wow--it looks just the same," as we of course see things differently than cameras do anyway. I also don't care for the "digital look" as I find many images that are super-sharp to be somewhat "sterile" (and it's a distraction when you're admiring how "well-rendered" something is rather than connecting with the scene/subject matter). I generally prefer a film look (or as close as I can get with a chemical-free workflow), which never matches "reality"--it just looks better (to me, anyway). It's the same with recorded music--"analog" (played live on real instruments, recorded via mic onto tape, pressed into vinyl records, and preferably heard through an audiophile-quality system) beats digitally "perfected" (and compressed--like JPGs) ProTools/autotune-contaminated "products" heard through ear buds or tiny (read: tinny) Bluetooth speakers any time. Of course, everyone has their preferences.
I bought a used LX5 about a year ago and agree that Panasonic's colour rendering could be better. As to the green tint, what about Robin's tee-shirt and the hosrding/boarding another start of the video? Accidental or intentional coordination, or Panasonic doing its own colour effects?
It is not only about sensor sizes, but also about resolution. Each sensor size has some pixel density limitations. For example 1/2.3" sensor with 6-8 Mpix can behave quite ok, but same sensor size with 14-20 Mpix basically produces noise all the time and anything but base ISO is horrible with very poor dynamic range. Unfortunately manufacturers were racing the resolution race a lot, so there are just few compact cameras left that have at least somewhat larger sensors and fast lenses, but with resolution that is not reaching density limits. And unfortunately there are no more cameras like Olympus XZ-2, Oly Stylus1s, Nikon P3400, Nikon P7800, Casio EX10 or EX100. Just the quite expensive Sony RX100 (+RX10) series still exist and very few more cameras like Panasonic LX100 and maybe Canon G5XII or G7XII. Smartphone with 1" sensor still has monofocal lens and relies on computational photography a lot. It also becomes obsolete in 4-5 years due to outdated operating system, or even sooner because of dead battery which cannot be easily replaced nowdays. No thanks. I prefer real cameras that can work for many years. Even old thing like Olympus XZ-1 is still usable camera. But where are all those smarphones from 2011? All dead or abandoned in some collection. I don't see people using Android 2.2 devices from that era, those are long gone. Even my beloved Samsung Galaxy Note4 (2014) phone with Android 6 has problems today, because that system is no longer supported by App developers. And it was the top-one phone of that year. So eve if I buy the best and most expensive photo oriented smartphone today, after 6-7 years it will barely be usable. Money wasting.
I use my LX10 quite a lot. I also use the LX100 - essentially the same setup as my OMD-10 that I use with the same zoom range. I’m not a pro; just a serious amateur.
Hi Robin thanks for this great video very helpful! I have a Sony RX 100 mk1 which is very similar to this one, even the lens is identical. I wanted to ask you if in your opinion the quality of the images is similar if not equal to that produced by the Ricoh GR iii cameras ??? Thank you!
I think that good compact cameras are a very great tool for street photorgraphy with good ergonomics compared to a smartphone. DSLMs are too bulky and you attract attention.
I think it was your video on the E-PM1 that started me down the rabbit hole of compact cameras. I accidently ended up with an E-PL4 that I got for free with the VF-4 and my main beasty for street stuff is my E-PL9 now. On the other spectrum, I scored a bunch of old digicams that range from 2003 to 2010 and they're all proving to be fun and useful.
OVERLOOKED FEATURE - 5 axis stabilisation - One thing overlooked is that when shooting on the longer end of the lense it has 5 axis image stabilisation (pretty amazing for a compact) - I shot some video at 108mm (video on my channel all shot at 108mm) and it’s stabilised - video isn’t or doesn’t seem to be stabilised at at the wider end 24 mm
I'll stick with my trusty Sony RX100iii. As with all pocket cameras, you have to watch out for chromatic fringing...and limited dynamic range, but if you can work around those, these little cameras do a lot!!!
Hi Robin, did you see Panasonic finally released a PDAF camera ?? I hope this will make you comfortable to switch to mirrorless full frame, I hope at least you try it once. Since Panasonic is seen as an Olympus ally, you won't get as much backlash from the m43 community. What do you think ?
It was broad daylight. The shutter speeds are 1/1000 or so. How the heck can your images have camera shake? The AF is generally quite fast and accurate, of course I was shooting all images in good light for this session.
Not really. It’s really noisy in low light. I bought a Nikon Z30- not much bigger and very similar price. I have a ZV1 as well. No comparison. I would highly recommend a Z30. I compared them on my channel.
