Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 at a glance:

  • 15.8-million-pixel Live MOS sensor
  • ISO 160–6400
  • 3in articulated LCD touchscreen
  • Small body
  • 1.44-million-dot EVF
  • 4fps shooting rate
  • Pinpoint AF
  • 1920×1080 HD video with AF tracking
  • Street price around £620 with 14-42mm kit lens

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 review – Introduction

It has been just over a year since Panasonic launched the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2, the first of the company’s second-generation micro four thirds cameras. This model was notable for refinements such as the introduction of a touch-sensitive screen, but the most significant leap forward for the micro four thirds system came last September with the release of the top-of-the-range GH2. In the GH2, Panasonic had for the first time fitted a sensor with a 16.05-million-pixel resolution rather than its usual 12-million-pixel unit.

Now the company has brought out the first of its third-generation micro four thirds cameras, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3. Although aimed at entry-level photographers, among its features is a sensor capable of producing 15.8-million-pixel images at a shooting rate of 4fps, as well as an improved contrast-detection AF system. All these features have been packed into a body smaller than we have previously seen from a DSLR-style G-series camera.

By including the improved AF from the GH2, and increasing the image resolution and shooting rate, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 looks to have raised the bar for entry-level micro four thirds-system cameras. So, with these factors in mind, I wanted to see how the G3 performed, particularly when shooting moving subjects such as wildlife. In the past, the slower contrast-detection AF of compact system cameras has made this difficult to carry out successfully, but the new G3’s AF system and faster frame rate should help make this more feasible.

Features

Panasonic G3 features in usePanasonic states on its website that the G3 has a 16.6-million-pixel Live MOS sensor with 16 million effective pixels. However, its maximum resolution of 4592×3448 pixels means that the true resolution of the G3 is 15.8 million pixels. This is a higher resolution than the 12.1 million pixels found in the G2 and, in fact, has more in common with that of the GH2.

However, the GH2 uses a physically larger Multi-Aspect sensor that makes use of more of the micro four thirds imaging circle to keep image resolution high even when the image aspect ratio is changed. That said, pictures taken on the GH2 with the native 4:3 aspect ratio are a fairly insignificant 92,032 pixels larger than those taken on the new G3.

While the G3 seems remarkably similar to the more expensive enthusiast-level GH2, it is not its equal, as Panasonic has held back a few features – presumably to help distinguish the target market for each camera. For instance, because it is aimed more at enthusiast photographers, as well as videographers, the GH2 has extra processing power, which means that the AF, shooting rate and video capabilities are all moderately faster than those of the G3. The G3 also lacks a microphone input socket.

However, the G3 is certainly no slouch. Although its 4fps shooting rate doesn’t quite match the 5fps of the GH2, it is still a step up from the 3.2fps of the G2. Another improvement is the impressively fast 20fps super-high-speed shooting mode, although it is at a reduced four-million-pixel resolution. This high-speed mode isn’t featured at all on the G2, although it is an even faster 40fps on the GH2. This would imply that the GH2 has a more powerful Venus FHD processing engine than that in the G3, or that the rate has been capped on the G3 to distinguish it from the GH2.

Images from the G3 can be saved in either raw or JPEG format, or both simultaneously, with Silkypix Developer 3.1 raw conversion software included in the package. Raw images converted using the software look good, and for those not used to working with raw files there are a number of presets for sharpening and noise reduction that should make it easy to edit images. Adobe Camera Raw 6.4 doesn’t yet support raw files from the G3, although support is expected to come with version 6.5.

One rather unhelpful change is the reduction in the size and capacity of the battery. The DMW-BLD10E 1010mAh battery in the G3 is estimated to take around 260-270 images when using the kit lens. Compare this with the 330-340 images with the 1200mAh battery used in the GH2 and 360-390 images using the 1250mAh battery in G2, and the new camera falls significantly short of its predecessors.

In day-to-day use the battery life shouldn’t be too much of an issue, as 250-plus images should be fine for a day’s shooting. However, during the test, after using the 100-300mm f/4-5.6 Mega OIS lens and spending some time reviewing images, I found that I managed to take barely 200 photographs. You would certainly need to take an additional battery or charger with you if you planned to take the G3 on holiday.

Pinpoint AFFeatures in use: Pinpoint AF

The new Pinpoint AF feature gives the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 automatic precision focusing. You can select an area to focus on either by touching the rear screen or by using the camera’s directional control. Once selected, the area is magnified on the rear screen, which allows for the point of focus to be automatically fine-tuned with more accuracy.

While Pinpoint AF improves focus sharpness, it isn’t suitable for every subject. Even slightly moving subjects, such as a flower moving in the breeze, can prove to be a little awkward as the magnified view means that the subject will quickly fall in and out of focus. Although Pinpoint AF is useful for landscape and still-life images, it doesn’t offer anything more than manual focusing does. When set to manual focus, the view is magnified to 100% through the viewfinder or rear screen, allowing the lens to be focused with just as much precision as Pinpoint AF.

 

Build and Handling

Panasonic G3 build and handlingImpressively, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 is 25% smaller than the G2. In fact, it is very similar in size to the compact-style GF2, except for a more pronounced handgrip and, of course, the addition of the electronic viewfinder. The obvious concern when reducing the size of a camera is that it will be awkward to hold and fiddly to control. However, I had no problem holding the camera thanks to the contoured handgrip. My only slight complaint is that the smooth rubber and plastic on the handgrip should be textured to allow for better grip.

Reassuringly, the G3 retains the excellent handling of the G2 and GH2 with only a few tweaks to the placement of buttons. One of these changes is that the quick movie capture button has moved from its position on the top-plate to the rear of the camera, making it easier to press with a thumb while holding the camera in a shooting position.

Two buttons – the AF/AE lock and depth of field preview – that are found on the G2 are missing from the G3. However, both of these functions can be programmed to the two function buttons should you require them.

The G3 is the fourth Panasonic G-series camera to have a touchscreen. As well as letting you change various settings via an on-screen menu, it also allows the AF point to be selected. I admit I had a few reservations about the technology when I heard this was going to be introduced in the G2, but I am pleased to say my fears of it being unusable were unfounded.

While the touchscreen on the G3 is not as sensitive as those found on, say, Apple products such as the iPhone and iPad, it is fairly responsive to the touch. In fact, if you find it easy to use then it replaces the need for the Quick Menu button, freeing that up for other duties.

For the most part I still used the Quick Menu and traditional directional buttons to change settings quickly – not because the touchscreen wasn’t up to scratch, but because old habits die hard. Using the touchscreen to select an AF point and take an image is something that is genuinely useful, and its operation is intuitive so it is easy to get used to.

One annoyance is that Panasonic has chosen not to include an eye-sensor to switch between the rear screen and EVF. There is a button to the left of the EVF to toggle between these two displays, but an eye-sensor would automatically switch the view when the camera is held to the eye. Again, I presume the sensor has been omitted to help distinguish the G3 from the GH2, which has this feature.

The menu system of the G3 is largely the same as that of other recent models in the G series, although there have been a few tweaks to help improve it for entry-level photographers. There is a new IA+ mode that offers users a simplified aperture priority called Defocus Control. White balance and exposure compensation have also been given simplified controls for those using a system camera for the first time.

To help avoid confusion, the My Colour Mode has been renamed Creative Control. This function allows you to adjust the image to various preset styles, including expressive, retro, high key, sepia and high dynamic, and it is similar to the Art Styles found on Olympus cameras. The Film Mode found on previous G-series cameras has also been relabelled, as Photo Style. This is the standard image style mode that allows you to choose the different colour and black & white settings that can be applied to photographs.

While these small changes in the naming of items and the new iA+ mode may be useful for beginners, enthusiast photographers will notice very little difference.

 

White balance and colour

Although it has worked well in the above image, the vivid setting may need to have its saturation turned down a step

Faced with a variety of different lighting conditions, both daylight and indoors, the G3’s automatic white balance performed well. In bright sunshine the daylight white balance setting produces better results than AWB, retaining more of the blue in the image.

When shooting under tungsten lighting, the AWB setting reduces the effect of the orange/yellow hue, but fails to remove it completely. The incandescent white balance setting is quite clinical, removing almost all the hue from the tungsten lights. However, it is the custom white balance settings that naturally produced the most precise results.

There are two user-defined custom settings in the G3, which is useful if you regularly use a particular studio lighting set. Images taken with a custom white balance look devoid of any colour from ambient lighting, making it only really suitable for studio photography.

As for the newly renamed Photo Styles, there are the usual standard, vivid, natural, monochrome, portrait and scenery settings. Of these, standard is the one that will see the most use. It has a good level of contrast and is suitable for everyday use, although I found that the best results were achieved in this setting by increasing the sharpness and saturation to +1.

Conversely, those who require really punchy images should choose the vivid option, although for my taste it has a little too much contrast and saturation so I would turn each of these setting to -1. Once you have edited these Photo Styles, there is the option to save one of them as a Custom Setting so that you have easy access to it whenever it is needed.


In bright sunshine the auto white balance setting works rather too well, removing natural colour from a scene

Metering

In-camera JPEG images can lack fine detail, although more detail can be extracted from raw files, as shown in this ISO 400 image of a blue tit

I was fortunate to be able to test the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 in a variety of lighting conditions, including a 5am trip to a nature reserve. On the whole, there were few surprises created by the camera’s 144-zone evaluative metering mode. Most images were well exposed with only slight adjustments needed to the exposure compensation to produce better print-ready images. When taking landscape images, it has a tendency to underexpose photographs by up to 1EV, presumably to keep highlight detail in bright skies. However, smaller highlights are not compensated for.

When photographing birds with white details, I generally had to set the exposure compensation to -0.7EV to prevent burnt-out highlights and a loss of detail. This created quite dark images, but I could correct the raw files without introducing too much noise. Switching to centreweighted metering and framing the wildlife subject accordingly helped produce better exposures that took into account the brighter highlights created by white feathers.

Documentary-style street photographs proved no problem for the G3’s metering system, and clearly this is where the camera excels. The evaluative metering worked well and can be relied upon to produce accurate exposures when you need to point and shoot quickly.

Autofocus

Perhaps the biggest recent advance in the Panasonic G-series cameras has been the faster contrast AF system found in the GH2. The fast readout from the Live MOS sensor, combined with a powerful processing system, means the GH2 has the fastest contrast-detection system found in any camera, almost rivalling phase detection in many circumstances.

The autofocus system of the G3 is based on that of the GH2, and I found it to be fast and snappy whether I was taking landscape or candid images. Having the ability to use the touchscreen to focus and then fire is wonderful. Furthermore, this feature has been improved in the G3 and now the entire touchscreen can be used to select the AF point.

In previous G-series cameras the edges of the frame could not be selected. With these improvements in mind I was keen to see exactly how far contrast-detection AF had advanced. In the past, the limitations of contrast-detection AF have meant that it is difficult to use when photographing subjects such as sports and wildlife, with the AF not being able to keep up with moving subjects.

For wildlife images my chosen lens was the Panasonic 100-300mm f/4-5.6mm optic. This gives the same field of view as a 200-600mm focal length on a 35mm camera. Although generally good, I found that the focal length was a little short for photographing wildfowl and rabbits in a field. If Panasonic were to make a 1.4x teleconverter, the focal-length reach of the 100-300mm lens would be ideal, although this may affect the focus speed.

As for the AF, it was good for photographing perched birds or grazing rabbits while in single AF mode. Continuous AF worked well for slight movements, but for faster moving subjects, such as birds in flight, the continuous AF struggles to keep up, although the 4fps shooting rate allowed me to capture one or two action shots. This was more down to timing and some careful pre-focusing, however. Similarly, focus tracking is useful for tracking birds walking, but it falls short as soon as movement becomes faster. Obviously, birds in flight and bounding rabbits are a real test for any camera in this price range, regardless of whether it uses phase- or contrast-detection AF. It is certainly possible to take wildlife images with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, but you need a lot of practice and very careful timing.

Overall, the AF system of the G3 is significantly faster than that of the G2, and on par with the GH2, although it still lacks the speed to make it successful for action photography. For all other types of photography, the various focusing options of the G3 are excellent, and at times the contrast-detection autofocus is fast enough to fool you into thinking you are using a camera with phase-detection focus.

Of particular interest to landscape, macro and still-life photographers will be the new Pinpoint AF feature (see Features in use).

Noise, Resolution and Sensitivity

Panasonic G3 noise

With a 15.8-million-pixel resolution, the G3 is capable of resolving a lot of detail. At high sensitivities this is often lost due to noise reduction and sharpening

There was some doubt as to how well four thirds sensors would fare when the resolution was increased beyond 12 million pixels. Advances in sensor design and technology mean that the increase to 16.05 million pixels in the GH2, and now the 15.8 million pixel sensor in the G3, have been possible. As the dynamic range has been improved, so too has the control of image noise, particularly at high sensitivities.

The amount of detail resolution found in JPEG images is as expected for a four thirds sensor with a resolution of almost 16 million pixels. When shooting JPEG images at the base ISO 160 sensitivity, the G3 is capable of resolving up to around 24 on our resolution chart. Impressively, it is still almost at this level at ISO 6400, albeit with more than a hint of image processing.

When shooting real scenes, the JPEG images taken with the G3 have a familiar four thirds sensor quality to them. Colour noise in the form of a purple and green tinge can be seen in shadow areas, even at ISO 200, as can a slight speckling of luminance noise. Noise reduction is clearly used to reduce the effects of both of these, but this can leave surfaces a little lacking in texture, while edges look sharpened to compensate.

Raw files are more detailed than their JPEG equivalents, with images taken at ISO 160 just about reaching 26 on our chart. However, viewing raw images with all noise reduction turned off gives you a real insight into how effective the in-camera noise reduction is for JPEG files. Colour and luminance noise are easily visible at low sensitivities, although the Silkypix Developer Studio 3.1 software does a good job of reducing this noise.

Overall, in terms of noise and resolution, images taken with the G3 are on a par with those from the GH2, while producing images with slightly more detail than the 12.1-million-pixel G2. Importantly for Panasonic, the increase in resolution doesn’t seem to have made a difference in terms of image quality. High-sensitivity images from the G3 have slightly less noise than their G2 equivalents. However, I found that the default noise reduction and sharpening settings could be turned down and up a step, respectively, to improve details in JPEG files.

I wonder how the technology found in the new 15.8-million-pixel sensor would make a difference if it were used in a 12.1-million-pixel sensor. Presumably, there would have been even greater improvements in image quality, with a slight trade off in detail resolution.

Panasonic G3 resolution charts
Resolution charts:

These images show 72ppi (100% on a computer screen) sections of images of a resolution chart, captured using the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens.

We show the section of the resolution chart where the camera starts to fail to reproduce the lines separately.

The higher the number visible in these images, the better the camera’s detail resolution is at the specified sensitivity setting.

Dynamic range

With a physically smaller sensor than cameras with equivalent-resolution APS-C-size sensors, the dynamic range of the G3 is always going to struggle to compete. Like other cameras with four thirds sensors, I found that highlights have a tendency to burn out to white slightly before I would expect them to with a camera with a larger sensor.

At present, DxO Mark (www.dxomark.com) has yet to test the G3’s sensor, but from what I have seen in images produced by the camera I would estimate that the dynamic range is around 10.5EV. Given that DxO rated the 16.05-million-pixel sensor of the GH2 as having a 10.82EV, I would expect the range of the G3 to be very similar, based on the resolution of the camera. This rating is actually slightly better than the 12-million-pixel G2 and GF2 cameras, which both scored nearly 10EV in DxO’s tests.

This shows the improvements in the micro four thirds sensor technology over the past year. The dynamic range is actually better than that of the lower 14.1-million-pixel resolution of the Samsung NX11, which has an APS-C-size sensor. However, the similarly priced but slightly higher resolution Nikon D5100 has a maximum dynamic range of just over 13EV.

Although the dynamic range of the micro four thirds cameras is improving as the resolution is increasing, generally it seems that there is still a compromise that has to be made when these models are compared to cameras with an APS-C-size sensor.

Viewfinder, LCD, Live View and Video

Panasonic G3 screensThere is no change in the G3’s viewfinder or LCD screen from the previous GH2 or G2. The electronic viewfinder is a 1.44-million-dot equivalent that offers a 100% view and is of a very high quality. I found myself using the viewfinder a lot as the 3in, 460,000-dot touchscreen tends to show up fingerprint marks in bright conditions, even with the brightness turned right up.

Video capture has been improved from the G2, and the G3’s sensor can now output 1980×1080 25p video, which is saved as 1980×1080 50i AVCHD footage. Almost as important as the improved video capture is the fact that the G3 has the ability to perform AF tracking. Using AF tracking and continuous AF when recording video footage worked surprisingly well. The focusing movements are very smooth.

Audio is now recorded in stereo, as it is on the GH2, whereas the G2 only captured mono sound. The audio is also boosted by Dolby Stereo Creator, helping reduce extraneous noise and creating a dynamic stereo effect.

Our verdict

When I started to test the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, I wanted to see how far I could push it. We know that micro four thirds cameras are ideal for street, travel and day-to-day photography, but with the faster contrast-detection AF system I wondered if the G3 could do more.

In turns out that the AF doesn’t really open up its use for other types of photography, such as wildlife, but it does further improve those it already excels at. Point-and-shoot photographers will love the focusing speed, and the smaller body makes it more portable without adversely affecting the handling. Image quality has also slightly improved, with a high resolution, but noise is still more of an issue than with an APS-C-size sensor.

Both first-time users and enthusiast photographers looking for a DSLR-style compact system camera should really like the G3. It is not quite an all-round replacement for a DSLR, but it should suit the day-to-day needs of most photographers and there is now a superb range of Panasonic G series lenses available to go with it.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3: Focal points

EVF/LCD
The G3 lacks an eye sensor to automatically turn the EVF on when the camera is held to the eye. This button toggles between the rear LCD screen and EVF being switched on

LCD screen
The 3in, 460,000-dot touchscreen is starting to look a little dated compared to the 921,000-dot and 1.04-millon-dot screens found in recent Nikon and Canon cameras respectively

Direct record
This button has moved from the top of the camera on the G2, to the rear of the G3. It can easily be pressed with a thumb while shooting

Function buttons
By default, the two function buttons access the display options and the Quick Menu. However, if you choose to use their touchscreen equivalents, they can be used as programmable function buttons

Lens stabilisation
Unlike Olympus micro four thirds cameras, Panasonic does not use in-camera image stabilisation. Instead, some of its lenses feature optical image stabilisation, known as Mega OIS

Flash
As well as the built-in flash with a guide number of 10.5m @ ISO 160 (8.75m @ ISO 100), the G3 also has a flash hotshoe. This allows it to be used with the Panasonic DMW-FL500E and DMW-FL220E flashguns

Inputs and outputs
On the side of the G3 are sockets for a remote release cable, a mini-HDMI cable and digital output, which acts as USB socket and audio visual output. There is no external mic socket

Face detection and recognition
Not only can the G3 detect faces and focus, and expose for them, but it can also recognise an individual’s face. Once registered on the camera, it can prioritise exposure and focusing for faces it recognises

Competition

Panasonic G2

Despite the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 being an updated version of the G2, Panasonic has stated that, at least for now, it won’t replace the older camera in its line-up.

Instead, the G10 has been discontinued, and the G2, for now, will be Panasonic’s entry-level camera.

Despite the G2 having only a 12-million-pixel sensor and a slower AF system, it has many of the G3’s other features and should now be seen as something of a bargain. At around £430 including kit lens, the G2 is £190 cheaper than the G3.

Samsung NX11However, those who like the DSLR style but would prefer a larger APS-C sensor should take a look at the Samsung NX11.

This camera has a 14-million-pixel APS-C-size sensor and can be found for around £510 including 18-55mm kit lens.