If you look at the controls on the G3 they look remarkable similar

If you have looked on with dismay as Panasonic abandoned the enthusiast small M4/3 and instead chases a smaller and smaller and dumber and dumber form factor with the GF line, then you now have a reason to be happy. It appears Panasonic is positioning the G3 as the successor to the GF1. They might not know that but that is how I view it. Viewed as a replacement to the G2, the G3 is a bit of a let down. Much the way the GF2 was compared to the GF1. However, the G3 is a great replacement to the GF1. It is a little bigger but not that much. The physical controls are the same but now there is touch screen controls and to make up for many of the missing physical controls there are the C1 and C2 modes on the mode selector. a Before continuing something that very few people seem to understand with these camera systems is the lens, not the camera body, determines how big the camera is. I will use extremes... Read more

Purchased the G-3 with 14-42 kit lens plus a 45-200 and 20mm lens for travel. I am a serious digital outdoor/travel photographer but tired of traveling with 28+ pounds of pro. level equipment. I was looking for a "go light" quality built camera with lot of features and adjustments. It came down to the Panasonic Lumix G-3 or Olympus Pen. The Panasonic won the contest because it has both and high quality LCD screen AND a high quality viewfinder (although it is electronic not optical.) In addition the LCD screen folder out and rotates270 degrees which is a very handy feature. If you want a smaller 4/3 camera and are happy with just the LCD (no viewfinder) the Olympus may be a bit better camera. The G-3 is much much lighter and smaller than my Canon 5D. The only serious limitation is with the available reasonably priced lenses, the are relatively slow compared to more expensive 35mm camera lenses. This is the reason for the 20mm lens, at F1.7 it is better for lowlight indoor or... Read more

Technicals for this camera have been expounded upon ad nauseum already and they are mostly good. So lets go in another direction.
I am a photographer who uses a Canon 5D2 DSLR with the Canon 24-70mm L lens as my every-day setup. It yields superb images for this format.
But, after years of using this combo, you start to feel weighed down ... I needed an alternative to "shlepping" this setup when going on a casual hike or family outing. I ALSO wanted a backup to the Canon 5D2 for those photo trips/assignments where the Canon setup might become inoperative ... sure, I could get another 5D2 body and get weighed down even MORE ... no thanks.
My solution, at this time, is the Panasonic Lumix G3. For now I use it with the 14-140mm Panny OIS zoom lens (I don't particularly like the kit lens that comes with the camera). I also particularly like the Panny 20mm f/1.7 lens which is tiny. The G3 is NO Canon 5D2, BUT it is very convenient and the images are very good compared to... Read more