recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro digicams, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot G11 Canon PowerShot G11
92 vs 88
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot G11.

differences

Reasons to consider the Canon G11

Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 169 ISO vs 94 ISO
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The G11 has a slight edge (0.8 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Overall image quality Better image quality 47.0 vs 39.0
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More than 20% better image quality
Color depth Significantly better color depth 20.4 bits vs 19.6 bits
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Distinguishes more than 70% more colors
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
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Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.1 EV vs 10.8 EV
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Almost the same
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Tunnel vs None
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A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Zoom Slightly more zoom 5x vs 2.5x
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4x more zoom
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/2000s
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2x faster max shutter speed
Canon PowerShot G11 Learn more about
the Canon G11

Reasons to consider the Panasonic DMC-LX3

Sensor size Much larger sensor 1/1.7" 8x6mm vs 1/1.7" 7x5mm
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Around 20% larger sensor
Aperture Significantly wider aperture f/2.0 vs f/2.8
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At its widest zoom, the DMC-LX3's lens captures slightly more light (1 f-stop)
Movie format Higher resolution movies 720p @ 24fps vs 480p @ 30fps
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Shoots high resolution HD (720p) video but at a lower frame rate
Wide-angle Better wide-angle 24 mm vs 28 mm
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Around 20% better wide-angle
Size Smaller 109x60x27 mm vs 112x76x48 mm
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Around 2.5x smaller
Screen size Larger screen 3.0" vs 2.8"
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Around 10% larger screen
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
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Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
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Get that real film feel
Weight Lighter 265 g vs 375 g
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More than 40% lighter
Thickness Thinner 1.1" vs 1.9"
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Around 80% thinner
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 2.5 fps vs 1.1 fps
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Around 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
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4x longer exposures
Lowest price Cheaper $365.95 vs $429.00
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The best price we've seen is $63 cheaper (around 20% less)
True resolution Slightly higher resolution 10.1 MP vs 10 MP
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Almost the same
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-LX3
vs

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
G11:1/1.7" 7x5mm
DMC-LX3:1/1.7" 8x6mm
Aperture Wide aperture Help
G11:f/2.8
DMC-LX3:f/2.0
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
G11:461k dots
DMC-LX3:460k dots
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
1 cm
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
G11:11.1 EV
DMC-LX3:10.8 EV
True resolution Capture very high resolution images Help
G11:10 MP
DMC-LX3:10.1 MP
Lowest price Very expensive Help
G11:$429.00
DMC-LX3:$365.95
Weight Heavy Help
G11:375 g
DMC-LX3:265 g

Compared to recent pro digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Fastest shutter speed Very fast max shutter speeds Help
G11:1/4000s
DMC-LX3:1/2000s
Screen type No OLED screens Help
LCD

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$499

Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Wide-angle Has a slightly wider wide-angle lens
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Canon PowerShot S90

Canon PowerShot S90

Pro digicam

$334 - $424

Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Size Is slightly smaller
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Nikon Coolpix P100

Nikon Coolpix P100

Super zoom

$340 - $400

Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Weight Is significantly heavier
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

Travel zoom

$278 - $399

Zoom Has slightly more zoom
Wide-angle Has a slightly wider wide-angle lens
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
True resolution Takes slightly lower resolution photos
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$695 - $700 with 18-55mm lens

Sensor size Has a much larger sensor
Low light performance Is much less noisy at high ISO
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$460 body only

$685 with 14-45mm lens

Sensor size Has a much larger sensor
Low light performance Is much less noisy at high ISO
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Samsung TL500

Samsung TL500

Pro digicam

$399 - $449

Aperture Has a much wider aperture
Wide-angle Has a slightly wider wide-angle lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed

Canon PowerShot G11 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Super zoom

$339 - $400

Zoom Much more zoom
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Supports RAW No RAW support

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3.

appearance

Canon PowerShot G11 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Canon PowerShot G11 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Canon PowerShot G11 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

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discussion

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Which do you think is better?

Showing 1 comments

Avatar for Philip Tieu Philip Tieu (11:51 PM, March 27, 2010)
I ended up ordering a Canon G11 instead of the LX3 anyway because of the swivel LCD and range, but I'm going to miss the size and Lecia glass on the LX3.