REVIEW OF THE LUMIX G3
The lumix G3 was released back in 2011 (13 years ago, as of when i am writing this review). It was the eigth panasonic camera to sport the micro four thirds sensor system which still being used by range of photographer to this day!
Let's discuss what is Micro Four thirds. Micro Four Thirds, also known as MFT or M43 was the eairlest form of mirrorless systems which debut in 2008. As of 2025, sensor's have come along way since the release of G3. We have full frame sensor which is twice the size of the M43 sensor! So the question is why did i buy a camera that is old enough to go high school and has a smaller sensor? Portaiblity and customization. The biggest issue as a 20 year old photographer is that bringing a DLSR or a Film camera can be over encumbered and sometimes i when i am out i want to snag a photo of something fastly moving, for example a car. By the time i took the camera out it has gone! The Lumix G3 is small and light weight which really appealed to me, with the added plus of the screen being tilt able, it's a nice luxury to have especially when i am scanning my negatives. (belive me, get a camera that has a tiltable screen when scanning your negatives, your back will thank me later...).
The other factor why i bought this camera was the comand dial has two options to preset your settings. The C1 feature allows you set photo filters and other camera settings and save them to that dial, so if you were for instance were rushing about taking photos you can flick between colour and black within secounds however the menus can get confusiing the first time you see them and that the colour changes are very restrictive. I am full aware that Fuji does something simalir with the film simaltions however this feature is nice to have on camera this affordable.
Now onto what i think this camera does not do well with. I get mixed results using this camera during the night. I tried taking photos of a blood moon however i think the kit lens it came with really was not designed for low light situations so all i got were a yellowish grainy semi-circle which is dispointing. Another issue is with this camera is that i found that the lenses are really expesensive. I have had a look at MPB at the M43 line up of lens and the cheapest is above £80. this is a bit disapointing as if i want to try and take this camera out at night again, i would much prefer using a sutible lens.
Was this camera a bargin? I spent £100 for this camera at my local antique shop, it included the lens, a strap and the charger. Note that the charger i was given fits a GH2 rather than the G3 however i was able to charge it with the use a rumber band which was over the strap when i got it. I would say this camera was worth it. I really enjoy taking out and experimenting with the images look. I was eyeing on this camera for while, just before i got my Nikon d70s so i am happy i got this camera finally.
Will i try more M43 camera? yes. I really like using the smaller sensor size however i do not think it would replace my nikon D70s by a long shot. The nikon does way better during the night time essible paired with my telephoto lens i have, i may get an adapter for the G3 to try nikon lenses however time will tell.