Sorry for the title. Actually there is no overall “best camera”, “best laptop” or “best whatever”. It always depends on what you need. If you just need a compact camera to take some pictures of your family trips or your college parties, almost any camera will do the trick for a much lower price.
That said, if you are serious about learning photography you should probably get a DSLR. You can get a Nikon D40 for about $400 or a Canon Rebel XS (aka 1000D) for about $500. I own the older Nikon D50 and I love it. Most of the pictures in this website were taken with that camera. I would only upgrade to the Nikon D700 but the gain isn’t worth $3000 to me.
Then, why am I recommending the LX3? Simple. The only problem I have with my D50 (and any other DSLR for that matter) is the size. It’s not too big for a DSLR, but it’s not a gadget to carry everywhere.
So, if you want a portable camera which allows you to learn photography, the LX3 is for you. I won’t go too technical here, but let’s highlight some of the features
- 10 Megapixels (large enough for screen and print)
- Shoots in RAW
- It has manual exposure and manual focus modes, so you can learn all the basics
- And the automatic modes are really smart
- It’s actually a leica (in fact this one but with the lumix logo and $200 less in the price)
- Very good optics
- Shoots video in HD
If you want more details, read the full review at dpreview.
Some samples:
I added more contrast on this one, but the original was already amazing.
Macro focus works like a charm
Not actually a video, but a time-lapse. It has a hi-speed burst mode where it can take 3-megapixel stills at 6fps
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5595252&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=b1c800&fullscreen=1
Get a drink on Vimeo
Not mine, but shot with a LX3, although it seems to have gone through some good post-production
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2383305&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=b1c800&fullscreen=1
Words Don’t Mean The Same Thing To You… on Vimeo
If you like what you see, you can get the LX3 on Amazon for $567.99
