Panasonic DMC-LX2S 10.2MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

I've owned the LX2 4 a year & a half now & decided 2 try an LX3 2 see if any of the LX2 shortcomings were remedied.
Long story 2 short,don't bother.
Yes the lens on the LX3 is slightly faster & goes a little wider & yes
the noise has been reduced a bit but in reality you will rarely notice the improvements over the LX2.
Unfortunately none of it makes up 4 the big detraction from the new LX3 which
is the radically shortened Zoom range which I miss a lot.You just can't move in on a subject like you could with the LX2 & therefore must do it with software after you have taken the picture. The camera is also slightly larger than an LX2 & unfortunately Panasonic decided 2 continue with the very annoying lens cap design 4 lens protection.If they are going 2 make us use a lens cap why then would they make us buy a special adapter just 2 add a filter 2 the end of the lens.The lens sticks out anyway so let us screw a filter on it without adding even more length of an extra adapter barrel.
Another annoying carryover is if you decide 2 use the video recording
mode you still cannot zoom the lens while shooting video.And why are video clips limited 2 ten minutes when you use a multi-gigabyte card that could record 4 much longer ?
So I'm not finding the improvements 2 the LX3 & the continued glaring lack of others all that useful in the real world.

I bought this camera, believing what I read in reviews. DO NOT buy this camera if you want 2 take a picture of anything that is moving even slightly. There is a function 4 taking sports images but it doesn't work at all. I try 2 take pictures of my 2 year old nieces & I have 2 delete most of them because they are VERY blurry. I'm a little confused by the rave reviews of this camera. It costs way too much 4 it not 2 be able 2 take a clear picture. Other than that it has a very nice design. i have another less expensive camera that does a much better job.

Do not listen the bad reviews! This a very good camera! Ive taking pictures all around the world, landscapes, portraits, etc!!

Excellent image quality with full functions at this level. Almost perfect except two things:

1. Noise ...
2. The time lag between raw shootings.

however, as long as there's no "perfect" point&shoot camera at this moment, this is 5 star! looking foreard 2 a aps/apc or 4/3 frame PS camera.

Probably the best all round pocket digital. Great 4 professional photo shoot planning.
Great 4 novice photographers looking 4 great memories.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 has an unique 16:9 wide CCD, various functions & smart design. The DMC-LX2 inherits the f2.8 28mm wide angle Leica DC lens, 4x optical zoom equivalent 2 28-112mm on a 35mm film camera & Mega Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) system in addition 2 an enhanced CCD capable of taking images as well a larger 2.8-inch 16:9 wide LCD. The DMC-LX2 incorporates three wide features, a 28mm wide-angle Leica DC lens, 16:9 wide CCD, & 16:9 wide LCD. The Venus Engine III high-performance image-processing LSI dramatically reduce the noise that challenged the predecessor, realizing image recording at maximum ISO 1600 high sensitivity setting at full resolution. The aspect ratio is easily selectable between 16:9 wide, 3:2, & conventional 4:3 with a switch located on top of the lens barrel 2 shoot in the framing aspect that best suits the subjects' composition or image's purpose of use. In addition, the DMC-LX2 is capable of recording wide 16:9 high definition 1280 x 720 motion image at 15 frames per second (fps). ISO Sensitivity - Auto / I.ISO / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 /1600 (High Sensitivity Mode - 3200) Shutter Speed - 1/4 - 1/2000 Auto, 1 - 1/2000 Program AE, 8 - 1/2000 Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, 60 - 1/2000 Manual Self Timer - 10 seconds, 2 seconds Burst Shooting Mode - Standard Full-resolution Image Mode Up 2 5 images at 2 or 1 frames per seconds, Up 2 3 images Fine Mode Built-in Memory - 13MB 2.8 inch Diagonal Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display (207k pixels) Approximately 100% Field of view OSD Language - English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese (Traditional), German, Italian, French Recording Media - SD Memory Card Direct Print PictBridge Power Supply - Lithium-ion Battery Pack (3.7V, 1150 mAh) Battery Life - Up 2 300 pictures (CIPA Standard) Dimensions - Height 2.2 x Width 4.16 x Depth 1.04 inch Weight - Approximately 0.5 ounce