Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Digital Camera Review

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Digital Camera Review

Sep 18, 2008 - By Tim Barribeau
2.3 The Lumix DMC-LX3 is Panasonic's newest high-end point-and-shoot camera. Marked by an eye-catching retro aesthetic, the LX3 is designed with photo enthusiasts and professionals firmly in mind. Priced at $500, the camera is armed with the new 1/1.63” CCD sensor, and is meant to deliver lower noise and better low light results. Did it manage to live up to this goal? How did it perform on the rest of our rigorous testing? Read on and find out...  
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Review

Value (4.00)
The LX3 is a very expensive point-and-shoot camera. It has a list price of $500, and while we absolutely love the body and feel of the camera, it has too many downsides for the price. Its test scores were average or below average in most cases, and even its high scores in Color and Manual Noises weren’t far from its much cheaper cousin, the Lumix TZ3. The only area where it stood out impressively from the other cameras was in shooting video, not a key consideration for a camera that claims to be aimed at professionals and serious amateurs. The addition of external flash and viewfinder compatibility, as well as the high levels of customizability will certainly endear it to its target market, but the cost still strikes us as just too high.


Comparisons

Canon PowerShot G9 – Currently available for about $440, the G9 has a more extensive zoom and higher resolution, white balance and low light scores. It's less expensive, performed generally better, and can likewise accept external flashes. It even has a built-in optical viewfinder. However, the G9 has a smaller, less pixel-dense LCD and lower scores for dynamic range, video, color and noise scores.
 


 



 Nikon Coolpix P5100 – The Coolpix is available for under $300, significantly less than the LX3. Once again, we have a camera that outperformed the LX3 in our tests based on resolution, white balance and low light. While the overall look and aesthetic isn't quite as pleasing as the LX3, the P5100’s button system is noticeably simpler. If you want a camera that has a hot shoe and a decent price, you can't overlook the Coolpix.




Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 – The TZ3 provides an interesting comparison to the LX3. It costs less than half as much, doesn't have a hot shoe, and its design is less to our tastes. The TZ3 also has lower resolution, and lacks the high level of customizability of the LX3. Yet it scored on par or better than the LX3 in every test we run, barring video, and has a far wider zoom range. If you don't need the extra attachments, the little fiddly bits, or the sexy retro design, then the TZ3 is inexpensive, takes excellent photos and will give you great bang for your buck.



 

Samsung NV40 – The NV40 is another budget alternative to the LX3. It's available online for less than $200 and has a slim form factor that will fit in your pocket far more easily than the LX3. It scored noticeably worse than the LX3 in color, manual noise, low light and video tests. However, the NV40 blew the Panasonic away in our resolution, dynamic range and white balance sections. The NV40, however, has an unpleasant user interface that we found extremely annoying, and is one of the few things keeping us from strongly recommending it over the LX3.




Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters – While there are one or two nods at the point-and-shoot crowd, like a pared-down auto mode and two dozen scene modes, the LX3 is definitely not aimed at this market.

Budget Consumers – Coming in at a cool $500 for a compact camera, the LX3 is firmly out of the range of a budget consumer. Those whose eye is on the bottom line would do far better to purchase the Panasonic TZ3 for a fraction of the price.

Gadget Freaks – It's unlikely that a gadget freak will get excited about the LX3. It doesn't have any crazy new features or amazing gadgetry, such as touch screen or GPS support. It's an expensive, solid camera aimed at serious enthusiasts and professionals.

Manual Control Freaks – Manual control freaks will probably enjoy the multiple customizable white balances, shooting modes, user defined Function button, guide lines and the variety of little controls that you can tweak and fiddle to your heart’s content. It's a camera designed for serious users, and high levels of control are part and parcel of that design.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists – Panasonic bills this camera as "ideal for professional photographers and serious amateurs looking for a compact digital camera that furthers their creative photography." It's obviously designed for people who know what they're doing while shooting, and has the controls and feel that emphasize that. The ability to add an external flash or viewfinder, as well as converter lenses marks it as ideal for those who have the desire for modular extensions and controllability. Even the heaviness of the body is a nod at this market. However, serious camera users will probably balk at the poor test scores, especially in the wake of Panasonic claiming their new sensor would provide excellent low light and dynamic range results.

 
Connectivity / Extras Page 12 of 15 Conclusion
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