I’m fond of the Lumix LX100, although I do not like its default settings. Fortunately, it is very configurable, indeed, you really must learn how to configure it to be happy with the photos.

The camera is capable but finicky, especially because its depth-of-field is so thin with close objects. This is how my camera is set up.

JPEG Settings

• NR=-4
• Sha=+1
• Sat=-1

QMenu

AFS/AFF/AFC
Focus Area
Metering
Quality (RAW/JPEG)
Stabilizer

HDR
i.Dynamic
Picture Mode (Custom)
Shutter Type
4k Movie Mode

Flash Mode
Flash Adjust

Focus

• I generally prefer 1-area focus with the focus and recompose technique.
• AFF is updated and AFC predicts vector; no difference in practice.
• The best focus mode on moving person was 1-area followed closely by tracking, until person gets too close and tracking loses its lock.
• Focus/Release priority
• If focus area gets decentered:
  • select AF then down area (p. 121)
  • or enable Custom/Direct_Focus_Area; recenter; and disable

Custom modes

• C1 panographic JPEG
• C2 people RAW
  • FN1: custom select
  • auto-review: on C7
  • Drive: Medium
  • AF Mode: Face
  • AF: AFS
• C3 action RAW
  • FN1: custom select
  • FN3: AF mode
  • auto-review: off C7
  • Drive: High
  • AF Mode: 1-area
  • AF: AFC
  • ISO: Intelligent

Speed tests

• Camera Labs
  • Single AF
    • High
      • JPEG 11.9fps (slowed after 63 shots)
      • RAW 9.2fps (slowed after 21 shots to 2fps)
    • Medium
      • JPEG 5.9fps
  • Continous AF * JPEG 5.8fps

Raw software

Shooting RAW (which has some advantages relative to dynamic range and white balance) can be more challenging task because software may not be up to the task of demosaicing the sensor, correcting lens distortions, and rendering a pleasing image.

Rawtherapee (RT) is capable (and powerful, cross-platform, and open source) but requires various profiles to render a good image. Below are two processing profiles and a lens correction profile (LCP). I’m new to all of this and using Adobe Lens Profile Creator is arduous. (PhotoNinja is much nicer on that front.) Hence, these are far from perfect. (Instead of my LCP, you can also use RT’s “auto correction distortion” which attempts to align the RAW image with its already corrected JPEG thumbnail). If you have improvements, please share.

• lx100.lcp
• lx100-default.RW2.pp3
• lx100-medium-iso.RW2.pp3
• lx100-high-iso.RW2.pp3 (Similar to medium but increased Noise Reduction has less Detail and stronger effect in the Blue-Yellow channel.)