Product Reviews from people like you
Panasonic DMC-LX3 10-megapixel Digital Still Camera
based on 492 reviews
Ratings Distribution
| 5 star |
|
312 |
| 4 star |
|
165 |
| 3 star |
|
11 |
| 2 star |
|
2 |
| 1 star |
|
2 |
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Trusted:
- “Panasonic DMC-LX3” – Bruno, one of
- “Perfect compliment to my SLR!” – Josh.Liba
- “DSLR's on shelf since LX3” – Rat8bug
Where to Buy
Panasonic DMC-LX3 10-megapixel Digital Still Camera
from $365.95 - $499.99
Product Reviews
Panasonic DMC-LX3 10-megapixel Digital Still Camera Reviews
Customers most agreed on the following:
pros
cons
- Limited zoom (139)
- Short battery life (57)
- No viewfinder (45)
- Poor flash (21)
- Lag / shutter delay (16)
- Lens cap (10)
- Poor in low light (7)
Best Uses
- Travel (408)
- Family photos (307)
- Landscape/scenery (183)
- Fun (172)
- Low light (148)
- Art (123)
- Photojournalism (105)
- Video (63)
Most helpful positive review
[8 of 8 customers found this review helpful]
Most helpful negative review
[16 of 22 customers found this review helpful]
Panasonic DMC-LX3
"It is the third generation of Panasonic LX series. I have owned all three of them. Panasonic's alliance with Leica provided the camera with the best digital PandS lens of the market. The design of the camera itself is derived from the Leica M. From the very beginning Panasonic's ambition for this line of cameras was high: zoom starting with a wide angle (28 mm equivalent, now 24 mm with the LX3), wide aperture ..." Read Full Review »
Nov 17, 2008 by Bruno, one of the one-eyed cats
See more positive Panasonic DMC-LX3 10-megapixel Digital Still Camera reviews
An excellent camera, but...
"In many ways this is an ideal camera. I have been very pleased with the image quality of the JPEGs, the size, and its general feel when I use it when I use it as a "dumb" Point & Shoot. But if I want to use the more advanced features such as RAW files and manual exposure (which is why I paid premium $ for this camera), I run into trouble.First, the RAW files it produces are not compatible with Adobe Camera RAW (..." Read Full Review »
Oct 30, 2008 by flowjock
See more negative Panasonic DMC-LX3 10-megapixel Digital Still Camera reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 492 Reviews
[8 of 8 customers found this review helpful]
Panasonic DMC-LX3 10-megapixel Digital Still Camera Review
Panasonic DMC-LX3
- Easy to set up
- Easy to use
- Excellent lens
- Excellent overall design
- Large clear lcd
- Raw format
- Simple controls
- Well built / quality
- Wide maximum aperture f2
- Zoom range/performance
Pros
- Bulkier than lx2
- Noisy at high iso
Cons
- Art
- Documentary
- Fun
- Personal visual diary
- Travel
Best Uses
"It is the third generation of Panasonic LX series. I have owned all three of them. Panasonic's alliance with Leica provided the camera with the best digital PandS lens of the market. The design of the camera itself is derived from the Leica M.
From the very beginning Panasonic's ambition for this line of cameras was high: zoom starting with a wide angle (28 mm equivalent, now 24 mm with the LX3), wide aperture (f 2.8, f 2 with the LX3), raw format, all settings can be set to manual, including focusing, 16/9 format, nice wide, clear, bright LCD screen.
The only flaw of the two previous generations (LX1 and LX2) were linked to the size of the sensor that created unpleasant noise beyond 200 iso). This has been slightly corrected with the LX3 and Panasonic now looks like the wise one in a competition where manufacturers seem to be investing more in fluff (high pixel count) and less in quality (bigger pixels for less noise).
In order to palliate this problem, for the LX3 Panasonic deigned a slightly bigger sensor (not much) and redesigned the electronic components. It is successful.... for a point and shoot.
But...
the LX3 lost some of the compactness of the 2 previous LXs-it takes bigger pockets now to carry the LX3, plastic has replaced the all-metal cover of the body of the camera, removing the impression of quality building and finish the previous model gave.
Another change is that the previous sensors were designed for the 16/9 format, which I loved. The LX3 default format for 10 Mp is 4/3 which means that when one switches to the 16/9 format one now loses 1 Mp for 9 Mp images.
The exposure latitude is not as good as one would like with such a precious camera, which has been so far a consequence of the use of small sensors. Being able to use RAW format obviusly becomes a plus.
It is a camera that I carry with me ALL the time knowing that I can make excellent quality prints from its images, and that it is extremely versatile (and easier to have constantly around than a DSLR or even a Leica M).
I have worked on projects, done shows and books with images I took with the LX2 and I intend to do the same with the LX3"
Early morning over Mendon Ponds, NY: no vignetting
- Made with Product
Mendon Ponds, NY. Sharp!
- Made with Product
- Pro Photographer
[4 of 4 customers found this review helpful]
Panasonic DMC-LX3 10-megapixel Digital Still Camera Review
Perfect compliment to my SLR!
- Compact
- Good in low light
- Great picture quality
- Image stabilization
- Large clear lcd
Pros
- Limited zoom
- No viewfinder
- Short battery life
Cons
- Casual photos
- Landscape/scenery
- Low light
- Travel
Best Uses
"I own a Nikon SLR and shoot portraits and formals as a side job. But I can't carry my SLR every day, everywhere. I wanted a compact solution with excellent image quality and low-light performance. The Lumix LX3 fits the bill nicely, and adds some valuable features.
I also owned a Canon G10 for the past year. Though the Canon G-series is an awesome camera, the sheer bulk of the Canon would require you to carry a bag. And if you're going to bring a bag, you might as well bring an SLR.
The LX3 fits in my coat pocket or small bag (Not jeans, due to small protruding lens barrel) It has a wonderfully fast 2-2.8 aperture and 24mm wide angle, making it one of the fastest and widest in it's class. Low-light situations are handled VERY well, and I hardly need to use the flash (preferred.) The sleek styling is awesome and it's easily gripped. PASM modes just like an SLR, and nice custom modes like Dynamic BW, etc.
Faults: Not enough to discount it, really. The zoom is limited to 3x, as compared to 5x on the G10, and 12x on other consumer Lumix models. However, teleconverters are available for LX3, and a 10MP is easily cropped a little closer. Bear in mind it has a larger sensor than any of the other compact Lumix models and G10/11. This limited zoom is made up in the terrific wide angle that you can't get on the G10,/11, or even the new Canon S90 - which I had also considered buying.
I like setting custom timers and taking multiple shots, but the timer function is limited to 10 or 2 seconds. That's it. Of course, that's more software than hardware, and I expect Panasonic could add more timer options via Firmware update.
My last small qualm is that it has a lens CAP, which must be removed before taking pictures. I've always been used to retractable auto-cover lens on my compacts, so this was new and slightly inconvenient. I remedied that problem by ordering and modifying a Ricoh LC-1 lens cap. Do a Google search for "LX3 LC-1 mod" to learn more.
All in all, serious photographers wanting a small, fast, wide compact with controls and results similar to a DSLR will like this camera. There's much more to love about it, but you can find out more from the specifications. Thanks for reading!"
Ice and Moving Water - Enhanced in Lightroom 3.
- Made with Product
Shoots multiple sizes: 16:9, 4:3, 3:2, 1:1
- Made with Product
- Semi-pro Photographer
[14 of 16 customers found this review helpful]
Panasonic DMC-LX3 10-megapixel Digital Still Camera Review
DSLR's on shelf since LX3
- Accessory add-on options
- Easy to set up
- Easy to use
- Film options
- Great picture quality
- Large clear lcd
- Simple controls
Pros
- Offset tripod socket
Cons
- Art
- Astrophotography
- Digiscoping
- Family photos
- Fun
- Microphotography
- Photojournalism
- Travel
Best Uses
"I knew this camera was special when the spec's of an f/2 lens, RAW capability, and full Manual operation was revealed. This camera has my DSLR's setting on the shelf. I especially like the LX3 for wide field astrophotography. On a tracking platform, this is truely a great camera for star photos."
Eye of the Bull and M45
- Made with Product
LX3 using R72 Infrared filter
- Made with Product
- Photo Enthusiast
[5 of 5 customers found this review helpful]
Panasonic DMC-LX3 10-megapixel Digital Still Camera Review
Excellent portable landscape camera
- 16x9 format
- Easy to use
- Good in low light
- Great resolution
- Large clear lcd
- Long battery life
- Nice features
- Rugged
Pros
- Limited zoom
Cons
- Outdoors
- Portraits
Best Uses
"I do mainly landscape photography. When I run or Kayak I bring an LX2 which gets excellent results in good light. In comparison with the LX2, the LX3 is sharper, has less noise (usable to iso 400), has a faster lens (f2.0), a wider angle of view (24mm) and less chromatic aberration (hardly any at all). Its only drawback is a limited zoom range, which is not really a problem if you do landscapes. It also does nice portraits in available light. The colors are accurate and well saturated. The files need very little adjustment straight out of the camera. One minor annoyance is that the raw files don't open in photoshop ps2. I guess I'll have to upgrade."
- This is only a small jpeg
- Made with Product
- Semi-Pro Photographer
[7 of 7 customers found this review helpful]
Panasonic DMC-LX3 10-megapixel Digital Still Camera Review
Picture what you want to see!
- Easy to clean
- Easy to set up
- Large clear lcd
- Simple controls
- Well built / quality
Pros
Cons
- Art
- Documentary
- Fun
- Photojournalism
Best Uses
"This is a wonderful camera to have around. Do not expect to take the pictures far away, it does not zoom! But when you are immersed in life itself, you will make amazingly beautiful permanent memories with this camera. I had LX-1, which I loved, even with its limitations, and had TZ-5, which I did not enjoy because of the lack of its manual controls (even though it had 10x zoom). This camera is perfect for my applications, just to record life as I see, not as camera sees!"
Close up of Nigel, with his single tooth!
- Picture of Product
- Semi-Professional
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Panasonic DMC-LX3 10-megapixel Digital Still Camera
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