Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Digital Camera

If you are thinking about buying this camera stop thinking and just do it. Superb in every way.Im a professional photographer and i was amazed by the quality. Quality is even good enough to sell pictures on a picture library. I have loads on Alamy. Only downside is the lack of a tele lens. But so far it hasn't been a problem for me as ai prefere shooting close up. V fast lens F2 great, colours, shoots in raw, 24mm wide, pocket size (just) enough said. Much smaller than the G9/10 which is why i chose it. BUY

Great advanced Camera you can keep in your pocket ! Great Stuff Highly recomended !!! Great design Camera takin' great photos any time !

High end compact or SLR? It's all about size for me and if travelling light this camera ticks all the boxes. Amazing pictures from the bright F/2.0 lens and wide angle lens. SLR users will be used to having a lens cap but this may seem a burden to others but don't let it put you off. Once you start with this amazing camera, you just can't stop.

This really is a great bit of kit and shooting in Aperture mode, it's just like my SLR. No view finder but the screen is VERY bright. It has a pop up flash but it's hardly ever needed. Shoot indoors without flash as this camera can operate in very dim light. Treat yourself!

I bought an almost new version of this camera off of e-bay. I had used a Canon G7 before but wanted RAW capability which this camera provides.

I really like the large aperture (F2) and the wide angle (24mm) lens - which suits my style of photography. I know others may differ but I rarely used the long end of the zoom on the G7 so the 60mm maximum zoom on the LX3 is a trade-off I don't have problems with.

I also like the various modes on the camera and the different picture styles you can use in the CSN mode, better, I think than the Canon - lovely bright LCD too. "Serious" photographers may pooh-pooh these scene modes as gimmicks but I think anything which results in you being able to carry a camera around all the time and use it without too much preparation in a wide variety of circumstances must be a good thing.

What I don't like - the smooth surfaces - given the small size of the camera, the smooth finish, even on the grip, doesn't do much for handling - I wish they'd given this camera the "retro" touch of some "wrinkle-type" finish to improve grip (buyin the lens adaptor really improves handling though). I'm not impressed by the Photo/Replay button on the top right of the LCD which is a little loose and spoils the overall impression of a high quality build.

One last point, I like to turn of the LCD and use a viewfinder. The viewfinder on the G7 wasn't great but at least it was there. Sometimes, when your battery is running low, it helps to turn off the viewfinder (it uses a lot of power). You can't do that with this camera unless you buy the VF1 finder separately and really, Panasonic, UK£150 - Olympus are selling their viewfinder for their new compact at £100 - so shame on Panasonic for this silly price point.

But all-in-all, this camera is great. After the success of this one, I'll be surprised if Panasonic abandon the LX line for the GF-1 and don't produce an LX-4.