Panasonic Lumix LX15 Hands-On Preview

The Panasonic Lumix LX15 is introduced with an ultra-bright Leica zoom lens with an f/1.4-2.8 aperture, making it the brightest lens available on a premium compact camera with a larger than normal 1inch sensor. The LX15 is due to be available in November with a suggested retail price of £599.

Panasonic Lumix LX15 Features

The Panasonic Lumix LX15 features a new wide-angle ultra-bright Leica 3x optical zoom lens equivalent to 24-72mm, with an f/1.4-2.8 aperture, and 3cm macro focus (wide-angle). The lens features 6 aspherical elements, 4 asph. 2 asph. ED, and 1 UHR element, with 11 elements in 9 group. There is also an aperture and control ring around the lens. The Panasonic Lumix LX15 is available as the LX10 in some countries.

The LX15 replaces the 4 year old Panasonic Lumix LX7, shown above, (from 2012), which also has an f/1.4 aperture zoom lens, and the compact Lumix LF1 (from 2013), with the LX100 remaining on the market (above the LX15).

Premium compact cameras with large sensors from Panasonic now includes:

• Panasonic Lumix LX100 (Shown above) – 12mp Micro Four Thirds sensor, 3.1x optical zoom, f/1.7-2.8, 24-75mm, EVF
• Panasonic Lumix LX15 – 20mp 1inch sensor, 3x optical zoom, f/1.4-2.8, 24-72mm, no EVF
• Panasonic Lumix TZ100 – 20mp 1inch sensor, 10x optical zoom, f/2.8-5.9, 25-250mm, EVF

Compared to other premium compact cameras with a 20 megapixel 1inch sensor such as the Canon Powershot G9X and RX100 III:

The RX100 III is priced at £599, and for 4K video you need to look at the RX100 IV, priced at around £829.

The LX15 features 4K (UHD resolution) video recording. Video – level shot horizon automatically keeps the horizon level. Features a 120fps slow-motion Full HD video mode. Continuous AF in video.

Key Features

• 20 megapixel 1inch CMOS sensor
• 3x optical zoom lens 24-72mm equivalent
• f/1.4-2.8 aperture, Optical Image Stabilisation
• 3inch tilting touch screen (1040K)
• 4K video (up to 15minutes) / photo
• 4K live cropping (FullHD cropping from 4K)
• DFD technology for fast AF
• 3cm macro focus
• ISO80-ISO25600 (extended)
• 10fps continuous / 6fps continuous with AF
• 5-axis image stabilisation
• Light composition
• USB charging

Panasonic Lumix LX15 Handling

The front grip is quite smooth, as it the rear grip, and some may wish to add a rubber grip to the camera (or a faux leather cover) to ensure you get a better hold of the camera. The camera body is made out of metal, and the metal dials on the camera are also reassuringly solid with a grippy texture. The aperutre ring around the lens has click stops, which can't be switched off. 

The tilting touch screen looks good, and can make it quick and easy to set options and the focus position. You can tilt it all the way forward for self-portraits or group shots. There are a number of customisable function buttons on the camera, and you can also customise function buttons on the touch-screen. There are dedicated buttons for video recording, 4K photo, focus-stacking, macro, exposure compensation, WB, and drive mode. 

The Panasonic menus are easy to use, with clear text and built-in help, and you can use the 4-way controller on the back or the touch-screen to change and set menu options.

Wi-Fi connectivity is easy to set up using a QR code. The Panasonic Image App lets you remotely shoot as well as transfer images to your smartphone or tablet. Battery life is rated at 260 shots – and you can charge the camera through MicroUSB. A spare battery may be a good idea if you want to shoot more.

We'll be looking at the LX15 in more detail when review samples are available. Until then, feel free to have a look at our latest reviews.

Panasonic Lumix LX15 (LX10) Specifications

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