Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

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Performance

The LX3 took about 2.2 seconds to start up, and the shutter lag measured a hair less than 0.1 second. However, this snappy performance was not reflected in our time-to-first-shot test which the shooter clocked at 3 seconds. We believe the figures will vary for different users as cameras do take time to focus first before capturing the picture, especially for high-contrast scenes.

The meter did the job well for this picture, retaining most of the shadow and highlight details.
(Click for larger image)

Focusing was zippy and spot-on most of the time. If your subject of interest is off-center, you can shift the focus frame by pressing the Focus button and then adjusting it with the navigation pad.

The exposure meter was accurate most of the time and handled high-contrast scenes well. The algorithm was sophisticated enough to adjust the exposure to achieve optimum highlight and shadow details. In tricky lighting situations, the spot-metering mode can be activated.

Panasonic claims the Lithium-ion battery can last for 380 shots, and it certainly lived up to expectations. We took five HD-quality videos, each lasting 3 minutes, as well as about 200 still images, and there was still juice in the battery.

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