| Image: Panasonic |
The camera companion app is one of the key ways your camera communicates with the world, and a good one can be an important part of the photo‑sharing experience. While they used to be quite basic, the latest versions go further, offering tools such as the ability to edit images and keep your camera's firmware up-to-date.
Functionality and features vary by brand, though. Some companion apps are genuinely useful, while others may not be worth the trouble, depending on your workflow. Here, we’re looking at Panasonic’s app options and the features its most current app brings to the table.
Apps available
When searching your phone's app store, you'll find three separate apps for Panasonic cameras: Lumix Sync, Lumix Lab and Panasonic Image App. Which you should use depends on your camera model.
The oldest of these is the Panasonic Image App. It's only compatible with older Panasonic camera models, and it hasn't been updated since May 2025. Lumix Sync is also slightly older, having last received an update in October 2025, but it is compatible with recent S- and G-series Lumix cameras.
Lastly, Lumix Lab is the latest Panasonic camera companion app. As a result, it is only compatible with recent Lumix S and G cameras, including the S1 II, S1R II, S9 and more. This is the only Panasonic Lumix app currently receiving updates, so it's what we will be covering below.
Sending images to your phone
| The app gives you a few options for file types and makes it easy to transfer images to your phone. |
As one would expect from a camera app these days, the Lumix Lab app allows you to wirelessly transfer images from your camera to your phone. It supports high speed transfer using 5GHz Wi-Fi, though you can turn this off if you don't want to, or legally can't use it. There's also the option to toggle automatic transfers on or off, which can send files to your phone as soon as they are taken (provided the two devices connected via Wi-Fi are relatively close together).
Lumix Lab allows you to transfer both JPEG and Raw files, though you do need to change some settings first, as Raw files are not transferred by default. To change this, navigate to Settings by tapping the three lines in the top left corner. Alternatively, when in the 'Transfer Photo / Video' menu, you can tap the gear icon in the top right corner. You can then choose Raw + JPEG, Raw, or JPEG. You can also choose from the same options for when you're shooting HEIF instead of JPEG.
The app also gives you the option to add the Raw file to your gallery or not. If you toggle that feature off, the Raw file will be saved to your phone's gallery, but will not be in the Lumix Lab gallery. If on, Raw files will be in both places.
Camera trigger and settings control
| Lumix Lab gives you two ways to remotely control your camera. |
The Lumix Lab app offers remote camera controls, letting you adjust settings and trigger the shutter. The 'Camera Control' option gives you near-complete control over basic camera settings. You can change exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture, ISO and white balance. There's also an option to change the camera mode (with the same settings as the top dial), or you can lock it so the mode can only be changed on the camera itself. It also provides options to apply real-time LUTs and change file formats, aspect ratio, drive mode, metering mode, focus mode and timer settings.
The 'Camera Control' feature shows you what your camera sees, functioning as a viewfinder. It even lets you change your focus point by tapping the image, just like you can on the rear display. It works with both photo and video functions.
Alternatively, if you only want a remote trigger function with no controls or live view, there's the 'Shutter Remote Control' option. It offers a simple digital button to tap to take photos or start and end video recordings.
GPS sharing
Cameras typically lack built-in GPS, but the Lumix Lab app lets you share your phone's GPS data with the camera. This is ideal if you want location data stored with your images. The feature is off by default, but tapping the three dots in the top-right corner opens a menu that lets you toggle geotagging on. You can also use this menu to have your camera's clock automatically sync with your phone's.
Firmware updates
Panasonic at one time provided the ability to update your camera's firmware with the Lumix Lab app, but it disabled that on October 20th, 2025. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, this means firmware updates must be done via a computer; a shame, since the ability to update your camera with your phone is typically one of the nicest parts of having the two connected.
Capabilities beyond the basics
The Lumix Lab app also offers features and tools beyond the basics listed above, giving you creative controls right in the app.
Editing
| There are all of the basic editing tools in the app. |
The app provides access to basic editing tools, allowing you to adjust brightness, contrast, white balance, curves, noise reduction, straightening and more. However, while Lumix Lab supports transferring and storing Raw files, it does not support Raw editing. All editing tools are for JPEG files only, so you'll need a different app if you want to edit your Raws.
LUTs
| You can create your own LUTs, download ones created by others and send LUTs to your camera. |
One feature Panasonic is very proud of with the Lumix Lab app is its LUTs for both photos and videos. There are multiple ways to interact with these. You can apply them in real time when using the camera controls, or add them after the fact when editing. There's a free LUT library where you can download versions created by others, or you can use the app to design your own, before uploading them to your camera, where you can use the Real-Time LUT feature to apply them to your straight-out-of-camera JPEGs.
Lastly, the Magic LUT tool lets you upload a photo with a look you like, and it uses AI to automatically create a LUT based on that.
Live streaming
Finally, the Lumix Lab app supports setting up your camera for live streaming. It is compatible with YouTube directly and with other streaming services using the RTMP/RTMPS protocol.