Okay, I'll admit it - when I'm not on the job, my 5D rarely gets taken out of its case. It's just too darn heavy and inconvenient, and I don't want to work on a day off! So when I'm with my kids in the park I just take a little point-n-shoot and take snapshots like any other dad. One nice thing about the current point-n-shoot camera market is that there is a definite trend towards producing serious photography tools. I'd include in this group the LX3/Leica D4, Canon G10, Nikon P6000, Ricoh GR and GX, and the Sigma DP1. The Panasonic LX3 stands out in this group, so I thought I would give it a try. Some key features: - raw (although I'll have to use jpeg until Adobe begins supporting it)
- fast, sharp Leica-designed f2.0 lens
- "only" 10 megapixels. to my knowledge, Panasonic is the first and only camera manufacturer that explicitly mentions in its marketing materials that megapixels were deliberately held down in favor of image quality. I wish Canon would get the message - they put 15 megapixels in the tiny-sensor G10 - sheesh!
- HD movie mode (haven't tried this yet)
- optical image stabilization
- hot shoe with flash sync up to 1/2000!!!
- all-metal body - great build quality
- handsome, and a handsome guy like me deserves a handsome camera, ha!
Theresa had the day off from school on Friday (teacher meetings), so I decided to take her to the park to give the LX3 a workout. I really wanted to try some off-camera flash, so I took along a 580exII, umbrella and a couple pocket wizards. (note: I also took along a Nikon D700, but you'll have to wait for next week for that post!) All shots were taken at the medium jpeg setting. (1) The first shot here was taken in front of the bunker doors from an old military base. Although it was a bright, sunny day at 2pm, this particular shot was in full shade. Flash at about 1/2 power. ISO 80, f/3.5, 1/320 sec, 24mm equivalent. (2) Natural light - no flash. ISO 80, f/2.8, 1/320 sec, 60mm equivalent. I just positioned Theresa's face in a little dappled sunlight. (3) Theresa is standing in the full shade of a fin from a retired nuclear submarine. ISO 80, f/5.6, 1/500 sec, 35mm equivalent, flash @1/2 power. Notice how dark and blue the sky is at 1/500 sec.
(4) My favorite from the session, taken at the same spot as #3, but from a different angle. ISO 80, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, 40mm equivalent, flash @1/2 power. Color temperature lowered in Lightroom. At ISO 80 and 1/1000 sec, it turns day into night! (5) ISO 80, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, 35mm equivalent, flash @full power. Check out how dark the sky goes at ISO 80 with a 1/1000 flash synch! This shot is simply not possible on my 5D, with its wimpy 1/200 sync speed. Crazy! Correctly exposed for Theresa's face using ambient light only, the sky would be a blown-out pure white. Okay, so what's the best thing about this camera? - Best image quality of any point-n-shoot I've ever seen, and that's just shooting medium/jpeg!
- Shortest shutter lag and fastest shooting speed of any point-n-shoot I've ever used.
- Hotshoe & 1/2000 sync speed!
- Great build - this puppy is built like a tank. Makes regular point-n-shoots feel like toys.
And the cons?
- No viewfinder (although one is available as a shoe-mounted accessory), means I'm composing through the LCD screen. I just can't get used to the idea of composing with my arms away from my face.
- This thing is tiny - makes handling kinda difficult. I wish it were a bit larger.
- Lens doesn't retract into the body like other p&s cameras. Requires use of a detachable lens cap which I'm sure to lose one of these days!
- Histogram is nearly useless. I looked at the histogram at some images that were blown out, and the chart doesn't even go all the way to the right. With this camera you'll just have to eyeball the image on the LCD.
Conclusion: I thought the LX3 would just be my casual point-n-shoot for family snapshots. I was wrong. This is a serious photographic tool. I wouldn't hesitate to use this camera on a paying gig, particularly if I needed the use of high speed flash sync. Coming up: my initial thoughts on the D700, followed by some low-light tests on the LX3. Please support this site by buying your gear by clicking on the Adorama, B&H or Amazon tiles above. |
