The Panasonic LX3: A Camera for SLR Owners

Panasonic introduced its newest digital camera, the DMC-LX3, which is aimed at users who own an SLR. It’s pretty bold and unusual positioning. However after scrutinizing the press release, it seems Panasonic really knows what they’re doing. Panasonic is not pushing the megapixels with this one, instead they optimize and improve the CCD.

Here’s an excerpt from the release

The old formula equating pixel count with image quality does not always hold true. In general, if two CCDs have exactly the same physical size but different pixel counts, the one with more pixels is not necessarily better – in fact, it’s likely to generate more picture noise, especially in low-light parts of the image. This poor low-light image quality has been a source of great dissatisfaction for compact camera users.

In the LX3, Panasonic responds to this problem by boldly reversing the industry trend of pushing toward ever-higher pixel counts. Rather than cramming in the maximum number of pixels possible, it has limited the LX3′s 1/1.63-inch CCD to 10.1 megapixels. The result is a CCD that provides a generous amount of space for each pixel while offering superb sensitivity and a wide dynamic range made possible by maximizing the size of the photodiode. Panasonic also redesigned the peripheral circuits and other components to further minimize noise generation. These enhancements greatly improve imaging performance, boosting both sensitivity and saturation by around 40% compared with ordinary 10-megapixel compact cameras.

The lens is also greatly improved, sporting a bright 24mm f2.0 – 60mm (2.5x zoom) LEICA DC-VARIO SUMMICRON lens. It seems Panasonic really aims for quality. I doubt beginners in photography or the usual digital camera users will be attracted to that zoom range, however the lens is really bright and very few modern pocket digital cameras shares the same feature.

The LX3 boasts a large 3.0-inch LCD with a 3:2 aspect ratio and 460,000-dot resolution with Intelligent LCD function. It can adjust the brightness according to the light ambiance level. The LX3 offers a total of 23 scene modes to accommodate beginners, including the new Pin Hole and Film Grain modes that add unique, film-camera-like effects and ambiance to images.

An interesting concept is the expandability. LX3 supports many advanced (read: pricey) accessories, such as optional Wide Conversion Lens (bring the lens to a wider range of 18mm), ND and PL Filter, aluminum External Optical Viewfinder with funky design, GN22 Compact Flash that attach to the hotshoes, and so on.