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Author Topic: Panasonic G3 field report  (Read 2525 times)

PeterAit

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Panasonic G3 field report
« on: January 29, 2012, 08:51:47 pm »

I just returned from a week in the mountains of Nicaragua with this camera and thought some might like to hear my experiences. All in all, I continue to be extremely impressed with this kit (I took a G2 to Alaska last year).

I had 3 lenses, the 7-14mm, the 14-45 mm, and the 100-300mm. This left a hole in my focal length range, but I felt that taking a 4th lens, the 45-200mm, but I felt it wasn’t worth the extra bulk and weight (plus, it would fit in my case with the other equipment). I really wanted the long lens for birds. So, I had 14-90 mm (equivalent) for landscapes and general purpose and up to 600mm (equiv) for wildlife – and, importantly, the long lens has image stabilization which allowed many handheld shots that would not have been possible otherwise.

The whole kit, with a few filters and 3 batteries, was quite compact and lightweight. This was an important factor on long hikes on jungle trails, often steep and usually muddy. I would usually keep the 14-45 on the camera and the 100-300 in a raincoat pocket to allow quick lens changes without the need to take my pack off. With 16 megapixels and the excellent quality of the lenses, I am very happy with the images I brought back. I cannot imagine doing this trip with the equivalent capabilities in a full-frame DSLR. Here are a few images; the birds are a crimson-collared tanager and a rufous tailed hummingbird.
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Jack Varney

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Re: Panasonic G3 field report
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2012, 11:04:53 pm »

Peter, I have a G1 and find its responsiveness is a little slow when photographing people candidly. What is your experience in this regard with the G3?

Nice photos by the way.
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Jack Varney

PeterAit

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Re: Panasonic G3 field report
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2012, 08:17:16 am »

I have no complaints about the responsiveness, although cannot compare it to the G1. I find the tilt/swivel screen is very useful for taking people pictures unobtrusively.
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jalcocer

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Re: Panasonic G3 field report
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2012, 09:13:02 am »

Nice pictures, I'm glad you are liking your G3
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richarddd

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Re: Panasonic G3 field report
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2012, 07:41:33 pm »

Some reviews complain that you have to manually turn on and off the EVF(no eye sensor)  and that there aren't enough manual dials/buttons.  Any comments on that?

Nice photos.

Jack Varney

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Re: Panasonic G3 field report
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2012, 07:45:27 pm »

Thanks for your answer, Peter.
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Jack Varney

PeterAit

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Re: Panasonic G3 field report
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2012, 08:00:11 pm »

I actually like the manual switching between screen and eye-level. I can have the screen off all the time to conserve battery and turn it on only when needed. There's a dedicated button for this.

As for the controls, it's a fairly compact camera and I am not sure where you would put more manual controls. Even as it is, I now and then have my fat thumb pushing something it shouldn't! The menus are pretty well organized, I think. If you want a smaller camera, I think this is an unavoidable trade-off.
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richarddd

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Re: Panasonic G3 field report
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2012, 06:42:38 am »

Are you happy with the controls or do you find yourself wishing for more dials and buttons?

Panasonic could have put another dial on the front for a two dial camera.  ;D

jalcocer

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Re: Panasonic G3 field report
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2012, 08:48:08 am »

What about the viewfinder? is the image quality good enough?
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PeterAit

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Re: Panasonic G3 field report
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2012, 12:15:54 pm »

I think the eye-level viewfinder is great. It has a diopter adjustment and even with glasses I can see the whole screen.
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jstephens62

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Re: Panasonic G3 field report
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2012, 12:37:08 am »

How was hand-holding the 100-300 lens? I would like to use this combo for walk-around birding, but I worry about being able to hand-hold that long of a lens.
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PeterAit

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Re: Panasonic G3 field report
« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2012, 09:48:58 am »

The image stabilization makes hand-holding this lens possible even at 300 mm (600mm equiv) - see the 2 bird shots in my original post.
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