It's Finally Here! New G10...

...New G10 competitor, that is:



Panasonic LX3
-------------------
• 10MP 1/1.63" CCD sensor
• 24-60mm Wide Angle F2.0-F2.8 (max) Lens
• RAW and 720p HD Video

Waiting for Canon's answer-camera.

That's right, no MP increase! Canon, are you paying attention? In fact the sensor in the LX3 is slightly larger than in the LX2. In the LX3 press release, Panasonic even EXPLAINS WHY they didn't increase the megapixel count (at least one manufacturer reads these forums). Will Canon be as courageous?

A G10 with:

12MP 1/1.6" CMOS sensor
28-224mm or 28-280mm (8x or 10x optical zoom)
F2.8-F4.0 (max)
RAW and 720p HD Video

...would be good enough for me.

I must say it sure looks impressive. Going through the specs, it seems to check off all the must-haves for me, and throws in many sure-would-be-nice-to-haves. But the three biggies for me are: RAW, 24mm wide angle, and f2.0. I'll wait for some real-world tests, but if the IQ matches what I get now from my G9, it's eBay time!

David

WoodWorks said:

I must say it sure looks impressive. Going through the specs, it
seems to check off all the must-haves for me, and throws in many
sure-would-be-nice-to-haves. But the three biggies for me are: RAW,
24mm wide angle, and f2.0. I'll wait for some real-world tests, but
if the IQ matches what I get now from my G9, it's eBay time!

Click to expand...

Based on these few sample shots (provided they are genuine) I wouldn't hold my breath on the IQ of this new Panny vs. the Canon G line - see link: http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/9604.html

Maybe these samples are faulty, but they look really smeary (for ISO 125), with little detail (over agressive NR?), pretty much the same as many Panny shots that I've seen before have had.

If the new Panny has the IQ to match the specs, what a P&S it would be. Here's hoping.

--
bryan
--------
http://bryanw.zenfolio.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oakandacorns/sets/

JR M said:

A G10 with:

12MP 1/1.6" CMOS sensor
28-224mm or 28-280mm (8x or 10x optical zoom)
F2.8-F4.0 (max)
RAW and 720p HD Video

...would be good enough for me.

Click to expand...

... but I think 'Gx' users are looking for higher end features than what you are after—wider angle and brighter lens to name a couple. If you want a super zoom there are cheaper cameras out there that would better suit your needs. Like I said, no offence.

Oak and Acorn said:

Based on these few sample shots (provided they are genuine) I
wouldn't hold my breath on the IQ of this new Panny vs. the Canon G
line - see link: http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/9604.html

Maybe these samples are faulty, but they look really smeary (for ISO
125), with little detail (over agressive NR?), pretty much the same
as many Panny shots that I've seen before have had.

If the new Panny has the IQ to match the specs, what a P&S it would
be. Here's hoping.

Click to expand...

I agree, not too impressive. But I shoot RAW 99% of the time, so any camera's default noise reduction is a non-issue for me. Until I see an intelligent review not only of the camera's capabilities, but also of its ease of use, I'll keep my powder dry.

David

bronson said:

... but I think 'Gx' users are looking for higher end features than
what you are after—wider angle and brighter lens to name a couple. If
you want a super zoom there are cheaper cameras out there that would
better suit your needs. Like I said, no offence.

Click to expand...

None taken. If the G10 would have better/higher end features than what I'm hoping for it'd have, then that'd be even better! ;-)

1; Larger Sensor
2; Wide lens
3; Fast Lens
4; HD Movie.
5; Damn ! even an external viewfinder!



Hoping the G10 at least match this.

Since when does a wider angle lens constitute a high end feature? The very most expensive lenses for a DSLR are the long telephoto lenses.

While I do appreciate the wide angle from time to time, I need the long end more often.

The f2.0 does look really go though.

Jim

Here's more on the Pany;

http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=3580&review=panasonic+lumix+lx3

Dennis

jbkazam said:

Since when does a wider angle lens constitute a high end feature

Click to expand...

It just constitutes a more often used lens by pros. For landscape, streetscape, architecture, etc. you can't beat wide angle. Count maybe on one hand the amount of world-class award winning photos taken with a 300mm zoom here: http://www.worldpressphoto.org/

jbkazam said:

The very most expensive lenses for a DSLR are the long telephoto
lenses.

Click to expand...

More glass and bright glass costs more but long telephotos are for more specialized uses... sports, bird watching etc.

All lenses have a purpose. Seeing as I can only have one fixed to my compact, I prefer a wide angle with a 4 or 5x zoom over a super zoom that I would only use the long end occassionally.

Well, one thing for sure... on paper the specs are quite impressive. If Canon's future G10 had these features, we'd be jumping with joy... though many would prefer an inbuilt optical viewfinder lens-synchronized zoom capability.

But specs alone won't really cut it till the IQ reviews are out. If the IQ is worth the expense, I'm sure this camera will be a competitor to Canon's G-series. Else not!

That said, Pany has been steadily gaining ground on the IQ front. But have they reached the level to compete with Canon's generally more detailed IQ, that remains to be seen in August when the Pany will hit the shelves.

And Canon may just spoil Pany's LX3 party with the G10 announcement in the near future!

--
Click

I am a former user of the LX1 and LX2, and they were very good cameras for landscape and travel, when wanting to travel light. Panasonic are great inovators, witness the introduction of RAW and true wide-angle in many of their camera series (FX150, FX500). It was deemed to happen that the LX3 would have wider angle than the LX2; what is very interesting is the introduction of the external viewfinder and the faster lens. This is in line with other makers, like Ricoh, have been doing for some time. The LX3 is now more "accessorized", and looks more like the "real deal" for a very serious pocket-size digicam.

I expect the image quality to be at least on par, or even better, than the LX2. That would be good for some, namely those who use low ISO. And lets be honest, a camera like this is mostly for landscape and travel use.

With strong competition from Sigma, Ricoh, and now Pana/Leica, I hope that Canon gets the next G series camera really right this time. I want wide-angle and a faster lens in the G10, and please keep the RAW option! And do not forget the upcoming Nikon P6000, that will have wide-angle as well. I think the G9 is an excellent camera, robust and very intuitive to use, and reminiscent of the old high quality film compacts, but it is still missing a few things here and there.

It is very interesting and exciting to see that the market of high end compacts is very well alive.

Sample shot taken with the new LX3 (courtesy of panasonic.net):

The above image is quite impressive. Seems the camera does a good job in decent light.

--
Click

Not all of us have the same notion of high end - I agree that an 8 or 10 times zoom, starting at 28 with the existing features of the G9 - build quality etc - would be fantastic.
--
Julian Kirkness

http://web.mac.com/jkirkness/Photo_Site/Welcome.html

That is very nice for default JPEG.
RAW would be much better.

Seems only Panny has had the balls to say NO to more pixels!

I hope this is a trend and will get this LX3 and the Leica vesion if the introduce!

--
Greg Gebhardt in
Jacksonville, Florida

Greg Gebhardt said:

Seems only Panny has had the balls to say NO to more pixels!
I bet Canon goes for MORE PIXELS.

Click to expand...

Sigh... if Canon does that with the G10... and if IQ suffers greatly as a result... then its goodbye Canon for me. But Canon is extremely marketing savvy. They will take the middle road for all we know...!! With such an attitude, other brands will slowly and surely catch up with Canon's IQ.

But maybe (I'm hoping) Canon's new CMOS chip technology could be something for other brands to contend with. What Canon really needs to do is to create a line similar to the TZ5 or, at least, drastically improve their current TX1 update.

I will personally seriously consider Panny's LX3 and compare it to Canon's G10/G11... and most probably pick up one or the other sometime within the next few months.

One personal LX3 con... I think I will hate that 2-piece (top cover detachable) camera case that comes with the camera. I wonder if the majority of us would prefer a 2-piece camera case to a 1-piece camera case for a smaller camera such as the LX3?!!

--
Click