I’m a Nikon man –D300- not for any other reason than Nikon was the first digital camera I purchased and when you are happy with a brand you tend to collect its lenses and become hooked. Do I want to be unhooked? No I don’t, I love um all.

My equipment priority is always based on image quality and all that it entails. This has meant that I’ve avoided pocket sized cameras because they were not really up to producing quality large prints.  At the same time, however, I did realize that great shots are all around us and almost any camera is capable of capturing them, so I’ve often missed out because my SLR kit (Full camera case & tripod) weighs 14 kilos and I’m not game to traipse around with it all the time.

Waiting for the technology to develop has been a little frustrating, but missing out in the future is less likely as there are now several likely contenders to fill the bill. Panasonic; together with Leica, have, in my opinion, edged out the competition in the image quality department and therefore large prints, reported to be up to 19 x 13 inches, could be possible.

LX3 out of camera shot. Surfers Hotel Lobby.

Does  the Panasonic Lumix DCM-LX3 measure up?

You’re not going to get the entire lowdown on the camera because that’s freely available on the net, this is just my prioritization of it’s pros & cons.

Build quality.
In the hand, and I’ve big hands, the tactile feeling of precision and build quality is wonderful. Everything feels right, just like the Nikons I have. My right thumbnail and forefinger amazingly easily operates all the very small controls on the top and back of the camera whilst my left hand looks after those on the front.

RAW.
The camera shoots in RAW and I always like to shoot in RAW and JPG, so this is a big plus for me.  The ‘Silkypix’ RAW processing software would take time to master but I just used it to make the basic adjustments and then saved the images as TIF files and finished them off in PhotoShop CS3.

Aspect Ratios.
The camera has three shooting aspect ratios; I thought I’d always choose the largest file size and do my own cropping in PhotoShop, but no, I find that it’s a good feature, quickly changeable and effective, I especially like the 16 x 9 format at 24mm wide angle.

Macro.
The camera’s macro performance is also great and easier to access and shoot than with my SLR setup.

Adaptability.
The LX3 excels, for me, in its adaptability. By that I mean that once I’ve set up all my preferred camera settings I can replicate how I shoot with my SLR and by simply selecting the Intelligent Auto Mode my wife, who likes taking photos but dislikes all the tech stuff, can shoot away with remarkably good technical results without giving a thought to the bits and pieces I fiddle with. Me thinks that if this technology continues to develop SLR’s will automatically take perfect images and manual settings will only be used as a creative tool, more or less opposite to the norm of today.

Large Prints.
Well I haven’t yet printed an A3 print, but I’m quite sure that, measured by my experience with Photoshop and my lovely CRT monitor -still amongst the very best, – this will be possible.  Three cheers………

Lens Hood.
In the short time I’ve been shooting with the LX3 I’ve discovered that someone keeps plonking their finger prints on my lovely Leica lens. Of course, it’s me; when in use the lens is so vulnerable to this and the only way out is to buy a lens Protector and a Conversion lens adaptor, which are expensive.

Optical viewfinder.
Of course I’d like an optical viewfinder, the LCD monitor, although excellent, is often hit and miss in bright light and the optional extra Optical viewfinder is very expensive and does not cater for the zoom.

RESULT.
The camera is what it purports to be, a high quality pocket sized jewel that will not disappoint serious photographers or discerning point and shooters. I will probably keep the camera for ever and at some time in the distant future it might even become an iconic museum piece.

Can you imagine trotting around with a 300g camera and sitting it upon a 4kg tripod?
If you ever think you need a tripod for your LX3, you really need to be using your SLR.

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