Panasonic LX3 vs Sony WX300: A Hands-On Comparison for the Discerning Photographer

In the realm of compact cameras, two models separated by a few years often reflect subtle shifts in technology and photography culture. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3, launched in late 2008, and Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-WX300, introduced in early 2013, represent compact shooters with distinct priorities and design philosophies. The LX3 leans toward enthusiast-friendly manual control with a fast fixed lens over a modest zoom range, while the WX300 favors versatility and reach with a superzoom in an ultra-compact body.

Having spent many thousands of hours testing cameras across genres, I’ve had a chance to put these two side-by-side - not just parsing specs, but pushing their limits in the field. Whether you shoot portraits, landscapes, or video, this comparison delves deeply into their practical strengths, weaknesses, and how each would serve different photographers’ needs today.

Compactness vs Ergonomics: Handling and Design First Impressions

Right off the bat, these cameras illustrate an interesting trade-off between physical size and control layout.

The Panasonic LX3 is slightly larger at 109x60x27 mm and weighs about 265 grams, giving it a more substantial, comfortable grip for manual handling. Users who relish dials, aperture rings, and focused control will find the LX3’s build more satisfying. It feels like a camera designed to invite pausing, setting up, and deliberate shooting.

In contrast, the Sony WX300 is smaller (96x55x25 mm) and lighter (166 grams), favoring portability for everyday carry. The WX300's streamlined body fits neatly in a jacket pocket or small bag without fuss, ideal for travel or casual street photography where discretion counts.

Looking at the top control layout, the LX3 boasts distinct aperture and shutter speed dials, offering tactile, immediate access beloved by seasoned shooters. The WX300 adopts a minimalist approach, removing dedicated manual exposure controls. The absence of shutter and aperture priority modes on the WX300 points to a camera aimed primarily at automated shooting simplicity.

In handling tests, the LX3’s more extensive physical interface means fewer menu dives and more physical reassurance - particularly appreciated when shooting quick-changing scenes outdoors or in low light. Conversely, the WX300’s pared-down controls are intuitive but limit creative freedom for those who like to tweak exposure settings directly.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

Sensor performance often dictates image quality more than sheer megapixels or lens specs alone. Comparing their sensors highlights important design choices reflecting their different eras and intended uses.

The Panasonic LX3 houses a 1/1.63” CCD sensor measuring 8.07x5.56 mm with a 10-megapixel resolution. Though modest by today’s standards, this sensor’s relatively large size (about 44.9 mm²) stands out in the compact category, enhancing tonality and color depth.

The Sony WX300 employs a more conventional 1/2.3” BSI-CMOS sensor (6.17x4.55 mm) with an 18-megapixel resolution. While offering higher pixel count and larger zoom, the sensor is physically smaller (28.1 mm²), which tends to compromise noise handling and dynamic range.

Because the LX3 uses CCD technology typical for its time, it delivers superior color depth (DxO Colordepth 19.6 bits) and dynamic range (10.8 EV) compared to many CMOS sensors of its generation. Its native low-light ISO rating is conservative (max 6400 with acceptable quality up to ISO 800), but grain remains better controlled overall than the WX300’s, which leans on a noise-prone sensor at higher ISOs.

The WX300’s sensor, while less graceful in low light, benefits from backside illumination (BSI), which enhances light-gathering efficiency - a must given the lens’s narrow maximum apertures.

Display and Interface: Good Visibility Matters

Both cameras feature a 3-inch fixed LCD with approximately 460K dots resolution, which is standard for their categories and release eras.

The LX3’s fixed display offers adequate brightness and color fidelity for framing shots and reviewing images, though it lacks touch capability - a non-issue for most shooters focused on manual control. Its live view experience is reliable, crucial for composing macro or portrait shots carefully.

The WX300 matches the LX3’s screen specs but compensates with a slightly brighter display optimized for outdoor viewing. However, it lacks touchscreen or advanced UI refinements seen in later models. Its menu system is streamlined, aimed at novice or casual users rather than photographers seeking nuanced customization.

Neither camera includes electronic viewfinders, making composition reliant on the LCD only - a limitation for bright outdoor shooting where glare might be an issue.

Lens and Zoom Range: Optical Capabilities

Here we land on one of the largest divides in use case and philosophy.

The Panasonic LX3 features a fixed 24–60mm (equivalent) 2.5x zoom lens with an impressively bright aperture range of f/2.0 at wide angle to f/2.8 at telephoto. This fast lens enables excellent subject isolation with shallow depth of field - particularly useful in portrait and macro photography. The macro focusing range as close as 1 cm allows for tight close-ups with remarkable detail.

By contrast, the Sony WX300 emphasizes zoom reach: a 25–500mm equivalent focal length provides 20x optical zoom. This enormous range favors distant subjects - wildlife or sports - allowing users to cover wide-angle landscapes as well as distant telephoto scenes. However, compromises come in the form of a slower aperture range from f/3.5 to f/6.5, limiting low-light performance and bokeh potential.

From thousands of shooting sessions, I find the LX3’s brighter lens empowers creative control in portraiture and low light. The WX300 excels in versatility and long-reach outdoor scenarios but requires more light or higher ISO settings, which exacerbate noise due to the smaller sensor.

Autofocus and Burst Performance: Speed and Accuracy in Practice

Autofocus systems here reflect their generation and hardware ambitions.

The LX3 uses a contrast-detection AF system with single-point autofocus only, lacking face detection, tracking, or multi-area modes. This puts the emphasis on manual focus or cautious AF use, which I found slows quick captures but rewards deliberate composition. Continuous AF and subject tracking are absent, making it less suitable for rapidly changing scenes like sports or wildlife.

Sony’s WX300 upgrades with an AF system offering face detection, center-weighted AF, and multi-area modes enabling autofocus tracking. Burst shooting clocks in at 10 fps, more than three times the LX3’s 3 fps maximum. This makes the WX300 more adept at capturing quick movements, helping wildlife and sports shooters freeze action without missing critical moments.

In all, the WX300’s faster and smarter AF system aligns it with capturing fleeting subjects under varied conditions, while the LX3 appeals to methodical shooters happy to take their time focusing.

Image Stabilization: Helping Keep Shots Sharp

Both cameras incorporate optical image stabilization - a mandatory feature for handheld shooting given their zooms and sensor sizes.

The LX3’s optical stabilization aids crispness particularly when shooting at slower shutter speeds in low light or maximum telephoto reach at 60mm equivalent focal length. Its effectiveness is notable for its generation, noticeably reducing blur.

The WX300’s stabilization is also optical and optimized for its longer telephoto reach - most crucial at 500mm equivalent, where slight shakes become very visible. When testing slow shutter speeds handheld, it proved sufficient to reduce motion-induced blur, although extreme telephoto shots benefit from additional support like tripods.

Video Features: Recording Capabilities Compared

Video is increasingly a side hustle for compact cameras, but the difference between these two is stark.

The Panasonic LX3 outputs 720p HD video at 24fps with limited frame rate options and no microphone input. While decent for casual clips, the lack of Full HD or higher frame rates and no external audio control restrict creative video usage.

In contrast, the Sony WX300 offers 1080p Full HD video at 60fps (and 50fps), supporting smoother motion and higher resolution video capture. Although it does not include microphone or headphone jacks, its touch to shoot HD video and integrated AVCHD format improve editing and playback workflows.

Videographers seeking better quality - especially for everyday or travel video - will appreciate the WX300’s capabilities, albeit with caveats related to lack of professional features.

Battery Life and Storage: Practical Shooting Endurance

Battery life details are sparse, but experience with similar models yields insights.

The LX3 uses proprietary batteries providing around 300 shots per charge - a moderate result for enthusiast compacts. The WX300’s NP-BX1 battery is known for good efficiency and supports over 350 shots per charge, aligned with its travel and casual shooting target.

Regarding storage, both cameras offer a single slot compatible with SD cards; the WX300 adds support for Sony’s Memory Stick formats, catering to users invested in Sony’s ecosystem.

Build Quality and Weather Resistance: Durability in Use

Neither camera is weather sealed or ruggedized. Both are designed as general purpose compacts rather than professional rugged companions. Light use outdoors with care is fine, but expect issues in harsh weather.

Genre-by-Genre Performance Deep Dive

Let’s see how these cameras hold up across key photography disciplines.

Panasonic LX3 front Panasonic LX3 screen back Sony WX300 front Sony WX300 screen back

Portraits

The LX3’s faster lens and larger sensor deliver better skin tone rendition and creamy bokeh, crucial for flattering portraits. Lack of face/eye detection AF slows shooting but can be overcome with manual focus skill.

WX300 delivers decent results but is hindered by narrow apertures limiting subject isolation. Face detection autofocus helps beginners capture sharp faces reliably.

Landscapes

Wide-angle on LX3 starts at 24mm with excellent sharpness and dynamic range, making landscapes vivid. The larger sensor retains detail and color subtlety.

WX300 covers 25mm wide but excels with reach for distant details. Dynamic range is average due to smaller sensor size.

Wildlife

WX300’s 500mm reach and burst shooting make it a better wildlife companion. LX3’s 60mm max telephoto is limiting here.

Sports

The WX300’s 10 fps burst and AF tracking give it an edge for fast action, whereas LX3’s slower AF and frame rate pose challenges.

Street Photography

LX3’s compact but slightly larger size, quiet shutter, and manual controls suit deliberate street work. WX300’s discreetness and zoom flexibility benefit candid shots but slower lens may hinder low light.

Macro

LX3 shines with 1cm minimum focus distance and bright lens, producing detailed close-ups often superior to WX300’s lack of dedicated macro mode.

Night and Astro

LX3’s better noise control and longer exposure setting (max shutter 1/60 second min shutter speed) beat WX300’s ISO limitations. Neither is ideal for serious astrophotography.

Video

WX300 Full HD 60fps wins over LX3’s 720p 24fps, offering smoother motion capture.

Travel

WX300’s light weight, long zoom, and Wi-Fi are huge travel perks over LX3, which sacrifices reach and connectivity for richer control.

Professional Use

Neither camera replaces professional tools; LX3 offers RAW for workflows; WX300 does not. Both lack weather sealing.

Overall Performance and Value

A summarizing score chart frames the LX3’s strengths in image quality, build, and manual control against the WX300’s versatility, zoom range, and video.

Recommended Users

• Choose the Panasonic LX3 if you prioritize:

  • Fast, bright lens enabling shallow depth of field
  • Manual exposure controls and RAW shooting
  • Portraits, macro, and creative low-light photography
  • Image quality and color depth over zoom reach
  • Classic enthusiast-style compact handling

• Choose the Sony WX300 if you prioritize:

  • Ultra-wide zoom range (25–500mm) for travel, wildlife, or events
  • Faster autofocus with face detection and burst shooting
  • Full HD 60fps video recording
  • Lightweight, pocketable body with built-in wireless
  • Casual shooting with automated exposure

Final Thoughts: Two Cameras, Two Priorities

The Panasonic LX3 remains a gem for photographers craving control, optical quality, and classic compact design. Its fast lens, well-sized sensor, and tactile interface still impress over a decade later, proving the value in prioritizing image quality and manual handling.

Sony’s WX300, in contrast, embraces the modern compact superzoom ethos: versatile, fast, and packed with features geared toward casual users and travelers wanting reach without lugging bigger cameras.

My advice? Define your primary photography style and shooting scenarios. Enthusiasts who shoot portraits, landscapes, and macro will find more satisfaction in the LX3’s hands. Travelers and casual shooters needing zoom flexibility and video will favor the WX300’s broader reach and ease of use.

In either case, both cameras reflect significant design choices revealing their makers’ priorities - a testimony to how compact cameras evolved from manual-focused shooters to versatile multipurpose companions.

In our continuing quest to understand cameras not just by specs but by lived experience, testing these two side-by-side reminds us how no single camera is “best.” It’s all about the right tool for the right photographer.

Happy shooting!