{"id":8384,"date":"2026-09-06T18:59:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T18:59:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelcsnell.com\/travelphotographyblog\/?p=8384"},"modified":"2026-09-06T19:01:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T19:01:43","slug":"looking-back-the-panasonic-lumix-dmc-lx1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/michaelcsnell.com\/travelphotographyblog\/index.php\/2026\/09\/06\/looking-back-the-panasonic-lumix-dmc-lx1\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking back: the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” row_position_desktop=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” flex_gap_desktop=”10px” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”8375″ image_size=”full” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”50″][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]\n

Part I: The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 that went to South Korea.<\/h2>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”60px” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” row_position_desktop=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” gradient_type=”default” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” flex_gap_desktop=”10px” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”10″][image_with_animation image_url=”8524″ image_size=”full” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]There’s a compact camera that’s been sitting on my shelf for years. It’s the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1. I must have bought it in 2006 just prior to a trip I was making to South Korea. I used it a fair amount for a couple of years (also taking it to Chile, which I’ll talk about more in a Part II post), then I seem to have forgotten about it. I’m not sure why. It had a couple of features that were extremely handy at the time, but improved phone cameras may have kicked it out of my camera bag at some point.<\/p>\n

Here’s what sold me on that camera in 2006. It was compact, had a 16:9 sensor, shot RAW (which was kind of a big thing in those earlier days of digital photography) and it shot video.<\/p>\n

The other camera that I took to South Korea was my Nikon D100 – my first DSLR. It did not shoot video. I wouldn’t have a DSLR that shot video until my D7000 in 2011. I didn’t have a real need for video, but it was nice to have. In the meantime, the little DMC-LX1 made a decent back-up camera should I ever have a problem with the D100. I think this was the last era where I only had one DSLR body. My clients were mostly still wanting film back then, so I shot the D100 alongside my F100 film body. Later, when I added a D200 and was shooting primarily digital, I began keeping my previous bodies as backups. I don’t think I’ve ever owned two of the exact same body.<\/p>\n

But I digress.<\/p>\n

The video aspect was fun, but my favorite feature of the LX1 was the 16:9 sensor. I’ve since had other cameras that would shoot 16:9 but it was always done by cropping and only using a portion of a standard 3:2 sensor. I’ve always been a sucker for wider formats and I loved the idea of not throwing any data away to get that wider image.<\/p>\n

Panasonic’s latest camera in this vein is the Lumix L10. It’s getting a lot of buzz right now for its ability to load custom LUTS. The sensor is now 26.5 megapixels but it seems to be a 4:3 aspect ratio. The Panasonic website states, however, that the L10 uses “a sensor larger than the lens image circle, it maintains the same angle of view across 4:3, 3:2, and 16:9 aspect ratios. 1:1 is also available.” The accompanying illustrations show that the 16:9 ratio still takes maximum advantage of the image circle of the lens. No more 16:9 sensor, but it sounds like you still get all of the same advantages.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” flex_gap_desktop=”10px” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”10″][image_with_animation image_url=”8523″ image_size=”full” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]Some specs for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1<\/strong><\/p>\n