The LX3 is getting on for its second birthday, making it positively geriatric in digital camera terms. However, it's such a significant camera it's impossible to ignore.|
It looks gorgeous, with a timeless design that recalls rangefinder cameras such as Leica's M series. It's great to see an accessory shoe too, although strapping a flashgun to a camera this small seems a little perverse.
Manual exposure and focus options are all present, as is RAW capture. There are no dials, but a mini-joystick provides an efficient way to adjust settings. Also available is 720p HD video capture, with excellent picture quality but less impressive audio.
Despite its age, the LX3 was the fastest performer in this Labs, capable of capturing a shot every 1.7 seconds in its standard drive mode. Continuous mode ran at 1.9fps until the SDHC card was full. And what this lens lacks with its small 24-60mm zoom range, it makes up for with its f/2-f/2.8 aperture. The Canon S90 manages a greater zoom range, but its lens isn't as bright at the telephoto end. The Panasonic's lens is slightly sharper too, and is remarkably free of distortions and chromatic aberrations.
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| The f/2-f/2.8 aperture and a sharp lens make the LX3 a quality compact |
While the LX3 exhibited remarkably low noise, however, it couldn't match the S90 in this respect. We also found that shots taken at identical settings on both cameras appeared around two-thirds of a stop darker from the LX3, giving the S90 the edge in low light.
The LX3 narrowly loses to the S90 on image quality then, but there are plenty of other areas where it comes out on top: ergonomics, performance, video capture and price. If any of these are more important to you than low-light photography, go for the LX3 instead.