Looking to purchase a P&S; Canon s90 vs Panny LX3

[makro]

Hi,

I am looking looking to get a P&S to carry around with me and have shortlisted to 2; the canon s90 and the panny LX3. Does anyone have any recommendations or inputs to help me choose between the 2.

1. I am not to fussed about the size difference,
2. understand that the zooms lengths are different with the Panny being more wide, but the canon has more reach.
3. I would like to get really good Dynamic Range (ffrom a P&S point of view)
4. the panny has a hot shoe and HD video

Thanks in advance.

[wiggles]

I bought the lx3 some time ago. Its great for landscapes and street work with it's fast lens. I had a few drawbacks tho but they were more personal than anything. They were lack of grip on side of camera, The lens cover came off a lot and eventually scratched the front lens element but luckily It wasn't too bad. I think you can get an automatic lens cap on ebay now which is good. The lack of zoom might be something to consider. I rather depends on what you will use this camera for. There is also the Canon G10. Its had great reviews as well and is built like a tank hope this helps a little

[Darey]

MakRo,

I have a Panny Lumix Lx3 and am extremely happy with it, but that is probably because it meets most of my needs as a travel and backup camera.

The Pros are:
1/. f2 fast Lica lens
2/. Wide angle lens (24mm in 35mm equiv)
3/. Large 17.3 x 13mm sensor (bigger than most compact cameras)
4/. Excellent image quality
5/. Reasonably compact.

The cons are:
1/. Short zoom range (24 to 60 mm in 35mm format equiv)
2/. Inbuilt flash is under-powered

MakRo, I can only talk about the Lumix Lx3 because that is what I own but I have heard that the Canon G11 is getting very good reviews lately. I heard it has an improved Image quality on the G10.

Just for an example of the dynamic range and quality of the Lumix Lx3 I have attached the following image. You may also want to look at the Panasonic Lumix Ken Duncan gallery.

Good luck with your purchase.

[N*A*M]

i have been analysing the S90 a lot and managed to convince a friend to buy one so i could play with it. the front ring is a gem. it can be set up in a variety of ways but my favourite is to use it for zooming as it shows the 35mm focal length equivalent. the rear dial is very loose though so watch your aperture/exposure compensation isn't being changed accidentally. the lens is fast and the noise is reasonable up to 800 ISO. i am seriously contemplating getting one, even though i love nikon. build quality is quite good and the rear LCD is very bright and clear.

[makro]

Thanks for your comments, I have had a play with the LX3 and it quite nice. With regards the S90, I have heard that the back dial is loose, will need to have a play before I decide to take the plunge.

[jthommo]

I have an LX3 and am very happy with it - fast, wide lens, shoots RAW, pocketable (just).

[viscountvics]

according to KenRockwell, the s90 is the world's best pocket camera. I was planning to buy s90 too when the time of my world travelling comes

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/s90.htm

[Mr Lensbaby]

I have an LX3 and am very happy with it - fast, wide lens, shoots RAW, pocketable (just).


Im the wrong person to ask I have owned a LX3 for some time now and cant fault it for what it was designed for .It would be the best travel camera I have ever owned so much better then the BIG Canon G11 .If you do go down the LX3 path the viewfinder although very expensive is a great tool

Congrats on this great shot as good as any DSLR pix I have seen here

[makro]

just took a look at Ken rockwell's images and they are superb. he is definitely a fan

[nhutty]

had a play with an s90 and it really is a great P&S.

LX3 is also a great camera, but i guess because the S90 is newer it would be better.

[makro]

dpreview.com has listed their review of the s90 and done a bit of comparison of the lx3 is anyones interested.