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

I have been using the LX3 for about a month now and so far am very happy with it. I have owned a series of cameras going from SLRs to high-end film compacts then high-end digital compacts and this time was looking for a compromise which would deliver high-quality results, give me the option for some more "creative" photos but did not have the weight and bulk of an SLR, because from experience I know that it would just stay at home. From reading reviews the LX3 seemed to fit the bill and having the camera in my hands I can confirm the excellent results the camera can produce. For me the most impressive feature is the speed of the semi-wide angle lens combined with the sensitive exposure meter - they produce sharp images without flash under low light conditions in which one would never expect a compact camera to operate. I recently took a series of interior photos to advertise a flat for rental and produced an excellent series of natural-light images without the problems noramlly associated with flash use in confiend spaces. For work such as this the LMX is perfect. The few criticisms I have to date are that I have produced some images with colour balance problems - a couple of skies with turquoise casts and over-vibrant reds from interior photos of plastic toys; in full sunlight the LCD screen is sometimes difficult to use and this is when lack of a viewfinder is brought to mind; it would be nice to have a wrist strap for those who choose to use a case with strap and thus don`t want to use the long Panasonic strap (a bootlace works but doesn`t look very good).

I read reviews of this camera comparing it with the Leica and there was not much to choose between the two other than the relative cost! Internally it was suggested that the camera's electronics and lens are identical, only the case and the Leica logo differentiate the two. They certainly look similar!

The Panasonic version I have is remarkable and the lens certainly pulls details out of a shot that my other cameras fail to find. As long as you accept that the zoom range is intentionally limited but certainly not a drawback to its use as images can be cropped when necessary without a dramatic loss of definition.

Highly recommended but be quick as I understand this model is now withdrawn. Now, where can I buy that red Leica logo to stick on the front........ ;-))

Have had this camera a for a few weeks. Am very happy with the quality of the images, especially in low light. I was going back and forth if I should buy this camera or not, but then I read that Leica uses this lens in their own cameras and my mind was set. Have not been sorry that I bought it at all. There is not much zoom on the camera, so don't buy it for this reason. If you are looking for a small camera with good wide angle and quality shoots in low light, then I would happily recommend it