<p>The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3, or LX3, is a high-end compact "point and shoot" camera launched by Panasonic in late 2008 to succeed the LX2.
The camera was well received by photographers and is often said to be the best camera of its type.
The LX3 has:.
Similar high-end compact cameras are the LX3's sister camera, the Leica D-Lux 4, the Canon PowerShot S90, and the Samsung TL500/EX1.
The Leica D-Lux 4 is very similar to the LX3, sharing most of the design and the mechanical components. The main difference is the more pronounced grip on the LX3, the firmware which processes the JPG files in warmer hues on the D-Lux4 and the fact that D-Lux4 comes bundled with Capture One image processing software.
Panasonic has continued to improve the firmware. The v. 2.1 firmware claims improved performance, a 20% improvement in autofocus speed, and new features such as a 1:1 aspect ratio and focus resume.
On July 30, 2010, Panasonic released another firmware update for the LX3. The stated reason behind the update is 'Optimization of software processing', with an additional comment stating 'Change in software version has no effect on camera performance'. 
Panasonic launched the successor to the LX3,</p>