Review: Lumix LX3 vs. G10
Here it is — the long awaited review of the Panasonic Lumix LX3. Is it the perfect adventure camera? How does it compare to the G10? Will this be the camera Laura and I take on our epic journey? I’ll be comparing it directly to the G10 which I’ve owned for several months since that seems to be the burning question.
First a little background, I’m a photographer and I make my living through my photography so it’s important that I have quality gear that can deliver the goods. This is tempered by the fact that I’m also a bike tourist and this determines the sort of gear I am willing to carry while traveling. For a while, I was content to just travel with a DSLR kit. However, I discovered that due to the weight and the inconvenience of digging the camera out of a bag, I wasn’t taking nearly enough photos.
The best camera, is the camera you use.
I found that what I really needed for bike touring was a quality compact camera. I purchased a G10 a few months ago for this purpose and have been very satisfied with it, though on occasion the Leica shooting photojournalist in me really missed shooting wide angles (one of my favorite focal lengths was a 21mm when I was shooting film). The Lumix LX3 promises to be a point and shoot Leica (in fact it is rebadged with the little red dot and dubbed the D-LUX 4 for those in a higher tax bracket than me).
Build and Size
The LX3 and the G10 both have great build qualities. Handling both, you are instantly aware of the fit and finish of both cameras. Of the two, the G10 feels heavier and a little more solid (perhaps due to the extra weight). The G10 also has a gripper surface, whereas the finish on the LX3 felt a little more slick to me.
That said, the Lumix’s light weight and small size is one of its greatest attributes. During my trip through the Carrizo Plain, I had the Lumix CONSTANTLY around my neck. It was light enough that I could ride with it all day (8 hours a day) without feeling any discomfort. It also fit perfectly within the breast pocket of both my Riv seeersucker shirt and Swobo Bobby. Granted, I looked like I had a square boob popping out of my chest but it was aces for convenience.
With my months of touring with the G10, I found that I could only stand about 20 minutes of riding with it on my neck. It was JUST heavy enough that it bothered my neck, swayed like the dickens and it was not seersucker shirt-friendly. I found that I used it a lot like my D300, that is to say I’d keep it in my handlebar bag unless I was about to shoot.
With the Lumix, it was ever present around my neck and ready to grab a great picture!
Body and Controls
In terms of being most Leica-like (I own an M2, M4p and IIIa so I have a good point of reference), the G10 with its manual dials wins this battle. I think that the exposure compensation and ISO knob on the G10 is a godsend. I can know what my ISO is just by looking at the camera without looking at the display or fiddling through menus.
Further, the G10 has a scroll wheel on the back of the camera that lets me quickly flip through aperture and shutter speed settings, menu items and photos in preview mode.
In contrast, the LX3 has a very menu-driven interface. There is no scroll wheel but a little joystick that is similar to the little eraser head mouse on my old IBM Thinkpad. There are some manual switches on the lens body to adjust focusing (normal range, macro, manual, AF) and to adjust aspect ration (4:3, 3:2, 16:9), but there are no manual controls for more common tasks like say…exposure compensation or ISO.
I will say, that after a few days of use I found some shortcuts and could actually navigate the controls I needed relatively quickly. BUT, if you’re coming from say a Leica M3 or a Nikon FM2 and are expecting the same knob and switch driven interface, you’ll be let down.
Another difference between the two bodies is that the G10 has a self-capping lens while the LX3 has a lens cap. It seems that here, the G10 went all techy and the LX3 went manual. I found that while riding and shooting (not recommended unless you have lots of practice), it took a little longer with the LX3. I had to pull out the camera and remove the tethered lens cap. It took a little longer to put it back in my shirt pocket because I had to recap the lens without the looking and put it back in my shirt pocket.
It’s an inconvenience, but I suppose IT IS faster than stopping, pulling the G10 out of my handlebar bag, putting it on my neck and then shooting.
That said, there have been some clever bees at work to fix this. See vid below.
The Lens
This is where things get interesting. The Lumix has a great wide-angle lens on it with a nice max aperture of 2.0. The G10 has a great lens on it that is a good all-rounder in terms of focal length and a pretty respectable 2.8 on the wide-end and 4.5 on the tele.
What this means in English is that if you like to shoot pictures with that sense of vast landscape, dynamic action, photojournalistic wide-angle look and in low light - you’ll like the Lumix LX3 a lot. If you want a multi-purpose lens that has decent telephoto capabilities and the ability to blur the background for portraits or mid-range shots - then you’ll like the G10.
I tried the LX3 to take portraits where I would blur the background but the sensor is too small and the lens too short to get any creamy bokeh (it’s a good lens but a Noctilux it is not). In contrast, the G10 does let me do this (sort of), but I have to zoom the lens all the way out and shoot from about 15 feet to get a 3/4 portrait and even at that the background isn’t COMPLETELY knocked out. It’s just a problem endemic to small sensors.
So which lens is better? Well, it depends on what you want to shoot. Having used both cameras and having a photojournalistic background, I prefer the LX3. I think the 24mm wide-angle lens is a great bike touring/adventure focal length. It will capture the epic vastness of the places you’ll see. It will give your action photos that extra bit dynamism (if you use it right, of course).
Also, the 2.0 on the wide-end will let you shoot photos without bumping up the ISO. For the Carrizo Plain trip, I found that I didn’t have to go above ISO 400 very often since in true Leica-fashion I could shoot wide open, hold my breath and let it click at 1/6 of a second and get photos without bumping up the ISO.
Now, if you don’t know what you like to shoot. Or if you think you can’t live with the admittedly short focal length range of the LX3 - then the G10 is your camera.
Color
I’ll admit, I’m not an expert on color, dynamic range and all that other stuff that reviewers like to write about that looks suspiciously like math. I’m more touchy-feely. I can say that out of the box, that the G10 had a little more saturated color (sometimes too saturated) and the LX3 was a little flatter out of the box.
This is good and bad. It’s good because with a flatter image you can do your post-processing and add contrast, saturation without making a big mess of it. If an image is already contrasty and super saturated, it’s hard to make adjustments without the image quality just going south very quickly. If you DON’T DO post at all, then you might be a little disappointed with the out of the box images.
I’ve learned long ago that digital images are just like negatives. They are not complete within themselves (most of the time) and it takes a competent printer/post-processor to make them sing.
That said, the LX3 had some “film” settings that I assumed pre-adjusted contrast and saturation so they would look better. I didn’t get a chance to play with these settings because, well, I was too busy carrying 2 gallons of water through the middle of nowhere.
If you don’t mind doing some post the LX3 makes good files. If you want to just run, gun and upload without opening Lightroom or Photoshop then the G10 seems to have better color.
Speed
Just a quick note on speed. One of my strategies as a photographer, especially with PS cameras is to shoot in burst mode. This mitigates the shutter lag and lets me “capture the moment.” Both the G10 and LX3 offer burst modes. I can’t speak for how fast they are in shooting burst RAW files, but in shooting JPGS the LX3 is a clear winner. I was actually surprised at how fast the LX3 shot off a burst of JPGS. For street and action photography this is invaluable.
Battery Life
I found the battery life consumption between the LX3 and G10 to be pretty similar. For the amount of shooting I do I get about 2 days then I have to babysit the battery life. I think when I go on tour, I’d try to carry atleast 3 batteries so I can go a week without seeing an outlet.
Conclusion
Both the LX3 and G10 are great cameras! Great AND flawed in the exactly opposite ways which makes me wonder if there’s some strange conspiracy going on to make you buy both.
-The LX3 is lighter and more pocketable.
-The G10 has a great body design with intuitive manual controls but a sort of ho-hum lens.
-The Lumix LX3 has a good body but mediocre controls but a great lens.
-If you like wide-angle shots get the Lumix.
-If you don’t know what kind of shots you like, get the G10.
-If you don’t mind doing a little post, get the Lumix.
-If you just want to shoot and upload, get the G10.
-If you want to shoot low light interior shots without a flash, get the Lumix.
Which camera would I take on a trip? I’ve been shooting long enough to know that I like the wide-angle low-light kind of shooting so I would take the LX3. When we do finally leave, I’m also bringing my D300 so I don’t have to worry about shooting portraits with a PS. I think, however, even if I were to just take one camera I would still go for the LX3.
Your mileage may vary for your style of shooting, so think about your needs and expectations before choosing your camera. Both are great cameras. If you can live without a telephoto and can get over the Nintendo-esque controls of the Lumix, then the LX3 is an excellent travel/adventure/bike touring camera.
Lumix LX3 Price - $450 - $500 (if you can find it)
31 Comments
Trackbacks
- Olympus and Panasonic rumors » Blog Archive » A little bit of everything…
- Panasonic LX3 vs Canon G10 « FotóFül.hu – minden, ami fotó
- Lumix LX3 IN STOCK! at BH Photo | The Epicurean Cyclist
- Bike Photography « Grunk Bike
Subscribe to Epicurean Cyclist
Bravo! A thoroughly useful and well-reasoned review. I test and review cameras for a living, and I am so happy to see someone choose a camera for all the right reasons.
If you ever get a newfangled belt-drive bike, I’d like to see your review.
Luke
Russ,
Was the wide perspective shot above done post-processing or using a 16:9 aspect ratio?
Excellent review by the way. I’d love to have the Lumix.
John
John,
That one was done in post. I didn’t have the camera for very long (only a 2 week loaner) so I couldn’t play with all the features. I’m hoping I’ll get a hold of a more permanent one soon.
Russ
I chose the LX3 for all the same reasons. I had originally bought an Olympus E420 to take on trips, tours and adventures. I found myself not taking pictures.
I’ve already done two trips with the LX3, one on the Kokopelli from Moab to Utah and one on the Maah Daah Hey in North Dakota. The LX3 did not let me down.
Great review and great pics of course!
Great review!
I had the exact same dilema as you only 3 months ago…
Having owned and lost (don’t ask) a Canon G9 I knew what to expect from the G10 although after a number of disappointing reviews in comparrison to its predecessor I felt it was worth the risk and started looking for an alternative.
I looked at the Sigma, Ricoh and Panasonic but eventually opted for the LX3 as it better suited my style of photography… fast and very wide angle lens for a P&S, RAW and finally size.
After a few months of travelling everywhere with me I am very happy with the camera although I do miss some of the G9’s features occasionally. Like yourself I take an SLR (Canon 5D) out when I know the LX3’s featureset will not cut the mustard at other times I just have to make do.
An excellent and interesting review of the two fine cameras. My feeling is that with respect to the color differences there are enough options on the LX3 to get similar results out of the camera to the G10. The G10 was not available when I bought the LX3. If I were buying today it would be the only serious competition to the LX3, but I would choose the LX3 for its f/2 22mm lens and smaller size and lower weight.
Great review, well done. It’s nice reading a camera review from a real user’s perspective, without too much pixel peeping. Thanks for that. Are you looking forward to June 16th as well, when Olympus may announce thei m4/3 camera?
Great reviews! I’m looking to buy a smaller camera for traveling as well (right now I use various rangefinders and a canon 30D). I think the LX3 is right for me!
Wonderful hands-on report! Loved it!
Both cams don’t have swivel lcd though. Something like the Canon A650 (another G10 incarnation without raw, but with articulating lcd) offers a whole new range of perspectives.
Well done! Informative review on the Lumix LX3. Currently using a Lumix TZ1 and the LX3 looks like a logical upgrade. Now if Lumix can incorporate some type of non-tethered lens cap - it would be a winner. In the movie mode, the clanging and banging agains the camera distracts from the short clip I’m trying to capture.
Great review. I’ve got 2 co-workers that have this camera and they both are very happy with it. The major problem with the camera that I can see is that it’s not available. What gives? Did they give you any idea of when more will be released?
I shot 700 pics with my G7 on a week long bicycle trip in Western Ireland. The manual controls are really amazingly good in tricky light situations. And don’t sell the “IS” feature short, you can get a good solid stop of compensation out of the IS. I shot some rainy low light shots that I felt sure were going to be blurry crud and the IS saved my bacon. I hate computery controls where I have to pick through nested menus, so 99% of point and shoot cameras are not my cup of tea. The G10 is one of the more useful and camera-like units out there.
I would pay “good money” ™ for a full frame CMOS sensor in a point and shoot sized body. I’d trade zoom, battery life, and my left nut for that camera. I’m off on a bike trip through scotland in a month, and I’d take a full frame point and shoot instead of my toothbrush.
Also I know my G7 can take quite a water logging and still keep working well, I have empirical data…
Sheldon
Sheldon….agreed…I’m hoping that the E-P1 will be close…though there seems to be a disappointing lack of manual controls from whatever leaked photos there are.
R
What’s with the horrible vignetting? I hope that’s a style thing and not a function of how those cameras take pictures…
Excellent review, Russ. It’s great to have these two top contenders for “Best On-Bike Camera” reviewed by someone like yourself with an extensive background in both photography and cycling!
I ended up with a G10, mostly because of the manual controls (love the dedicated exposure compensation and ISO knobs) and the tank-like body. In my hands, the LX3 just felt a little small for one-handed shooting, though obviously this is a very personal thing. I carry the G10 messenger-style in a little Crumpler 1MDH bag. With that bag I can carry it all day with no issues, yet I can have it out and be shooting in 5-10 seconds.
Regards,
Alan
PS - I too am looking forward to the E-P1!
Thanks for the review Russ. I use a 2002 4 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 4500 split-body camera for everything. It shoots great pictures but it is not exactly a snapshot camera. I have been looking at the Panasonic LX3 and the Fuji 200 EXR for cycletouring. I don’t know whether the two snapshot cameras offer any better picture quality than the Coolpix 4500.
Many thanks for this posting this nice comparison.
The limited zoom is as far as I find the only true drawback of LX3. For the rest nothing but praise.
The G10 is very good too, but when I tried it I found it simply too heavy.
Excellent review. As a photographer and cyclist, I’ve been looking for a small camera that I can take with me, without weighing myself down. I was strongly considering the G10, but the lack of wide angle was a bit disappointing. Like Robert Capa said: “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.”
I can always move closer. But it’s hard to move back when there’s a cliff or fence or guard dog behind you. I’ll be seriously considering the LX3 now. Thanks Russ!
I have been waiting on a revue like this for some time, I am also a professional photographer and get tired of diving into the bag - thanks for the info
Keep shooting’
Russell Ord - professional surf photographer
I got an LX3 to go with my old 4 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 4500 split body. The two cameras have the same size sensor but the sensor on the LX3 has more than twice the pixel density. Other than the higher pixel count the picture quality is about the same.
I like the LX3 because of its size. It’s very unobtrusive. I can also use the controls one-handed which is nice when I am taking moving shots from my bike. The thing I don’t like about it is Panasonic’s marketing strategy on this camera (it is not the only Panasonic camera I have). Supposedly there is a “shortage” of this camera - that is confirmed by examining the websites of online sellers like B&H. However, real camera stores seem to have LX3’s and I had no problem finding one.
On the other hand the accessories for the LX3 are completely unavailable. I have not been able to find LX3 batteries anywhere - which leads me to suspect there is something fishy going on. There is no rational explanation for an LX3 battery shortage. The Chinese supplier of the batteries could have easily upped manufacture by the shipload months ago when the supposed “shortage” began. So I am carrying a spare camera to back up the battery-short LX3.
When I bought the LX3 I also had a look at the new Olympus E-P1 (which has spare batteries available). The E-P1 is a micro four-thirds camera that is quite a bit larger and heavier than the LX3 but has larger lenses and a larger sensor so it has better low light performance. When the 17mm Leica pancake lens becomes available for the E-P1 I might get one of those too. I find the whole compact camera thing to be quite useful for my purposes (web photography for fun).
Here are some vacation pictures I took with the LX3:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/5881
All the (quite compressed) pictures in that Crazyguyonabike journal are taken with the LX3 in fully automatic mode. As it turned out I did not need the extra battery even for such a remote vacation at fairly low temperatures.
Thanks - the best review I’ve seen on the web for some time….focuses on the important things.
Going round the world…found lugging my Canon EOS 40D in Nepal a bit difficult….and based on your review I’m going for the LX3.
Also I’ve seen it in action - saw some amazing scenery photos taken by the LX3.
Thanks Russ for the real life pragmatic review. I am done lugging a D80. The Lx3 sound just the right fit.
Grazie. Thank you. Ottima recensione, ho appena acquistato la Lx3. Great review, I have just bought Lx3. Da portare sulla mia Bianchi Spillo Zaffiro. To carry on my bike Bianchi Spillo Zaffiro.
Bye.
Italy
Thank you for the excellent review.
I currently own an Olympus mju 1030 SW. I got it when my son was born 18 months ago, thinking it would be a camera that I would take along everywhere and not have to worry about anything. Shock proof, waterproof … just what you need when a kid is around.
But the photos are abysmal.
At least the ones I take. It’s usually inside, overexposed with the integrated flash, or blured when I turn the blasted thing off, grainy when I use the “low light” setting … so most of the pictures of the first 18 months of my son’s life are crap. Outdoor pic quality is pretty good, vibrant greens and reds … really nice. And underwater is fun
So now I want something that can compete with SLR photos, but that I can still take along everywhere. 2 of my photography friends suggested the LX3, and my research brought me here. It basically made me want the LX3 even more
Love your photos, love your style … just one question: how did you post your photos on this page? The vignette, to colors, the grungy feel of some … very nice. Do you offer tutorials ?
Thanks for this great review! im so relieved reading this review. I have reading plenty of review ( and im not a photographer either so some terms feels like rocket science) and it got me confused and left undecided. i want something that wont take me to do any post-process ( and im not good at Ps or Lightroom), great pictures, beautiful colours that can potray my work, precision in details. so i think G10 is best for me.. i wil consider G10, have used them once ( friend of mine) eventho the weight slightly bothering to the neck, like u said, if i want to shoot and upload, the G10 sounds better.