Lumix GF3 Announced
Wow, that was fast. It has only been 3 months since I got my GF2, Panasonic today announced the successor to the GF2: Lumix GF3. Dpreview.com has a preview of the camera itself, head over there to take a look for yourself.
It is pretty amazing how small these cameras can get. Personally, I have already found the GF2 a bit small to handle as I sometimes press the buttons on the back unintentionally while adjusting the scroll wheel. Hopefully with the new combined dial/4 way controller, it will be a bit easier to handle as there are yet fewer buttons on the back now. With a touch screen, the user interface design definitely has changed a lot from the traditional hardware buttons point of view. I found the touch screen very responsive and intuitive to use.
Pricing wise, it will be the same as how the GF2 was priced: US$699 with a 14mm f2.5 kit lens, US$599 with a 14-42mm zoom lens. General availability will start in July. More info can be found on the Panasonic web site.
I am pretty happy with the GF2 and if I had money, I probably would get the GF3 just for kicks, too. (now my wife will definitely give me a kick for wanting yet another toy :P)
Image above took from dpreview.com.
Seems like the are moving toward the market for casual photographers who want smaller cameras with a trendy touch screen. I noticed that they eliminated the back thumb dial as well. An obvious choice of having few buttons to confuse beginners.
I think Panasonic did acknowledge that they will have to position the G line better when they release their next camera. I am not sure why they decided to release GF3 so soon, possibly feeling pressure from Sony and Samsung alike competing in the same market.