Last update (Aug 09, 2009): Stunning LX3 rock-cut architecture photo El Deir (“The Monastery”) in Petra.
This post is a compilation of links to the following resources on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 digital camera:
- Professional and user reviews, owner opinions and experiences, tests, ratings, conclusions and feedback.
- Sample photos and examples, image galleries and user pictures, movie / video clips and footage.
Panasonic has made the LX3 available in the two colors:
Professional and user reviews, owner opinions and experiences, tests, ratings, conclusions and feedback
Lawrence Ripsher’s Panasonic LX3 Review
One of the most comprehensive user reviews on the LX3 out there. Lawrence concludes:
The LX3 has all the things that should matter (and certainly all the ones that matter to me) — class leading optics, excellent build quality and size, great controls (despite a few quirks) and evolutionary improvements in sensor performance. These all add up to a photographic tool that has allowed me to capture high quality images with greater ease than any other compact camera I’ve used before — and that’s really my bottom line.
Short comparison of the Fuji F200EXR and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 at DigitalRev
The article says:
Those already familiar with the LX3 knows that its major selling points are excellent quality optics as well as a comprehensive range of manual features which allow you to fine tune the settings just as you would like. The LX3 comes with iAuto but anyone buying the LX3 will be wasting the best of the camera if they don’t make use of the more hands-on modes like Manual, Shutter or Aperture Priority.
Buying the LX3 from 17th Street Photo
Read about Tom’s positive, next-day air purchase experience.
LX3 first impressions by Tom Hoots
Dynamic film mode on the LX3 results in vivid colors — look at the flower close-up photo. Tom says he has to get used to the short zoom range on the LX3, which only goes out to 60mm. He also notes that there is not a need to compensate the LX3’s exposure by -1/3 as much as in previous cameras.
In his second post, he shows how the Intelligent Exposure feature on the LX3 automatically bumps up the ISO 125 while lightening the shadows. Also, there is a comparison of photos shot in the Standard vs Dynamic Film modes — as before, the Dynamic Film Mode produes images which are much more colorful and contrasty.
Be sure to read Tom’s summary of the LX3, where he briefly compares the LX3 to the Canon Powershot Pro1 and the Panasonic TZ3 while praising the image quality of the LX3.
LX 3 noise: JPEG vs RAW
This astounding test shows how huge an impact shooting the LX3 in RAW mode has. Image noise in the ISO 400 RAW photo is almost non-existent, while the JPEG version is quite noisy.
Customer reviews on Amazon
At the time of writing, Jul 13, 2009, the LX3 has an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 95 reviews.
One user, john, wrote:
Camera is excellent. Best digital I’ve ever had. Leica licensed lens is sharp, very sharp. 24mm equivalent is the main reason why I bought it, and it does not disappoint. I was able to buy a 25mm Voigtlander finder for it, to use as a normal optical viewer, as the camera does not come with an optical finder, the one principal fault I find with the camera. The Voigtlander finder was $159 at B&H Photo, in NYC, versus the hard to source Panasonic finder at almost $300. Get the Voigtlander. Taking night photos either hand held or with a tripod is easy, and they usually come out great. Very impressive in Manhattan. Thank you, Panasonic, and Leica.
Here’s a user feedback on the Voigtlander 25mm Viewfinder. Visit CameraQuest.com for more information on Voigtlander VF.
Sample photos and examples, image galleries and user pictures, movie / video clips and footage
Recent additions
Petra rock-cut architecture photo by Photo-Wiz
The above is just a small photo representation of a stunning 1600px x 900px image of El Deir (“The Monastery”) in Petra (see also Wikipedia:Petra) by Photo-Wiz.
See more at his Petra-Israel Plus gallery.
Image quality comparison: LX3 vs F200EXR vs Casio EX-H10 at DSLR-Forum.de (Google’s English translation)
Full-resolution user photos from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3, Fujifilm Finepix F200 EXR and Casio Exilim EX-H10 posted up for your evaluation.
Image quality comparison of the Fuji F200EXR and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 at DigitalRev
There are two full-sized images posted at the end of the article to compare the image output from the Fujifilm F200 and Panasonic LX3.
Wide-angle sample images by Tom Hoots
In addition to sharing a brief review of the LX3, Tom posted a set of wide-angle shots which also experimented with the Intelligent Exposure, Standard and Dynamic Film modes on the LX3.
Random Panasonic LX3 images from user galleries on PBase.com
Don’t forget to hit the refresh button on your browser to serve up another set of random pictures. You’ll also find user reviews there. For instance this this photo shows the attractiveness of having the wide-angle lens on the LX3.