Panasonic GH3 Review

Panasonic with completely revamped top model Lumix DMC-GH3

With the mirrorless Lumix GH3 system camera, Panasonic is targeting established DSLR competition. The engineers pack the camera technology into a splash-proof magnesium housing and equip the GH3 with just about everything the photographer and videographer would love and appreciate. But an endless equipment list alone does not make a good camera – the image quality must also be right.

Short evaluation

Pros

• WiFi connectivity
• Robust housing, splash-proof
• Extremely extensive equipment, also for video
• Good image quality up to ISO 1,600 (but not with kit lens)

Cons

• No focus peaking
• Partly fiddly small keys
• Blatant resolution weakness of the set lens in the telephoto range
• Viewfinder with 16:9 format, therefore black bars

Panasonic has more than just renovated its top-of-the-range G-series model. The GH3 mirrorless system camera presented today not only wants to inspire photographers but also ambitious videographers. Compared to its predecessor, hardly one stone was left on the other. The sensor, for example, is new, although its resolution is still around 16 megapixels. The electronic viewfinder is equipped with OLED technology, the readout rate of the AF sensors has been doubled again, the maximum sensitivity has been increased to ISO 25,600 and the GH3 now makes wireless contact with smartphones, PCs or the Internet via an integrated Wifi module. Together with the GH3, Panasonic also announces two high-quality zoom lenses.

 

With the GH3 presented today, the current top model in the Lumix G series, Panasonic has left hardly a stone unturned. Rather, the camera was rebuilt almost from scratch. The result is a mirrorless system camera that not only addresses demanding photographers, but also wants to please ambitious video filmmakers. She has what it takes – at least from the paper form. Thanks to its sensor in Micro Four Thirds format, the system camera is quite compact and accommodates an image converter that continues to resolve around 16 megapixels as in the previous model. But this sensor is a completely new development that Panasonic believes can achieve a maximum sensitivity of ISO 25,600 in conjunction with the image processing processor, which is also new. However, it is no longer an “oversized” sensor like the GH2 – other page formats than the native 4:3 are created by simple trimming. In general, this sensor is very similar to that of the Olympus OM-D. Well-informed insiders conclude that Sony could be the supplier. This is also indicated by the fact that Panasonic does not explicitly speak of an “in-house development” – but emphasizes that the low-pass filter has been reworked in order to “make the best possible use of the image resolution of the sensor”.

The speed of signal processing was significantly increased. This increases the GH3’s continuous shooting rate to six frames per second (fps) at full resolution and even 20 fps at a frame size of four megapixels. The increased speed also benefits the autofocus, which Panasonic continues to rely on pure contrast measurement. Compared to its predecessor, the readout rate of the AF signals has been doubled once again and is now 240 Hertz. Panasonic promises that the GH3’s contrast AF system even surpasses high-end DSLRs with phase difference AF. In addition, the focus point can be quickly placed on the desired subject area with a fingertip on the touch display. This display is now equipped with particularly brilliant OLED technology and its resolution increases to 614,400 pixels. Panasonic has also opted for OLED in the electronic viewfinder (EVF) of the GH3. This improves the contrast range that can be displayed to 10,000:1 compared to 150:1 as was the case with the predecessor. Panasonic has also drilled out the video functions in the GH3, with outstanding features here: the GH3 offers variable timecode recording and the option of outputting the video stream at up to 71 Mbps in full HD at 50 full frames per second. The built-in stereo microphone, which can also be controlled manually if necessary, but can also be replaced by an external microphone, ensures good sound during video shooting.

 

GH3 also features a WiFi module. It allows the camera to connect wirelessly with a smartphone, tablet or router to any computer or Internet connection. If the Lumix Link app for Android or iOS is installed on the mobile device, the smartphone or tablet will display the Live View image from the camera. Furthermore, the GH3 can be remote controlled via the Lumix app, even the focus or settings such as ISO number and white balance can be set via the app. In addition, the app captures the GPS data from the mobile device and automatically synchronizes it with the recordings – so the GH3 can do without its own GPS module.

For photographers, the GH3 offers Panasonic’s usual variety of scene and creative programs, semi-automatic modes and full manual control over exposure and focus. The performance of the on-board flash has been slightly improved to guide number 12. The developers have also honed the operating concept, so the GH3 now has another selector wheel around the four-way rocker. The housing is splash-proof and dustproof, it is based on a chassis made of a light magnesium alloy. Together with the GH3, Panasonic is also presenting professional system accessories, including two powerful zoom lenses, a new portrait handle and a flash unit with guide number 36 and additional LED continuous light for video recording.

Ergonomics and workmanship

The Lumix GH3 makes it unmistakably clear from the very first contact its superiority in comparison with previous models. Compared to its predecessor, the case has grown significantly and gained almost 200 grams in weight. As a mirrorless system camera, the GH3 is thus a stately appearance and hardly more compact or lighter than a small DSLR like a Canon EOS 650D. But if you take the GH3 in your hand, the weight gain is quickly forgotten. Thanks to its strongly shaped handle, the camera can also be held securely with one hand. The touch quality is beyond all doubt: Panasonic has put the GH3 in a very robust magnesium-aluminium case – so it won’t crackle or crackle even when it’s accessed from the inside. In addition, the housing is sealed against haze and splash water, the interfaces are protected by robust rubber covers, memory card and battery compartments are under sturdy flaps. The battery door is far enough away from the correctly arranged tripod thread so that the energy dispenser can be changed even when the tripod plate is attached. By the way, the battery has a pleasing range of about 540 pictures. If you want more, you can equip the GH3 with the optional DMW-BGGH3 portrait handle, which doubles the battery range.

 

As befits a camera with high demands, the GH3 comes with three dials. A new feature is an adjustment ring on the rear, which at the same time functions as a four-way rocker. The thumb and finger wheel at the top run pleasantly tight and with clearly defined locking points – nothing accidentally changes. This also applies to the two mode dials on the top plate. The smaller one on the left switches between single-frame and continuous shooting, the larger one on the right selects the operating mode of the camera. It’s a shame that Panasonic only uses the small dial for four positions, there’s plenty of room for other functions. But even so, the GH3 comes with a multitude of dedicated control elements, with the help of which it can be quickly configured. For example, there are buttons for direct access to ISO number, exposure compensation, or white balance. Additional function keys activate the new WiFi connection, bring up a quick menu on the display or allow direct access to AF mode. Five of these practical little helpers are also freely configurable and can be assigned a function of your choice. As practical as these keys are, they should have been a bit bigger. But there’s also the touch-sensitive display, which lets you control the GH3 almost like a smartphone with fingertips and gestures. Panasonic is now relying on a sensitive touch display that reacts particularly sensitively.

Like its predecessors, the display is hinged on the left with a folding and rotating hinge, the viewfinder image can be controlled from practically any conceivable position – if necessary, even when looking into the front of the lens. Panasonic scarcely has anything to say about the resolution of the display, which is 614,000 pixels. In practice, however, this modesty is hardly noticeable in a negative way, the monitor shows a sufficiently sharp picture and, thanks to the OLED technology used, is still reasonably easy to read even in a bright environment. The electronic viewfinder doesn’t give quite as much pleasure. Its exit pupil is too deep, making it difficult for spectacle wearers to fully capture the viewfinder image. The OLED viewfinder cuts a fine figure on paper: with a resolution of around 1.75 million pixels, it has a very fine resolution and, with a magnification factor of 0.67 (relative to 35mm), is almost as large as the viewfinder of a full-frame camera. In practice, however, the viewfinder image is much smaller than would be expected from the paper form. The reason: Panasonic uses an EVF in 16:9 format for the GH3, but displays the viewfinder image with the 4:3 aspect ratio of the sensor. This leaves wide funeral bars on the left and right that show no information at all. The EVF of the GH3 reacts with a delay of only 2.1 milliseconds much faster to changes in the viewfinder image than the viewfinder of the GH2 – streaks or even a jerky image build-up during camera pans are completely alien to the EVF of the GH3. Even in very dark surroundings, the viewfinder image shows hardly any colour noise and is therefore clearly superior to a classic DSLR viewfinder in poor lighting conditions.

Panasonic has changed little in the menus, which still have a somewhat coarse layout. The commands and symbols are easy to read on the one hand, but require a lot of space on the display on the other – which is detrimental to clarity. In addition, although Panasonic divides the main menu into several tabs, the command lists in them extend across several screen pages – that’s not exactly clear either. Fortunately, you don’t have to go to the main menu too often, as frequently used paramaters can also be accessed via the Quick menu. In addition, the GH3 allows three individual setting sets to be defined, which can then be conveniently recalled via the mode dial.

Equipment

Panasonic has put the GH3 practically everything into the cradle that is dear and expensive to the demanding photographer. But also less ambitious photographers get their money’s worth with the camera. So the GH3 offers no less than 21 scene modes – there should be the right basic setting for almost every occasion. If the choice of a scene mode program is too complicated for you, the intelligent fully automatic function of the GH3 leaves it to you. It is nice that one is not at the mercy of this fully automatic system – it rather accepts the specification of an arbitrary time/aperture combination or allows an exposure correction. For photos made to measure, different image styles can be called up or parameters such as sharpness, contrast, etc. can be set individually. There are also 14 creative modes for alienated shots à la “toy camera” or “retro look”. Of course, the GH3 also has face recognition on board, and a new HDR automatic has been added. She takes three differently exposed photos, which the camera then combines into one image with perfectly drawn depths and lights. This may take a while, but the GH3 remains ready to record during this time.

 

For demanding photographers and special applications, the GH3 has some special features that are rare in its class. This includes a real interval function that takes up to 9999 photos according to a set schedule. The GH3 is also generous with bracketing – it allows up to seven shots with a maximum spread of 1 EV. A professional way to set an upper limit for the ISO automatic. In addition, there is an intelligent ISO automatic function that detects fast motif movements and then adjusts the sensitivity so that shots can be taken without blurring. Panasonic has even thought of a button for checking the depth of field in advance, but this software-controlled dimming button is somewhat unfortunate on the back of the camera. If desired, the GH3 can fade in a live histogram into the viewfinder image, enabling perfect exposure control in advance. The smart thing about it is that the histogram display can be shifted in the viewfinder image and thus does not necessarily lie over an important part of the subject.

The GH3 shows a big heart compared to studio photographers: Not only does it have a PC sync socket for connecting a studio flash – the Live View preview of the recording result can also be switched off. This is important so that the camera does not show a black viewfinder image when connected to an unknown studio flash system. In a team with a system flash unit or on its own and its on-board flash, the GH3 does not bother either. The shortest sync time is 1/160 second, but in combination with an external system flash (e.g. DMW-FL500) high-speed synchronization is also possible. The new DMW-FL360L flash unit can even control the GH3 wirelessly, while all other flash functions such as synchronisation to the second curtain, long-term synchronisation etc. are still available. The wireless flash control system is also compatible with Olympus. The intensity of the flash light can be adjusted on the GH3 independently of the exposure of the ambient light. It is also nice that the on-board flash jumps far enough upwards to prevent ugly shadows from appearing in the corners of the picture.

At first glance, the GH3 might seem to be missing a GPS receiver that provides images with their location coordinates. But the GH3 can do without it without need, as it offers smart WLAN capabilities. These can be used, among other things, to obtain the location coordinates from a smartphone on which the free app “Lumix Link” (available for Android and iOS) is installed. Once GH3 and a smartphone are playing in a team, there are also a number of other possibilities: This allows the camera to be triggered remotely via a smartphone with its display showing the viewfinder image. Or the GH3 immediately transfers each recording to the smartphone’s memory, from where it can then be forwarded to the Internet. It goes without saying that the GH3 not only connects to a smartphone via WiFi, but also to other WLAN devices such as a PC, TV or printer.

There is hardly anything to criticize about the very complete equipment of the GH3. But what about the performance of the camera? When serial photos are required, the GH3 gets down to business: in JPEG it sprints with 5.9 photos per second (fps), in raw format even 6.3 fps. What’s much more impressive, however, is how long the GH3 can keep up this pace: With JPEG shots, it is only after 88 photos or almost 15 seconds that it falls into the leisurely continuous run at 2.4 fps. If you record in Raw, the spurt is much shorter, now the camera falls after 18 shots into a leisurely trot with only 1.6 photos per second. If you like it especially fast, you can shoot rows with 20 fps in SH mode – but then the image size drops to about four megapixels, raw shots are not possible. If desired, the GH3 can also adjust the focus for fast continuous shooting, giving priority to the focus and reducing the frame rate accordingly.

The fast autofocus (more on this in the “Lens” section) is especially convincing for video recordings. If desired, the GH3 can adjust the sharpness during film shooting, although it cannot be disrupted by panning the camera. Rather, she waits for a blink of an eye until she has grasped the new motif and only then re-adjusts the sharpness. It is hardly noticeable that she sometimes runs over the correct focus point once or twice – this focus pump is too short for that. However, the sharpness can also be adjusted semi-automatically during video shooting – either by briefly pressing the shutter release button or even smarter with a fingertip on the touch-sensitive display. However, video professionals will be much more pleased that the GH3 not only saves in AVCHD but also in QuickTime format even at Full HD resolution. Its advantage over the usual AVCHD compression is that each image is compressed individually, so the images do not have to be decoded time-consuming if they are to be edited later. The GH3 records the film sound in stereo, optionally via the integrated microphones, but also with an external microphone that can be connected via a mini jack. The GH3 allows you to control the sound manually in the spirit of demanding videographers, and you can even connect headphones to the camera to monitor the sound recording. For those who want to perfectly synchronize separate picture and sound recordings afterwards, the GH3 SMPTE-compatible time codes can be recorded. And last but not least, the camera also records in time-lapse and slow-motion – there is hardly a wish left unfulfilled when it comes to videography.

Lens

Together with Olympus, Panasonic is regarded as the manufacturer that launched the mirrorless system camera segment. It’s been more than ten years now, and the range of lenses for the GH3 and all Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras is correspondingly large – especially since lenses from Panasonic and Olympus can also be used on MFT cameras from the other manufacturer without any problems. We mainly used the GH3 with the Lumix G Vario HD 14-140 mm 4-5.8 Asph OIS lens, a combination that is also offered as a set. The tenfold zoom covers a focal length range of 28 to 280 millimetres in 35mm photography, making it the ideal companion in practice for all cases. This is certainly helped by the fact that the lens is quite light and compact in relation to its focal length range with a weight of just under a pound. Nevertheless, Panasonic has not saved too much. OK, the lens tube is made of plastic, but the bayonet is made of stainless steel. However, it is not specially sealed, so the splash water protection of the GH3 ends at the set lens. Inside the zoom, 17 lenses in 13 groups ensure that the image is as perfect as possible – read more about this in the Image Quality section.

The tenx zoom is equipped with an optical image stabilizer, which can be quickly switched on and off with a switch on the lens. While it is still reasonably bright in the wide-angle range with F4, the light intensity in the telephoto range decreases noticeably. Nevertheless, the GH3’s basically somewhat slower contrast AF has no problem to focus quickly. On the contrary: Focusing and triggering took between 0.3 and 0.4 seconds in the test laboratory. Particularly practical: The focus point can be placed on the desired motif area with a fingertip on the touch-sensitive display. If you focus manually, the GH3 automatically switches on a focus magnifier as soon as you turn the distance ring. However, the GH3 does not offer a function that marks contrast edges in the focal plane (focus peaking). On the other hand, the focus drive of the set lens is quiet so that it doesn’t interfere with video recordings. The zoom ring runs smoothly and smoothly, but the focal length cannot be adjusted silently. But for videographers who want to shoot zoom drives, Panasonic also has special power zooms on offer where the focal length is adjusted by a motor.

 

 

Picture quality

Almost everything on the GH3 is new – including the image sensor. Like the sensor of the GH2, it delivers images with a resolution of 4,608 x 3,456 pixels. But while the GH top models were equipped with an oversized sensor until now, where the image resolution hardly changed at other aspect ratios than the native 4:3, the image converter of the GH3 is clearly more conventionally designed: If you switch to the aspect ratio 3:2 or 16:9, the image is simply cropped accordingly. The resolution drops to 14 or even only twelve megapixels.

 

With the GH3, less space is available for the individual sensor cells on the image converter than on a sensor in APS-C format. The smaller the sensor cells, the less light-sensitive they are and the greater the risk of image noise spreading. In this respect, the predecessor was not quite convincing. The GH3 now does a much better job: although the signal-to-noise ratio drops below the critical limit of 35 dB even at around ISO 1,200, luminance noise becomes visible at ISO 1,600 and then continues to rise. But the particularly annoying color noise has the camera firmly under control up to high ISO 12,800. Equally important is that the noise remains very fine-grained up to the highest ISO spheres and is therefore visually far less distracting than coarse grain. The GH3 can’t hide the fact that its noise suppression contributes to the decent values. Thus, the texture sharpness already decreases from ISO 200, at first only slightly, then strongly beyond ISO 3,200 – the noise reduction of the GH3 causes increasingly fine image details to disappear with the interference pixels.

 

This would not be necessary, as parallel recorded raw files show: The very fine-grained brightness noise of the GH3 barely disturbs up to ISO 6.400, with restrained noise suppression some details can be saved that the JPEG processing of the camera lets go down by default. Fortunately, the GH3’s noise reduction can be adjusted very far from -5 to +5, so that every photographer can find the right balance between image noise and detail for his taste and preferences.

The GH3 is exemplary in terms of input dynamics. The camera processes a very high contrast range of eleven f-stops between ISO 200 and ISO 3.200 – an excellent result. Panasonic has rather cautiously adjusted the image processing (it can, however, be completely adapted to one’s own taste via the image style). The camera only re-sharpens moderately, which effectively avoids unattractive sharpness artifacts. The tone curve, on the other hand, tends towards “crisp”, but this can also be adjusted. The GH3’s output dynamics aren’t quite as good – the reproduction of the finest tonal gradations is already quickly lost in the basement beyond the ISO 400. Those who value finely graduated tonal values should better avoid higher ISO settings. The GH3 has a small outlier in terms of colour fidelity, cyan tones it shifts towards magenta, orange it reproduces too red.

While the GH3 with its new sensor cuts a visibly and measurably better figure than its predecessor, the lens remains the same. The Lumix G Vario HD 14-140 mm 4-5.8 Asph OIS can’t quite convince on Panasonic’s new flagship. Particularly in telescopic position, sharpness and resolution fall short of expectations. At the long end it achieves a maximum resolution of a paltry 22.6 line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm) – even a value twice as high would only be good. Towards the edges of the image, the resolution is again reduced by more than half – so the lens in its maximum telescopic position is at best still suitable for releasing a centrally arranged main motif against a background further away. In this respect, the Lumix G Vario 100-300 mm 4-5.6 Mega O.I.S. with a comparable focal length, which also appeared with the GH3 in the test laboratory of digitalkamera.de, does much better. After all, the 14-140 shows distortion largely without distortion, except for the moderate barrel-shaped distortion at the short end. Also the vignetting is okay, a darkening of the edges is measurable but hardly visible.

Bottom line

With the Lumix GH3, the segment of mirrorless system cameras will grow. The camera doesn’t have much in common with its predecessor anymore, the housing has become more voluminous, but also more high-quality and robust – and thus also considerably heavier. The equipment and feature list is so long that even very demanding photographers will hardly find a gap in it. The GH3 always gets to the point quickly, this is not only true for the quite high serial frame rate but also for its autofocus. Thanks to a new sensor, the GH3 delivers visibly better image quality than its predecessor, up to about ISO 1,600 it is at eye level with the established APS-C competition. With higher ISO sensitivity, the sensor in micro-four-third format takes its toll in the form of increasing noise and loss of detail due to noise suppression, although recordings up to ISO 6,400 are quite respectable. However, the GH3 has to accept that the set lens Lumix G Vario HD 14-140 mm 4-5.8 Asph OIS can’t keep up with it. It only resolves moderately, in telescopic position the edge resolution is even unacceptable. The ergonomics of the camera also have to put up with criticism. The electronic viewfinder is too deep, for spectacle wearers it is hardly to be used. In addition, it is designed in 16:9 format, so that a decent part simply lies fallow when displaying a 4:3 viewfinder image. On the other hand, it’s praiseworthy that Panasonic has provided the GH3 with five freely configurable function keys – but they’re likely to be a bit larger. The bottom line is that the GH3 is recommended for all those who don’t want to compromise on photo and video recordings, and those who want an even more compact camera system, at a reasonable price

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 gets firmware update 1.2: Better low-light auto focus

Panasonic has released a new firmware version 1.2 for the Lumix DMC-GH3. The update includes an optimized low-light autofocus down to -3 LW, and also improves autofocus performance with the two Powerzoom lenses 14-42 and 45-175. In addition, the GH3 is equipped with a silent mode in which electronic noises as well as the flash are switched off. For exposure compensation, there is a reset option to 0 EV, for program change, and to turn off the camera. Finally, it fixes wireless connection problems with Mac computers. The update can be installed by the user himself as usual, a corresponding manual in English language can be found on the support website. If you don’t have the courage to update yourself, you should contact your dealer or the camera support.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Datasheet