Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Zitat: Recommended Pro: + 3:2 ratio touch screen. + Fast full-frame AF performance. + Built-in flash. + Creative Control effects. Contra: - No hot shoe / accessory port. - Flash position causes lens barrel shadow. - No rear push thumbwheel. - Mono Mic. Panasonic´s repositioning of its GF range as ´consumer´ models aimed at casual photographers looking to upgrade from a point-and-shoot has long been apparent and, in my view, they´ve succeeded admirably. The GF3 is a lovely camera to use and one of the few models that successfully manages to integrate touch-screen and physical controls. The decision to stick with the ageing 12 Megapixel sensor will doubtless be a disappointment to some who hoped to find the G3´s superior sensor deployed here, but its image quality is still streets ahead of what anyone trading up from a compact will be familiar with. The decision to drop the rear thumbwheel, stereo audio mics and hot shoe / accessory port will likely be of consequence to a relatively small number of potential buyers and is compansated for by a camera that is smaller, lighter, faster and easier to use than it´s predecessor. It´s also a little cheaper than the Sony NEX-C3 and significantly less expensive than the Pen E-PL3. If you don´t like the way the GF range is going and long for a ´pocketable´ micro four Thirds body with the features that the GF3 has sacrificed, now´s a great time to pick up one of the remaining Lumix GF2s. With the same sensor, kit lens and most of the GF3´s features in a slightly larger body with additional physical controls it´s looking like a real bargain for enthusiasts. Conversely, point-and-shoot owners looking to upgrade to an ILC for better quality without breaking the bank will be very happy with the Lumix GF3.

Zitat: Pro: + Excellent image quality + interchangeable lenses. Contra: - No electronic viewfinder capability. If you´re ready to make that leap from compact digital cameras to the bigger league, then the compact and lightweight Lumix DMC-GF3 with its extremely impressive images and interchangeable lenses might do the trick, despite a few key omissions.

Zitat: It would be a mistake to consider the Panasonic GF3 as “just” a fancy compact camera as it can truly be a DSLR replacement for a lot of people, including me. To be fair, it also has the price of a DSLR, so it’s normal that we expect the same level of performance from it. As I said earlier, it comes down to lifestyle and usage model: I own both type of cameras and that’s really how I think of it. Both are very good at what they were built for, but they are so (physically) different that they are bound to have significant advantages over each other, depending on the situation. From an image quality point of view, the Panasonic GF3 can hold its own when compared to much bulkier camera but it is obvious that DSLRs often have an advantage when it comes to sensor size, variety of lenses and accessories. However, the GF3 will win every time when it comes to portability. Often, the best camera is the one that you have handy. If the Panasonic GF3 is of interest to you, I strongly recommend considering the 14mm f.2.5 kit (or the 20mm f1.7). It is a bit more expensive (up to $700 for the camera+lens), but using the pancake lens gives you the full benefits of having a small camera that can fit in a small pouch or cargo pants pocket. You always have the option of using an array of other lenses if you want to. I hope that I have answered most questions that you may have. If not, feel free to drop a comment and I’ll try to reply as soon as I can.