Review of Panasonic Lumix GF3



    The confrontation between manufacturers of system cameras (or, more simply, mirrorless cameras) is gaining momentum with each new announcement. And if Olympus and Samsung in this marketing war look more like catching up, then Sony and Panasonic proudly step ahead. It is also interesting that while Sony announced the APS-C mirrorless NEX C3, Panasonic made its presentation - with the Colosseum and Italian wine. Climbing down the ramp to the Moscow-Rome plane, European and Russian journalists could only guess what they would be shown. Everyone thought that a large-scale test drive of the previously announced G3 was planned, but the Japanese surprised everyone. In the capital of Italy, in an atmosphere of strict secrecy, we were shown a new model from the youngest line of Panasonic mirrorless lenses - Lumix GF3, and with it the new lens for the Micro Four Thirds system - Leica GD Summilux 25mm / 1.4.



    Gf3


    Looking at the Panasonic GF3, it is unlikely that anyone would dare to blame the mirrorless for the fact that they are not small enough. If we compare the dimensions of this camera with the sizes of the TZ20, the top ultrasound from the same Panasonic, we will see the following picture: 107.5x67.1x32 mm for the GF3 and 104.9x57.6x33.4 mm for the TZ20. It is not known whether developers resorted to the help of nanotechnology, but it’s hard for me to imagine a more compact and yet convenient case. Looking at the semicircular protrusion on the top of the camera, you understand that they tried to reduce it as much as possible. In height, for example, there is nowhere less to shrink - the mount diameter does not allow it (by the way, it has already decreased by 2.5 mm in height and 3.6 mm in width). For the sake of compactness, the developers even decided to abandon the hot shoe for accessories. But the flash, fortunately, remained. It is hidden just in this semicircular ledge.

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    The front and rear panels of the camera are metal; only the frame surrounding the perimeter frame and the battery cover are made of plastic. In front there is a small ledge under the middle finger of the right hand - for a more secure fit. At the back there is an emphasis for a thumb intended for the same purpose.

    The controls on the body of the GF3 minimum, the emphasis is on sensitivity. But Panasonic, as always, offers a reasonable compromise and refuses to give up mechanical controls at all. On the top panel there is an on / off switch, a shutter button, a button for instantly starting a video recording and a button that switches the camera to “intelligent auto mode”. I must say, a very convenient thing when there is no time to set the exact settings. In most cases, automation does its job well.

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    On the rear panel there is a button for ejecting the built-in flash, a button for switching to viewing the footage, and a button for calling up the quick menu to correct basic settings. And, of course, the control wheel, spinning which you can change these same settings. Inside it is a classic five-button multi selector.

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    The display is resistive, its resolution is 460,000 pixels, and the diagonal is three inches. I did not feel any discomfort when sighting and viewing photos, the grain is almost indistinguishable. But if you shoot in bright sunshine, the same problem appears as the GF2 had - the LCD screen is very glare. We have to cover it from above with the palm of my left hand to see what exactly went into the frame.

    Internal changes are almost as radical as external ones - GF3 has been thoroughly pumped. A new Venus Engine VII HD processor was installed in the camera and the AF system was improved. In a press release, Panasonic cites data from its own measurements of the GF3 autofocus speed in conjunction with different lenses, and the average figure is about 0.2 seconds. And, it seems to me that the manufacturer does not dissemble. Having taken a day before looking at the Nikon D300s DSLR and then spent three hours walking around Rome with the GF3, I did not notice a significant difference in autofocus speed. Before the “three hundred”, the Panasonic mirrorless even had an advantage - focusing at the selected point in the frame by clicking on the touch screen.

    Internal changes also affected the rate of fire of the camera. GF3 is capable of shooting at 4 frames per second. I can’t say how the new camera will behave in twilight or in the dark, but in bright daylight it makes it easy to capture dynamic scenes. Before us, for example, was a burning Italian grandfather roller skating. With such a rate of fire, it was not difficult to shoot him.

    And, of course, the most important thing. In addition to the new processor, GF3 also has a new Live MOS matrix with increased sensitivity. A small grain is noticeable in pictures at ISO400, but it will not have a significant effect on the print quality of photographs. Moreover, it can be easily removed using software noise reduction. At ISO800, the noise is more pronounced, but photos are still suitable for printing in A4 size and, possibly, even after A3 after processing. Significant losses in detailing begin at ISO1600, but even such photos can be safely carried to the photo lab and asked to be printed in 20x15 format. For a camera representing the youngest line of mirrorless cameras, the performance is not bad. Only one thing remained incomprehensible - the minimum ISO value is 160 units. Sometimes the usual ISO100 was not enough for shooting landscapes in bright daylight.

    Another mysterious story is connected with the battery of the new camera. One of my colleagues had enough for 1200 photos. I shot about 300 frames and about 5 minutes of video, while the battery was discharged by a third. I immediately remembered the experience of April shooting in Barcelona on the previous mirrorless mirror of the same line - GF2. Then one full charge of a more capacious (if we compare the mAh indicator) battery was enough for me on average for 400 frames. Either this is some kind of magic, or Panasonic developers will soon invent a perpetual motion machine.

    In addition, the Panasonic GF3 has outstanding video capabilities. The camera can record Full HD movies in 50i format or regular HD, but in progressive scan. Two compression codecs are still available to choose from - AVCHD or Motion JPEG. And unlike DSLRs, there are no problems with autofocus. The result was not surprising, but pleasantly pleased. It’s even a pity that there was no time for thoughtful high-quality shooting with a tripod. Of the minuses, only a rolling shutter was seen, but this is an expected phenomenon.



    Leica 25 / 1.4


    Together with GF3, the Japanese introduced another, no less interesting, novelty. This is a lens for the Micro Four Thirds Lieca Summilux system with a focal length of 25 mm and aperture of 1.4.

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    Given the crop factor of Panasonic system cameras, equal to two units, we get the classic fast-moving "fifty". The lens design includes 9 elements in 7 groups, including two aspherical and one with a high refractive index. The lens weighs approximately 200 grams. Of course, if you attach this lens to the GF3, then there can no longer be any talk about the special compactness. But the picture quality is simply amazing! Actually, all test photos and a test video were shot on the Panasonic Lumix GF3 and the new Leica lens.

    Summary


    Looking at the three new products from Panasonic, we can safely say that the Japanese are very serious. They didn’t just show beautiful slides at the presentation - they conquer the mirrorless market not in word but in deed. Sales of system cameras compared to sales of SLR cameras in Japan (34% versus 66%) speak for themselves. And what is popular in the land of the rising sun inevitably turns out to be popular with us.

    Although, if we ignore marketing games and percentages, then the point is not even in popularity. The point is the ratio of "convenience - price - result." And if last year Sony’s nexus were the leaders in this ratio, now GF3 has every chance for a long time to take a leading position. Against the background of the sluggish announcement of the NEX C3 with its very minor improvements, the mirrorless from Panasonic looks much more interesting in all respects. Especially if the price really matches the predicted: $ 700 for GF3 complete with a 14 mm pancake lens or $ 600 for a "kit" with a standard zoom of 14-42.

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