I love this camera. I read recently that it's emerging as a point-and-shoot of choice among pro photographers, and I think it's easy to see why. A wide, 24mm-equivalent Leica lens, with an impressive maximum aperture of f2.0. Full manual (PASM) controls. An hotshoe/accessory mount for external flashes, optical viewfinders, and more. Optional thread-mounted filters, lens adaptors, and shields. RAW photo capability, including RAW+JPEG for convenience and flexibility. A comfortable and clean 10mp sensor, but over it all, Panasonic's obvious thinking that there's more to a great camera than mere megapixels.

And on top of all that, it looks gorgeous in black.

So why did I rate it only 8.5? Well, there's still room for improvement. Its rather (ahem) manly lens makes it a poor candidate for a pocket camera. Even 1/8" further recessing would be appreciated. The zoom is not exceptionally zoomy, but I honestly find its wide-angle capability far more appealing and useful. The internal flash is a joke, but most internal flashes are -- and at least this one pops up, keeping it further away from the lens and therefore slightly less likely to induce red-eye. Besides, Panasonic's optional external flash is fantastic. The sensor and higher ISO sensitivity could be improved, but noise reduction options are decent and under good light I haven't yet had a complaint.

I hope that the LX4, if there is one, presents the same evolutionary strides past the LX3 that the LX3 does past the LX2. An even wider lens -- say, 18 or 20mm-equivalent -- an even better CCD, and a tripod mount that's centered under the lens would be subtle but worthy improvements. Most welcome of all, for the 3 or the 4, would be a broader selection of quality lens adapters, as Panasonic's own is too pricey and the current 3rd-party ones are generally awful.