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Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Digital Camera Review

Sep 18, 2008 - By Tim Barribeau

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Size / Portability (6.00)
The LX3 is larger and heavier than most compact point-and-shoot cameras. The fixed lens means that it certainly isn't small enough to slip into the pocket of your jeans, and if you could, its weight would probably send your trousers floorwards. That said, it's the right size to easily fit in your coat, purse or bag, and the extra weight makes it feel more substantial. The dimensions of the Panasonic LX3 are 4.28" wide, 2.34" high and 1.06" deep (108.7x59.5x27.1 mm), and it weighs 8 ounces(227.4g)

The additional weight takes some getting used to, if you are accustomed to ultra-light, pocket sized, point-and-shoot cameras. After a while, though, you'll find the heaviness adds a feeling of sturdiness and stability to the camera. And, if threatened, you can put it in a sock and hit someone with it.

Handling Ability (8.00)
As the LX3 is slightly on the heavy side, we would recommend using the wrist-strap whenever shooting with it. While the grip is large enough to hold properly, it's still a bit smaller than we would like, and the last thing you want is to send your $500 camera plummeting to the ground below. The stabilizing ridge on the front and thumb pad on the back are both positioned optimally, and fit in your hand well. Since the lens is fixed and the flash stays retracted, there is almost no possibility of your fingers blocking any crucial part of the camera, which is fantastic.

One small stumbling block to keep in mind is the need for a lens cap -- forgetting to remove it may cost you precious seconds if you're trying to get a picture of that rapidly retreating blue tit. Since the LX3 has two eyelets, one can be used to attach the wrist strap, and the other can be attached to the lens cap, to prevent it from disappearing under a couch cushion.

The LX3 is small and firmly built

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (8.25)
The buttons on the rear of the LX3 feel well constructed but cramped. The small size of the camera coupled with the 3" LCD leaves minimal real estate for a complex control system. While your thumb will probably cover a few of the buttons, you won't accidentally press anything, as they all require a fair amount of force to activate.

All of the controls, barring the four-way pad, have their function labeled in small white letters or icons, which stand out clearly against the black body of the camera. The four-way pad and the center Set button, contrarily, are engraved with their function. This makes them a little harder to see, but as these will be some of the most frequently used controls, the labels will last longer for being carved.

The LX3, like some other Panasonics, has a joystick in addition to a four-way button pad. While each serves a slightly different purpose, their functions do overlap, making the system feel slightly redundant. While shooting, the joystick is used to control aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation as needed. You can also press the joystick inward to gain access to a quick menu and change a number of functions. The four-way pad, on the other hand, has a different function ascribed to each button. Up goes to the exposure compensation settings; Left is self-timer; Right controls the flash; and the Down button is a user-defined function set to one of seven different options. The center Menu/Set button gets you access to the menu, which can be browsed with either the joystick or the four-way pad. While we can see why the system was set up, to try and assign each function to a unique button whenever possible, it does make for a complex control scheme. However, once you are used to it, not having to browse through menus to tweak certain settings is a boon.

Controls for focus mode and aspect ratio are
on the lens barrel.