During my birthday last year, the hubby gifted me with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3. This has been on my wishlist for quite some time, especially after we both agreed to retire the Verzio M700 digicam which I got as some schwag from a presscon. It helped that a number of bloggers already own the Lumix LX3 and gave positive reviews about it.

More than two months after holding the Lumix, I do find that it is the perfect camera companion for a lazy SLR user like me. Mine is a sleek black, and it doesn’t look too attractive from outside. But you’ll surely appreciate how, even with its small size, it functions as a workhorse. In fact, your mini SLR personified.

I do give the thumbs-up towards its ease of use, while giving one a host of options if you happen to be a professional camera user. Among others, it’s a 10.1 megapixel cam with lens from 24mm to 60mm that can be set in any of the three aspect ratios 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9. There is an ISO 3200 option, files can be saved in RAW format, and I have yet to tinker with the slideshows that can be viewed complete with music.

The Lumix LX3 allows you to shoot videos and to choose from different settings, as you would an SLR. There’s Manual, Shutter and Aperture Priority. For easy operation, there’s always the Program Mode and the Scene Mode. You can even set the cam to Film Mode with color and black & white options like you’re still using film, for greater drama in your pictures.

Here are some Lumix test shots taken during our recent trip in Tagaytay.

Tagaytay sunset, captured from the view deck of the Taal Vista Hotel.

Portrait of a grandma. She was really holding the flowers when I took this photo.

Miss Earth 2009, an annual pageant where beauty queens from different countries espouse the environmental cause, will hold its pageant and coronation night in the world-famous island of Boracay tonight. There are about 80 of them vying for the prestigious crown of Miss Earth, Miss Earth-Air, Miss Earth-Water and Miss Earth-Fire.

Sources say the Philippine bet, Sandra Inez Seifert, has a strong chance of winning after she was named Best in Swimsuit and Best in Long Gown in the pre-pageant competitions. She was previously disqualified from Binibining Pilipinas because of her sexy photos that appeared in men’s magazines FHM and Maxim. I have to say Miss Seifert is lovely, but the other ladies are equally as stunning.

We were able to take a close look at the Miss Earth 2009 contestants in the Long Gown Competition held at the PAGCOR Grand Theater last week. Some of those who made an impression: Miss Brazil, Miss Spain, Miss Korea, Miss Cuba, Miss Czech Republic, Miss Venezuela and a lot more.

Here are some of the photos I took backstage. Was testing my new toy, the Panasonic Lumix LX3. Results were good, but I felt like I should have used the Canon DSLR and a bazooka lens, since the stage looked so far away

If you happen to be in Boracay tonight, the event happens at the Boracay Eco-Village Resort and Convention Center. Good luck, ladies!