Is this a vintage SLR, or a power-packed piece of digital imaging weaponry? Check out our comprehensive Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 review.
Review summary of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3:
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 Panasonic has delivered an outstanding camera filled to the brim with manual controls and a load of shooting options. With a large imager that produces brilliant low light images and an extra-wide 24mm lens, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 is a very special camera indeed. Lets not forget about the retro styling. The interface is intuitive and inviting, the giant LCD screen provides plenty of viewing space and the battery life is plentiful. Its difficult to find any flaws with the DMC-LX3. For beginners, this camera might be a little too complex, and we didn't get consistent results from the Auto mode in our tests. However, the multiple shooting modes allow you to grow into a more experienced shooter. The Lumix DMC-LX3 will certainly amass a significant fan base of budget photographers and experienced shooters who want it all in a vintage-inspired package. Release: August 2008. Price: $350.
Pros: Beautiful image quality, especially in low light. Seemingly endless features. Classic styling.
Cons: Sub-par video quality. Auto mode is unpredictable.
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Full Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Review:
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Design - Excellent
Harking back to the days when SLRs reigned supreme, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 emulates the boxy architecture of a vintage 35mm Yashica. While we experienced an overwhelming dose of nostalgia working with the DMC-LX3, its dominating 3" LCD screen, miniature joystick and advanced menu system brought us back to 2008. Panasonic succeeds in hiding the modern elements of this camera by keeping the design simple. The joystick is unassuming; the LCD screen blends right in with the back of the camera; and the Focus and Aspect switches are definite retro-inspired throwbacks.
When it's time for manual control, the joystick and 4-way directional pad offer all you need for navigation. There's also an old school-style mode dial at the top, allowing you to shift from Intelligent Auto to full-out Manual mode, amongst a handful of other options. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 has a hot shoe for a flash, or you can use it to mount an external rangefinder for more of a classic shooting experience. However, given the DMC-LX3's menu-driven functionality, your best bet is to stick with the LCD screen. The shutter button zoom toggle is sufficient, but with a 2.5x optical range, there's hardly a need to use it. The DMC-LX3 also has a slick pop-up flash that springs up when you slide the Open switch. Out of the box, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 equips you with a neck strap and lens cap, even further pumping the retro vibe. This is one groovy camera.
Interface Very Good
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 utilizes Panasonic's highly responsive, well-organized menu system. Options are logically arranged and easy to access, thanks in large part to the shooting mode dial located next to the shutter button. The 4-way directional pad controls all menu navigation while the joystick specializes in manual controls, though either one can be used in certain menus. It functions optimally in full manual mode, which requires heavy menu interaction. Therefore, we recommend a couple test runs in order to nail down each joystick and d-pad control setup.
The LCD screen has a high pixel count that cranks out a fairly decent picture. Though the buttons are on the small side, you'll find that you won't be using them as often as the joystick during a shoot. The Aspect and Focus switches are awesome features to have for their convenience and instant action. It's so nice to be able to flip from Auto to Macro to Manual in a mater of seconds. Ditching the neck strap makes menu navigation easier as well, as you're not battling straps and caps to reach the joystick and other controls.
Features Excellent
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3's Auto mode is a mixed bag, capturing exceptional images only half the time. The Auto mode's wildcard performance is mostly due to the poor ISO control. When any digital camera lays on a high ISO, the image is bound to be noisy and display sizeable amounts of compression artifacts. Although we would normally grill most digital cameras for not functioning supremely in Auto mode, the DMC-LX3's intended audience will most likely avoid it. It's simply more fun to occupy the captain's chair with all the controls at your fingertips on this camera.
So, let's begin at the main command center: Manual mode. If you're an experienced photographer, you will have a field day on every shoot. We're talking Focus, Aperture, Shutter Speed, White Balance and ISO all adjustable via the joystick. The White Balance control on the camera was very impressive. You can manually set the Kelvin temperature with a slider bar, a Green/Amber/Blue/Magenta color graph, or two custom White Balance settings for common shooting environments. The ability to fine-tune a color temperature has never been so easy and accurate. When the ISO is set to Auto, you can set the ISO max, ranging from as low as 200 ISO to 3200 ISO. We were truly impressed by these features.
The manual Focus provides the shooter with a joystick-operated slider bar and magnified Focus Assist function. Since the LCD screen resolution is fairly sharp, this feature works wonderfully. Shifting between Aperture and Shutter Speed settings is cake. The Aperture can open up nice and wide to 2 stops and close up to 8 stops. The Shutter Speed ranges from a full minute to 1/2000 sec. If you have a super steady hand or a tripod, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 is a killer in low light.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 does a decent job selecting the Shutter Speed or Aperture based on the shooter's settings, when the camera is set to Aperture or Shutter Priority mode. The Program AE mode handles both Aperture and Shutter Speed, but allows the shooter to manually adjust all other controls. The spectrum from full Manual mode all the way down to Program AE mode provides sufficient educational steps for inexperienced shooters looking to learn. There are also two Custom modes that allow you to save particular manual settings and access them instantly. This is one stacked camera.
For scene modes, Panasonic has thrown in two intriguing filters with the standard cast of Sunset, Pet and Food settings. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 has a Pin Hole camera mode, which casts a blurred, dark ring around the perimeter of the photo and flattens colors for a dramatic look. The Film Grain filter captures an image in black and white at a high shutter speed and ISO setting for a classic, grainy look. You'll need a lot of light to accommodate the high Shutter Speed, so night shooting without a flash is out of the question. Images can only be captured at 3MP in both modes, but they are certainly nifty features to toy around with. Aside from Scene mode, when the DMC-LX3 is set to any manual/semi-manual mode you can shoot in various Film filters, including Vibrant and Nostalgic. You can even set the Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation and Noise Reduction, which function surprisingly well.
Aside from its barrage of manual controls, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 can also shoot 720P high-definition video at 30fps. The quality is sub-par, due in part to the choice of Motion JPEG (MJPEG) for compression, and the files are quite large. A 22 second clip of passing traffic ate up about 70MB. The Lumix DMC-LX3 is obviously a digital still powerhouse, but HD video is tacked on if you really need it.
Hardware Very Good
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 is equipped with a large 10MP sensor that Panasonic developed specifically for this particular model. The ample size of the sensor helps it perform admirably in low-light shooting environments and alleviates overcompensation in terms of exposure adjustment. The DMC-LX3 will soak up more light than most cameras in its class. It will also fit more into each shot, thanks to the extra wide 24mm lens.
There's a bit of lag from powering on to first shot, about three seconds in all.
After a full day of shooting, including reviewing images and doing a little in-camera editing, the battery was still at half-capacity. Most devoted photographers will want to keep a couple backups for longer shoots, but this is still a decent performance.
Image Quality Very Good
With such a stocked feature set, stellar design and promising hardware, we had high hopes for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3's image quality. It would have been a tragedy to discover that the DMC-LX3 cranked out a no-frills performance, but that wasn't the case here. The Lumix DMC-LX3 churned some of the best images we've seen in quite a while. An essential caveat with this camera is that you need to know how photography works in order to achieve the pinnacle of image quality. If the ISO is set too high, the image will look like a Post-Impressionist painting. If you don't use a tripod at night, the image will be a blurry mess. In this respect, the DMC-LX3 is a blast to use because you are required to snap, adjust, snap, adjust until you have that golden image.
Scene Test Prospect Park
Scene Test Prospect Park in Pin Hole Mode
Scene Test Prospect Park in Film Grain Mode
It's so refreshing to see an image as beautiful as this every now and again. The colors are enticing, the sharpness and detail is excellent and there's virtually no fringing or bleeding. It's an exceptional performance by the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3. Even in the unfocused portions in the background, noise has taken a hike and detail is spot on. The DMC-LX3's large imager shows its true colors here.
What's even more exciting is the Pin Hole image. Splendid detail and eccentric flat colors constitute a peculiar resonance with this image. It's ominous and brooding, yet brimming with subtlety. Though this feature can be achieved in Photoshop, it's a great tool to toy around with on the fly. The Film Grain effect is not as successful, as you can clearly see tiny box patterns throughout the image. This is mostly the fault of high ISO settings, and the darkness stems from the high Shutter Speed. Photoshop is a better option in this case.
Detail and Color Test - Fruit
Detail and Color Test - Flowers
The detail within the focused portions in both of these images is stunning. Look at the dimples in the oranges and the intricate pattern of the green flowers. This is exceptional detail. In the unfocused portions of the image, you can detect a minute level of noise, but it's nothing to hinder the overall image. If the ISO in the flower image was set to 80 rather than 125, the noise would be significantly reduced, if not eliminated. The image of the fruit was captured with an ISO level of 80, and you can only discern a tiny amount of noise within the purple strip. Other than that, the image is as crisp as a Red Delicious apple. Colors are bright and vibrant and do not bleed or appear oversaturated.
Sunset Test Verrazano in Sunset Mode
Sunset Test Verrazano in Auto Mode
We tested the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3's sunset capabilities by shooting in the designated Sunset mode and in Auto. It's difficult to tell the difference between both images, aside from the encroaching freightliner. But if you get out the old magnifying glass, you'll see that the Auto image is sharper and displays less noise in the dark portion containing the fence. This is the difference between Sunset mode's ISO 125 and Auto's ISO 80 setting. You can achieve a brighter image with less noise in Manual mode, but a tripod would be required.
Macro Test Ye Fiery Dragon
What an astounding display of detail. We were floored gazing into the formidable eye of the fiery dragon. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3's Macro feature allowed us to get up close and personal while retaining exceptional detail. No more words are needed.
Print Test Hat Trick Hockey
When you can dissect the complex feebleness in an old Atari game cartridge, you know you've got a good camera. Every tiny dot is accounted for and the colors are top notch. The text on the top and bottom is slightly blurred, but the art is captured almost flawlessly. There's some slight ghosting along the shin pads, but the detail is out of control here.
Night Test Groove Tattoo
Night Test Kawasaki ZRX1200
Night Test Halloweensgiving Flat
Here's where a large imager and ample manual controls come into play. Shooting at night with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 is a dream. With full Shutter Speed and Aperture control, you can own the night. As stated before, you need a stone hand or a tripod, but the results are stupendous. All three images you see would croak most digital cams in this price range, but the exposure level produced by the DMC-LX3 is killer.
Of course, we propped the cam up on stable objects to avoid blur from the 2.5 second Shutter Speed, but the end result was well worth snapping a hundred images. The tattoo shop is soft overall, but the marquee is pretty darn sharp for a dark side street. These images were unusable when taken in Auto mode without the flash. The colors in the Kawi are electric and the detail in the festive apartment is downright awesome. You'll notice the minimal noise as well. This camera is a low-light champ.
Candle Test Manual
Candle Test Candlelight Mode
This is usually a make or break test, but the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 performs fairly well. In both images, the only noticeable flaw is oddly-shaped compression looming within the dark corners of the image. We were able to boost the exposure in Manual mode, but more compression followed. The color gradation is great, but slightly noticeable. Candlelight mode does a sufficient job, but we prefer the Manual mode of this camera to any preset.
Price and availability
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 is available now for as little as $400 or less from online retailers.
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