Panasonic LX5 vs Sony RX100 IV

Sony RX100 IV advantages over Panasonic LX5

• Focus peaking
  Peaker vs Non-peaker
  Your camera will highlight what's in focus
• Larger sensor
  1 inch vs 1/1.63 inch
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Eye-level viewfinder
  Eye-level vs Rear display only
  You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 2.41 vs 1.98 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Shoot 4K video
  4K (UHD) vs 720p
  Make sure you have a fast computer
• In-camera panoramas
  Yes vs No
  Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
• Tiltable Screen
  Tiltable vs Fixed
  Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
• Built-in Wi-Fi
  Wi-Fi vs None
  Share your photos wirelessly
• NFC
  Yes vs No
  Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
• Better color depth

  Better color depth

  Color depth refers to the number of unique colors that a sensor can faithfully capture. Cameras with better color depth will demonstrate smoother transitions from one color to the next, and avoid "banding" in areas with subtle shading. (Blue skies are an example of where you might see color banding.)

  More color depth is generally better, but you'll struggle to notice a difference between two cameras with less than 1 bit of difference. Color depth above 22 bits is considered excellent.

  Want to learn more? Head over to our full glossary entry on color depth

  Color depth test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  RX100 IV test data on DxO Mark LX5 test data on DxO Mark
  22.9 vs 19.6 bits
  Capture richer, more accurate colors
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  RX100 IV test data on DxO Mark LX5 test data on DxO Mark
  562 vs 132 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  RX100 IV test data on DxO Mark LX5 test data on DxO Mark
  12.6 vs 10.8 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Integrated ND filter
  Yes vs No
  Shoot in daylight with a large aperture or slow shutter
• Newer
  9 years vs 14 years old
  Newer cameras often support more advanced features
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• More dots on screen
  1229k vs 460k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Shoots 1080p video
  Yes vs No
  You'll want this if you shoot video
• Less shutter lag
  0.16 vs 0.35 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More pixels
  20.1 vs 10.1 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Bulb shutter
  Bulb vs No bulb
  Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures
• Faster JPEG shooting
  16.0 fps vs 1.8 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  40 vs 3 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Slow-motion videos
  Yes vs No
  Shoot slow-motion videos
• Faster shutter
  1/32000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  25600 vs 12800 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility