After spending a bit of time looking at the DPReview collection of enthusiast compact cameras and almost, almost buying a Nikon P6000 I took the plunge and bought a Panasonic LX3 instead. My first impressions are very favorable. I am delighted with the 24-mm (equivalent) f2.0 lens, which does not seem prone to vignetting or excessive softness in the corners. In ground tests the image stabilization seems quite effective. And the camera processes RAW files at a pretty fast clip. So far, the in-camera jpg processing seems to be doing a very credible job and has me wondering if I need to shoot RAW after all. I have the camera set to shoot both and will spend some time doing comparisons between the two.

The camera is more compact than I had imagined. Not that it matters regarding image quality but the camera has a very solid feel to it. It is just a very satisfying object – pleasant to hold and to use.

My first order of business after the “new toy play period” was to work up an intervalometer for use on the carp pole and with the FC-E9 fisheye lens for QTVR work from the kite. This is my solution for remote interval shooting with the Panasonic LX3. My objective: have the LX3 shoot unattended at 10-second intervals.

The LX3 lacks a wired or infrared remote capability so my approach was to add a “psuedo finger” moved by a model aircraft servo. The timing and servo management are handled by a Gent360 Servo, a tiny circuit that rotates the servo arm through a 45 degree swing every ten seconds. I placed the Gent360 Servo inside a small section of aluminum tube which also offered a place to store the excess servo wiring. The circuit and servo are powered by a 4.8 VDC 2/3 AAA battery pack. Thanks to James for producing such a fabulous collection of KAP accessories and to Brooks for delivering them so conveniently..

The three components are fixed to a small strip of aluminum that is mounted to the LX3 hot shoe and held in place by friction. Works the charm. Total weight for the intervalometer with battery is 2-1/4 oz. (64 grams) with the battery accounting for 1-1/4 oz. (36 grams). I could probably use a smaller battery but I despise running out ofjuice in the field. My first session with this battery was going strong at 425 exposures. The camera and intervalometer combined are 11-1/4 oz. (320 grams) and this weight feels just fine at the end of my carp pole.

I have posted a set on Flickr with examples from my first pole aerial photography session with the Lumix LX3:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kap_cris/sets/72157611921014069/

As soon as my extension tube for the LX3 arrives from Hong Kong (the only place i could find it) I will get the Nikon FC-E9 rigged up and report back on that too.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 11:41 pm and is filed under KAP equipment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.