Panasonic shrinks interchangeable-lens camera

Watch this: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

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It seems like only yesterday that Panasonic rolled out the Lumix DMC-GF2--and in fact, it's only been about six months here in the U.S., though the older model debuted overseas a few months earlier than that. Regardless, Panasonic's ready with a new, even more compact interchangeable-lens model. The GF3 doesn't replace the GF2, but it's priced the same, which I suspect is going to make for some confusing buying decisions.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 photos

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The GF2 uses the same 12-megapixel Live MOS sensor and Venus Engine FHD processor as the GF2, but incorporates some of the enhancements from the G3, including the Light Speed autofocus system and focusing options like pinpoint and a picture-in-picture navigator for manual focus. Panasonic also includes the more advanced auto mode from the G3 which allows for color and brightness adjustments.

Here's Panasonic's current ILC lineup:

Like the GF2, the GF3 has a combination touch-screen and traditional button interface, but Panasonic has replaced the discrete four-way nav buttons and jog dial with a more point-and-shoot-like combination button/dial. To prevent accidentally scrolling your way into bizarre settings, the wheel ignores the first couple of turns before activation. I'm torn about the implementation. I think it's necessary to accident-proof the scroll wheel--heaven knows I have enough of them--but when you're trying to adjust shutter speed or aperture that lag can get disorienting and make you overshoot. That's going to require a bit of field testing when I get the production model.

While the controls look different, they mostly operate the same way as on the GF2. But because the jog dial is gone, Panasonic had to move the exposure compensation to the up button, pushing ISO sensitivity into the Quick Menu. Overall, I like the interface. It's straightforward, with large virtual buttons that are easy to hit, and the touch screen is sufficiently responsive. But I think there's still a bit of a discoverability problem with the features. For example, I inadvertently turned off that PIP feature I mentioned earlier and in the absence of a manual, can't figure out how to turn it back on.

What makes it so confusing is that for the same price as the GF2 you get a slightly smaller camera where you gain better focusing features, possibly slightly better performance, and a new (but not unique) Miniature special effect, but where you lose the hot shoe and viewfinder option and drop from stereo audio in movie capture to mono. Based on a few test images from this preproduction model, I don't think the image quality is going to be much different, though a lot can change in firmware before it ships in July. Note that the two kits have different ship dates: the 14mm in July, the zoom in August.

Here's how the GF3 stacks up against compact, similarly priced ILCs:

The main competitor for the GF3 is Sony's NEX series. Both are small ILC bodies; unfortunately, unless equipped with a prime lens, ILCs just can't get as pocketable as a lot of point-and-shoot upgraders want. The larger sensor necessary for better photo quality simply requires a larger lens mount and lens to cover it than the tiny sensors in snapshot cameras. And once you stick on a typical kit zoom lens, like the 14-42mm for the Micro Four Thirds models or 18-55mm for APS-C models, the cameras can still get pretty large. Between the two, though, the NEX's tilting LCD gives it a bit of an edge.

There are also cheaper ILCs, including the larger Samsung NX100 and the even larger Olympus E-PL2. I don't think ILCs can really start selling significantly until prices drop even further, which is too bad--for the features, performance, and quality most of the cameras in this class deliver, the prices aren't unreasonable.

Along with the camera, Panasonic is introducing a new Leica-branded 25mm f1.4 prime lens (50mm equivalent) that will also ship in August. It's a nice feeling lens with nice specs, smooth manual focus ring, and silent operation for video capture. I also shot with a preproduction version a bit and loved the build and speed (both focus and aperture) but it displays a lot more fringing than I expected. I hope that's fixed before it's final.