DMC-LX3 accessory lenses, view finders and cases...

[R R Kirsteins]

Hi,
Just ordered a DMC-LX3 and 16 GB Panasonic class 6 SDHC card.

1) How does the lens cover up when not shooting? I don't see mention of a lens cap anywhere? Want a case but have read the reviews on the fancy leather case making the camera un-usable till top half is removed and kept elsewhere. Anyone try it? I'm more inclined to want a simple small protective case that will hold a memory card and battery too............plus xtra stuff if I get it.

2) $189 DMW-TW46 Wide conversion lens? Anyone got one? Is it worth anything for the carry space it takes? Filters? Does it work in all 3 aspect ratios?

3) $24 DMW-LA4 Conversion adaptor. Looks like a lens shade ending in a 46mm filter thread. Does it viginette at all?

I'll wait to buy my case until I see what stuff I want to haul around with the camera....................Raymond

[Beowulff]

You might like to check out Jeff's review of the LX3 by clicking HERE (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_lx3-review/index.shtml).

Yes, it does come with a lens cap as standard.

No, the conversion adapter itself won't cause any vignetting, but if you were to stack too many filters on it (for example) that could happen.

Lowepro make an excellent range of pouches for these sorts of cameras... check out Google.

Personally, I wouldn't be buying the WA lens as its native 24mm is more than enough (in my opinion anyway!). Plus I think for an extra 6mm, it's way overpriced at around $220 including the necessary converter — that's around half the price of the camera itself!

In fact, with a max zoom of only 60mm, I'd be far more inclined to buy a third-party tele converter lens (if such an animal is available).

Cheers :)

[R R Kirsteins]

Thank you.

Dave's review is great too. Can't wait to try out the selective area focus and the little magnifying window too.

OK as I understand it now. There is a lens cap on a cord.

The conversion adapter attaches (how?) to the camera. It has a 46mm filter thread on end. You can attach either filters or the wide conversion lens to the 46mm thread. Gee, I'm wondering how big this 3 piece set up sticks out in front of the camera?????

Raymond

[Beowulff]

Can't wait to try out the selective area focus and the little magnifying window too.

The conversion adapter attaches (how?) to the camera.

Gee, I'm wondering how big this 3 piece set up sticks out in front of the camera?????

Personally, I wouldn't waste $180 on the optical viewfinder as it's locked at 24mm, which means it's not coupled with the zoom lens, and you're gonna get fairly serious framing errors because of this, particularly at 60mm. It also won't work properly if you're using the 18mm WA conversion lens.

I'm guessing that you unscrew the knurled dress ring you can see around the lens barrel, and then simply screw the adaptor on in its place.

With the WA lens and its adaptor attached to the LX3, you've really lost the advantage of having a nice compact camera for easily carrying around in a large pocket or purse etc. You may as well just buy a different camera/lens setup that's of similar proportions, but without the "hassle" of changing lenses/adaptors in the field.

Incidentally, is there any specific reason you're looking for more than a 24mm wide angle? I ask simply because you're gonna have increased issues with barrel distortion with an add-on 18mm lens. 24mm should be more than enough for architectural, panoramic outdoors, and people group shots.

Cheers :)

[ayhcheung]

Just to give a different perspective from Beowulff's:

I agree that Panasonic's own optical viewfinder is ludicrously overpriced - the Voigtlander 25mm viewfinder is (at least where I live) half the price (but, like the Panasonic, isn't coupled with the zoom lens). Since I use the LX3 almost exclusively at 24mm, this isn't a problem for me. (I should add that I've had problems with the bright-frame mask shifting inside the viewfinder; nothing that a few minutes with a Phillips-head screwdriver didn't cure.)

I can confirm that you unscrew the dress ring around the lens barrel and screw the adapter on; it is (as one would expect) only slightly longer than the lens itself when it is fully extended (at 24 mm).

What I personally like about using the adapter is that it allows a solid two-handed grip of the camera; I'm not comfortable with holding the camera in just one hand (and would be even more jittery about doing so with a Leica D-Lux 4, which has no built-in hand grip at all). In my experience the neck strap (rather than the hand strap of the LX1/LX2) doesn't inspire confidence in a one-handed grip...

Bags - I use a Kata Macro KS, which has room (just barely) for:
-The LX3 (with Voigtlander 25mm finder, lens adapter, a UV filter and 46mm lens cap);
-A spare SDHC memory card (in one side pocket);
-A Sandisk SDHC card reader (in the other side pocket);
-Spare battery (in the back pocket); and
-An extra 46mm filter (also in the back pocket).

[knobys]

Is there any chance of a teleconverter lense ever being available for the lx3?

[Beowulff]

Is there any chance of a teleconverter lense ever being available for the lx3?

Extremely unlikely, unless it was third-party (and at a HUGE price). Panasonic will/would never do it.

With a teleconverter, the max zoom you're gonna get is about 105mm, which wouldn't justify either its consumer cost, or its manufacture. The supply-and-demand factor simply wouldn't work for the manufacturer, considering that 90% of your existing point 'n' shooters already cover up to around 105mm at the almost-industry-standard 3x zoom.

If you need more than 60mm tele, then you wouldn't be in the market for the LX3, which sells itself on a top quality WA of 24mm.

Cheers :)

[R R Kirsteins]

Got my LX3 and love it. Bought it entirely on specifications and love it's performance so far in low light situations but am finding it's kind of small in my large hands. Using the wrist strap is OK but it's still hard to hold securely one handed. Tried the OP/Tech wrist grip and still have not adjusted the position right to easily find the buttons when "gripped". Got the 3" rubber grip to screw in the tripod mount and I like it but it's still takes two hands. I'm going to violate my warranty (probably) and attach e-grips tape pads on the back where my thumb rests in the top right corner and on the front right side from mid to bottom where my finger tips rest using a drop of super glue in addition to the regular adhesive. This is made of the same stuff as those dashboard pads that securely hold your phone on the dash. Thinking about that leather case too.......With top removed for shooting, leather sides would give more grip area......Dont'cha think?

My real question concerns my existing Olympus 4/3's DSLR external flash units. Can I use my Olympus FL36 and FL50 flashes on the Panasonic LX3? Saw a write up on the new Panasonic FL22 flash for the LX3 also working (with TTL) on Olympus DSLR's.

Raymond

[ayhcheung]

My real question concerns my existing Olympus 4/3's DSLR external flash units. Can I use my Olympus FL36 and FL50 flashes on the Panasonic LX3? Saw a write up on the new Panasonic FL22 flash for the LX3 also working (with TTL) on Olympus DSLR's.

Consensus elsewhere (I don't have any Panasonic/Olympus external flashgun so I can't confirm this myself) is that the Olympus FL36 and FL50 are identical to the Panasonic FL360 and FL500 respectively, so both of them should work.

Hope this helps.

[R R Kirsteins]

Tried it out last night since pin position looks the same. Both the Olympus FL 50 and the FL 36 flash units work in full TTL mode on the Panosonic DMC-LX3 when mounted on the camera's flash shoe............Raymond

[Cyberwlf]

I do find LX3's lack of tele zoom range can seem like a real limit at times, but all its other benefits help you forget about it more often than not, especially the ability to go as WA as it allows. I am yet to get converter+UV Filter, but tempted to do so myself. Wouldnt waste money on Pana's viewfinder, and their WA conversion as mention only bulks the camera up un-necessarily.

[R R Kirsteins]

If you really want a telephoto "add-on lens" option for the DMC-LX3. Try getting the correct step up filter rings and use your Olympus T-CON 14 as an add on lens. According to what they are selling on eBay it should work............Raymond

[Cyberwlf]

Interesting idea, might give that a shot even if just for the sake of seeing what happens. First have to get the appropriate adapter!

[noah]

Just got the LX3, looking for the DMW LA4 lens adapter and wondering if the stock lens cap will fit on a standard 46mm filter --

also wondering what the consensus is on a protective filter, either Panasonic's or a UV.

Thanks!

[ayhcheung]

Just got the LX3, looking for the DMW LA4 lens adapter and wondering if the stock lens cap will fit on a standard 46mm filter --

The stock lens cap doesn't fit (it's 45mm rather than 46mm).

[R R Kirsteins]

Love this camera!

Going to try the firmware update shortly. Anybody else tried it yet? Did it go smoothly?

Raymond

[Cyberwlf]

Firmware updates have been mostly fine for me, i have noticed some memory card errors occurring, but im not sure if thats just user error to blame, but i dont recall it happening before the updates, beyond that ive been happy with the updates.

[R R Kirsteins]

I'm interested in the focusing improvements the update offers. This is my first camera with a SDHC card so I bought the Panasonic #6 level 16GB card for $79 from B&H and have had no problems yet. I'm still learning the camera though........

Hopefully I'll install the camera software on my computer soon and I'll try the firmware upgrade. Done it twice on my Olympus DSLR's so I'm betting it will go as easy. I'm worried because now I'm running 64 bit Vista and some programs / software just wont install. I've got my fingers crossed that Panasonics will. I did my Olympus DSLR firmware upgrades in XP.

Raymond

[R R Kirsteins]

Just curious..........

I'm a digital photographer from 1998 on and when I first started I worked on both an iMac and a HP windows computer. When the memory card / camera connected to the iMac, the macintosh OS would write and leave file and formating info on the card. When viewed in windows explorer there were non jpg files on the card as well as pictures. I learned to format, not just erase the pictures from my Smart Media cards to prevent file corruption. Since then I download all photos from my memory cards and format them before use

Two years ago I went to a seminar where the speaker implied that people who saved pictures for display in camera on thier memory cards were at risk for corrupted data on their memory cards. You know the commecial here in the USA about the conflict in choosing which pictures to delete from your memory card in camera to make room for new ones? He's saying you should not keep photos on your memory card. Download the entire contents of your card to the computer and the format the card to create a totally clean card for new photos. I guess his kid had a giant memory card and never downloaded any pictures just kept organizing them in the camera and deleting bad ones for years till the memory card crashed and she lost a couple years of priceless photos.

Since you mention card error problems are you cleaning off your card and formatting it everytime in the camera?

Raymond

[Beowulff]

In my opinion, this is a no-no.....

Since you mention card error problems are you cleaning off your card and formatting it every time in the camera?Flash memory does actually "wear out" — contrary to what a lot of people assume. With being overwritten so many times, data blocks can become corrupted — although I'm guessing that SD cards and the like would invoke "wear-levelling" techniques to hopefully avoid this.

Although claims are made that card writing cycles of 100,000x are possible, I personally wouldn't reformat every time I finished a day's shooting. Too risky for the sake of a couple of minute's worth of PC downloading IMHO.

Cheers :)

[R R Kirsteins]

So just erasing the data is safer than formating every time?

[rschofield]

So just erasing the data is safer than formating every time?

Raymond,

There are actually two different things being discussed here -- whether to format often/everytime and whether to leave/put photos on a memory card for in-camera display.

As to the former, you will find differing points of view in this and other forums. I happen to subscribe to the view that formatting is always the way to go. After most every shoot I upload my photos to my computer, verify that the upload completed successfully, and make backups on two external harddrives. Then I format my SD card in-camera.

I take this approach because of my knowledge of computer file system structure. You may be familiar with the need to periodically run a defragmenter on your computer system. The reason that this is necessary is because files written to the harddisk become fragmented (split into multiple pieces) when there is not enough contiguous space to hold them. This fragmentation gets worse and worse over time.

Deleting files does not eliminate this fragmentation but formatting does. (The Cleanup menu item is the camera-equivalent to the defragment program on your computer but I don't recommend using it.)

Beowulff is absolutely correct in saying that

Flash memory does actually "wear out"

But he and I take differing approaches in addressing the format vs. delete debate.

As to the latter point, the FAT file system used on SD/SDHC cards is not exactly the same as that used in computer systems. That is why it is not good practice to format these cards in a computer -- they should be formatted in the camera. (Panasonic does provide a formatting program for use in a computer but I would only use it to recover a card so messed up that the camera would not recognize it.)

Plus the internal format of the files written on the card by the camera is, to most camera systems, very specific to that manufacturer. So copying a photo from a computer to the card is no guarantee that the photo will be displayable. And even rotating a photo with computer-based software can make the image unviewable (though perfectly useable on the computer).

Just my 2¢.

[R R Kirsteins]

I'll still save to PC w/reg back up. Then re-insert card in camera and format it. Worked for me on olympus digitals since 1998 and I still do it on CF cards in the big olympus DSLR's I have today.

I'm interested why you say you'd only do it if the card was corrupted or un-readable?

Raymond

[jki]

Today I received the Pandabase lens adapter purchased from an eBay seller. Unlike the Panasonic adapter (virtually unavailable in the US), the Pandabase adapter has 52mm threads, making it compatible with a much wider selection of filters and add on lens accessories. The quality is absolutely top shelf and I am sure is as good as Panasonic's adapter. It is also cheaper, available, and comes with a lock-in 52mm lens cap.
The most impressive thing about these adapters is that they completely transform the handling of the camera. As a previous poster stated, it facilitates a much more stable two hand hold. I like the feel of this combination so much that this will be the primary configuration for my LX3. Somebody else said that you might as well get a different camera, but I disagree: even with the adapter, the overall camera is still tiny. Far from pocketable, yes, but still extremely small and lightweight, and having a high quality filter and lens tube completely protecting the camera's lens is comforting in environments where salt water spray or dirt may be a problem otherwise.
I also carry in my small camera bag a Tamrac 5691 camera pouch for when I want to travel extremely light. It fits the LX3 perfectly and snugly (w/o lens adapter, of course), and has room for both attached neck strap, and a second zippered compartment for spare battery, microfiber cloth, and spare SD card. Perfect! I was using this until I received the lens adapter today; the improvement in camera handling is so substantial that I plan to keep it on the camera most of the time.