Panasonic's Latest Pocket Rocket

Manufacturers continue to churn out pocket-sized "pro" cameras -- Canon G9, Sigma DP1, Ricoh GX200, et. al. -- and sooner or later they will get it right. Panasonic's latest foray into this increasingly competitive category is the Lumix DMC-LX3, a 10.1MP camera with a 24mm-60mm (f/2.0 - f/8) "Leica Summicron" lens, Venus Engine IV processor, and -- surprise, surprise -- several simulated "film modes" in color and B&W. (Yes, every digital camera these days must have a simulated "film mode" or two, it seems.)

We got a chance to play with the LX3 during a pre-launch press conference last week and while the camera seems to strike all the right notes -- fast wide-angle lens; moderate megapixel count to combat noise; 4:3, 3:2, and 16:9 aspect ratio modes -- we can't give it any endorsement until we can spend some more time with it. The biggest Achilles' Heel on most of these pocket shooters are their small imaging chips -- the LX3's is a 1/1.63-inch CCD -- which can generate lots of ugly noisy at high ISOs. Our pre-production LX3 seemed to handle noise better than its predecessor -- the LX2 -- but the jury is still out.

Meanwhile, if you're considering getting a pocket-size digital camera to completment your bulky digital SLR but don't know if its worth it, you might want to read Chase Jarvis' recent blog post "5 Reasons Why It's Good to Always Carry a Camera" and take his sound advice.

More details on the Panasonic LX3 can be found here.

Comments

[Shreny]

Wow.. Great pocket camera..!