Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic DMCLX3 Digital Camera - Black (10MP, 2.5x Optical Zoom) 3.0 inch LCD

I was deciding between this, the Sigma DP1 and the Canon G10 cameras. I prompted for the LX3 on the basis of:

1. I believe that Canon have made an error by increasing the pixels on their camera and keeping the same size sensor chip. I also believe that the G10 was probably slightly too big (more on that later). I was also phased by its pricing as I felt it did not offer anything significantly better than the LX3, while being around 30% more expensive.

2. While I loved the idea of the DP1 and was not phased by its pricing because of the huge sensor chip and the awesome colour and photo quality this is supposed to have, I was scared off by constant references to this being a very difficult camera to take a good photo with. Also the comments that this does not perform in low light warned me off too as I wanted to be able to take good photos indoors and at night.

Was this the right move? Yes absolutely. I am so very happy with the picture quality I get from the camera. Its not an SLR, but I have had friends with SLRs say how this would be their next compact, everyone seems to be uniformly impressed by the photo quality. It has some great customiseable settings, and different virtual film stock, so you can whip it out and in one dial move have it go from being a colour shutter based setting to a dynamic black and white setting for some very impressive black and white photos.

The camera give me a feel of the old Leicas, it feels great in my hand and love snapping picture with it as much as making some lovely compositions. The choice of the large(r - slightly) sensor with the lower pixel count (10mp) makes the pictures razor sharp (no undersensitivity), and great for low light and night time. The flash is also great.

Raw files produced are good too. Although I would prefer to be able to use raw in Photoshop - I understand that Adobe is making an update available for ACR.

I also got the leather cover (from Japan) - although this makes it bulkier and harder to put in the pocket - its still smaller than the g10 in my opinion...

All in all - a great luxury compact camera, with lovely picture quality. I am very satisfied and have recommended it to all my friends.

Panasonic DMCLX3 Digital Camera - Black (10MP, 2.5x Optical Zoom) 3.0" LCD

An excellent comact camera to suit all levels of photographer. I like the "locked on" focus feature which means if you are following a moving subject and press the focus lock button, the camera focus indicator bracket follows the subject anywhere within the frame, you then depress the shutter to take the shot. If your subject is, for example, in the top right hand corner of the frame, then that is where the focus is sharp. I have had several Panasonic digital's before and they improve each time. This one is the best and as a serious photographer, I am more than happy with all the many features it offers.

The Panasonic LX3 comes out consistently as a 'winner' in even the most serious tests and reviews, globally. However, with many years of experience with the disappointing LX1 in mind (extremely noisy sensor), I was sceptical at first. Hence, I was more favourably predisposed towards the similarly priced Canon G10.

Three considerations made me choose in favour of the LX3, however: portability, the beautiful LEICA wide-angle lens and the reported mediocre low light performance of the G10. It turned out to be a good choice. The camera slips more or less easily in your pocket, and the pictures are simply stunning - even in very low light conditions.

From amateur ('just-press-the-button' in the Intelligent Auto setting) to semi-professional (full manual control), most will find it easy to use this little gem.

One word of caution: you won't get the 'normal' zoom. If you want that, please consider buying something else ... However, if you are not scared of embracing a creative challenge, this incredibly light sensitive wide-angle lens will soon make you forget about a potent zoom.

For me, it brought the fun back into taking pictures, and I was delighted to hear people again ask me what camera I was using upon seeing my pictures - something last witnessed when still shooting on film with my LEICA camera.

Have had this camera for about 6 months, and use it most days. I am amazed at the image quality, as well as the sturdiness of the camera itself. The video quality is good but not great, and i'm annoyed I cant use RAW files in Aperture as RAW was one of the main reasons for buying this camera. When this is addressed it will really be worth buying, but worth taking into consideration.

I bought the Panasonic LX3 instead of TZ7 for my holiday snaps. I was worried that the limited zoom range of LX3 may be limiting. But I have no regrets. The quality of the fast 2-2.8 lens is excellent matching a variety of challenging lighting conditions to produce satisfactory images. The i-auto mode does a great job and I hardly use the flash. Images up to iso 800 are very good but anything above this is too grainy for me. The size is a bit awkward, the need to use a switch every-time to get back to photo from review mode rather cumbersome and I still haven't found a suitable pouch. In summary, an excellent camera that I would unreservedly recommend.
I have just returned from a holiday to Alaska and western Canada. I found this camera extremely versatile producing high quality images every time. The intelligent auto mode works for a variety of lighting conditions. I found exposure compensation program extremely useful. Thoroughly recommended.