Panasonic retakes the lead in the advanced compact competition with its LX100. Really good photo and video quality, a great set of features and (for the most part) class-leading performance, result in one of my favorite compact cameras ever.

The Panasonic LX100 delivers really good photo and video quality; a great set of features; and class-leading performance

It's got a fixed LCD and the lens really needs a hood to minimize flare

A retro design, 4K video and sharp photos make the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 a fantastic portable camera.

Beautiful and durable retro design; supersharp 4K video; quick autofocus; great color and detail in photos; solid low-light performance; superclear electronic viewfinder

Rear LCD is not a touch screen; no external mic jack; lacks built-in flash

Panasonic's LX100 is the top-of-the-line camera in the company's compact LX series. Compared to other LX models, it is the first camera with an MFT (Micro Four Thirds) sensor. However, the camera doesn't use the whole image sensor area of 17.3x13mm, so its crop factor is 2.2x instead of the 2.0x of...

+ Compact camera with a stylish retro design; + Large image sensor for a "compact" camera; + High-speed lens system; + High-resolution EVF; + Wi-Fi for data transfer and remote control; + High video quality (4K

- Missing swivel monitor; - No built-in flash (camera is supplied with external mini flash

The Panasonic LX100 is a relatively compact premium digital camera. Its 16 MP Four-Thirds sensor, being used with a 2.2X crop-factor, rather than the usual 2X, delivers exceptional image-quality in multiple aspect-ratios while keeping an ultra-wide field-of-view most of the time.

Extremely low image-noise; Superb detail-retention; Ultra-wide field-of-view; Ultra-Bright F/1.7 - 2.8 maximum aperture; Excellent resistance to chromatic aberrations; Uniform lens brightness; Ultra-fast autofocus; Instant shutter-lag; Fast shot-to-shot speed; Smooth high-quality 4K Ultra-HD video,...

Below-average Auto White-Balance; Low color accuracy; Slow optical zoom; Half-press required for Exposure-Priority and correct Live-Histogram; Accident-prone EC dial and control-ring; 1s Filming delay; Poor tripod mount placement; Short battery-life

As you can see, that's a pretty extensive list but, as it turns out, it's only a list of the headline specifications of the camera. The LX100 also includes a time-lapse function, the ability to create in-camera stop motion videos and a host of other specialist features.

Excellent stills image quality - especially in Raw; Unsurpassed combination of large sensor and bright lens; Impressive and usable video capabilities; Comprehensive and well-designed direct controls (with good customization options; Fast; responsive behavior; Classic looks and handling provide...

JPEG noise reduction and sharpening are rather crude at low ISOs; Lens range can be limiting; 12MP may not be enough for some users; Manually positioning an AF point is awkward (and workaround limits customization choices; Focus peaking often too subtle to see; Separate clip-on flash simply...

The Lumix LX100 is valuable addition to the growing ranks of compacts aimed at enthusiasts, and importantly it offers something different from its rivals. At its core, the LX100 may be a compact with a big sensor and bright lens, but rather than adopting the 1in sensor deployed by Sony on its RX100...

Great quality from (mildly-cropped) Four Thirds sensor; Maintains diagonal field of view with 4:3; 3:2 and 16:9; Useful lens range with bright aperture; Decent-sized electronic viewfinder; 4k video with in-camera photo grabbing; Fast continuous shooting up to 11fps at full resolution; Comfortable...

Screen isn't touch-sensitive and doesn't tilt; Corner softness at 50-75mm unless stopped-down to f8; Below average stabilisation for stills and video; EVF sometimes suffers from rainbow artefacts for me; No built-in flash; No microphone input; No built-in ND filter; No exposure control via Wifi app,...

Geotagging: Easily tag location information to the image by using the GPS log on a smartphone or tablet and share it to your favorite social media site.

The LX100 puts the large Four Thirds (that's 4/3″ or 1.33″) sensor inside of a compact camera body that's on roughly par with the Canon G16 line of cameras in terms of overall size.

There's no doubting the LX100 is great, but is it the best compact camera ever

This camera is phenomenal. As another reviewer commented, it truly is a dream. What I'm most impressed with is its ability to perform in low-light. I'm almost liking this more than my Canon D-SLR that costs three times the amount (without a lens).

Compact; Convenient; Durable; Easy to use; Exceeded expectations