Panasonic LX15 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX15 (called Panasonic LX10 in some regions) is a fixed lens compact camera that was revealed to the public in September 2016 and is equipped with an one-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 20 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic LX15 a good camera? The LX15 has a Camera Elo of 2390. This rating puts the LX15 among the top 20 percent of all travel zoom compact cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (one inch cameras), the LX15 ranks among the top 30 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 4.5-star performance rating.

Headline Specifications

Panasonic LX15
Fixed lens compact camera
24-72mm f/1.4-2.8
20 MP, 1" Sensor
4K/30p Video
ISO 125-12800 (80-25600)
No viewfinder, LCD framing
3.0" LCD, 1040k dots
Tilting touchscreen
10 shutter flaps per second
In-body stabilization
260 shots per battery charge
106 x 60 x 42 mm, 310 g

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Panasonic LX15 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic LX15 alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Panasonic LX15	106 mm	60 mm	42 mm	310 g	260	n	Sep 2016	699			Panasonic LX15
	Canon G7 X Mark II« »	106 mm	61 mm	42 mm	319 g	265	n	Feb 2016	699			Canon G7 X Mark II
	Canon G5 X« »	112 mm	76 mm	44 mm	353 g	210	n	Oct 2015	799			Canon G5 X
	Fujifilm X70« »	113 mm	64 mm	44 mm	340 g	330	n	Jan 2016	799	-		Fujifilm X70
	Panasonic TZ200« »	111 mm	65 mm	45 mm	340 g	370	n	Feb 2018	799			Panasonic TZ200
	Panasonic TZ90« »	112 mm	67 mm	41 mm	322 g	380	n	Apr 2017	449	-		Panasonic TZ90
	Panasonic FZ2000« »	138 mm	102 mm	135 mm	915 g	350	n	Sep 2016	1,199			Panasonic FZ2000
	Panasonic GX80« »	122 mm	71 mm	44 mm	426 g	290	n	Apr 2016	799			Panasonic GX80
	Panasonic TZ100« »	111 mm	65 mm	44 mm	312 g	300	n	Jan 2016	699	-		Panasonic TZ100
	Panasonic LX7« »	111 mm	68 mm	46 mm	298 g	330	n	Jul 2012	499	-		Panasonic LX7
	Sony RX100 V« »	102 mm	58 mm	41 mm	299 g	220	n	Oct 2016	999			Sony RX100 V
Convert to Imperial
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic LX15 was launched in the US market at a price of $699. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Panasonic LX15 features an one-inch sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.7. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic LX15 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The LX15 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the LX15 can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Panasonic LX15 and comparable cameras.

One convenient feature of the LX15 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX15 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

It is notable that the LX15 offers wifi support. Wifi can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location.

The LX15 has a zoom lens built in (8.8-26.4mm f/1.4-2.8), which, in full frame equivalent terms, provides a focal length range from 24 to 72mm. The camera is, hence, ready to shoot, while remaining more compact in size than an interchangeable lens camera with an optic that offers similar focal length and aperture specifications.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the LX15 in practical situations. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog).

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Panasonic LX15	+ +	81/100	4/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2016	699			Panasonic LX15
	Canon G7 X Mark II« »	+ +	81/100	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2016	699			Canon G7 X Mark II
	Canon G5 X« »	+ +	78/100	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Oct 2015	799			Canon G5 X
	Fujifilm X70« »	-	76/100	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2016	799	-		Fujifilm X70
	Panasonic TZ200« »	+ +	81/100	4.5/5	-	4.5/5	Feb 2018	799			Panasonic TZ200
	Panasonic TZ90« »	+ +	-	4/5	-	4/5	Apr 2017	449	-		Panasonic TZ90
	Panasonic FZ2000« »	+	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2016	1,199			Panasonic FZ2000
	Panasonic GX80« »	+ +	82/100	5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Apr 2016	799			Panasonic GX80
	Panasonic TZ100« »	+ +	82/100	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2016	699	-		Panasonic TZ100
	Panasonic LX7« »	+ +	75/100	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2012	499	-		Panasonic LX7
	Sony RX100 V« »	+ +	83/100	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2016	999			Sony RX100 V
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (-) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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