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The interface is a bit complicated, but the features and customizability is one of the reasons I love the LX3. It definitely doesn't go into my jeans pocket, but I can put it in my cargo pocket or in a jacket pocket.
I primarily take photos of my pets (dog and cats), friends, and family. The camera really excels indoors in low light conditions where the F/2 lens really shines.
I've been using a black LX3 for a little year now, and I highly recommend it. The telephoto side (60mm equivalent) is nice for portraits.I primarily use the raw files, and finally Apple software supports the LX3's raw file in iPhoto.If I am going to be somewhere inside or dark, this is the camera I want with me.It's a little bulkier than your standard point and shoot.
You can take sharp photos in places where there was previously not enough light. The wide angle end of the lens is great for group shots in tight spaces or for getting an interesting perspective.
The size does make me take it less places than I like. For instance, I love that you can take 1:1 aspect ratio photos.This is a camera that I've grown photographically with over the past year, and I highly recommend it.
I am an amateur photographer, so I'm sure there are some nits I could pick, but I'm too dumb to know what they are. Camera is easy to use.
The trade off for giving up zoom is well worth it. Living in Kauai allows me to do all sorts of fun stuff, and the landscape is other-worldly and surprisingly varied.
Couldn't be happier. Video is great.
There's this one cave on the north shore that is particularly dark. Going to Aperture priority and just setting the camera on a rock allowed the most beautiful shots.
Photo quality outstanding. I'm a happy customer.
Shoot raw and JPG in dynamic B+W and get a great B+W and if you need a color version use the raw image. Plus the firmware has been updated giving you a better EV adjustment then Leica especially when taking bracketed shots.
I had the DLUX 4sold it bought the LX3 and I needed a zoom so I also got the zs3 both for the same price I sold the Dlux4 for. Virtually Identical to the Leica Digilux 4 but at 2 to 300 less.
Many have found this camera to be almost as good as the Leica M8 at thousands less.Look for pros on the internet who use the Dlux4 and check out the pics.This is what this camera is capable of.The manual is much easier to read also. The LX3 is expandable with filters and excellent add on lenses like the dmw-lw46I use the dmw-lw52 ( it also fits the Digilux 2 and Sigma dp cameras ).
Best compact ever made macro to 1cm -great lens -super wide with the lw52 very low light with a 2.0 lens. So also great for HDR photos.The micro 4/3rds cameras may beat this one out but at 2 to three times the price and thats with one lens.The JPG output is many times better then what you can do with the RAW.Add one point of saturation and one of contrast and you have the Leica equivalent of what they claim makes the Dlux4 better.See the dpreview tag elsewhere it says it all.
Additionally, I have arthritis in my hands, and sometimes I simply cannot handle my 40D.I had read many reviews of the Leica D-Lux 4, but I could not justify the price-even if I got the Leica name and leather case. The shots are crisp and clear with detail I could not have expected from a point and shoot (but of course, there is the Leica lense). Now, for the technical issue I have with Lumix: In my opinion, the instruction book was written by someone whose first language is not English. I have not tried RAW yet, but again, for my purposes, the camera is so far working well. Honestly, the Lumix is a little work of art. I read ever review I could locate.pro and con.
I realized that what I wanted, and what would suit my purpose was a compact w/ a wide angle.and the Leica lense in the Lumix would suit me. I went to the camera store and I held both cameras. I, like many others who have written a review, wanted a good point and shoot for those times when my Canon xTi(still a wonderful camera) or 40D with lenses, are too much to bring along. I figured out most of the menue selections because of being familiar with the Canon system, but I had to go on-line to locate some answers to a few of my questions. I have been shooting for years w/ SLRs and for the past four years with DSLRs, and to be completly honest, the picture quality (4x6) even at a higher ISO is void of noise. I know some reviewers are not happy with shooting results in RAW, but I did not purcahase the camera to get creative in this manner/I have the aforementioned cameras for this purpose. This being said, I recommend this camera as a suburb buy at under $450.
It felt like the first Minolta my parents gave me in 1968; sturdy. But seriously, I then did some research on the Lumix /country cousin of the Leica. If this camera is purchased by someone who has never owned a digital of any kind, I imagine there will be some frustration with plodding through the book. I liked it better than the Leica. At any rate, I was impressed with the packaging, with the in box equipment, and the sheer beauty of this little gem. I have purchased many camera instruction books over the years to complement those that have come with my other camreas, and someone could write one for this camera. I just love it.
So to conclude, this is a fun compact camera that gets the job done and is very versatile. Its best to use jpeg despite the fact that it has raw because the in camera processing when shooting jpegs takes compensates for some of the distortion caused by the wide angle lens.
I love the fact that you can change the aspect ratio by simply adjusting a switch. Its LCD is gorgeous, macro and low light ability sensational.
I've had my LX3 for over a year now and really enjoy it. Even though its marketed as having high def video, its not really very that good and you would be impressed if you saw it on your big screen TV.
It still though has a smaller sensor than 4/3 or traditional SLR so don't expect miracles. Its colors do tend to be a bit saturated and have a somewhat flat or canned feel to them but this can be tweaked.
You can do this in post production but why bother and I didn't notice much of a benefit when shooting Raw. The low light performance will allow you to get shots that normally with other cameras you wouldn't attempt.I also have a Sigma DP1 that is far less practical and much more finicky but produces stunning images in day light, in almost every other situation though the LX3 is a far superior camera
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