Compact

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 is a compact with a 60.0 × 9.0 mm sensor measuring 60.0 × 9.0 mm and 10 megapixels. Its crop factor is 0.71× — wider than full frame, so a 50 mm lens frames like 36 mm. Every number below is calculated for this exact sensor.

60.0 × 9.0 mm0.71× crop10 MP
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 camera
Photo: UR3IRS at Russian Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.71×
Crop factor
60.0×9.0 mm
Sensor size
540 mm²
Area · 62% of full frame
10 MP
Resolution
16.45 µm
Pixel pitch
f/24.5
Diffraction-limited aperture

Specifications#

Model
Lumix DMC-LX3
Also known as
DMC-LX3
Camera type
Compact
Sensor size
60.0 × 9.0 mm
Crop factor
0.71×
Resolution
10 MP (3,648 × 2,736 px)
Continuous shooting
0.9 fps
Weight
265 g (9.3 oz)
Sensor
1/1.63" CCD
Storage
Secure Digital Card (SD/SDHC)
AF points / area
TTL (9-point AiAF) 1-point AF (fixed to centre)
Metering
Evaluative, Center-Weighted Average, Spot
Flash
Internal
Battery
Panasonic CGA S005e
Dimensions
109 mm × 60 mm × 27 mm (W × H × D)
Lens
5.1–12.8 mm (35mm equivalent: 24–60 mm) f/2.0–f/2.8
Drive
Approx. 0.9 frame/s

Specifications merged from Wikipedia, Wikidata, Lensfun and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.

Sensor size compared#

Medium format 44 × 33 mmFull frame (35 mm)Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3APS-CFour Thirds / Micro Four Thirds1" (one-inch) sensor
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 sensor (highlighted) drawn to scale against common formats. Its area is 62% of a full-frame sensor, which collects about 0.7 stops less total light at the same exposure.

Focal length equivalents & field of view#

Multiply any focal length by 0.71 to get the full-frame field of view. For fixed-lens cameras use the real focal length printed on the lens (e.g. “6.1–18.3 mm”), not the 35 mm equivalent.

Lens on this cameraFull-frame equivalentHorizontalVerticalDiagonal
21 mm15 mm110.0°24.2°110.6°
23 mm16 mm105.0°22.1°105.7°
28 mm20 mm93.9°18.3°94.6°
32 mm23 mm86.3°16.0°86.9°
35 mm25 mm81.2°14.7°81.8°
45 mm32 mm67.4°11.4°68.0°
55 mm39 mm57.2°9.4°57.8°
63 mm45 mm50.9°8.2°51.4°
80 mm57 mm41.1°6.4°41.5°
90 mm64 mm36.9°5.7°37.3°
110 mm78 mm30.5°4.7°30.8°
120 mm86 mm28.1°4.3°28.4°
150 mm107 mm22.6°3.4°22.9°
180 mm128 mm18.9°2.9°19.1°
250 mm178 mm13.7°2.1°13.8°
350 mm250 mm9.8°1.5°9.9°

Depth of field table#

Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 42.1 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor).

FocalAperture50.0 cm1.00 m2.00 m3.00 m5.00 m10.0 mHyperfocal
30 mmf/1.84.0 cm16.4 cm68.2 cm1.60 m5.07 m56.6 m11.9 m
30 mmf/2.86.2 cm25.8 cm1.10 m2.75 m11.3 m∞7.67 m
30 mmf/48.9 cm37.5 cm1.70 m4.82 m68.1 m∞5.38 m
30 mmf/818.1 cm83.5 cm6.44 m∞∞∞2.70 m
61 mmf/1.80.9 cm3.8 cm15.8 cm36.0 cm1.02 m4.22 m49.2 m
61 mmf/2.81.4 cm6.0 cm24.6 cm56.3 cm1.60 m6.98 m31.7 m
61 mmf/42.0 cm8.5 cm35.3 cm81.2 cm2.35 m11.3 m22.2 m
61 mmf/84.0 cm17.1 cm72.4 cm1.72 m5.58 m93.7 m11.1 m
104 mmf/1.80.3 cm1.3 cm5.3 cm12.2 cm34.3 cm1.39 m143 m
104 mmf/2.80.4 cm2.0 cm8.3 cm18.9 cm53.5 cm2.18 m91.9 m
104 mmf/40.6 cm2.8 cm11.8 cm27.1 cm76.6 cm3.15 m64.4 m
104 mmf/81.2 cm5.6 cm23.7 cm54.5 cm1.56 m6.80 m32.2 m
171 mmf/1.80.1 cm0.4 cm1.9 cm4.4 cm12.5 cm50.9 cm386 m
171 mmf/2.80.1 cm0.7 cm2.9 cm6.8 cm19.5 cm79.3 cm248 m
171 mmf/40.2 cm1.0 cm4.2 cm9.8 cm27.8 cm1.13 m174 m
171 mmf/80.4 cm1.9 cm8.4 cm19.6 cm55.8 cm2.29 m87.1 m

Equivalent aperture#

Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.

Aperture on this cameraFull-frame equivalent (depth of field)Hyperfocal at 61 mm
f/1.2f/0.973.8 m
f/1.4f/1.063.2 m
f/1.8f/1.349.2 m
f/2f/1.444.3 m
f/2.8f/2.031.7 m
f/4f/2.922.2 m
f/5.6f/4.015.9 m
f/8f/5.711.1 m

Diffraction & pixel pitch#

With 16.45 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/24.5. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/13.5 and f/25; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.

ApertureAiry disk diameterSpread overAt 100% view
f/2.83.8 µm0.2 pxsharp
f/45.4 µm0.3 pxsharp
f/5.67.5 µm0.5 pxsharp
f/810.7 µm0.7 pxsharp
f/1114.8 µm0.9 pxsharp
f/1621.5 µm1.3 pxsharp
f/2229.5 µm1.8 pxsharp

Maximum print sizes#

At 10 MP the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 produces 3,648 × 2,736 pixel images. See the 10 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.

ResolutionTypical useInchesCentimetres
300 DPIPhoto-lab quality12.2 × 9.1 in31 × 23 cm
240 DPIFine-art inkjet15.2 × 11.4 in39 × 29 cm
200 DPIWall print18.2 × 13.7 in46 × 35 cm
150 DPIPoster, viewed from 1 m+24.3 × 18.2 in62 × 46 cm

Night-sky exposure limits#

Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.

Focal length500 ruleNPF f/1.8NPF f/2.8NPF f/4
20 mm (14 mm eq.)35.1 s27.8 s29.6 s31.7 s
28 mm (20 mm eq.)25.0 s19.9 s21.1 s22.6 s
34 mm (24 mm eq.)20.6 s16.4 s17.4 s18.6 s
49 mm (35 mm eq.)14.3 s11.4 s12.1 s12.9 s
70 mm (50 mm eq.)10.0 s7.9 s8.4 s9.0 s

Open the NPF / 500 rule calculator →

Handheld shutter speed guide#

The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.

Focal lengthNo stabilisation (1/equiv. focal)With 3-stop ISWith 5-stop IBIS
34 mm1/25 s0.3 s1.3 s
70 mm1/50 s1/6 s0.6 s
140 mm1/100 s1/13 s0.3 s
280 mm1/200 s1/25 s1/6 s

Lens#

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 has a built-in, non-interchangeable lens. Use the real focal length of that lens with the tables above; its full-frame equivalent is that number × 0.71.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the crop factor of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3?

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 has a crop factor of 0.71× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 60.7 mm vs 43.3 mm).

What size is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 sensor?

60.0 × 9.0 mm (60.0 × 9.0 mm), an area of 540 mm² — 62% of full frame.

Is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 full frame?

No — its sensor is larger than full frame (medium format).

How many megapixels does the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 have?

10 megapixels (3,648 × 2,736 pixels), enough for a 12 × 9 inch print at 300 DPI.

How long can I expose the night sky with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3?

With a 28 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 21 s.

Sources & licences#

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources