[Photo] The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Last week I decided I wanted a smaller camera which I could easily take with me. The problem is that my Canon D60 DSLR camera is quite bulky and that's not always very easy. So I started looking at some compact cameras, but the longer I looked at the specifications and the increasing prices it became more and more clear to me that this was not the way to go.

I then ran into the micro four-thirds cameras. This is a camera comparable to a DSLR however without the mirror system. This has a big influence on the size of the camera and since this was for me a big reason to look for another camera this was something I had to look into.

Background on the four-thirds system

The micro four-thirds system was announced in August 2008 by Olympus and Panasonic. So for me it is proven technology. The system will bring me the DSLR options and quality in a more compact camera.

Some of the pros in comparison to a compact camera:

• Changeable lenses which mostly feature a wider aperture then on compact cameras. Which allows more control over the depth-of-field and greater creative possibilities.
• A decent image sensor (Approximately 9 times the size of most compact cameras) which offers better image quality and more light sensitivity.

My requirements

Of course I had certain requirements while looking for a four-thirds camera:

• Electronic viewfinder, since there is no mirror it does not support an optical viewfinder like you find on a DSLR. However in certain conditions one can not do without.
• Swivel display, I like this on my Canon 60D and it allows me to take shots which are otherwise (almost) impossible to make.
• Built-in flash unit.
• Hot-shoe for external flash unit.
• Comparable image resolution as my current camera (16 MPixels)

The Panasonic DMC-G3

Based on my requirements I ended up with the Panasonic DMC-G3 (Here is a link to the review on the dpreview site). This is the camera I received last week and with which I am extremely happy since it matches all my requirements. I was a bit worried about the size of the camera in comparison to my hands, but this has not been a problem at all.

The weight of the camera with the 14-42mm lens attached and with a battery in the camera is 583 grams. Which is certainly not bad compared to the features on the camera, like the viewfinder and the swivel lcd.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 with 14-42mm and 45-200mm lens

To show the size of the camera I placed my Canon 60D next to it

The back of the cameras with the swivel LCDs (I forgot to clean the display on the G3 ...)

As a note for someone who is wondering if a Canon strobe (like the Canon 430EX II) can be used then the answer is yes. But TTL does not work and the weight distribution is quite off and because of this holding the camera is not very easy.