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| The LX100M2 is a very good street camera allowing many frames to be made in rapid sequence. |
I have been running my new Lumix LX100M2 through my usual tests since it arrived a week ago. I had previously owned and extensively used two copies of the original (Mk1) version of this camera.
Three were three issues which I encountered with the Mk1 version which I hoped would be rectified in the Mk2.
1. Focus issues.
The one which bugged me most was misfocusing when the camera is presented with multiple specular light sources. This is a known potential issue with cameras which use contrast detect autofocus. I found it particularly bad when I asked the LX100 to focus on foliage reflecting bright sunlight. In this situation almost every shot would misfocus.
So I made several hundred exposures deliberately forcing the Mk2 to focus on subjects which I know would have unsettled the Mk1.
To my great relief I found a misfocus rate of less than 1 in 50 frames.
So the problem is much reduced although not entirely eliminated. For instance one shot of a motorbike with lots of shiny chrome reflecting the sun did misfocus.
With subjects not having multiple specular reflections the single AF accuracy rate was around 98%.
2. Viewfinder eyepiece issues.
I have no problem with the EVF panel itself nor with its optics, although a larger window on the world would be welcome. I do not experience the “tearing” issue often cited as a problem by some reviewers.
It is the eyepiece which bugs me. It is small, thin, hard and rectangular. It is uncomfortable in use and lets in stray light in bright conditions. Does anybody have rectangular eye sockets ?
There appears to be no accessory eyepiece available.
Unfortunately the Mk2 uses exactly the same viewfinder unit as the Mk1. It is serviceable but could be considerably improved.
3. Monitor issues.
The Mk1 had a fixed panel without touch capability.
The Mk2 has a fixed panel with touch capability.
Sigh……..Problem half fixed…………….
At least the touch capability works well. I use it to move the active AF area when viewing via the monitor or the EVF.
And the screen can be viewed decently well with the camera held high or low so all is not quite lost.
About the lens
There are many reports in online forums of compact camera lenses from all brands having inconsistent optical quality.
So it is with some relief that I can say I am happy with the lens on my copy of the LX100Mk2. It is very sharp at all focal lengths and apertures in a large central area of the frame. Edges are not quite as sharp wide open but clean up well when the aperture is decreased one or two stops.
The only issue which could affect picture quality in some situations is that my copy of the lens is soft with double imaging in the lower left corner at 70 and 75mm equivalent focal lengths.
About the pictures
The LX100M2 makes excellent pictures in a wide variety of circumstances..
It delivers very good rendition of colors, tones and detail in highlights and shadows.
It can make very good pictures indoors or outdoors, in flat light or when subject brightness range is very high. It is a very good low light camera due to the wide aperture lens.
The Raw files can tolerate considerable manipulation in Adobe Camera Raw without developing nasty artefacts such as the grey fringing I encountered with the Canon G1XM3.
There is barely any sign of color fringing or distortion, even in Raw files. Presumably these things are corrected in camera.
Even Raw files emerge from the camera looking quite sharp. Very little sharpening in Adobe Camera Raw is required.
Images from the Mk2 have a pleasing appearance with very good local contrast.
They make very nice prints. Pixel peepers who are phobic about a bit of grain might protest but in fact the grain is generally invisible in prints.
About the user experience
This is an ideal camera for street and documentary photography. It is small, discreet, fast and very quiet even with the mechanical shutter operating.
It is decently easy to hold although I would prefer a larger handle. All the controls except the aperture ring and shutter speed dial are located so they are easy to operate while continuing to make photos.
It is easy to move the AF area quickly when viewing on the monitor or viewfinder.
I really appreciate the multiaspect ratio sensor and change aspect ratio quite frequently.
I generally use the triple A setting which is A on the aperture ring, A on the shutter speed dial and auto ISO. This is equivalent to P on a camera with a mode dial. This usually gives an appropriate firing solution (aperture x shutter speed x ISO) for general photography.
This allows me to concentrate on the subject and not be distracted by having to mess about with camera settings.
Performance
The camera is very fast and responds quickly to all user inputs. Autofocus is very fast. EVF blackout after each shot is brief.
The camera can effectively follow focus on moving subjects such as children playing for instance.
Initial impressions summary
I will be reporting on this camera in more detail over the coming weeks but for now suffice to say that my initial impressions are favourable.
The LX100M2 has taken its place in my camera bag.