The 35th: We do not throw away zoom compact either. "LUMIX LX100 II" for personal and work

With less than a month left in this year, Akagi is panicking for no reason. It's already December, and it feels like the surroundings are busy. But I don't like running. I'm tired.

At this time of year, I'm the author who is only reflecting that he couldn't do this and that this year. In conclusion, I calm down by saying "I'll do my best next year". That's why I would like to start quickly without reflecting. Yes, it's time for 20 doors.

This year too, I've introduced a film camera that I don't need at all for work, and I'm trying to clear away my daily worries, or rather, to fill a gaping hole in my heart. I feel like I'm being looked at like a king. However, I think that cameras are necessary for the purpose of satisfying the mind, other than as a tool for work. I can't do a review of a new camera without these feelings. After all, even if you buy a super high-performance new camera, what you shoot won't change much.

So, it's abrupt here, but I'm going to pick up a camera that was introduced this year, but not on the front, but on the backstage. My idea is to use any kind of digital camera for some kind of work, to replace it with a guarantee, and to reduce my drinking even if it is in the red. Still, there are some rare digital cameras out there that make me want to use them only for my personal enjoyment. That is Panasonic's LUMIX LX100 II. The LX100 II, the predecessor model, was a camera that I couldn't help but wonder about, and before I knew it, it had evolved into the LX100 II. In other words, for three years, we were hesitant about introducing it.

News

Panasonic, LUMIX LX100 II compact camera with 4/3 type sensor

24-75mm equivalent F1.8-2.8 lens "L.Monochrome D" added

Recently, I have the impression that a camera from about 3 years ago is not so old. However, it's not selling very well and there is a lot of inventory, so it may be that new development of the successor machine is not being done. Is that too much to say? I'm sorry, Panasonic.

By the way, I went to a mass retailer to get a catalog as a material for writing this manuscript. I think the website probably has more information than the catalog and is more detailed, but you still want to go to the real store.

So I didn't put the LX100 II catalog. Also a demo. I asked a store clerk I know if they had a catalog, and they recommended the Leica D-LUX7 instead. It seems that a special model called Nanchara recently came out. I was a little annoyed. People who don't know what it is, I think it's better not to look for it.

It is a figure when the power is off, but it has a very smart impression. Even though I know it's impossible, I always wonder why I can't keep it as it is. Optional automatic open/close lens cap. Convenience is definitely high. However, this cap is not dustproof and cannot be used with a filter. I lost the ring that was originally attached. It's like that camera ring. Oh, this time it's the responsibility of the slovenly author.

The main reason I bought the LX100 II was its appearance and shape. This is it all the time. Since it is equipped with a Micro Four Thirds sensor, I thought it would be a good match with the LUMIX G9 PRO, which I often use, and each camera from OM Digital Solutions (that's a long name). Even though I said that I would use it behind the scenes in my private life, I could see a little glimpse of the intention to use it for assignments if I was lucky. It's a secco.

To be clear, the quality of the camera design is more important to me than the specs that can shoot 120 frames per second. Furthermore, since I believe that compactness and lightness are absolute justice, the range of cameras that can be selected naturally narrows down. Since it is a “personal” camera, in a sense, the selection is more difficult than for a work camera. Because you don't really need it.

When I was walking in the entertainment district of a certain town during the daytime, I found a strange izakaya sign. If you set the shooting distance a little farther and stop down, you can take deep-focus shots even when the long focal length is set. I think the trick to using a camera with a Micro Four Thirds sensor is to be conscious of the actual focal length, not just the 35mm equivalent. LUMIX LX100 II (F8, 1/3,200 seconds) ISO 400 I cut the exposure a little and tried shooting. The reproducibility of details is good, and the depiction of highlights is also very good. Distortion is also nicely corrected. You can also use it for architectural photography. LUMIX LX100 II (F5.6, 1/1,250 sec) Window illuminated with ISO 400 oblique light. I tried to put the reflection of the sun in the screen, but the ghost is small. I think that this is just right for accents. LUMIX LX100 II (F7.1 1/2,000 sec) ISO 400

However, if I should point out one thing about the design of the LX100 II, the lens barrel protruded when the power was turned on and it entered standby mode. I don't like the form. Don't you feel that the difference between the stored state and the storage state is too large? Looking at it from the front makes me want to worry about my future life. Even though he was such a sweet guy when he was wearing the lens, when the lens pops out, he loses his sense of tension and gives the impression that he's a jerk. I want you to follow Ricoh GR. However, since this is a zoom lens, I have no choice but to give up. I think it would be fun if there was a brother machine with a fixed focal length lens... but it won't sell.

The overall form feels like an extension of a compact machine, but the functions are somewhat condensed. I don't think this is the best. And what I personally like is that there is a shutter speed dial on the top of the body. Oh, it looks like Fujifilm's X series. Recently Nikon Z fc? There is also an aperture ring on the lens barrel. The exposure compensation dial is also visible. This is a simple writer who gets a high score and gets confused.

You rarely move the shutter dial or aperture ring. However, just the presence or absence of these things makes the feeling of using other compact cameras quite different. Important for design enthusiasts.

Turn on the power and look at the camera from the front. I don't like how it looks from this direction, but I have to be patient. You can see the aperture ring and aspect ratio switching lever. around the shutter dial. Unlike the mode dial, it is certainly a layout that gives old people including the author a sense of security. I think it makes sense that the exposure compensation dial has also been exposed.

The anodized aluminum exterior is said to be inherited from the previous model LX100, but the top cover has a glossy black paint finish and is quite beautiful. And this is the decisive factor in my decision, but the fact that it has an EVF, even though the magnification is small, gives me a high score. Of course, I don't intend to pursue the performance of the EVF at all, I just want to be able to see roughly. I don't say harsh things. The viewfinder magnification is 0.7x, so it's probably fair.

finder eyepiece. 0.7 times and visibility is passable. It's a big difference if you don't have a viewfinder, such as outdoors in fine weather. There is also diopter adjustment, and I appreciate the fact that it was accommodated without affecting the body design.

In the case of a camera with interchangeable lenses, I think it is difficult to thoroughly pursue the performance of a specific lens, but with an integrated camera like this one, it is possible to develop the finished image. I feel that the lens performance has no tsukkomi. I imagine that the image correction is done inside the camera, but I have the impression that the potential of the lens performance is being fully realized.

The built-in lens is a Leica DC Vario Summilux 10.9-34mm (equivalent to 24-75mm in the 35mm format) with a 3.1x zoom of F1.7-2.8. It's an orthodox standard zoom angle of view, so it's not flashy. I don't shoot birds, airplanes, or trains, so this focal range is fine. For street snaps, it's good to feel like you want to bring the subjects that match the atmosphere of the lens to you.

The lens configuration is 11 elements in 8 groups, and it uses 5 aspherical lenses on 8 surfaces, including 2 double-sided aspherical ED lenses. I'm particular. It's a Leica brand lens, and for some reason it has the same specs as the lens equipped with the Leica D-LUX7. It must be a coincidence.

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Compact "D-LUX7" with 4/3 type sensor & large aperture zoom

Compatible with the new app "Leica FOTOS"

Another good point is that even though it is a zoom lens, it has a wide open F value of F1.7 at the wide end and F2.8 at the tele end. This design is unique to Micro Four Thirds format lenses. Of course, since the actual focal length is short, I don't get the impression that it's blurry even at wide open aperture, but I can definitely change the picture. The shortest shooting distance at the wide end when switching to macro is 3 cm in front of the lens and 30 cm at the tele end.

Switch to macro mode and shoot close to the autumn leaves. I suddenly wondered where the macro switch lever was. It will be forgotten after a while. I'm glad you found it. LUMIX LX100 II (F5.6, 1/1,600 sec) The ISO 400 AF/MF/AF macro switch lever is located on the side of the lens barrel and is not used very often, so I look for it when the time comes. Wouldn't it be better to replace the aspect ratio switching lever and placement? I wonder if there's a problem. I took macro shots on my favorite square screen. The tradition of the LX series is "multi-aspect", which maintains the angle of view even if the aspect ratio is changed to 4:3, 3:2, or 16:9. LUMIX LX100 II (F4, 1/320sec) ISO 800

Over the past few years, I've been doing commissioned work more and more, and the compact size of Micro Four Thirds machines has helped me a lot. The LX100 II uses the Micro Four Thirds format, so if you use a Micro Four Thirds machine for the actual shooting, you can take it out and shoot while you're on the move or during a break. There will also be ulterior motives. This is the old style of graph journalism.

However, these days, there are almost no gravure pages in weekly magazines that are structured with a photo story in mind, so it's not useful to take extra shots between actual shoots. But you can take light, personal snaps while on the move. You can also use it as a camera that is with you. In that sense, it becomes a personal camera.

An object on the road. He's been aiming to be Lee Friedlander for a long time, but he's a writer who doesn't have much buds. I set it to the wide end. If you stop down a little, it becomes a pan-focus, but it is possible to determine the in-focus point, probably because the lens performance is good. LUMIX LX100 II (F8, 1/3,200 seconds) ISO 400 Local line station. From inside the car, and with backlight. I'm shooting through the window glass, but the sharpness and contrast are not bad. Since the iron content is rare, other explanations are not possible. LUMIX LX100 II (F5.6, 1/1,600 sec) ISO 400 I pressed the shutter because it was interesting that the light hitting the building looked like a mesh. Isn't it thrilling that the impression is reproduced close to the impression of the appearance? The autumn leaves were a bit half-baked. LUMIX LX100 II (F5.6, 1/1,250 sec) ISO 200

I often shoot snapshots in private, so depending on the conditions, I would like to switch to MF and shoot, but unfortunately the LX100 II has a lens There is no distance index on the barrel. During MF shooting, a distance display bar is displayed on the EVF and rear LCD. It is also possible to zoom in on a part of the screen for focusing, so it is not so inconvenient even for pinpoint shooting.

However, the distance display bar only displays the nearest "flower" and the infinite distance "mountain" icon, and there is no numerical value in the middle. I am divisive. There was a mirrorless machine with a similar display somewhere, isn't it? I'm a persistent old man, and every time I see a camera with this kind of MF operability, I want to complain about it, but lately I've had fewer opportunities to shoot with eye-measurement distance settings. I think the manufacturer also says, "Don't overdo it, shoot with high-performance AF."

The LX100 II has functions such as "Touch AF", "Touch Pad AF", and "Eye Sensor AF" that start AF just by looking through the viewfinder. Face recognition and eye recognition are also available, so it's like you can complain after using those functions properly. However, even if there is an emergency at the site, the function cannot be set. I'm an old man whose memory is declining, so I forgot that there is such a function.

Come to think of it, Fujifilm's X-mount interchangeable lenses and OMDS's new lenses, which have recently appeared, omit the MF clutch mechanism. Don't use strange MF, please use high-performance AF. The time of hardship has arrived for the MF faction. In the case of the LX100 II, the actual focal length at the wide end is 10.9mm, so the depth of field is very deep. If you stop down a little, you'll get a photo that makes you wonder, "What is bokeh?"

When I have a camera, I start to worry about objects in the city. I chose the telephoto side because wide shots would be too fixed and the photos would look like usual. Focusing is left to the facial recognition camera. LUMIX LX100 II (F2.8, 1/1,250 seconds) ISO 200 material storage. When you walk down the back road, don't you often come across such a sight? Although it depends on the motif, I think that lenses that provide sharp images are preferred for such subjects. LUMIX LX100 II (F4.5, 1/125 seconds) ISO 200

What about image quality? The number of effective pixels is 17 million. It is enough as a private camera. Moreover, it does not require a low-pass filter, and the image processing engine is a 4-CPU Venus engine. This will give you a beautiful picture. It also has image stabilization.

I know you've been praising the Ricoh GR IIIx until recently, but I'm still praising it, but what is it? (smile). The GR series camera has a different concept than the LX100 II. A GR-type camera is a body-type camera that you stick naked in your pocket, and when you discover something, you move quickly with your body to take a picture. Although the mounted lens may be a single focus.

With the LX100 II, after turning on the power, the lens expands, and it feels like there is a pause between pressing the shutter and pressing the shutter. I rarely look at the display image and zoom. Determine the focal length in advance before shooting. Also, turn on "lens position memory" so that the angle of view is equivalent to 35mm when the power is turned on. I usually shoot with that, but when I don't like it, I change the focal length from there. I will think a little more than GR. However, it is not good to take time to shoot, and it is not necessarily the case that shooting quickly is cool, so we must be careful about this.

If I had plenty of money, I wanted to use the Leica D-LUX7 as a compact camera for personal use. Or if you really can afford it, go for the Leica Q2. There is also Q2 Monochrome now. Sony's RX100 series and RX1 series are also interesting. If I thoroughly pursue my hobbies, Fujifilm's X100V will come into view, but this is dangerous for me because it may strongly suggest playing with the camera rather than shooting. The way of thinking changes a little depending on whether it is equipped with a single focal length lens or a zoom lens. Besides, if the number of compact cameras increases, we will not be able to use all of them because we have many film compact cameras.

It means that LUMIX's LX100 II was good this time from the point of view that it fits my body. Well, not convincing at all. I came to the usual conclusion.

The Christmas tree in the daytime gives the impression of being silly. Is it because the feeling of reuse is exposed? Even though the color of the tree is dark and there is a large difference in light and shade, the depiction of a good feeling is a high score. LUMIX LX100 II (F7.1 1/2,000 sec) ISO 400 It is said to be called Emperor Dahlia. I often see them on street corners these days. It blooms in an unexpectedly high place, so I gave up shooting with a single focus compact like the GR, but the LX100 II felt just right. It is the first time in high image quality that the omission is also perfect. LUMIX LX100 II (F3.5, 1/2,000 sec) ISO 200 Whenever I find a construction site while walking, I always look into it. I saw a lot of barrels today. It's a mysterious sight, so it's my favorite this time. It would be nice to reproduce the wood grain even at this distance. LUMIX LX100 II (F8, 1/2,500 seconds) ISO 400