They're just underwhelmed because they compare it to other cameras like the X-Pro2 and GX8, which I find legitimate. However, I'm not sure that I care about most of the things they're having a go at - I hardly ever use C-AF, for one. My problem is that most of what makes the camera special is actually of pretty little use to me as a RAW shooter, and things I care about aren't really implemented in a sensible way. I don't have any intention of using the Hi-Res mode, and I'm with Chris in that I wish that all those hardware features (most prominently, the front dial, if you will excuse the pun) could be made to do something for me, but unfortunately, I'd be stuck with all this gadgetry I have no use for. For me, some of the controls actually just take up space and provide additional points of failure without any tangible advantages. What I do care about is the EVF - but somehow, they managed only a mediocre job with the unit from the E-M10 II, apparently. At this price point, that's a bit of a downer, to be honest. Especially if all this about the laggy response is true. The E-M10 is almost as quick to deploy as my Nikons, and the viewfinder doesn't lag in a way I find problematic - whereas I find the (however slight) wait the LX100 imposes on me on startup quite irritating. A newer camera of this class shouldn't show this kind of behaviour; I just hope that it's overstated (but I'll check very thoroughly!).
On the other hand, some things are simply great - like a couple of custom profiles right on the mode dial. I set up my camera quite differently for different shooting modes (and I mean A, S, M and occasionally P here, nothing else), and to have those setups ready at one click of a wheel is fantastic (apart from that, it's something that Panasonic has offered for ages - the GF1 does have this feature!). Furthermore, the camera is indeed very slick - it might be rather big for a PEN, but it's actually quite a compact camera with not a lot of protruding elements (front dial aside ...). Even the EVF, while clearly bigger and better spec'd than the one on the GM5, doesn't stick out a lot in any direction. The flip screen, the exposure compensation dial, the threaded shutter button - all very nice additions and details, and certainly useful.
And yet, having shoot the LX100 and the E-M10 side-by-side now for quite a while, I can't help but feel that the two-dial design of the OM-Ds is at least as quick and effective as the use of dedicated controls on the LX100 (or similar cameras). And doubling controls doesn't make an awful lot of sense. I'd find a use for the second programmable dial on the back, I'm sure, but I haven't missed a third dial up to now ...
In short: It's a pretty confusing mix of desirable (new) features and toy-like stuff that is more likely to get in the way instead of being used or even useful - at least that's the way I see it. I'll have to handle the PEN-F in order to decide if putting up with that stuff is actually worth it or not. At the initial price, it's a tough sale at any rate, especially with such strong direct competitors within the system as the E-M5 II and the GX8 ...
M.
