Panasonic LX100 and Sony RX100 are two compact digital cameras that are quite popular for amateur photographers and hobbyists. They both are known for their excellent performance and image quality. Both of the two models also support 4K video recording. However, Panasonic LX100 is significantly more affordable than Sony RX100. So, which one does make the better choice? Continue reading below about the comparisons between Panasonic LX100 vs Sony RX100!
Design and Display
Both of these two models are compact and lightweight. However, Panasonic LX100 is slightly bigger and heavier than Sony RX100. It measures 115 mm x 66 mm x 55 mm, with a weight of 393 grams. But the extra body mass actually makes Panasonic LX100 easier to handle. It has a textured grip area on the right side, which ensures solid and confident handling. On the rear panel, you can find a three-inch fixed display screen with 921k dots resolution along with an electronic viewfinder and buttons. The viewfinder has a nice, comfortable eyecup. (See also : Panasonic LX100 vs Fuji X100T)
Sony RX100 is even slimmer and lighter. It measures 102 mm x 58 mm x 41 mm. The weight is about 299 grams. Such compact design may make it very attractive. But it can be quite difficult to handle due to the lack of a good grip area. Still, it has many nice features. It has an electronic viewfinder and a three-inch tilting display for easy shooting from difficult angles.
Features
Panasonic LX100 can be more flexible and versatile to face different challenges due to the four thirds sensor as well as higher maximum shutter speed and ISO. The maximum shutter speed is 1/16,000s, and the maximum ISO is 25,600. It has an external flash shoe, timelapse recording, and 4K photo mode. It supports UHS memory cards for superior read/write speeds. The AF performance is quite good with 49 focus points. It also has a good continuous shooting speed of 11 fps.
However, Sony RX100 is better in terms of AF performance and continuous shooting. It boasts 315 focus points for great tracking performance. The powerful AF is useful when shooting a moving subject. The continuous shooting speed is 24 fps, which is impressive. It comes with a built-in flash and ND filter.
Performance
At first, when choosing between Panasonic LX100vs Sony RX100, one may want to just go with the Sony camera because it comes with a higher resolution which is 20 MP. Well, the high resolution may give you improved sharpness and detail, but the improvements are only noticeable if you want to produce large-sized images. Note that this model has a one-inch sensor. The smaller sensor gives a higher crop factor and poorer ISO performance at high ISO levels.
Panasonic LX100 comes with a 13 MP four thirds sensor. The larger sensor gives a better crop factor and ISO performance. The improved ISO performance is very beneficial if you want to shoot at high ISO levels.
Conclusion
In general, Panasonic LX100 is more recommended. It makes a better value for the money, especially because of the better ISO performance and powerful features. It also has a better design. However, Sony RX100 is still a viable choice if you really need the high continuous shooting speed, resolution, and powerful AF system.