In Part 4 of the shootout, we'll look at the Canon G10 and Leica D-LUX 4 (Panasonic LX3) performance in low light at different ISO settings. Two things should be considered in this comparison:

1. The D-LUX lens is about 2/3 stop faster at any given angle of view, so comparing the two cameras at the same ISO may not reflect the real life situation, where one is likely to need a higher ISO with the G10 than with the D-LUX.
2. DxOmark found an approximate one stop disparity between the measured and reported (manufacturer) ISO at any given setting on the LX3, a disparity that they did not find with the G10. In other words, according to DxOmark, what the LX3 reports as ISO 400 is really ISO 200, 800 is really 400, etc. Click here to see their results. According to those data, we should really be comparing manufacturer ISO 400 LX3 files with manufacturer ISO 200 G10 files (statement edited after correction in comments), and so forth. However, shooting both cameras with manually matched exposure settings (f-number and shutter speed) and the same reported ISO resulted in the same resulting apparent exposure. Thus, assuming that 1) neither manufacturer is misrepresenting the shutter speed and/or aperture setting, and 2) that DxOmark is correct in their sensor analysis, it follows that somewhere in the processing pipeline, the LX3 data is getting pushed to the appropriate exposure index. Therefore, the assumption in the following comparisons is that, for practical purposes, the D-LUX 4 reported ISOs are accurate.

Methods:

• F-stop, shutter speed, and ISO were manually set identically for both cameras.
• The D-LUX 4 was used at approximately 35mm equivalent field of view (according to the in-camera JPEG, which means that the RAW data is slightly wider) and 4:3 aspect ratio to match the field of view of the G10.
• All files were processed in Raw Developer (Iridient Digital) with custom white balance, sharpening disabled, noise reduction disabled, and otherwise default settings.
• A single, sunlight balanced lamp was used to provide lighting.
• G10 files were downsized using Photoshop Bicubic to match the native size of the D-LUX 4 files.

100% crop comparisons are shown below. In each comparison, the G10 crop is on the left and the D-LUX 4 crop on the right.













I'd say the D-LUX 4 has a slightly better showing at high ISO in these comparisons, but there isn't much in it. However, taking into account both the faster lens and the slightly better sensor performance, the D-LUX 4/LX3 gives one about a one stop advantage over the G10 in low light. Bottom line: In typical use, I noticed a higher percentage of low light keepers with the D-LUX 4 than with the G10.

You can download all the RAW files below. There are five zip files:
Leica-1.zip contains ISO 80, 100, and 200 D-LUX 4 files.
Leica-2.zip has ISO 400, 800, and 1600 D-LUX 4 files.
Canon-1.zip has ISO 80 and 100 G10 files.
Canon-2.zip has ISO 200 and 400 G10 files.
Canon-3.zip has ISO 800 and 1600 G10 files.

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My Canon G10 arrived yesterday, and one of the first questions I set out to answer was how it would compare to the Leica D-LUX 4 (Panasonic LX3) at high ISO.  Panasonic, widely praised for stepping out of the megapixel race by keeping the LX3 at 10MP, claims that the benefits of large pixels include greater dynamic range and lower noise at high ISO.  Based on samples at The Imaging Resource and elsewhere, most seem to agree that the LX3 in-camera JPEGs outclass the G10 in-camera JPEGs at high ISO.  However, those who have seen the shootouts on this site know that I am mostly interested in comparing processed RAW files rather than in-camera JPEGs.

In the case of the G10 and LX3, comparisons of processed RAWs are limited by sparse third party support for the RAW files of these two cameras.  In this comparison, I've chosen to use Raw Photo Processor (RPP), which uses a modified version of dcraw.  RPP is good for this comparison in that it does not apply any sharpening besides that which is inherent in the demosaic process, nor does it apply any noise reduction when that option is disabled.  Thus, it's about as close to the RAW data as I can get while presenting a color image comparison for your evaluation.  The downside to RPP is that it does not technically support the D-LUX 4 yet, so the black level and colors needed adjustment.  Overall, I tried to approximate the black level, white level, and color between the two processed files.  The exposure for each photo was the same: f/4, 1/15s.  Both cameras were set ISO 800, a 28mm equivalent angle of view, and 4:3 aspect ratio.  The LX3 angle of view came out slightly wider.  A tripod was used with self timer and image stabilization disabled.  After processing the RAW files, the resulting G10 image was downsized using Photoshop Bicubic to match the LX3 file dimension for crop comparisons.

Pardon the choice of teddy bear test scene, but I was experimenting with a "1 Bear under the lamp" system for comparing dynamic range =).  Here is the overall scene, with the LX3 resized image on the left, and the G10 resized image on the right:



In each of the following 100% crop comparisons, the G10 crop on the right has been downsized to match the output size of the LX3 crop on the left. Differences in color and contrast are due to the RAW processor (and my use thereof) and are not indicative of significant characteristics of these two cameras.













I was surprised to find that there is little difference in either detail or noise between the LX3 and G10 at ISO 800 under these testing conditions. Both files respond very well to subsequent chroma noise removal in Noise Ninja. The RAW files are here in case anyone would like to process them differently:



This is just one preliminary example, but assuming that other examples show the same - that a downsized G10 RAW conversion can match an LX3 RAW conversion at high ISO - then it raises the question as to whether the LX3 is really a better low light camera. The following table shows the minimum f-stop (max relative aperture) at any given focal length and corresponding focal length equivalent for these two cameras:



As you can see, the LX3 has a roughly 2/3 stop speed advantage at any given focal length equivalent. The other thing to consider is which camera has the more effective image stabilization. In comparing the D-LUX 2 (LX1) and G7, I felt that the G7 had the more effective stabilization. The LX3 seems to me to have better stabilization than the LX1, but I don't have a sense yet for how it compares to the G10 in this respect.

Overall, I'd have to say that the LX3 is probably the low light champ, especially with regards to in-camera JPEGs, but the G10 is surprisingly good at high ISO.

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Emil Martinec has shared a technical analysis of the Panasonic LX3 sensor at base ISO. He assessed photosite efficiency, read noise, and dynamic range. A graph depicts the LX3 photosite signal to noise ratio compared to that of the Canon G10. Very interesting article if you enjoy this sort of thing.

Link: DPReview forums - LX3 sensor analysis

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Nikon expert Thom Hogan has posted an interesting comparison of the Canon G10, Panasonic LX3, and Nikon P6000. As usual, Thom has done an excellent job with the testing and analysis.

One correction: Thom says "The 16:9 aspect ratio is a love it or hate it thing. If you don't love it, this is not the camera for you, as you'll be leaving pixels on the floor and the camera suddenly doesn't have enough pixels to do more than smallish output." This is not true. In fact, the camera uses less total pixels in 16:9 than it uses in 3:2 or 4:3 aspect ratios. The reason for this is explained and illustrated here.

Thom's high ISO results and conclusions are interesting and somewhat surprising. I have a G10 on the way and look forward to testing it against the LX3/D-LUX 4.

Link: bythom - The Coolpix, PowerShot, Lumix Challenge

[Thanks Ted J]

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Seattle wedding and portrait photographer Laurence Kim is continuing to publish his ongoing evaluation of the Panasonic LX3. Part 2 focuses on high ISO performance as well as the dynamic black & white setting. Part 3, now online, deals with nature and macro.

 





Photos by Laurence Kim, http://www.laurencekimblog.com 
Part 3 also features a summary impression in addition to a "final surprising conclusion about the Panasonic LX3."

Links:
Laurence Kim - PANASONIC LX3: PART 2
Laurence Kim - PANASONIC LX3: PART 3

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I haven't done any rigorous testing yet with the D-LUX 4, but I thought I'd share some high ISO samples from RAW. I believe the D-LUX 4 RAW files to be identical to LX3 files, so I refer to them interchangeably.

With most compacts, I'd set the flash to auto before handing the camera to my wife Virginia to take this picture:

The most remarkable thing about that photo is that Gini focused on me and my son Oliver. She nearly always manages to focus on the background. The second most remarkable thing is that this was an ISO 800 in-camera JPEG, resized by Flickr with no other processing whatsoever. I think it looks pretty good considering the shutter speed of 1/50s and ISO 800. However, the real key here is the f-stop, f/2.6. At this angle of view (48mm equivalent), most compacts would have been ~f/3.5, requiring ISO 1600 for the same shutter speed. Although image stabilization allows for slower shutter speeds than 1/50s, those of you with small children will understand that keeper rate is often determined by subject motion rather than a handshake blur.

I've processed this image five ways for sake of comparison: 1) In-camera JPEG, no alterations; 2) Silkypix, default settings, + chroma noise reduction (NR) using Noise Ninja (NN); 3) Capture One (C1), default settings; 4) Raw Developer, NR/sharpening disabled + chroma NR using NN; 5) Raw Developer, NR/sharpening disabled + chroma and luminance NR using NN. With each RAW processor, I adjusted colors/curves to taste. Disclaimer: I'm not used to Silkypix. The in-camera JPEG white balance was left on automatic and not subsequently altered.

I find that 50% crops give a rough idea of how things will look in a large print. A comparison of the 50% crops is below. The 100% crops are at the end of this post.



I'm also finding some utility for ISO 1600. Here's a processed RAW at ISO 1600, 60mm equivalent focal length, f/2.8, and 1/60s:



That's more noise reduction than I would usually apply. It's similar to the output of the Fuji F31 at high ISO, though the Fuji would arguably give a better result at ISO 1600. However, here the Fuji would have needed ISO 3200 because of the difference in lens speed.

A wise person in the DPR forums recently said "And if all else fails, convert to black and white and tell everyone that was the 'look' you were going for." With that in mind, here is a black and white conversion of the same photo, with no noise reduction whatsoever:



Here are those 100% crops from the ISO 800 example, beginning with the in-camera JPEG:


Silkypix, default settings, + chroma NR using NN:


Capture One, default settings:


Raw Developer, NR/sharpening disabled + chroma NR using NN:


Raw Developer + chroma and luminance NR using NN:


So far, I prefer the results of Raw Developer with chroma NR only.

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The Panasonic LX3 ships with Silkypix, and the Leica D-LUX 4 ships with Capture One. However, if you want to extract the maximum detail possible from your new camera's RAW files, consider using Raw Therapee (latest beta version has LX3 support) on Windows/Linux or Raw Developer on the Mac. The results may surprise you!

Raw Therapee also includes tools to correct CA and lens distortion. Henry Stahle has shared the following prescription for addressing the LX3 distortion in Raw Therapee: "The barrel distortion requires a -015 setting to correct the 24 mm lens. I just made a 24 mm profile and saved it."

Links:
Raw Therapee
Raw Developer

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1001 Noisy Cameras found an interesting head-to-head comparison of the Nikon P6000 and Panasonic LX3 at Digital Camera Review.

Link: Digital Camera Review via 1001 Noisy Cameras

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If you've been waiting for the lowest price on an LX3 without going the Microsoft/Ebay cashback route, this may be the ticket. J&R has them in stock and is selling for $399.99 with free shipping.

Link: Panasonic LX3 Merchants at Amazon

Update: Sixth Ave has them for $398.54, but I've not dealt with them. I have bought from J&R with good results. Both Sixth Ave and J&R can be accessed via the link above.

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Here's how to get a Panasonic LX3 for ~$330 using Microsoft's Live Cashback deal which gives 30% cash back on "Buy It Now" Ebay purchases:

1. Go to www.live.com.
   
2. Search for "Panasonic LX3".
3. Click on the eBay paid search advertisement marked with the Live Search cashback logo that looks like this:
   
   
   
   
   
4. Search Ebay for a good "Buy It Now" price on an LX3 from a reputable dealer.
5. On the product page, you should still see the 30% offer at the top if the deal is still on. It should look like this (see the green label at the top):
   
   
   
   
   
6. Click on the blue "Buy It Now" button.
7. Before clicking "Commit to Buy", be sure that it explicitly tells you that you will be getting 30% off via Microsoft cashback. For example, you would not want to commit to pay if you get the following message (ineligible due to seller's use of third-party checkout:
   
   




8. Confirm your purchase by clicking "Commit to Buy" and then pay entirely by PayPal (purchase must occur within 60 minutes of your clicking on the eBay paid search advertisement marked with the Live Search cashback logo).
   
9. Check your Ebay messages for further instructions on getting your 30% cashback from Microsoft. They will require you to set up a program account with Microsoft in order to get the cashback. Your Live.com account will show the cashback amount after Ebay notifies them (~2 days later). Cashback will be issued after 60 days so that Microsoft knows they're not issuing cashback on returned purchases.
   

Note that this deal is not limited to the Panasonic LX3. All "Buy It Now" purchases made on Ebay (but not www.express.ebay.com or www.half.ebay.com;) and paid with PayPal are eligible with the exceptions of automobiles (and other vehicles) and real estate. The maximum cashback you can get on a purchase is $200. Additional terms and conditions for the 30% cashback deal can be found here.

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DC Watch (Japan) has published on the Canon G10 their standard initial battery of tests. These include a look at sharpness at different focal lengths and apertures, bokeh, distortion, high ISO performance, and more. It is interesting to compare the G10 tests to the initial DC Watch tests for the Panasonic LX3.

For example, take a look at the ISO 80, f/4 output from these two cameras compared at their wide end. Keep in mind the differences in display size, field of view, degree of sharpening, and lighting:

• Canon G10 ISO 80
• Panasonic LX3 ISO 80

Now take a look at the ISO 400 output from these two cameras:

• Canon G10 ISO 400
• Panasonic LX3 ISO 400

The G10 is the best selling "advanced compact", at least in the United States, but the LX3 is quite an interesting challenger. On the basis of features, the two cameras obviously offer distinct functionality, particularly in terms of zoom coverage but also pixel number/size, lens speed, approach to viewfinder, etc. However, as different as they are, many photographers are still giving serious consideration to both of them. Bruce Buck of 60Hz Productions recently tested both and decided to keep the LX3 (link). Scott Bourne of TWIP also recently picked up an LX3 and decided to send back the G10. I've heard from several people who tested both and decided to keep the G10 or even both cameras! The DC Watch samples provide a useful, objective comparison of the two, particularly for JPEG shooters.


Links:

• Canon Powershot G10 Initial Tests at DC Watch
• Panasonic LX3 Initial Tests at DC Watch

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Seattle portrait and wedding photographer Laurence Kim has published his test drive of the Panasonic LX3. He specifically focuses on the use of off-camera flash at high flash sync speeds with the LX3, and the results are most impressive!

Laurence has kindly agreed to allow me to post a couple of his LX3 photos here.  Be sure to visit his blog (link at end of this post) for additional examples (with details on flash settings) as well as his general impressions of the LX3.

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Bruce Buck of 60Hz Productions has published an informative comparison of the Panasonic LX3 and Canon G10. There are quite a few image samples comparing the performance of the two cameras under similar conditions, and Bruce offers an excellent analysis at the outset.

Link: 60Hz Productions - Canon G10 vs Panasonic LX3

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Two of the major review sites have added full-resolution Panasonic LX3 samples.

Digital Camera Resource has an LX3 "Maui Gallery" containing mainly low ISO images. There is a RAW conversion versus in-camera JPEG comparison at the end, which also includes the RAW file for download.

Imaging Resource has added the LX3 to their excellent Comparometer, which allows comparisons of in-camera JPEGs from different cameras under controlled lab conditions. They have also posted a full set of their usual test images.

Unfortunately the Nikon P6000, Ricoh GX200, and Canon G10 are not yet in the Comparometer.

Links:
DCRP: Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Maui Gallery
Imaging Resource - Comparometer
Imaging Resource - Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Test Images

My take on LX3 vs the competition in the Comparometer:

• Compared at ISO 80, the in-camera G9 JPEGs contain significantly more detail than the in-camera LX3 JPEGs. From samples I've seen to date, I expect that the G10 will likewise be class leading in overall detail capture.
  
• The LX3 high ISO JPEGs in the Comparometer clearly outclass the G9 high ISO images. To my eye, the LX3 also outperforms the Fuji F50fd and Sony W300 at high ISO. Panasonic seems to have arrived at a nice balance between detail preservation and noise removal with Venus IV in this camera.
  

Given that the LX3 also boasts a faster lens than any of its competitors, it will likely stand alone in low light, high ISO performance amongst current model small sensor compacts, at least from the standpoint of a JPEG shooter. I expect that LX3 RAW files will also exhibit greater dynamic range than most competitors, including the G10, but look forward to putting that to test.

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A poster in the DPReview Panasonic forum has shared some nice images comparing the dimensions of the Panasonic LX3 and Canon G10.

Link: DPReview Panasonic Talk Forum - LX3 vs G10 Size Comparison

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DC Watch today published quite a few full-size Panasonic LX3 image samples. I don't speak Japanese, but according to the Google translation it seems that they set out to assess the autofocus tracking and macro capabilities of the LX3. There are some very good examples of what to expect from the LX3 with regards to bokeh and high contrast scenes.

Link: DC Watch - Panasonic LX3 (Part 3)

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The Panasonic LX3 (black) is in stock and selling for $436 with free shipping at Amazon. You can support this site by buying via the link below.

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The silver finish LX3 has been discounted to $400 for pre-orders. Check out 1001 Noisy Cameras for the details on this deal and a round-up of LX3 reviews to date.

8/31/08 Update: The more popular black finish has now been discounted as well. Once again, 1001 Noisy Cameras has the scoop (link).

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At the end of the sample images linked in the previous post on this blog, Popco.net published a series of Panasonic LX3 studio ISO test photos. Here are the direct links:

Panasonic LX3 ISO 80, 1/2s, f/4.5, 5.1mm
Panasonic LX3 ISO 100, 1/3s, f/4.5, 5.1mm
Panasonic LX3 ISO 200, 1/5s, f/4.5, 5.1mm
Panasonic LX3 ISO 400, 1/10s, f/4.5, 5.1mm
Panasonic LX3 ISO 800, 1/20s, f/4.5, 5.1mm
Panasonic LX3 ISO 1600, 1/40s, f/4.5, 5.1mm
Panasonic LX3 ISO 3200, 1/80s, f/4.5, 5.1mm

What do you think? Keep in mind that this camera has an image stabilised 24mm equivalent f/2 lens! We may be looking at the new low light champ amongst compacts.

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Numerous full-resolution Panasonic LX3 sample images have been posted in the Korean forum Popco.net. In addition, there are crop comparisons between the LX3, LX2, and FX38 across a range of ISO values, samples from the LX3 18mm wide adapter, and more.

[Via Junho Shin, DPReview Panasonic Talk]

• Full resolution Panasonic LX3 sample images
• LX3/LX2/FX38 crop comparison from ISO 100-3200
• ISO 80 LX3 sample crops at 24mm equivalent and 18mm equivalent (wide angle converter)
• ISO 1600 LX3 in-camera JPEG vs RAW (multiple different Silkypix conversions)
• Demonstration of LX3 in-camera noise reduction settings (5 levels)
• Additional comparison with LX2

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