Brakeman
  • Brakeman
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16 years ago
I've been pndering over a replacement for my old Nikon 5400 camera for some time and have now decided on the LX3.

It appears to have just what is required for underground work, ie 24mm equiv good quality lens, I have no need for zoom lens so I like the idea of only going to 60mm,Raw, & Raw/Jpeg , up to 60 secs exposure time,decent video, lightwieght, small and relatively well built.

I got a good deal I think, at £303 plus vat, for camera, case extra battery & 8gig fast card.

The only thing left now is to get back underground somewhere in Wales this weekend & give it a go.

Anyway, I shall write a proper reveiw whence I've got acustomed to it & taken a fair few photos.

http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews_panasonic_lumix_dmc_lx3.php 
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simonrl
  • simonrl
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16 years ago
That looks rather nice Brakeman :thumbup:

Would be interested to see how the video turns out, I've been doing a bit of video with my 8400 and the results are disappointing 😞
my orders are to sit here and watch the world go by
Brakeman
  • Brakeman
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16 years ago
"simonrl" wrote:

That looks rather nice Brakeman :thumbup:

Would be interested to see how the video turns out, I've been doing a bit of video with my 8400 and the results are disappointing :(



Yes, let's hope it performs U/G as well as it should.

The video is a feature I want to try out on this, have seen above ground video shots & they look very good, will let you know how it performs after the weekend , hopefully..
The management thanks you for your co operation.
owdsnuffy
16 years ago
It also has a F2.0 aperture, very useful UG,lets in twice as much light as F2.8.would like one myself! must be nice to swmbo!
pacef8
  • pacef8
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16 years ago
i have the leica version called a d lux 3 and i can tell you after big bash this week you will not be disssapointed. :thumbsup:
rikj
  • rikj
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16 years ago
Yes, this seems to tick all the boxes and looks to be well ahead of the competition of the mo. Only a quick intervention of common sense re bank balance stopped me getting one!

I was going to say that pace has the Leica one, but he beat me to it.

I'd be interested in any comments about how the auto focus works underground. Or is that irrelevant given how wide the lens is?

Some reviews have said that the lens has a good deal of distortion and chromatic aberration which is corrected by software in jpegs, but which becomes apparent when shooting in raw. I don't think that would be much of an issue underground.

Seems like a very good price you got there.
Brakeman
  • Brakeman
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16 years ago
"rikj" wrote:

Yes, this seems to tick all the boxes and looks to be well ahead of the competition of the mo. Only a quick intervention of common sense re bank balance stopped me getting one!

I was going to say that pace has the Leica one, but he beat me to it.

I'd be interested in any comments about how the auto focus works underground. Or is that irrelevant given how wide the lens is?

Some reviews have said that the lens has a good deal of distortion and chromatic aberration which is corrected by software in jpegs, but which becomes apparent when shooting in raw. I don't think that would be much of an issue underground.

Seems like a very good price you got there.



His is a posh version 😉

I normally use full manual operation U/G, never been too keen on autofocus, except when using flash mode for quick close shots, but I will try out the autofocus for my review.

As for the CA, will have to wait & see, but hopefully it will not be too apparent.

The only thing so far I don't like about it, is the tripod mount not being central, really stupid idea putting off to one side.
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pacef8
  • pacef8
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16 years ago
UserPostedImage

This was about the most demanding at 60 seconds and one led 220 lumen torch at f4 apperture.

thereis a little button on the back of 10/30 seconds delay giving you the option of togging yourself or having a lie down for a minute (fag break vanood)

The tripod mount is on one end but then you have a huge 16:9 view finder on the back and if you cannt see that you shouldnt be down A MINE.

Get a scratch guard and a 4gig sd not but not the hd version as these dont work grrrrrr

Hope this all helps

Pace
Brakeman
  • Brakeman
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16 years ago
Nice shot that Pacef8, with my old Nikon 5400 I tend to use 30-60 secs on most shots at f5-6 , I'm quite suprised these newer cameras need that long, although that is a long incline to light, I tend to use a brighter torch approx 600-900 lumens ,so would get more overall light .

The biggest thing I have noticed is how small it is & how tiny the buttons are, that will take some getting used to especially U/G.

I hope to give it a good run out this Saturday, so it's a bit of experimentaition at first with my timings, I'll probably end up shooting everything 3-4 times at differing settings & see what the results are. Like you say that large LCD on the back will certainly be of more use than the 1" I have at the moment.
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rikj
  • rikj
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16 years ago
Captain Scarlet
16 years ago
"Brakeman" wrote:



I hope to give it a good run out this Saturday



Did you manage to get it underground at the weekend?

STANDBY FOR ACTION!!!!...
Brakeman
  • Brakeman
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16 years ago
"Colonel Mustard" wrote:

"Brakeman" wrote:



I hope to give it a good run out this Saturday



Did you manage to get it underground at the weekend?



I did indeed, though not for as long as I would have wished for, people always want to go home just when you get to the interesting parts.

I am very happy with it, though the software for editing the RAW files is crap, comes with Silkypic, need something better. I like the ability to shoot in both RAW & Jpeg fine at the same time though, & the short bits of video I did are quite good too, being lit by only a hand torch.

Oh and the autofocus works very well indeed underground, very fast had no out of focus shots at all. Actually somewhat easier than using the small joystick for the manual focus.

Will up load some photos & video when I have a bit more time, pulled out with work at the mo.


The management thanks you for your co operation.
Captain Scarlet
16 years ago
"Brakeman" wrote:



Will up load some photos & video when I have a bit more time, pulled out with work at the mo.



Hokay.. I will look forward to seeing those!
STANDBY FOR ACTION!!!!...
simonrl
  • simonrl
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16 years ago
"pacef8" wrote:

UserPostedImage

This was about the most demanding at 60 seconds and one led 220 lumen torch at f4 apperture.

Pace



That really is an absolutely stunning photo Pace. Like it a lot, lighting is so even all the way down the incline, and so sharp :thumbsup:
my orders are to sit here and watch the world go by

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