Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

catza.net photos: Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Yes it is true: most DSLR users seem to have a compact camera. I decided to get mine in January 2009 and went with the exciting Panasonic Lumix LX3. I also have got a spare battery and DMW-LW46 wide angle converter. I have been carrying it around on trips and holidays when a DSLR with lenses is too much. I have also used it at cat shows.

This camera has been worth of every penny. To be a compact camera with a small sensor the image quality is excellent. The short zoom optics produce sharp images. It seems that the optics designer has chosen to build a fast f/2.0 and sharp zoom lens and has sacrificed zoom reach and barrel distortion. I think it was a right choice.

The camera leaves only little to ask for. I would like to have a deeper buffer for burst shooting in raw mode (it takes three shots and then writes forever). The most annoying thing is that the self-timer clears after each shot. This means that if you like to take series of self-timer shots you will be setting the self-timer again and again.

This camera has been called “photographer's compact camera” and I agree it fully.