G3.

Good afternoon, you.

This weekend I had the chance to play with the new Panasonic G3. This is Panasonics latest micro four-thirds/interchangeable lens/compact system/baby SLR/mirror-less, ummm, thing.

Essentially it is a high end compact camera with interchangeable lenses and a bigger sensor. OK? Good.

These cameras have always been a pet hate of mine. Sure, they are small. But not really. They appeal to the masses because they are pretty much small DSLRs, but when you attach the 100-300mm lens to the G3 it is huge. So what’s the point?

Another factor I guess is the cost. Im sure many beginners like these little things because they are perhaps cheaper than the DSLR alternative. But surely when the cameras cost between £500-£800, and additional lenses cost around £500, they are no cheaper at all. In fact I’d argue that for like for like lenses they are more expensive than a beginner DSLR.

Now I’m not trying to jump on the band-wagon of the bigger the camera the better the pictures. But if you want something small, get a superzoom or high-end compact. If you are serious about taking pictures and will start to spend millions of pounds on lenses, get a DSLR. There will be more lenses and accessories available anyway, and you won’t grow out of it very quickly. You also won’t feel slightly annoyed when someone with a bigger camera comes wondering past. Camera envy is a real problem at the moment, so don’t become victim to it.

Anyway, enough of my little rant. The G3. What did I think. Generally quite a good little camera. The images taken with it turned out really well, and the different lenses were quite impressive. The many features of these modern little things made it enjoyable to use – especially the tiltable LCD.

I tested out 4 different lenses with this camera, and each had their merits.

– The 14mm pancake was brilliant purely because of its size. It actually brought this camera in to the compact size and helped to justify the camera.

 

 

-The kit 14-42mm was good, what you’d expect really. However, considering most people will leave this on their camera forever, I think a little more range on it would have been good.

 

 

 

– The 100-300mm was good. Nice long zoom, and built in image stabiliser helped. However it turned the camera from compact to a chunky piece of kit.

 

 

– The star of the show though – the 8mm fisheye. I have always had a dislike of fisheye lenses, purely because they are one-trick ponies with a hefty price tag. Despite this, the glass element on the front is just amazing, and the angle of view is constantly baffling. Here is a quick shot from sitting in the drivers seat of a van, incredible.

So all in all quite impressed, and I actually do really like the G3. I just can’t understand why these cameras exist, or why someone would exchange their hard earned money for them. But hey, I have the same thoughts on Canon gear.

T.