5stars
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Easy to use92% agree
Good image quality92% agree
Good value92% agree
24 reviews
A great entry level camera, ten years on!
At the time of writing this is a ten year old camera, and I'm super impressed with it! Image quality is lovely, and while it doesn't have focus peaking manual focus through the EVF is easy (especially with the zoomed in window).
The video capabilities can be hacked to give you better image quality there, though only in 720p or 1080i (which I'd stay away from), so not full HD, but still looks good if you don't need full 1080p.
Solidly built, small and easy to use. I'm impressed! I recommend getting an adapter for some cheap vintage lenses for some seriously pretty images on a budget!Read full review...
Great 'walkaround' camera when used with 'pancake' size lens.
I already had the G2 with the standard kit lens. I bought this mainly because of the digital viewfinder which is outstanding, and clearer than my Canon slr. I wanted a small 'walkaround' camera to replace my canon powershot G6 for times when my slr kit would be too much. The Lumix G2 body was fine but the standard kit lens is too big for a 'compact'. I saw the G3 on offer with the much smaller X vario power zoom lens. This was what I needed as a high quality 'compact' camera. I bought it and it is ideal for this purpose. Compact enough to take anywhere but capable of producing quality images that can easily be enlarged to A4 (or better). It even has the articulated screen like my old powershot. So I have now sold my Lumix G2 and Canon G6 and I am very happy with this as a replacement. The full retail price is too high but there are usually offers available that make it more reasonable. I still have my Canon slr for 'serious' photo expeditions but the G3 is a great everyday camera.Read full review...
Great camera but all family love it and I really need two.
The G3 is a great little camera which combines features of an SLR with ease of use of an automatic.
Plenty of control options and changeable lenses for more adventurous photography with ease of use for the family. Small size makes it compact and easy to carry while build quality is high.
Worst thing; small size means some control buttons are fiddly or in menus.
Best thing; small size makes it easy to carry and control options give creativity.
One problem; the family also love using it so I often have to fight three girls to use my camera.Read full review...
When a Bridge isn't good enough but a full-frame SLR is too much
...Then get a micro four thirds camera like this now old model G3. I have a G6 with a 14-140mm lens on it for home and bought this G3 second hand for the work with a 14-42mm lens on it, it is of course a few years out of date - but still a very capable camera. What this camera lacks compared to my very recent G6 is wifi connection, eye sensor and level lines in the viewfinder. Other than that for a second and camera that cost around a quarter of the latest model G7 new it is still a superb choice.
The G3 is still a 16mp camera with good range and flexibility. Unlike a bridge camera with a tiny sensor, you can compose professional looking photos and with the larger sensor get a good range of depth of field effects - almost impossible to do with a small sensor.
For all those megapixel freaks out there that say 16mp isn't enough - I bet you're looking at it on a 2mp monitor right? (1920x1080) It's not about the number of pixels it's about recording them accurately - and the G range does this very well. I'd rather have 16mp that recorded what I pointed at than 24mp of what the camera guesses it's looking at!
You can of course take full control of this camera, but equally you can 'snap' just by pressing the intelligent auto button. There are also two customisable program positions on the mode selector, so for example you can set up a bracketing mode for creating HDR's or a low light mode etc.
The plastic lens kit in this package is a little disappointing if you're used to the higher grade magnesium bodied lenses - but the optics are still good - just the smoothness of mechanical operation on the zoom is juddery to say the least.
The camera I purchased second hand was pretty close to 'as new' condition. I would highly recommend this camera, especially if you can buy it with one of the higher quality lenses.Read full review...
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: clifficient
Great Photos on a tight budget.
At 16 MP and with the ease of use of the camera it means that despite being a bit long in the tooth it still delivers excellent results. The 14-45mm lens is a quality all round lens giving great value for money. If you are looking for quality on a tight budget this is a great combo.Read full review...
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: wadsuk2014
Lumix DMC-G3
It's a great little camera it takes good sharp photo's my only complaint about the Lumix dmc-g3 is the exposure compensation button other than that it's compact dslr and small for it's size and not very inconspicuous to carry around compared to your average dslr.Read full review...
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: daveandmybits
Nice and compact with clever features but the wow factor has yet to hit me
I bought the Lumix G3 to replace an Olympus point-and-shoot that I'd had since 2003. I was also sneakily hoping that the Lumix might be good enough for me to say farewell to my Nikon D50, which I've never completely loved since I got it in 2005.
At the moment, four out of five is a fair summary of my experience with the Lumix. I was happy with its performance when taking scenic shots in Devon but it didn't perform particularly brilliantly when taking pictures of people at a party recently (even though I used the 'party' setting!). The focus often seems a little soft and I like really well-defined, crisp images - maybe it's just the way I'm using it but I wouldn't have expected to worry about this on automatic settings.
My favourite feature of the Lumix is the 'retro' setting, which means that your new pictures can look like faded memories from the 1970s. I also like its lightness and its compactness. The short battery life is clearly a drawback and, as mentioned earlier, I'm not getting the sharpness of image that I'd hoped for.Read full review...
Great, tiny, interchangable lens camera with near professional results.
I upgraded to this from a G1. Two major differences, HD movie facility and far better sensor. It is much smaller than the G1 and has fewer manual controls but I see this as an advantage as I kept bumping the (flimsy) G1 controls and getting settings I didn't want. Also the way it is held in the hand makes it less likely to press the buttons on the back by mistake. Obviously, my lenses carry over to the new body with excellent resolution and software correction of chromatic aberation and distortion. I sold on the kit lens as the earlier 14-45mm is better and has a manual control over optical image stabilisation. With the 20mm fast f1.7 prime fitted it easily fits into a pocket so it can be carried anywhere. The results are comparable with the best of the APS-C cameras from a smaller camera and smaller sensor. Unless you need the enhanced movie facilities of the GH2, this is a winner.Read full review...
Superb camera for the price
I already love this camera. As a relative beginner it has more than enough for me to explore and develop my skills and take some decent pictures. Excellent value for money and image quality.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: patmccrann
EASY LIGHTWEIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
I wanted a SLR type camera as the compact I'd been using had got me interested on photograph again, but I'd got used to carrying a lightweight camera and didn't want a heavy bulky SLR. The answer Panasonic Lumix G3 all the flexibility of and SLR but so much lighter and easy to carry around. Good range of lens available and this allows for creative photograph.
I've enjoyed getting used to the camera and has alot of the same functionality as the Panasonic Lumix TZ compact camera that I had before.
Trade reveiws on the camera rate it's performance highly so I don't think I'll be complaining.Read full review...