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Product Description
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From the Manufacturer
Panasonic's LUMIX DMC-G3 offers the benefits of a DSLR interchangeable lens system camera with a point-and-shoot camera's compactness, light weight and simplicity. This reduction in size and weight is thanks to advancements in mirror-free viewfinder technology, and large DSLR format sensors that are more compatible with a new class of compact Micro Four Thirds (MFT) System lenses. This new class of Compact System Cameras (CSC) offers a weight and compactness not seen in traditional DSLRs, for greater portability and creative control. The DMC-G3 image resolution has been upgraded to 16.0-megapixels from its predecessor, the DMC-G2.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 Highlights
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The DMC-G3 provides a traditional DSLR-like experience with an external Mode dial for quick access to common modes like Program, Shutter and Aperture Priority, Manual. Additional dial settings include two Custom Modes, Scene Modes and the new Creative Control Mode. The DMC-G3 provides a dedicated video button that can be used to switch to video capture quickly without changing modes. Like most DSLRs, the DMC-G3 provides a built-in flash and hotshoe for connecting optional LUMIX flashes.
Available Scene Modes: Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Architecture, Sports, Peripheral Defocus, Flower, Food, Objects, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Illuminations, Baby, Pet, Party and Sunset, which can all be controlled from the intuitive touch-enabled LCD.
Lens Options and 3D Capture
LUMIX G Series Compact System Cameras utilize the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) System mount. MFT offers greater size and weight reduction in the lens without compromising lens performance and clarity. The LUMIX G MFT System offers a selection of 11 high performance fixed focal length and variable aperture G Vario zooms, including a highly versatile 3D lens capable of capturing both 2D and 3D images at the same time. There are lens adaptors available for mounting older Leica M and Leica R lenses, including older LUMIX full Four Thirds lenses. An innovative 14-140mm HD G Vario lens provides the best of video and still-image shooting with a long 10x range and near silent high-speed focusing. When connected to the DMC-G3, ultra fast focusing and auto subject track AF can be achieved.
Many Lumix MFT lenses come with MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) built-in. This feature helps prevent blurring from hand-shake. Working together with the cameras intelligent ISO Control, which reduces motions blur by adjusting the ISO sensitivity if the subject moves, you're sure to capture images that are sharp.
Dust Reduction System
As with many interchangeable lens cameras, dust on the sensor reduces image clarity. To eliminate this potential, The DMC-G3 uses a Dust Reduction System that uses a supersonic wave filter in front of the Live MOS sensor. Vibrating vertically around 50,000 time per second, the filter repels dust and other particles effectively.
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At the heart of the DMC-G3's improved functionality is a movable 3.0-inch LCD (460k- dot) that allows for intuitive touch control of menus and most shooting, focusing, playback and effects controls. Menus can be customized using simple drag-and-drop actions like those on most touch-enabled cell phones. This allows for a custom user interface, giving Quick Menu access to functions that can be tailored to any user's expertise level. Even the shutter can be triggered from the touch-enabled LCD by simply touching the subject you want focused and captured. Using the touch-screen operation, a user can lock onto a subject, enabling AF Tracking in both still and video modes. When you're ready to shoot, the subject will be in focus and ready to capture.
Live Viewfinder
For many, a traditional eyelevel viewfinder is still a must have. The DMC-G3 meets this demand with an eye-level electronic viewfinder that projects a high resolution 1.44m-dot image with 100% field of view (800x600, 0.7x magnification). Color breakup has been improved vs. the DMC-G2, resulting in smooth image viewing while panning.
HD Video Capture
The LUMIX DMC-G3 also shoots 1080/60i High Definition video using the AVCHD format (sensor output 30p). It offers a built-in stereo microphone and is available with Dolby Digital Stereo Creator. Advanced video sound controls include a wind-cut function that further enhances the sound as it helps reduce noise caused by background wind, and an L/R audio meter display for controlling audio levels. Captured video can be played back in High Definition via an optional HDMI mini cable directly to an HD-compatible TV, or easily played directly on Panasonic VIERA TV via the SD card. New near silent focusing features offered in several Lumix Micro Four Thirds lenses helps keep lens noise at bay while the touch-enabled LCD allows you to automatically keep active subjects in focus with touch-enabled subject AF Tracking.
Faster, Accurate Pinpoint Focusing
Contrast Detection Auto Focus technology used in point-and-shoot and new mirrorless Compact System Cameras now approaches the speeds that were once only available from traditional professional-level DSLRs. The DMC-G3 now offers Light Speed Auto Focus (14-140mm ~0.1 sec. 14-42mm ~0.18 sec., 45-200mm ~0.15 sec.). LUMIX Light Speed AF locks onto a subject quickly so you won't suffer from "shutter lag" frustration. Contrast Auto Focusing also offers greater shot accuracy due to fewer hardware components needed vs traditional DSLR phase difference systems, thus fewer pictures will suffer from system focusing errors. (e.g. the accuracy of Contrast AF is approx. 90% while Phase Difference AF is approx. 60% at F1.4).
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The DMC-G3 now offers a larger LCD touch focus area vs. the DMC-G2. Now touch focus can be enabled from any part of the image as seen on the LCD. Unlike traditional DSLRs that limit the number and position of focus points, the DMC-G3 uses the entire image sensor and can even fine-tune focus with a new fine-tuning Pinpoint AF feature. When Pinpoint AF is enabled, the image is enlarged, allowing for pixel-level setting of the focus area desired. Once set, the DMC-G3 will use this fine-tuned focus point to produce a sharp, detailed image.
More Burst Shooting Options
Rapid burst control at various rates and resolutions. Capture full-resolution 16-megapixel images at up to 4 frames per second with mechanical shutter enabled, or an even faster 20 frames per second using the electronic shutter feature at a reduced resolution of 4- megapixels.
Intelligent Auto and Intelligent Auto Plus (iA, iA+)
The DMC-G3 has advanced functions that will satisfy experienced photographers, yet is easy enough for beginners to use comfortably in both photo and video recording modes with iA (Intelligent Auto) Plus. In the new iA Plus mode, the defocusing area, exposure control, and white balance can be adjusted for scenes where a slight manual adjustment may produce a more desired result.
Color and Effects
Using the new Photo Style Mode, popular color effects can be achieved. These settings can be further enhanced with fine-tuning of Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation and Noise Reduction. Color effects include: Standard, Vivid, Natural, Monochrome, Scenery, Portrait and Custom.
With the new Creative Control Mode, accessed from the Mode dial at the top of the camera, an expressive look to the image can be achieved without the need for complicated post-processing software. Common effects can be achieved via the touch-control menu as a pre-setting in an easy-to-understand "what you see is what you get" experience. Effects include: Expressive, Retro, High Key, Sepia, and High Dynamic.
Venus Engine FHD
The new Venus Engine FHD offers vastly improved compensation for electronic noise under low light and shadows where higher ISOs typically add grain to the image. Circuitry on the new 16-megapixel sensor further reduces low-noise signal problems at the pixel level and at the amplifier circuit level. As a result, higher ISOs with much lower noise can be achieved. This means faster action-stopping shutter speeds in low light, and a maximum achievable ISO of 6400.
The noise level of the DMC-G3 offer significant reductions in electronic noise vs. prior models. Noise is significantly suppressed by more than 66%. Notably in shooting at high ISO setting, S/N value is improved by approximately 200% compared with the conventional 12.1-megapixel sensor. The sensor performance improves by 6db at ISO 3200 and max. 9db at ISO 6400.
The new Venus Engine FHD uses new Intelligent Resolution technology to sharpen edge detail without softening fine details. In addition to maximizing edge and fine detail, the Venus Engine offers Intelligent D-Range Control. Intelligent D-Range Control enables maximum capture of the image's full range of brightness, without blown-out highlights and mudding shadows.
Product Description
Panasonics LUMIX DMC-G3 offers the benefits of a DSLR interchangeable lens system camera with a point-and-shoot camera's compactness, light weight and simplicity. This reduction in size and weight is thanks to advancements in mirror-free viewfinder technology, and large DSLR format sensors that are more compatible with a new class of compact Micro Four Thirds (MFT) System lenses. This new class of Compact System Cameras (CSC) offers a weight and compactness not seen in traditional DSLRs, for greater portability and creative control. The DMC-G3 provides a traditional DSLR-like experience with an external Mode dial for quick access to common modes like Program, Shutter and Aperture Priority, Manual. Additional dial settings include two Custom Modes, Scene Modes and the new Creative Control Mode. The DMC-G3 provides a dedicated video button that can be used to switch to video capture quickly without changing modes. Like most DSLRs, the DMC-G3 provides a built-in flash and hotshoe for connecting optional LUMIX flashes. The LUMIX G MFT System offers a selection of 11 high performance fixed focal length and variable aperture G Vario zooms, including a highly versatile 3D lens capable of capturing both 2D and 3D images at the same time. There are lens adaptors available for mounting older Leica M and Leica R lenses, including older LUMIX full Four Thirds lenses. An innovative 14-140mm HD G Vario lens provides the best of video and still-image shooting with a long 10x range and near silent high-speed focusing.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
132 of 139 people found the following review helpful
By G Smart
Color Name:Red|Amazon Verified Purchase
Though I owned a pretty good Panasonic video camera in the past, Panasonic's name never associated in my mind with quality photo cameras, but I'm happy I've been proven wrong. I did quite serious research in various DSLRs, 4/3rds, mirror-less APS-C cameras, and ended up choosing G3. It's not the best camera in the world, every camera has its own trade-offs, it's just the most satisfactory camera for my needs for the money I was willing to spend. Your mileage may vary.
First of all, I would recommend to anybody considering buying this (or any other) camera do three things:
-- Read professional reviews on dpreview dot com, it's important to see the objective tests and read professional opinion. But don't make final decision based on professional reviews. What reviewers achieved in controlled environment, putting their best efforts, may not be representative of what you get. In fact most cameras look in reviews much better than in reality.
-- Check the average Joe the photographer pictures on pbase, flickr, etc. See how punishing or forgiving the camera is, compare to other cameras. I find the pictures of water especially revealing. Does the water look dark, muddy, blotchy with visible noise, or pleasantly smooth, even oily? I found many G3 water images very pleasing. It's possible for a camera to produce outstanding results in controlled environment and yet fare much poorer in casual use.
-- If possible, handle the camera in the store. See whether you like the weight and size, how soft/hard the release button is, whether you like the viewfinder, are dials/buttons readable, how quickly it focuses, etc. When I was trying to decide between Panasonic DMC-G3 and Sony NEX-5N, I found the first was a lot more comfortable in my hands, and I immediately noticed that Sony was hunting trying to focus in low light situation, while Panasonic locked focus quickly and silently. The small stuff like that may make a superb otherwise camera a source of annoyance, so try it before buying.
I don't want to repeat technical reviews, which you can easily find on the web, rather mention pros and cons of this camera in my subjective opinion.
Pros:
* Perfect size and weight. This camera feels very comfortable in my hands and is easy to carry around. I have a Canon DSLR also and find it too heavy, too cumbersome to carry, especially with large lenses.
Most pictures require little or no post-processing in normal settings. Colors are pleasing, well saturated, contrast is perfect, default sharpening is just right. Jpeg images are acceptable for web use, raw images look much better in print, especially when shooting landscapes. Though I think the colors are close to reality, I wouldn't vouch for that and frankly I don't care. I'm not a forensic photographer, it's more important to me if the colors are pleasing to look at and bring up memories of the event. So when I hear from Canon DSLR users about their plasticky dull colors that they are very real, I can't care less if it's true or not. I know that bringing up pleasing vibrancy in Canon images isn't easy and often impossible. After using Canon DSLRs for almost ten years I feel a lot happier with Panasonic images.
* Autofocus is very quick and absolutely silent.
* Manual focusing with three mode magnifier works great. Since the picture you see in the viewfinder comes from the sensor, what you see is what you get. No front or back-focusing problems, with any lenses, which is a common problem even with expensive DSLRs. Additionally, auto+manual focusing mode is an absolute gem. I keep camera always in this mode. If you don't have an opportunity to manually focus, do nothing, camera will focus automatically; if you do want to focus manually, touch the focus ring and camera will assist you.
* I like the fact that flash is built in, and not a flimsy attachment, like in other cameras. It's quick to charge and always at hand, which is great because you never know when you might need it.
* An electronic viewfinder is also a very good idea, in most cases it's more convenient than LCD. It's not as good in low light as optical viewfinder, but it shows more useful information and has additional functionality that optical viewfinders don't have, like manual focus assist.
* Swiveling touchscreen LCD is also pretty handy. It makes it very easy to shoot from any position. I also like the fact that you can touch the screen to select the focus area and camera starts tracking it.
* Good sensor resolution and more importantly high spatial frequency contrast produces well defined images. Pixel peeping folks should be satisfied. Full-size images look spectacular on large screen monitors. Enlargements are pretty easy too, 11x14 can be viewed from any distance without pixelization or loss of sharpness. I also printed 20x30 and they look sharp from 2 feet or more.
* Video looks very good to me, though I haven't used it much.
* If you have a Panasonic large-screen TV, then pop the SD card straight from the camera in to TV SD slot and select Viera tools and you can watch videos or slide shows without any additional processing.
Cons:
* Buttons on the right side could have been designed better. I frequently inadvertently press some of them with the thumb.
* Buttons take time to get used to and remember how to set what you want. It's frustrating to scroll through pages of menus trying to locate stuff.
* Low light, low contrast focusing can be imprecise, but this is a common problem of contrast focusing cameras.
* High ISO pictures aren't particularly bad, but noise and blurriness become visible even on modestly large prints. It's not bad for web, but for large prints one should keep ISO under 200.
* Battery is weak, good for only 270 pictures.
* The choice of lenses is not big and they are quite expensive.
* No Photoshop included! Instead you get a Silkypix software. It misses many useful Photoshop features, though it does have the essentials, but it's also a useability disaster. The program is so backwardly designed, it looks like it was created in 1980's.
Finally, a few recommendations from personal experience. Shooting in RAW reveals more small detail and more importantly preserves better tonal transitions in landscape photos, so they look a lot better, I would recommend using RAW for those pictures for any size prints. To produce sharp, detailed pictures for large prints, you should keep ISO low, shutter speed shorter than 1/2f - 1/4f, or better yet use a tripod. Test your abilities to hold the camera steady, take pictures hand-held and with tripod and compare them on pixel level to see how much your hands are shaking. Every lens has its sweet spots where it shows best sharpness and contrast. You can find MTF charts for many lenses on the web. Many lenses have the best performance around F8. It also makes sense to use manual focus when feasible. Again, compare manual focusing with autofocus in various light condition to see when to use what. Taking pictures with telephoto 200-300 mm lens can be challenging. When you close the aperture down to F8, and set shutter to at least 1/1000, and ISO to 160, you can shoot only in a very bright sunny day. Therefore, a tripod when using telephoto lenses is virtually always a necessity. Also if you have difficulty manually focusing because your hands are shaking, you aren't likely to get sharp pictures. Get some practice on a gun range, familiarize yourself with shooting breathing techniques, take a half breath, let some out, hold it, steady your hands, push the trigger slowly. Many people blame a camera or lens for their blurry pictures, while the real reason is shaking hands, or poor focusing, or high ISO.
First of all, I would recommend to anybody considering buying this (or any other) camera do three things:
-- Read professional reviews on dpreview dot com, it's important to see the objective tests and read professional opinion. But don't make final decision based on professional reviews. What reviewers achieved in controlled environment, putting their best efforts, may not be representative of what you get. In fact most cameras look in reviews much better than in reality.
-- Check the average Joe the photographer pictures on pbase, flickr, etc. See how punishing or forgiving the camera is, compare to other cameras. I find the pictures of water especially revealing. Does the water look dark, muddy, blotchy with visible noise, or pleasantly smooth, even oily? I found many G3 water images very pleasing. It's possible for a camera to produce outstanding results in controlled environment and yet fare much poorer in casual use.
-- If possible, handle the camera in the store. See whether you like the weight and size, how soft/hard the release button is, whether you like the viewfinder, are dials/buttons readable, how quickly it focuses, etc. When I was trying to decide between Panasonic DMC-G3 and Sony NEX-5N, I found the first was a lot more comfortable in my hands, and I immediately noticed that Sony was hunting trying to focus in low light situation, while Panasonic locked focus quickly and silently. The small stuff like that may make a superb otherwise camera a source of annoyance, so try it before buying.
I don't want to repeat technical reviews, which you can easily find on the web, rather mention pros and cons of this camera in my subjective opinion.
Pros:
* Perfect size and weight. This camera feels very comfortable in my hands and is easy to carry around. I have a Canon DSLR also and find it too heavy, too cumbersome to carry, especially with large lenses.
Most pictures require little or no post-processing in normal settings. Colors are pleasing, well saturated, contrast is perfect, default sharpening is just right. Jpeg images are acceptable for web use, raw images look much better in print, especially when shooting landscapes. Though I think the colors are close to reality, I wouldn't vouch for that and frankly I don't care. I'm not a forensic photographer, it's more important to me if the colors are pleasing to look at and bring up memories of the event. So when I hear from Canon DSLR users about their plasticky dull colors that they are very real, I can't care less if it's true or not. I know that bringing up pleasing vibrancy in Canon images isn't easy and often impossible. After using Canon DSLRs for almost ten years I feel a lot happier with Panasonic images.
* Autofocus is very quick and absolutely silent.
* Manual focusing with three mode magnifier works great. Since the picture you see in the viewfinder comes from the sensor, what you see is what you get. No front or back-focusing problems, with any lenses, which is a common problem even with expensive DSLRs. Additionally, auto+manual focusing mode is an absolute gem. I keep camera always in this mode. If you don't have an opportunity to manually focus, do nothing, camera will focus automatically; if you do want to focus manually, touch the focus ring and camera will assist you.
* I like the fact that flash is built in, and not a flimsy attachment, like in other cameras. It's quick to charge and always at hand, which is great because you never know when you might need it.
* An electronic viewfinder is also a very good idea, in most cases it's more convenient than LCD. It's not as good in low light as optical viewfinder, but it shows more useful information and has additional functionality that optical viewfinders don't have, like manual focus assist.
* Swiveling touchscreen LCD is also pretty handy. It makes it very easy to shoot from any position. I also like the fact that you can touch the screen to select the focus area and camera starts tracking it.
* Good sensor resolution and more importantly high spatial frequency contrast produces well defined images. Pixel peeping folks should be satisfied. Full-size images look spectacular on large screen monitors. Enlargements are pretty easy too, 11x14 can be viewed from any distance without pixelization or loss of sharpness. I also printed 20x30 and they look sharp from 2 feet or more.
* Video looks very good to me, though I haven't used it much.
* If you have a Panasonic large-screen TV, then pop the SD card straight from the camera in to TV SD slot and select Viera tools and you can watch videos or slide shows without any additional processing.
Cons:
* Buttons on the right side could have been designed better. I frequently inadvertently press some of them with the thumb.
* Buttons take time to get used to and remember how to set what you want. It's frustrating to scroll through pages of menus trying to locate stuff.
* Low light, low contrast focusing can be imprecise, but this is a common problem of contrast focusing cameras.
* High ISO pictures aren't particularly bad, but noise and blurriness become visible even on modestly large prints. It's not bad for web, but for large prints one should keep ISO under 200.
* Battery is weak, good for only 270 pictures.
* The choice of lenses is not big and they are quite expensive.
* No Photoshop included! Instead you get a Silkypix software. It misses many useful Photoshop features, though it does have the essentials, but it's also a useability disaster. The program is so backwardly designed, it looks like it was created in 1980's.
Finally, a few recommendations from personal experience. Shooting in RAW reveals more small detail and more importantly preserves better tonal transitions in landscape photos, so they look a lot better, I would recommend using RAW for those pictures for any size prints. To produce sharp, detailed pictures for large prints, you should keep ISO low, shutter speed shorter than 1/2f - 1/4f, or better yet use a tripod. Test your abilities to hold the camera steady, take pictures hand-held and with tripod and compare them on pixel level to see how much your hands are shaking. Every lens has its sweet spots where it shows best sharpness and contrast. You can find MTF charts for many lenses on the web. Many lenses have the best performance around F8. It also makes sense to use manual focus when feasible. Again, compare manual focusing with autofocus in various light condition to see when to use what. Taking pictures with telephoto 200-300 mm lens can be challenging. When you close the aperture down to F8, and set shutter to at least 1/1000, and ISO to 160, you can shoot only in a very bright sunny day. Therefore, a tripod when using telephoto lenses is virtually always a necessity. Also if you have difficulty manually focusing because your hands are shaking, you aren't likely to get sharp pictures. Get some practice on a gun range, familiarize yourself with shooting breathing techniques, take a half breath, let some out, hold it, steady your hands, push the trigger slowly. Many people blame a camera or lens for their blurry pictures, while the real reason is shaking hands, or poor focusing, or high ISO.
125 of 134 people found the following review helpful
Color Name:Red
If you have looked on with dismay as Panasonic abandoned the enthusiast small M4/3 and instead chases a smaller and smaller and dumber and dumber form factor with the GF line, then you now have a reason to be happy. It appears Panasonic is positioning the G3 as the successor to the GF1. They might not know that but that is how I view it. Viewed as a replacement to the G2, the G3 is a bit of a let down. Much the way the GF2 was compared to the GF1. However, the G3 is a great replacement to the GF1. It is a little bigger but not that much. The physical controls are the same but now there is touch screen controls and to make up for many of the missing physical controls there are the C1 and C2 modes on the mode selector. a Before continuing something that very few people seem to understand with these camera systems is the lens, not the camera body, determines how big the camera is. I will use extremes to illustrate the point. Put a 14mm f/2.5 on a GH2 and it seems very small. You can't put it in a shirt pocket but it will fit inside a jacket pocket. Also, you can get it in a very small carry case. It is so small and light I use a wrist strap and not a neck strap. Put a 100-300mm on a GF3 and it is going to be huge and because of the form factor really unusable.
The first thing to note about the G3 is the price is $699. That is $100 cheaper than the G1 or G2 at launch and $200 cheaper than the GF1. In addition to being $200 cheaper than the GF1, the G3 has a built in EVF (would have been nicer rangefinder style) and a swivel screen.
Another nice change from the G2 and the GF line is the new sensor. Panasonic and Olympus have been using a 3 generation old sensor in every m4/3 line except the GH line. The G3 now has a new 16mp sensor and updated image processing engine. The G3 takes slightly better pictures than the GH2.
As far as IQ goes, the m4/3 are not as good as DX sensors and they never will be as good. The same way as DX sensors will never be as good as FX sensors. All else being equal. With that said, IQ merits some discussion as most people don't really understand it and most "professional" review sites confuse the whole issue. Here is everything you need to understand on the issue. First every generation of sensors the differences between m4/3, DX, and FX decreases. At some point the difference become negligible. Where that point is depends on what you want to do. IQ is very dependent on the size of what you are going to do with the image. I think for the vast majority of what people are doing, the differences are already negligible. Here are a couple of examples of what I mean. The biggest of computer monitors is right at 3.6mp. Most are around 2mp. That means to view a medium format 40mp image on a (2mp) monitor you are only using 5% of the image data. The rest is getting thrown away. For a 16mp image you are using 12.5% of the data. So that means noise, detail etc is getting thrown away as you deres the image. The same goes with printing. The human eye can see 200-300 dots per inch (A useful piece of information is monitors used to be 72 dpi and are somewhere around 96 dpi. That means if you blow an image up to 100% on your computer screen you are effectively magnifying by 2 to 3. Therefore, the images at 100% on the computer monitor are not going to look as good as on paper) Using 200 dpi, that means you need 2000x1600 pixels to print a decent 8x10. If you do the math that means you need 3.2mp to print an 8x10. (At 300 dpi you would need 7.2mp) That means for a 16mp image you are using 20% of the data. If this fits what you are doing, then any IQ differences are not important for you. As you start printing larger than this, the difference can be noticeable.
Where these m4/3 cameras excel is handling. The GH2 is the king, in my opinion, for handling. The controls are so well laid out it is a breeze to do anything you want quickly. Additionally, the contrast based auto focus is so fast, that live view is exceedingly useable. The swivel screen gives you huge options over a hold up to the eye only or a fixed back screen. You can hold the camera way over your head or way down by your feet and still frame the image.
On top of that is the light weight. It has gotten to the point that I don't travel with my Nikon D7000 at all. I only keep and use that for portrait/wedding/event type photography (I did however just shoot a wedding with m4/3 only. The 100-300 was my primary lens. It is a little slow but still grabbed some amazing shots). I usually travel with 2 GH series bodies, 5-8 lenses, and an iPad all in a Domke F4 bag. (With my G3 I will now travel with 3 bodies) All of this weighs right around 10 lbs. You could also just carry the 7-14, 14-140, and 100-300 lenses and cover from 14mm to 600mm equivalent with 3 lenses. All of these lenses can be attached to 3 camera bodies and in the F4. You could even add a 4th body and add the 20mm f/1.4. That would still fit in the F4 and weigh in around 10lbs.
I don't really do that much with video so I am not really going to comment that much on it. However, video on the G3 is far easier and more useable than any DSLR except for the Sony A33/55. Also, there is a built in stereo mic but no external connector. I don't think the latter is big deal for most people.
Construction on the G3 is very nice. It is the first of panasonic m4/3 which uses aluminum in the construction instead of all plastic.
Handgrip. I am a little disappointed at the loss of the handgrip as it is essentially free. I am still not sure how I feel about the new hand "bump" especially for the bigger lenses. I will have to report on that one later. If you are coming from a GF1 then this is a step up. Since the old handgrip was shorter than the shortest lens, I am not sure what we are really gaining by this. It also means the loss of space for the battery so Panasonic had to use a smaller battery. I believe it is the same as the GF2. The smaller batteries means less pictures so make sure you have a spare. It is rated at 270 shots but a secret with Panasonic m4/3 is to turn your camera off after shooting. Doing that I get around 750-800 shots. I also have the auto review switched off.
For anyone who is new to a more complicated camera, Panasonic has two very cool features to make it a little easier to use. The first is Program shift mode and the newest one, only on the G3 right now, is iAuto+. The program shift mode obsoletes the Aperture priority mode. As you press the button half way down to get the exposer numbers. You can then rotate the thumbwheel to goto a bigger aperture (smaller DOF) or larger aperture (larger DOF). The iAuto+ now allows you to adjust white balance, exposure compensation, and aperture (defocus control). This is a very handy feature and is good for the expert and beginner alike. For the expert you can now stay in iAuto more often when in a fast moving shooting situation. The camera will recognize the scene and make hundreds of changes to make the scene look best as possible. You can now easily change the exposure and work the aperture. For the beginner, you can start in iA. After getting comfortable with that you can now start playing with aperture and exposure (the 2 most important controls in my opinion) while still having the "safety" of iAuto. When you get more comfortable with that then moving to P mode is an easy jump. With program shift there are not many reasons to shift over to A or M mode but when you need to it is there for you.
Auto ISO and iAuto ISO. Auto is based on light level and iAuto is based on light level and movement of subject.
MF Assist The manual focus for m4/3 lenses is fly-by-wire. That means there are no stops. On the first generation G bodies it was horrible. On second generation Panasonic added a scale marker which was really nice. On this generation, Panasonic added picture in picture for manual focus assist. This is a really nice feature as I can focus and frame at the same time. The m4/3 allows the use of just about any lens made. However, you lose auto focus. So for those with old film lenses there is probably an adaptor that can allow it to fit on the m4/3. For that purpose and when auto focus has trouble the new manual focus assist is very nice.
I mentioned before the loss of physical controls on the camera. For enthusiast this is a step backwards. For newbies this is probably a good thing. The touch screen implementation is very nice but I am still not convinced I like it better than physical controls. However, for enthusiast the loss of these controls is partially made up for with the C1 and C2 modes. Now before you get into the fray, you can set the camera up for 2 custom modes and then just switch between the modes. Therefore, you don't need to do as much fiddling. Also, Q menu and Display buttons are now programmable functions buttons. Therefore, if there is some function you use a lot and can't get to easily, now you can put it on one of these buttons. Panasonic's menus aren't that great. So I recommend leaving the Q menu button as is. It relieves a ton of scrolling through menus. I rarely ever use the Display button, I think the most I use it is when I am trying to go back to the display I want after it was accidentally touched.
A big loss is the auto switch between EVF and screen. On the previous Gs and GHs, there was a sensor to determine if your eye was up to the EVF. If so it switched off the back screen and switched on the EVF. Now you will have to use the button to switch. Bad move from my perspective. However, if you are coming from a GF1 or P+S, the fact that it has an EVF is a big plus. Read more ›
The first thing to note about the G3 is the price is $699. That is $100 cheaper than the G1 or G2 at launch and $200 cheaper than the GF1. In addition to being $200 cheaper than the GF1, the G3 has a built in EVF (would have been nicer rangefinder style) and a swivel screen.
Another nice change from the G2 and the GF line is the new sensor. Panasonic and Olympus have been using a 3 generation old sensor in every m4/3 line except the GH line. The G3 now has a new 16mp sensor and updated image processing engine. The G3 takes slightly better pictures than the GH2.
As far as IQ goes, the m4/3 are not as good as DX sensors and they never will be as good. The same way as DX sensors will never be as good as FX sensors. All else being equal. With that said, IQ merits some discussion as most people don't really understand it and most "professional" review sites confuse the whole issue. Here is everything you need to understand on the issue. First every generation of sensors the differences between m4/3, DX, and FX decreases. At some point the difference become negligible. Where that point is depends on what you want to do. IQ is very dependent on the size of what you are going to do with the image. I think for the vast majority of what people are doing, the differences are already negligible. Here are a couple of examples of what I mean. The biggest of computer monitors is right at 3.6mp. Most are around 2mp. That means to view a medium format 40mp image on a (2mp) monitor you are only using 5% of the image data. The rest is getting thrown away. For a 16mp image you are using 12.5% of the data. So that means noise, detail etc is getting thrown away as you deres the image. The same goes with printing. The human eye can see 200-300 dots per inch (A useful piece of information is monitors used to be 72 dpi and are somewhere around 96 dpi. That means if you blow an image up to 100% on your computer screen you are effectively magnifying by 2 to 3. Therefore, the images at 100% on the computer monitor are not going to look as good as on paper) Using 200 dpi, that means you need 2000x1600 pixels to print a decent 8x10. If you do the math that means you need 3.2mp to print an 8x10. (At 300 dpi you would need 7.2mp) That means for a 16mp image you are using 20% of the data. If this fits what you are doing, then any IQ differences are not important for you. As you start printing larger than this, the difference can be noticeable.
Where these m4/3 cameras excel is handling. The GH2 is the king, in my opinion, for handling. The controls are so well laid out it is a breeze to do anything you want quickly. Additionally, the contrast based auto focus is so fast, that live view is exceedingly useable. The swivel screen gives you huge options over a hold up to the eye only or a fixed back screen. You can hold the camera way over your head or way down by your feet and still frame the image.
On top of that is the light weight. It has gotten to the point that I don't travel with my Nikon D7000 at all. I only keep and use that for portrait/wedding/event type photography (I did however just shoot a wedding with m4/3 only. The 100-300 was my primary lens. It is a little slow but still grabbed some amazing shots). I usually travel with 2 GH series bodies, 5-8 lenses, and an iPad all in a Domke F4 bag. (With my G3 I will now travel with 3 bodies) All of this weighs right around 10 lbs. You could also just carry the 7-14, 14-140, and 100-300 lenses and cover from 14mm to 600mm equivalent with 3 lenses. All of these lenses can be attached to 3 camera bodies and in the F4. You could even add a 4th body and add the 20mm f/1.4. That would still fit in the F4 and weigh in around 10lbs.
I don't really do that much with video so I am not really going to comment that much on it. However, video on the G3 is far easier and more useable than any DSLR except for the Sony A33/55. Also, there is a built in stereo mic but no external connector. I don't think the latter is big deal for most people.
Construction on the G3 is very nice. It is the first of panasonic m4/3 which uses aluminum in the construction instead of all plastic.
Handgrip. I am a little disappointed at the loss of the handgrip as it is essentially free. I am still not sure how I feel about the new hand "bump" especially for the bigger lenses. I will have to report on that one later. If you are coming from a GF1 then this is a step up. Since the old handgrip was shorter than the shortest lens, I am not sure what we are really gaining by this. It also means the loss of space for the battery so Panasonic had to use a smaller battery. I believe it is the same as the GF2. The smaller batteries means less pictures so make sure you have a spare. It is rated at 270 shots but a secret with Panasonic m4/3 is to turn your camera off after shooting. Doing that I get around 750-800 shots. I also have the auto review switched off.
For anyone who is new to a more complicated camera, Panasonic has two very cool features to make it a little easier to use. The first is Program shift mode and the newest one, only on the G3 right now, is iAuto+. The program shift mode obsoletes the Aperture priority mode. As you press the button half way down to get the exposer numbers. You can then rotate the thumbwheel to goto a bigger aperture (smaller DOF) or larger aperture (larger DOF). The iAuto+ now allows you to adjust white balance, exposure compensation, and aperture (defocus control). This is a very handy feature and is good for the expert and beginner alike. For the expert you can now stay in iAuto more often when in a fast moving shooting situation. The camera will recognize the scene and make hundreds of changes to make the scene look best as possible. You can now easily change the exposure and work the aperture. For the beginner, you can start in iA. After getting comfortable with that you can now start playing with aperture and exposure (the 2 most important controls in my opinion) while still having the "safety" of iAuto. When you get more comfortable with that then moving to P mode is an easy jump. With program shift there are not many reasons to shift over to A or M mode but when you need to it is there for you.
Auto ISO and iAuto ISO. Auto is based on light level and iAuto is based on light level and movement of subject.
MF Assist The manual focus for m4/3 lenses is fly-by-wire. That means there are no stops. On the first generation G bodies it was horrible. On second generation Panasonic added a scale marker which was really nice. On this generation, Panasonic added picture in picture for manual focus assist. This is a really nice feature as I can focus and frame at the same time. The m4/3 allows the use of just about any lens made. However, you lose auto focus. So for those with old film lenses there is probably an adaptor that can allow it to fit on the m4/3. For that purpose and when auto focus has trouble the new manual focus assist is very nice.
I mentioned before the loss of physical controls on the camera. For enthusiast this is a step backwards. For newbies this is probably a good thing. The touch screen implementation is very nice but I am still not convinced I like it better than physical controls. However, for enthusiast the loss of these controls is partially made up for with the C1 and C2 modes. Now before you get into the fray, you can set the camera up for 2 custom modes and then just switch between the modes. Therefore, you don't need to do as much fiddling. Also, Q menu and Display buttons are now programmable functions buttons. Therefore, if there is some function you use a lot and can't get to easily, now you can put it on one of these buttons. Panasonic's menus aren't that great. So I recommend leaving the Q menu button as is. It relieves a ton of scrolling through menus. I rarely ever use the Display button, I think the most I use it is when I am trying to go back to the display I want after it was accidentally touched.
A big loss is the auto switch between EVF and screen. On the previous Gs and GHs, there was a sensor to determine if your eye was up to the EVF. If so it switched off the back screen and switched on the EVF. Now you will have to use the button to switch. Bad move from my perspective. However, if you are coming from a GF1 or P+S, the fact that it has an EVF is a big plus. Read more ›
54 of 55 people found the following review helpful
By M. Banas
Color Name:Black|Amazon Verified Purchase
I took my G3 on my four week vacation to Europe. I also bought the 20mm f1.7 pancake to go along with it. I'm back from my trip and here are my impressions:
What could be better:
- Feels solid but a bit heavier than expected. I can fit it into some of my jackets' pockets but it weighs the jacket down too much.
- Shape of camera not as pocketable as I'd hope, mainly due to protruding EVF, only large pocets work even with a pancake lens.
- EVF is great for composing shots but not good enough for evaluating exposure, the 3" LCD does a better job.
- Compared to APSc censors the dynamic range is not as wide, however much better than any compact I ever used. I compared some high contrast shots to my friends Nikon D5100, and his camera was better at preserving highlights. Non high contrast scenes were comperable.
- White Balance could be better in artificial light.
What I love:
- Smaller and less intrusive than a full sized SLR.
- Looks great, especially with the 20mm pancake.
- Great handgrip & controls
- Easy to use if you need to capture a spontenaous mement.
- Intuitive controls if you want to get creative.
- Fast shooting.
- Great Looking Photos
All in all the G3 is not as pocketable as I'd hoped, but that is the tradeoff oh having an EVF and manual controls, and for me it's worth it. The camera easly slips into a small messenger style bag. Once I got over the portablity issue I fell in love with the camera, it's just fun to use, and the photos are great. I especially love it with the 20mm pancake for a really portable package. I took 1,500 hundred photos on my trip, reviewed them all, and I am very pleased. This camera is not for everyone however it's great for anyone that wants to take charge of the camera, play with manual controls and get creative controls without the bulk of an SLR.
What could be better:
- Feels solid but a bit heavier than expected. I can fit it into some of my jackets' pockets but it weighs the jacket down too much.
- Shape of camera not as pocketable as I'd hope, mainly due to protruding EVF, only large pocets work even with a pancake lens.
- EVF is great for composing shots but not good enough for evaluating exposure, the 3" LCD does a better job.
- Compared to APSc censors the dynamic range is not as wide, however much better than any compact I ever used. I compared some high contrast shots to my friends Nikon D5100, and his camera was better at preserving highlights. Non high contrast scenes were comperable.
- White Balance could be better in artificial light.
What I love:
- Smaller and less intrusive than a full sized SLR.
- Looks great, especially with the 20mm pancake.
- Great handgrip & controls
- Easy to use if you need to capture a spontenaous mement.
- Intuitive controls if you want to get creative.
- Fast shooting.
- Great Looking Photos
All in all the G3 is not as pocketable as I'd hoped, but that is the tradeoff oh having an EVF and manual controls, and for me it's worth it. The camera easly slips into a small messenger style bag. Once I got over the portablity issue I fell in love with the camera, it's just fun to use, and the photos are great. I especially love it with the 20mm pancake for a really portable package. I took 1,500 hundred photos on my trip, reviewed them all, and I am very pleased. This camera is not for everyone however it's great for anyone that wants to take charge of the camera, play with manual controls and get creative controls without the bulk of an SLR.
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