Great camera that takes superb pictures
924667
Great camera that takes superb pictures. There's a load of functionality in this basic model, but its more than enough for my needs. It is so light and it fits easily in your hand. There is no WiFi or geo-tagging available on the RX100 first edition. The manual is quite extensive and Is only available via digital download. My only complaint is that Sony should have included the $14 hand grip as part of the camera. Since the camera is small and the lens is large, there is limited space to hold on to the camera. The grip should have been integrated into the body.
1683582
It has been awhile since I received this camera (almost 8 months). It has exceeded my expectations where versatility is concerned plus good quality photos. This camera has more features than some of thos big clumsy professional looking ones. I have been through all types of cameras starting with the old Box camera to 35 mm, to thrrough the lens cameras and a few digital ones. This one has most of the features anyone would want and more. It is compact and easy to carry and is ready for usein an instant. One amazing feature is making videos in High Definition 1080p
2162159
It's very easy to understand, takes amazing photos, there's never any blurry pictures, and it's a good price.  I'm not easily satisfied, but I looooove this camera.
2389255
I was looking for a new camera to replace my Sony Cybershot. I needed a camera that was better than the Sony, but still compact enough to fit in my purse.

After thorough research and testing cameras at Best Buy, I settled on this camera and feel I made the best choice with this Canon. This camera takes excellent photos; the zoom is phenomenal. I was at the San Francisco Giants Parade and wasn't close at all, but I was still able to get photos of players riding on trolley cars.

Overall, I would recommened this camera to those who are not ready to take the leap into the pricer cameras, but need a good camera to take everyday photos.
3866656
I got this camera in Nov 2006. It has been notning but a pleasure to use. Great pictures over and over. Blazing fps burst speeds, sharp pictures, amazing features, quick access buttons for all the things you need quickly, amazing metering and AF performance, solid feel. This is a pro camera.

I have heard/read of many pros who are putting down their D2X and their 5Ds and using this one exclusively for the simple reason this one takes great pictures and weighs half as much. Costs less than half too.

Sure the Canon 5D will give sharper detail in 48 inch prints. So, how many of those are you printing up these days? Me? Zero.

Some advice:

Don't buy it with the kit lens unless there is no other way to get started due to cost. The better way is to buy the body alone and get the lenses you want/need. Don't skimp on lenses. Nikon lenses work best on Nikon cameras just like Canon lenses work best on Canon bodies. Get the gold ring Nikon lenses if you can afford them. The Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 IF ED DX is a great all around lens to start.

Get a large (2GB or more) fast (like a SanDisk Extreme III) CF card for this camera.

Get an extra battery. Nikon is a good company but they are telling a fairy tale about getting 1800 shots out of a single charge. Reality is more like 300 - 400. So get an extra battery.

This camera is amazing; it's quality and performance cannot be overstated. If there were six star ratings I would give it that.

Paul

Hendersonville, TN
2327568
I`m not a professional photographer but this camera takes some very good pictures, don`t let the size fool you. I recently took this camera on a trip to Italy and took it everywhere I went without being bothered by the weight of the camera and got some awesome pictures on the trip, I would highly recommend getting this camera. You can also use old manual lenses from Minolta, Olympus, Nikon e.t.c. with the fairly inexpensive adapters available so you can have some excellent  quality manual lenses for a fraction of the price. I love it and would recommend it to family and friends.
4131236
I'm a camera dummy but I get really great pictures with this camera.  One of my friends thought I had an expensive SLR camera when he saw some of my pictures and looked really puzzled over how I got such such great pictures when I told him it was "just" a Panasonic, not a Nikon.

I've had this camera for around a year and use it almost every day.  It's a workhorse and it's been flawless.  Be sure to get a 1 gig high speed SD memory card to go with it.  Also, get a tripod for those zoom shots.
1426504
I've had this camera for nearly a year now.  I have taken thousands of pictures in all types of settings, including difficult ones like indoors at a concert.  I have been able to get beautiful, well-focused pictures in all settings and have received many compliments on the photos I took.  Low light pictures are excellent, start up is very quick, and the battery life is outstanding.  I can take photos all day long on the same set of rechargeable batteries. I use regular, rechargeable batteries, not the expensive rechargeable ones, and they work just fine.  I usually leave it on the kids and pets settings, which seems to get the best pictures of objects in motion.  I also like the fact that I can zoom while recording video.  You will not be sorry with this camera.
1776900
I can't say enough good things about this camera. I am an enthusiast user who has owned a number of digital cameras. The menu may be a little confusing at first , but you just have to get used to it. I would recommend this camera to anyone. Takes awesome pictures.
4925300
I am very pleased with the camera.  The shots come out clear and the telephoto is nice.  Ease of use is great.  I don't want to have to stop and figure each shot, just want to point, shoot and get a good picture.  This one does that nicely.
4236906
We purchased this camera for Christmas for our son who has shown some interest in photography.  We didn't want to go full blown DLSR, but we wanted to something a bit beyond a traditional point and shoot.  He has already taken some stellar wildlife photos along with a couple great shots of the family dog.  The optical zoom is unbelievable.  The camera isn't going to fit in your pocket like a digital elf, but that isn't what it was designed for.  On the other hand, it is perhaps only a third of the size of a DLSR, so it has a fair amount of portability.  The 3 inch screen is great for reviewing shots on the camera.  You can see the screen quite well in bright light.
The camera has a ton of features that will allow him to experiment with more advanced photo techniques as he grows into them, yet it is taking brilliant pictures right out of the box.  We couldn't be happier.
2278650
Got this camera over the holidays, and I have to say that everything good that has been said about it is true. Powerful zoom, powerful image stabilization that goes along with it and allows you to easily snap 30x shots freehand (albeit more blurry than wide angle shots but that's inevitable), fully auto and fully manual exposure, focus, and aperture, loads and loads and loads of features that you'd normally expect on a DSLR. Image quality is great (there is some very fine grain, however, but it has that "actual photo" feel to it rather than the square JPEG-y stuff or color noise common with digital cams), and with all the features you can get great shots in any situation. I've been able to resolve individual cells on flower petals in super macro, take super-zoom shots of details you'd need a telescope to see, and take nighttime photos that look like daylight. In short, you can definitely push the limits with this camera.

Of course, everything comes at a cost, and here the main cost is speed (and battery life, but more on that later). It's certainly not the best camera for capturing extremely spontaneous/unexpected moments, but 98% of the time this has not been an issue for me. Actually my camera does something odd and I don't know if this is a common problem, but it gets progressively slower the more full the card is (reaching downright unbearable levels on a full card). I don't know why this happens, or if it can be fixed with a faster card. Frequent image dumping to the computer keeps this issue to a minimum for me. Anyhow, on an empty card I find the camera's speed perfectly acceptable. Keep in mind you can press the shutter button to get right back to shooting after taking a pic.

As for layout design, it works pretty well for the most part. I love the quick access to options by using the slider wheel. The one thing I have a gripe with is that you cannot access focus modes directly but have to cycle through them. This wouldn't be so bad were it not for the fact that every time you pass "super macro" you have to wait for the lens to reach its preset zoom level, and then wait again for it to go back to the previous zoom once you leave that mode. This can make going from macro all the way back to auto a bit of a pain. I am very puzzled as to why the focus wasn't placed as one on the scroll wheel options.

Now as for the batteries. Yeah, it's a fairly big camera with serious features; don't expect it to run on mist. I'm very confused about people's comments bashing the choice of AA batteries versus bulit-in, however. Lithium ion isn't gonna get you that much farther per charge than NiMH will, but if you are out somewhere where there is no electricity and you run out of juice in that one battery, you are *DONE*. On the other hand, you can carry an arbitrarily large arsenal of AA batteries with you, reload, and keep shooting. If you're into the whole hiking and nature photography thing, you most definitely do not want an irreplaceable battery. I also didn't notice it chewing through a set THAT quickly; I guess it depends on flash use, which I almost never do.

If you're a shutterbug who just wants a camera that you can whip out and snap shots and put away, which works with no fussing or any effort to understand its functioning, this camera is probably not for you. If, on the other hand, you are serious about taking good pictures but don't want a serious price tag, this is definitely the best or one of the best cameras for you. If you are the type who can handle technology with a few small quirks rather than flipping out at them, if you don't mind taking the time to understand how everything works, this camera will be a formidable tool in your hands.
3116667
The E-PL5 takes truly excellent photos and has all the features you might find in a dSLR. It doesn't have as large of a sensor, true enough, but it is nonetheless quite capable. Also, the 8fps burst rate for photos is super helpful. The extras that came with it for no extra cost are a nice bonus.
1414454
Love my camera! ....takes fabulous pictures!
2088387
This camera took wonderful photos. The 12x with "steady Shot" is ready good. But, I will be passing it down or selling when the H5 is released.
4750561
This is an excellent camera. Takes great photos and has all the horns and whistles for which you could wish.  Including the ability to send your photos from the camera directly to your Iphone, I pad, or computer.
I purchased it when it first came out because I was leaving for a trip, so I paid a premium.  My suggestion would be to wait a few months and let the price drop a bit.  And don't forget to buy an extra battery and wall charger.  However, the battery life is very good.
1504085
I was looking for a high quality compact camera to take on motorcycle trips and use as a walk-around camera for shooting landscapes, street scenes and nature shots.  After doing extensive research, my short list contained the LX3, the G11 and the S90.

While the Canons are good cameras, I went with the LX3 mainly due to the incredible images this fine machine produces.  It has a magnificent, wide and fast lens that allows indoor and low-light shooting without flash.  Build quality is superb, this is a very solid camera that has a real retro look and feel.  While it can be used as a high quality p&s, it also has tremendous manual capabilities.  This is a camera you can grow with, a camera that will enhance your skills as a photographer, a camera that is a keeper.

The LX3 is not quite jeans pocketable due to its wonderful lens, but it slips easily into a jacket pocket or the pocket of cargo shorts.  Having grown up on 35mm SLRs, I have no problem with the lens cap.  It also has a very bright and clear screen, which is a pleasure to compose shots with, even in sunlight.

For those waivering on the LX3 due to its small zoom range, I have not found this to be a problem.  Either walk closer to your subject (always a good idea) or reduce the megapixel size and you then have 4.5 X optical zoom to work with.

I highly recommend this amazing camera - it is in a class by itself.

Update (4/13/11):  I recently purchased a Nikon D3100, an excellent starter DSLR.  I have been taking images of identical scenes with both the LX3 and the Nikon.  My  results indicate that (to my eyes) image quality is almost identical.  This reinforces how superb a camera the LX3 is.  Of course, the Nikon has advantages over the LX3, two that I noticed immediately:  1. the Nikon's viewfinder makes composition much easier, and 2. the Nikon easily produces incredibly shallow depth of field with creamy bokeh, which makes taking artistic pictures a snap.  My friends who have viewed my Nikon images tell me they are better, more creative and more artistic than with the LX3, which may be the case, but I still love my LX3 and plan to keep using it.