LX3 Panasonic Low-light test

Remarks were made that the larger, "less crowded" sensor of the LX3 would make it greatly superior to equally tiny cameras with small (1/2.33) sensors, etc. etc.

These shots with the LX3 and TZ5 were side-by-side about 30 minutes before sundown under a solid overcast. Both images were at ISO 400, and the LX3's image was downsized slightly to match the size of the TZ5 (10 mp -vs- 9 mp).

Both images were then reduced to 2400x1800, since anything larger just showed more noise and blur, with no better detail.

It's my impression that the design of the LX3 is largely a failure, since its low-light images, while slightly better than the tiny-sensor cameras, still are so noisy that the Panasonic Venus IV engine turns much of the content to mush.

Note that when you compare these photos, that the LX3's started with 10 mp, so it's my guess that if the TZ5 had 10 mp on its sensor, the differences would be even less than what I see here.