I recommend at least 16GB if you plan to shoot much video. LX3 records video at about 24Mb/s (or 3MB/s) so it appears any Class 4 or Class 6 card is adequate. Still photo bursting is buffered and continuous mode runs at about 1fps for 5MB jpegs so again any class 6 card should be adequate.
The class rating means it meets a minimum set of speed requirements. Some Class 6 cards are faster than others, but it really shouldn't matter when using the LX3. There are always exceptions of course. For example, mislabeled Chinese knockoff cards.
I use the most inexpensive Class 6 card I could find, Patriot 16GB, and it works fine.
-------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital_card#SD_Speed_Class_Ratings
SD Speed Class Ratings
SDHC cards have SD Speed Class Ratings defined by the SD Association. The SD Speed Class Ratings specify the following minimum write speeds based on "the best fragmented state where no memory unit is occupied":[19]
Class 2: 2 MB/s
Class 4: 4 MB/s
Class 6: 6 MB/s
SDHC cards will often also advertise a maximum speed (such as 133x or 150x) in addition to this minimum Speed Class Rating. See section Speeds above for a further explanation. One critical difference between the Speed Class and the maximum speed ratings is the ability of the host device to query the SD card for the speed class and determine the best location to store data that meets the performance required. "Maximum speed" ratings are quoted by the manufacturers but unverified by any independent evaluation process.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital_card#Speeds
There are different speed grades available which are measured with the same system as CD-ROMs, in multiples of 150 kB/s (1x = 150 kB/s). Basic cards transfer data up to six times (6x) the data rate of the standard CD-ROM speed (900 kB/s vs. 150 kB/s). High-speed cards are made with higher data transfer rates like 66x (10 MB/s), and high-end cards have speeds of 200x or higher. Note that maximum read speed and maximum write speed may be different, with maximum write speed typically lower than maximum read speed. Some digital cameras require high-speed cards (write speed) to record video smoothly or capture multiple still photographs in rapid succession. The SD card specification 1.01 allows for a maximum speed of 66x. Higher speeds of up to 200x are defined by specification 2.0.
The following table lists some common ratings and their respective maximum transfer rates.
Rating Speed (MB/s)
6x 0.9
32x 4.8
40x 6.0
66x 10.0
100x 15.0
133x 20.0
150x 22.5
200x 30.0
--
Phanfare supporter-
