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Test of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 compact camera

When 3 years ago Panasonic presented Lumix G1 – the first in the world compact camera with interchangeable optics, most of specialists of photoindustry could estimate the perspective of the novelty. For amateurs, the camera was at the time a toy for rich photographers.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 compact camera

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 compact camera

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 compact camera

Roman Holiday

Only two years passed and appearance of every new model of “non-silver” cameras caused vivid interest of public, who quickly appreciated the capabilities of the new camera class. Last year’s premiere of Lumix GH2 showed that Panasonic managed to create a camera which is not inferior to budget camcorders in its capabilities and at the same time is much lighter and compact.

Now we understand the interest that every novelty from Panasonic is waiting for. May’s announcement of the Lumix G3 marked the arrival of the firm’s third generation of non-servo cameras. A couple of weeks later information about Lumix GF3 appeared. Journalists invited to the European launch in Rome in early June were the first to see the camera in live.

At first the company’s leaders proudly told about their achievements. Panasonic is the world’s 3rd largest seller of photographic equipment with a market share of 14.4% ahead of only Canon and Nikon . New line of super-sized lenses hits the headlines in compact camera sales in 2010. and the beginning of 2011. Panasonic TZ 10 travel zoom 2,4% of the whole market of compacts . For comparison: the sales volume of popular Canon G-series cameras is twice less. It is not by accident that all leading manufacturers appreciated the success of universal superzooms of TZ series which Panasonic was the first to offer to the buyers several years ago, and today they produce the same models.

The company also owns a primacy in production of mirrorless cameras. Its market share grows rapidly especially in Japan where today every third sold camera is a “mirror less” 31% . In Europe so far 11%, in the world 10,9%, from which 38,3% falls on Panasonic.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 compact camera

Panasonic offers 3 groups of cameras with interchangeable optics: top-of-the-range GH2 with maximum functionality, simpler functionality and accordingly more affordable G2, G10 and G3, and finally the most compact and affordable series – GF2 and GF3. G3 and GF3 represent Panasonic’s third generation of mirrorless cameras.

The GF3 on show in Rome has a new sensor with a wider light sensitivity range, a faster Venus Engine VII HD and fully touch-sensitive controls. It’s also the smallest and lightest mirrorless camera body made of aluminum . Another big plus: the price of a mirrorless camera for the first time is less than 20,000 Dollars, which will certainly make the GF3 a very attractive purchase. The Lumix GF3 will be available in two different packs: the cheaper one with a 14-42mm, f/3.5-5.6 prime lens and the more expensive one with a 14mm, f/2.5 pancake lens. The price of both sets will be under 20,000 roubles, which means that the GF3 will be able to compete successfully with the cameras of the Sony NEX family.

In order to make the camera as slim as possible, they had to give up the swivel display, the accessory shoe which houses the built-in flash and the optical viewfinder, so the camera looks like a normal compact. The five color options for the compact are also similar to the compact: classic black, impressive white, thoroughbred chocolate brown, red and soft pink. It is possible to expect with a great share of confidence that the combination of compactness, relatively low price and wide range of colors will attract a great number of photographers to this novelty.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 compact camera

Radical difference of control system of GF3 from all other cameras of Lumix G line is absence of selector switch of shooting modes. This is also a consequence of the demand for maximum compactness. The following control buttons remained: quick menu/delete file button, branded click wheel, iAuto mode button, “Play” button. At first sight, it seems that such minimalism will complicate the communication with the camera, but in practice there is no discomfort, because the touch screen allows you to easily and quickly set the desired mode. A touch of the icon of the current mode is enough to make the virtual selector wheel appear.

Compared to the GF2, the touch screen interface is even friendlier. Quick menu button. For example, it is possible to change ISO value with two movements of fingers. As before, you can focus on a particular subject by touching its image on the display, as well as change the scale of the picture. You can display the histogram and drag it with your finger anywhere on the display, just like on Android gadgets.

As for the shooting modes themselves, in addition to the original Intelligent Auto there is Intelligent Auto Plus mode, which includes automatic control of many shooting parameters: the camera itself determines the scene, selects the optimal exposure level, ISO, detects the nature of the light, faces in the frame, keeps the moving objects in focus. Since the GF3 is primarily aimed at amateurs, even beginners can get technically advanced shots without having to delve into the intricacies of deeper settings. For the more advanced amateur photographers, you can use the conventional P/A/S/M modes. The exposure meter can be displayed in manual mode. It’s nice that the built-in flash can be aimed upwards, so as not to glare or overlight nearby objects.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 compact camera

GF3 records FullHD video in AVCHD or QuickTime Motion JPEG format and uses autofocus. Color and contrast can be adjusted.

Test photography showed that the camera’s autofocus is very tenacious and fast, the Intelligent Auto Plus mode in the vast majority of situations precisely determines the scene, exposure, white balance and tries not to overestimate the ISO.

In other cases, you can get the desired result by using the manual or program modes. In a lack of light, increasing the sensitivity up to ISO 800 gives quite acceptable quality, then the noise of the sensor starts to increase markedly. One of the reasons lies in the Micro Four Thirds standard itself which is to use sensors with a 2 μP factor, i.e. physically smaller than APS-C sensors with a 1.6 μP factor as used by other manufacturers.

Panasonic presented a 25 mm prime lens Leica H-X025 with brightness of F/1.4 the “kit” 14 mm “pancake” has brightness of F/2.5 together with GF3 camera. The new lens impressed all the journalists with its superb image quality.

Let’s add that its production uses the Nano Coating Surface technology. It’s a nanocoating that significantly reduces reflection, which is especially noticeable when shooting in the dark. The price of the Leica H-X025 has not yet been announced, but we really want it to be affordable for such a high quality lens.

Picture tests

Clicking on the image, you can see the enlarged image. Exit full screen mode by clicking outside the image field

Roller

Trailing autofocus keeps the video enthusiast in the crosshairs 14-42/3.5-5.6 lens .

Camera presentation

The most solemn moment of the presentation. Beautiful multicolored cameras look the most effective in hands of nice Italian women.

Trevi Fountain

Rome’s most famous Trevi Fountain.

Outdoors

In the narrow streets of Rome, it’s easy to park in microcars, both lengthways and crossways 14-42/3.5-5.6 lens .

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 2
  1. Magnolia

    What are the key features and specifications of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 compact camera? How does it compare to other cameras in its price range?

    Reply
  2. Landon Moore

    I’m interested in purchasing the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 compact camera, but I would like more information before making a decision. Can you please share your experiences with this camera? How is the image quality, especially in low light conditions? Is the autofocus reliable and fast? And are there any notable limitations or drawbacks I should be aware of? Thank you for your insights!

    Reply
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