Panasonic Lumix LX100 II

The Lumix LX100 II is a Panasonic compact released in 2018, and its defining trait is the sensor. A Micro Four Thirds chip, a format usually associated with interchangeable-lens models, sits behind a permanently attached lens, so you get a relatively large sensor in a genuinely small camera.

That combination suits photographers who want one capable carry-everywhere camera rather than a system to build on. In-body stabilisation and 4K video widen the situations it handles, from dim interiors to short movies.

Carrying it is easy at 392g and compact dimensions. The battery is rated at 340 shots and recharges over USB, which makes day-to-day topping up straightforward.

The 17-megapixel sensor is a Micro Four Thirds CMOS design, and the Venus Engine handles its processing. That pairing drives the camera's image output, and the resolution fixes the pixel count of every file it records.

In-body stabilisation counters camera shake, which keeps slower shutter speeds usable when you are shooting handheld in a dim room or at an evening gathering. It corrects the movement of your hands, so a moving subject still needs a fast shutter of its own.

The maximum burst rate of 11fps can catch a fleeting expression or a sudden turn of the head, though as a maximum figure it describes the camera's fastest capability rather than a pace it holds indefinitely. Autofocus comes from a 49-point system, and shutter speeds reach up to 1/4000s.

A 2,760,000-dot electronic viewfinder shows your exposure changes before you press the shutter, useful in bright conditions where the rear screen can be hard to read. ISO spans 200 to 25600. The fixed lens keeps the package compact, at the cost of a focal length you can never change.

Video tops out at 4K, the highest resolution the camera offers. Maximum frame rates reach 60fps, which gives room for smoother motion or a slowed-down look when you edit. Resolution and frame rate are separate maximums rather than one combined recording mode.

Clips record as MPEG-4 or MOV files. Both are standard container formats for digital video, so footage lands on the card in one of two widely used file types.

In-body stabilisation helps handheld clips stay steadier while you move around with the camera, countering the shake from your own movement as you walk or pan. There is no built-in timelapse function, so interval work means triggering frames yourself or handling the sequence in software afterwards.

The 3-inch TFT LCD carries 1,240,000 dots and doubles as a touchscreen with live view, which makes moving a focus point or working through menus quicker than buttons alone. The panel is fixed, so overhead or waist-level framing means judging the composition by eye.

There is no built-in flash, so dim interiors rely on the sensor's high ISO range unless you add an external flash, which the camera supports.

Wireless connections include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for linking the camera with other devices. There is no GPS, so the camera does not record location data with each shot, though a phone could still tag images separately.

The body has no weather sealing, so it is worth keeping it under a jacket or a cover in rain, dust and sand.

Storage runs through a single SD, SDHC or SDXC slot with UHS-I support. With one slot there is no in-camera backup, so for a one-off shoot a spare card in your pocket is sensible insurance.

The DMW-BLE9 battery is rated at 340 shots, a specification figure rather than a guarantee for every day out. Heavy screen use and video recording can draw it down faster, so a second battery is worth packing for full days.

Charging happens over USB, so you can top the battery up from a laptop or a USB wall adapter rather than carrying a dedicated charger everywhere.