LUMIX LX3
Review of the Panasonic Lumix LX3 high end compact camera and a few sample photos taken around Tokyo.
Thanks for your advice on which camera to get. Our IXY served us well for two years but pictures started to be come very blurry and yellowish.
Initially thought about getting another compact camera but wanted to improve my photography skills so decided to get a high end compact camera despite being bigger in size.
Unlike a standard compact camera, the high end versions (you can see some here) enable you to control the aperture and exposure too just like a digital SLR and the picture quality is far superior due to the higher quality/larger lens.
More about the LX3's Leica lens here.
The LX3 cost 45,300 yen and guessing the price was the first question in a previous giveaway.
Here you see the various never-ever-used sockets for USB, AV out and power attachments. The knob with the red bit around it is a joypad type thingy.
Me love the 16:9 aspect ratio and never change this. More on the LX3 settings at the official site.
Needed to get used to changing the macro manually.
My only major complaint about the LX3 is this strap attachment on the side of the camera - cant rest it on its side for timed shots or lean against lamp post for stability.
The LC-1 self retaining lens cap is as the name suggests designed for the Ricoh cameras but it fits on the LX3 without any modification - you just need to force it on a bit with your palm.
If you use the zoom mode, the flaps get in the way as the lens retracts but you can stick something under the flaps to avoid this.
Without the LC-1, one would have to manually remove the lens cap just like one would do for a digital SLR. The ring has to be removed from the LX3 before attaching the LC-1. The LC-1 cost 1,500 yen.
When you power on the LX3, the LC-1 would have its flaps opened automatically - pushed open by the lens.
LX3 with closed LC-1.
Another thing that I forgot to mention is that one can find many accessories for high end compact cameras which you cant get for a standard compact camera.
This page lists some of the extra lenses and other bits n bobs available for the Lumix LX3.
Previous LX3's came with a horrible charger with power cables attached. New versions are just the plug-in-wall type.
The LX3 comes with a few MB of internal memory for taking extra shots.
Took me a while to get used to the UI after many years of using different IXY models.
The screen is incredibly nice - perhaps too nice as pictures on the LCD look much better than the real photos ^^;
Like the small thumbnailed view which wasn't available on the Canon IXY.
When you change modes, this swirly thing appears. You can even take HD video for it too. 1280×720 at 24FPS, 848×480 (or lower) at 30FPS. Quality is not too bad at all.
A look at the box - full of rubbish.
They need to show users how to put the battery on the charger...
And a few samples taken with the Lumix LX3 - original images with EXIF data in my Flickr Lumix LX3 set - its the ones at the end of the set.
I've also made a Places to visit in Japan set at Flickr. Feel free to add me as a Flickr comrade.
The LX3 has a F2.0-F2.8 24-60mm (35mm equivalent) Leica DC Vario-Summicron lens. Images are captured on a 1/1.63-inch CCD sensor sporting 10.1 million effective pixels. Full specs in English at Dpreview.
One of the things I really love about the Lumix LX3 is its ability to take great shots at low light - something that the Canon IXY always struggled to do. This one with ISO 400.
One of the first shots I took without reading the manual so its a bit dodgy.
The macro mode is awesome.
Need to remember to cover the light sensors in the MBP next time I open it to keep the keyboard lit.
Gorgeous macro shot of Nanael - review soon.
5 out of 5 dolphins. I carry a camera with me everywhere I go and while the LX3 is more bulkier to carry, the picture quality and control I have over the settings make up for it. An awesome and recommended purchase.
