By Chris Nicholls
SYDNEY: Panasonic Australia has launched its new Lumix DMC-LX3 digital still camera, boasting a new sensor design claimed to increase sensitivity in poor light conditions.
The 10.1 megapixel CCD is 1.163 inches in size (diagonal), which allows for more space per pixel, and therefore reduces noise, said Panasonic.
Noise in small sensors with large pixel counts is a common complaint in digital still cameras, not helped by the continuing quest to fit more and more into small sensors.
Panasonic said the combination of large aperture 24-60 mm F/2.0 lens and the news sensor meant the LX3 could shoot at up to ISO 6400 in high sensitivity mode (ISO 3200 in standard mode).
Unusually for a non DSLR camera, the LX3 also comes with burst flash mode, which allows for six shots a second in high speed burst mode, which lowers the resolution, and 2.5 shots per second at full resolution.
Panasonic’s Venus Engine IV image processor is supposed to help cut battery use on top of reducing noise further from the new CCD.
The LX3 allows full manual and automatic control, with an Intelligent Auto (iA) mode, introduced recently on other models, also present.
The DMC-LX3 is available in black from September for RRP $879.