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Panasonic LUMIX G100 Camera Review

Tested using Methodology v0.12.1
Reviewed Aug 31, 2021 at 07:51 am
Latest change: Writing modified Jan 29, 2024 at 09:10 am
Panasonic LUMIX G100 Picture
7.0
Travel Photography
7.6
Landscape Photography
5.8
Sport & Wildlife Photography
7.3
Raw Photo Performance
8.5
Vlogging
7.7
Studio Video
5.2
Action Video

The Panasonic LUMIX G100 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with a Micro Four Thirds sensor. It's very lightweight and portable, and it comes equipped with a fully articulated touchscreen that makes it well-suited for vlogging. It delivers excellent JPEG image quality and fantastic 4k and FHD video quality in brighter lighting conditions. However, its RAW noise handling capability and low light video quality are noticeably worse due to its smaller sensor. Its autofocus system does a great job of tracking moving objects but struggles with faces. Battery performance is a bit disappointing, too, though this can vary with real-world conditions and settings. Unfortunately, it lacks in-body image stabilization and does a poor job of smoothing out camera shake. It's also not the most comfortable to use due to its small size and squared-off body, but on the upside, it has a very well laid-out menu system.

Our Verdict

7.0 Travel Photography

The Panasonic LUMIX G100 is decent for travel photography. JPEG image quality is excellent, and it does a great job of tracking moving subjects for photography. It's also very small and lightweight, so it should fit easily into a travel bag to take with you on the go. However, its battery life is disappointing, and it does a poor job of stabilizing images without a tripod.

Pros
  • Good overall image quality for its class.
  • Small, lightweight design.
  • Autofocus effectively tracks moving objects.
Cons
  • Autofocus struggles to track moving faces.
  • Poor stabilization.
  • Disappointing battery life.
7.6 Landscape Photography

The Panasonic G100 is good for landscape photography. Image quality is good for its class, though it doesn't have the widest dynamic range to bring out more details in high-contrast landscape shots. Its RAW noise handling capability is just okay due to its smaller sensor. Still, it feels well-built, and it's very portable, making it easy to take with you to remote shooting locations, although people with larger hands may find it a bit uncomfortable to use.

Pros
  • Good overall image quality for its class.
  • Small, lightweight design.
  • Reasonably wide dynamic range.
Cons
  • Poor stabilization.
  • Disappointing battery life.
5.8 Sport & Wildlife Photography

The Panasonic LUMIX G100 is sub-par for sport and wildlife photography. It delivers good overall image quality, though it isn't the best option for low light. Its autofocus system also struggles to track moving subjects. Its continuous shooting speed is also just okay, so it's not as well-suited to capturing quick bursts of fast action.

Pros
  • Good overall image quality for its class.
  • Small, lightweight design.
  • Autofocus effectively tracks moving objects.
Cons
  • Autofocus struggles to track moving faces.
  • Poor stabilization.
  • Disappointing battery life.
7.3 Raw Photo Performance

The Panasonic LUMIX G100 has satisfactory RAW image quality. It isn't the best low-light performer, with adequate noise management in trickier lighting conditions. It also has a fair amount of dynamic range, though you'll still lose detail in very high-contrast scenes. Thankfully, it resolves fine detail quite well, so images appear sharp even when punching in.

Pros
  • Reasonably wide dynamic range.
Cons
  • Noise handling in low light is just okay.
8.5 Vlogging

The Panasonic LUMIX G100 is good for vlogging. It's small and lightweight, so it's easy to take on the go. It also has a fully articulated screen so you can easily monitor yourself as you record. The video quality is good overall, but especially in brighter lighting conditions. However, it lacks in-body image stabilization, and its electronic stabilization feature does a poor job of smoothing out camera shake if you're vlogging without a gimbal. Its autofocus system is also disappointing at tracking moving faces.

Pros
  • Fantastic video quality in brighter lighting conditions.
  • Small, lightweight design.
  • Fully articulated screen.
Cons
  • Autofocus struggles to track moving faces.
  • Poor stabilization.
7.7 Studio Video

The Panasonic G100 is decent for studio video. It delivers fantastic video quality in more controlled lighting conditions, whether you're shooting in 4k or FHD. However, the quality dips noticeably in low light. It includes a microphone jack and micro HDMI port but sadly lacks a headphone jack. Unfortunately, its internal recording capability is mediocre, and its autofocus system struggles to keep moving faces in focus, though it's better at tracking moving objects.

Pros
  • Fantastic video quality in brighter lighting conditions.
  • Small, lightweight design.
  • Easy-to-use menu system.
Cons
  • Mediocre internal recording capability.
  • Autofocus struggles to track moving faces.
  • No headphone jack.
5.2 Action Video

The Panasonic LUMIX G100 isn't for action video. While small and lightweight, it isn't designed for action camera mounts like helmet and chest rigs. It also lacks water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. It delivers fantastic video quality in brighter lighting conditions, but its low-light performance is noticeably worse. Unfortunately, it does a terrible job smoothing out camera shake in 4k and is mediocre in FHD if you happen to be shooting action handheld.

Pros
  • Fantastic video quality in brighter lighting conditions.
  • Small, lightweight design.
  • Autofocus effectively tracks moving objects.
Cons
  • Not designed for action camera mounts.
  • Autofocus struggles to track moving faces.
  • Poor stabilization.
  • Disappointing battery life.
  • Not waterproof.
  • 7.0 Travel Photography
  • 7.6 Landscape Photography
  • 5.8 Sport & Wildlife Photography
  • 7.3 Raw Photo Performance
  • 8.5 Vlogging
  • 7.7 Studio Video
  • 5.2 Action Video
  1. Updated Jan 29, 2024: Added text to the 'Raw Photo Performance' verdict box and updated existing verdict boxes for clarity and accuracy.
  2. Updated Jan 29, 2024: Converted to Test Bench 0.12.1.
  3. Updated Apr 24, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.12.
  4. Updated Jan 27, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.11.
  5. Updated Oct 03, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.10.
  6. Updated Aug 05, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.9.
  7. Updated Jun 15, 2022: Updated shutter type from 'Electronic' to 'Electronic and Mechanical' since the default EFCS uses a physical shutter mechanism.
  8. Updated Apr 25, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.
  9. Updated Aug 31, 2021: Review published.
  10. Updated Aug 27, 2021: Early access published.
  11. Updated Aug 03, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
  12. Updated Jul 29, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  13. Updated Jul 27, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
  14. Updated Jul 18, 2021: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

The Panasonic G100 comes in one color variant: 'Black'. You can purchase the body on its own or in a bundle with the Lumix G Vario 12-32mm F3.5-F5.6 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. lens, which is how we tested it.

If you come across a different variant or your Panasonic G100 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, so we can update it.

You can see our unit's label here.

Compared To Other Cameras

Sony ZV-E10

The Sony ZV-E10 is better overall than the Panasonic LUMIX G100. They're both vlogging cameras, but the Sony model has a few advantages, including a better AF system, an unlimited recording time limit, and better video stabilization.

Sony ZV-1

The Panasonic LUMIX G100 and the Sony ZV-1 are both vlogging-oriented cameras. However, the Panasonic is an interchangeable lens camera with a Micro Four Thirds sensor, and the Sony is a compact point-and-shoot with a smaller 1-inch sensor. The Panasonic is a bit more versatile because you can switch out lenses, and it has an electronic viewfinder. That said, the Sony is more portable, has a more reliable autofocus system, and has significantly better stabilization. There's also less of a crop when shooting in 4k, so all in all, it's the better vlogging option if you don't mind the fixed lens.

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
8.1
Design
Portability
Height
3.2" (8.3 cm)
Width
4.9" (12.4 cm)
Depth
2.1" (5.4 cm)
Volume
33.6 in³ (550.4 cm³)
Weight
0.75 lbs (0.34 kg)
8.0
Design
Build Quality

  • Body is made of hard plastic that feels solid
  • Screen mechanism is sturdy
  • SD card and battery compartment is covered by a locking hinged door
  • Inputs and outputs are covered by rubber flaps
  • Buttons are a bit small but give good tactile feedback
  • Built-in flash mechanism feels solid

Design
Body
Body Type
SLR-Style
Water Resistance
No
Mirrorless
Yes
Rugged
No
Hot Shoe
Yes
Customizable Button
Yes
Command Dial
2
Tripod Mount
Yes
Lens Mount
Micro Four Thirds
Built-In Flash
Yes
Fastest Shutter Speed
1/500 s
Design
In The Box

  • Panasonic LUMIX G100 camera body
  • Lumix G Vario 12-32mm F3.5-F5.6 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. lens
  • Lens cap
  • Hot shoe cap
  • Shoulder strap
  • Panasonic DMW-BLG10PP battery
  • AC adapter
  • USB-A to micro-USB cable
  • Lens pamphlet
  • User manual

Note: This camera doesn't come with a sensor cap or rear lens cap, so the lens and sensor lack protection when switching out or storing lenses.

6.5
Design
Ergonomics & Comfort
Hand Grip: Small Hand
Yes
Hand Grip: Medium Hand
Yes
Hand Grip: Large Hand
Yes
Hand Grip: Extra-Large Hand
No

  • Squared-off body can feel uncomfortable to hold after a while
  • May be too small for extra large hands or for maintaining a secure grip
  • Rubber texture on thumb rest and handgrip
  • Easy to change ISO, aperture, and shutter speed when looking through the viewfinder with your right eye
  • Includes a dedicated video recording button
  • Eyecup feels rigid and isn't especially comfortable
  • Touchscreen features stay active even with eye to viewfinder, so it's easy to accidentally change the focus point
  • Can't access SD card compartment when mounted on a tripod

Design
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Type
Electronic
Advertised Coverage
100%
Advertised Resolution
3.68 million dots
Advertised Magnification
0.73
9.7
Design
Screen
Screen Articulation Type
Fully-Articulated
Screen Max Brightness
1,216 cd/m²
Advertised Resolution
1.84 million dots
Size
3.0" (7.5 cm)
Touchscreen
Yes
9.0
Design
Menu System
Guide Mode
Yes
App Name
Panasonic Image

  • Easy to navigate the menu and Q menu using the touchscreen and physical buttons
  • Q menu gives quick access to commonly used settings like ISO, drive mode, and exposure compensation
  • Four customizable buttons
  • Three customizable tabs on the menu
  • Includes a display option to quickly check all of your camera settings at once, which you can see here
  • Guide mode to explain certain features and settings

not tested
Design
Built-In Lens
Maximum Aperture
No built-in lens
Max Aperture (Full-Frame Equivalent)
N/A
Minimum Focal Length
N/A
Maximum Focal Length
N/A
Max Focal Length (Full-Frame Equivalent)
N/A
Optical Image Stabilization
No
Luminance
N/A
Light Falloff
N/A
Design
Sensor
Sensor Type
MOS
Advertised Effective Pixels
20.3 MP
Sensor Size
4/3 (MFT)
Processor
Unspecified
Extended ISO Minimum
100
Native ISO Minimum (Base ISO)
200
Native ISO Maximum
25,600
Tested Firmware
Ver. 1.2

Note: This camera has three extended low ISO options: 100, 125, and 160.

5.8
Design
Battery
Battery Type
Panasonic DMW-BLG10PP
USB Charging
Yes
Power Delivery While Recording
No
Advertised Battery Life In Photo
270 photos
Tested Battery Life In Video
85 min
Photo General
5.0
Photo General
Photo Shooting Speed
Low Speed Continuous
2 fps
High Speed Continuous
7 fps
Silent Shooting Continuous
10 fps
Raw Buffer Size
27 Photos
JPEG Buffer Size
10,000 Photos
Buffer Empty Time
26 s
2.6
Photo General
Photo AF-C Tracking
Autofocus Tracking Shots
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
16%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
33%
9.5
Photo General
Photo AF-C Center Point
Autofocus Center Point Shots
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
93%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
100%
5.1
Photo General
Photo Image Stabilization
Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved
1/60 s
In-Body Image Stabilization
No
Photo Image Quality
6.9
Photo Image Quality
Photo RAW Dynamic Range
Dynamic Range At Base ISO
8.9 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/500s Exposure Time
7.7 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/2000s Exposure Time
6.7 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/4000s Exposure Time
5.8 f-stops
8.2
Photo Image Quality
Photo RAW Sharpness
Vertical Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
1,832 LW/PH
Horizontal Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
1,875 LW/PH
6.7
Photo Image Quality
Photo RAW Noise
SNR 18% At 1/8 Exposure Time (125 ms)
33.2dB
SNR 18% At 1/30 Exposure Time (33 ms)
29.6 dB
SNR 18% At 1/125 Exposure Time (8 ms)
24.6 dB
SNR 18% At 1/500 Exposure Time (2 ms)
18.2dB
Pictures Sample Gallery
Pictures Sample Gallery
The Skate Park Picture
JPEG Skate Park Picture Download
RAW Skate Park Picture Download
Pictures Sample Gallery
The Polish Church Picture
JPEG Polish Church Picture Download
RAW Polish Church Picture Download
Pictures Sample Gallery
The Studio Picture
JPEG Studio Picture Download
RAW Studio Picture Download
Pictures Sample Gallery
The Stairway Picture
JPEG Stairway Picture Download
RAW Stairway Picture Download
Video General
Video General
Video Features
Full HD Video
Yes
4k Video
Yes
6k Video
No
Clean HDMI Output
Yes
Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI
Not Advertised
Advertised Max Bit Depth Over HDMI
N/A
Log Picture Profile
Yes
Recording Light
No

Note: This camera has a 'Self Shot' mode that's enabled when you turn the screen around to face forward. This feature automatically enables face and eye-tracking and audio tracking. By default, it also sets a three-second timer before each photo or video. It includes several vlogging and Instagram-friendly settings in the Fn tab of the menu, including 'Soft Skin' effect, 'Filter effect', 'Background Control' to adjust the background blur, a 'Slimming Mode' that stretches the screen vertically to make you appear slimmer, shutter options, and more. You can disable this mode in the menu if you like.

Video General
Audio
Audio Test Sample
Audio Recording
Stereo
Microphone Level Display
Yes

Note: This camera features Nokia's 'Ozo audio', which lets users adjust the audio input between 'Auto', 'Surround', 'Front', 'Tracking', and 'Back' settings. You can see these how these settings affect audio here.

Video General
Video File Format And Compression
MP4 H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Yes
MP4 H.265 / HEVC
No
MOV H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
No
MOV H.265 / HEVC
No
AVCHD H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
No
All-I Compression
No
4k Video
5.9
4k Video
4k Video Frame Rate
240 fps In 4k
No
120 fps In 4k
No
60 fps In 4k
No
30 fps In 4k
Yes, with a Crop
24 fps In 4k
Yes, with a Crop
4k Crop At Max Available fps
1.29 x
6.8
4k Video
4k Video Internal Recording
Bitrate Maximum In 4k
95 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In 4k
95 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In 4k
4:2:0
Bit Depth In 4k
8 Bit
Record Time Limit In 4k
10 min
Overheat Recording Interruptions in 4k
0
7.4
4k Video
4k Video Autofocus Performance
Object Tracking In 4k
8.0
Face Tracking In 4k
5.8
Face Detection In 4k
Yes
Eye Detection In 4k
Yes

Note: We had to use a different depth of field than we typically use for our object tracking tests because the kit lens' aperture isn't wide enough to follow our usual methodology, so these results may not be fully comparable with other cameras we've tested.

7.9
4k Video
4k Video Quality
Low Light Capability In 4k
7.3
Test Scene Extract In 4k
8.5
5.7
4k Video
4k Video Rolling Shutter Effect
4k Rolling Shutter
7.0°
Full HD Video
9.5
Full HD Video
FHD Video Frame Rate
240 fps In FHD
No
120 fps In FHD
Yes
60 fps In FHD
Yes
30 fps In FHD
Yes
24 fps In FHD
Yes
FHD Crop At Max Available fps
1 x

Note: 120 fps is only available in 'Slow and Quick' mode, and it can only be played back in 4x slow motion at 30 fps.

7.4
Full HD Video
FHD Video Internal Recording
Bitrate Maximum In FHD
27 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In FHD
23 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In FHD
4:2:0
Bit Depth In FHD
8 Bit
Record Time Limit in FHD
30 min

Note: When recording in FHD at 60 fps, the recording time limit is 20 minutes. At 24 fps, it's just under 30 minutes.

7.6
Full HD Video
FHD Video Autofocus Performance
Object Tracking In FHD
8.7
Face Tracking In FHD
5.6
Face Detection In FHD
Yes
Eye Detection In FHD
Yes

Note: We had to use a different depth of field than we typically use for our object tracking tests because the kit lens' aperture isn't wide enough to follow our usual methodology, so these results may not be fully comparable with other cameras we've tested.

7.4
Full HD Video
FHD Video Quality
Low Light Capability In FHD
6.3
Test Scene Extract In FHD
8.5
7.0
Full HD Video
FHD Video Rolling Shutter Effect
FHD Rolling Shutter
4.0°
Storage And Connectivity
Storage And Connectivity
Storage
Card 1 Slot
SD Card UHS-I
Card 2 Slot
No 2nd Card Slot
7.0
Storage And Connectivity
Inputs / Outputs
USB
Mini USB
HDMI
Micro (Type D)
Headphones
No
Microphone
Stereo
Wi-Fi
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes

Note: You can see the other inputs here.