Panasonic DMC-G3 In-depth Review: Digital Photography Review

Camera Menus

The menu layout and design of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 closely resembles that of the GF2. In normal shooting mode, pressing the Menu button on the rear of the camera calls up the main screen which provides touchscreen access to the menu selection window.

	An initial press of the Menu button brings you to the main menu screen. Its five mode buttons will look familiar to G-series users. You can tap any main menu button to enter its respective categories. But after that you must use the 4-way controller to navigate among or adjust individual settings.

Record menu

The Rec menu will probably be the most frequently accessed, and it is here that you'll find options which relate to shooting. The G3 is capable of a maximum burst rate of 20fps, albeit at a reduced resolution of 4MP file and includes a Quick AF mode which seeks to reduce shutter lag by engaging autofocus as soon as the camera is pointed at a subject. Photo Style is a renamed and slightly altered version of the G2's Film Mode. In this table and all those that follow the * indicates a material change over the last generation (we haven't marked all the menu items that have moved).


Option	Values / Actions	Notes
Photo Style	• Standard • Vivid • Natural • Monochrome • Scenery • Portrait • Custom
Aspect Ratio	• 4:3 • 3:2 • 16:9 • 1:1
Picture Size	• Large (16MB) • Medium (8MB) • Small (4MB)
Quality	• Fine • Standard • RAW + Fine • RAW + Standard • RAW	RAW mode stores only the maximum number of pixels of your chosen aspect ratio, not necessarily the entire sensor.
Face Recognition	• Off • On • Memory • Set

Focus Mode	• AFS • AFC • MF
Quick AF	• Off • On	Attempts to achieve focus as soon as the camera is pointed at the subject
Metering Mode	• Multiple • Center weighted • Spot
Flash	• Auto • Auto + Red-eye correction • On • On + Red-eye correction • Slow sync • Slow sync + Red-eye correction
Red-eye Removal	• Off • On

Flash Synchro	• 1st • 2nd	Sets the flash to fire either at the start or the end of the exposure
Flash Adjust.	• +/- 2 EV in .03 EV steps
I.Resolution	• Off • Low • Standard • High • Extended
I.Dynamic	• Off • Low • Standard • High	Exposure and contrast are adjusted to compensate for scenes requiring a wide dynamic range. Replaces I. Exposure.
ISO Limit Set	• Off • 200 • 400 • 800 • 1600 • 3200 *	Sets the maximum ISO value that will be set in Auto ISO mode. 'Off' sets this limit to 800

ISO Increments	• 1/3 EV • 1 EV
Long Shtr NR	• Off • On	Takes a second, dark-frame to allow subtraction of long exposure noise
Shading Comp.	• Off • On
Ex. Tele Conv.	• On • Off	Only uses part of the sensor, to simulate additional zoom. Was 'Ex. Opt. Zoom'
Digital Zoom	• Off • 2X • 4X

Burst Rate	• SH * • H • M • L	Selects 20, 4, 3, or 2fps shooting. Live View is not available in SH and H modes. SH mode only produces jpegs, even if the camera is set to RAW.
Auto Bracket	• Steps 3, 5 or 7 frames 1/3, 2/3 or 1 EV steps * • Sequence: 0/-/+ -/0/+
Self-Timer	• 10 sec • 10 sec (3 images) • 2 sec
Color Space	• sRGB • AdobeRGB
Stabilizer	• Off • Normal * • Panning *	Normal mode compensates for both up/down and left/right movement. Panning mode corrects for up/down movement only.

Motion picture menu

The Motion Picture menu contains all of the options related to video capture. This menu is also where you'll find the G3's audio options, which include a wind-cut filter.


Option	Values / Actions	Notes
Photo Style	• Standard • Vivid • Natural • Monochrome • Scenery • Portrait • Custom
Rec Mode	• AVCHD (1080i) • Motion JPEG
Rec Quality	• Rec Mode: AVCHD (1080i) * FSH FH • Rec Mode: Motion JPEG HD VGA QVGA
Focus Mode	• AFS • AFC • MF
Picture Mode	• Movie • Stills

Continuous AF	• On • Off
Metering Mode	• Multiple • Center weighted • Spot
I.Dynamic	• Off • Low • Standard • High	Exposure and contrast are adjusted to compensate for scenes requiring a wide dynamic range. Replaces i. Exposure.
Ex. Tele Conv.	• On • Off	Only uses part of the sensor, to simulate additional zoom. Was 'Ex. Opt. Zoom'
Digital Zoom	• Off • 2X • 4X	Digital Zoom - crops the image to simulate additional zoom

Wind Cut	• Off • Low • Standard • High	Reduces wind noise in motion picture recording
Mic Level Disp.	• On • Off	Live display of sound level being detected by microphones
Mic Level Adj	Level 1 - 4
Flicker Red	• Off • 1/50 • 1/60 • 1/100 • 1/120	Reduces flicker effect from fluorescent lighting

Custom menu

The G3's Custom menu is comprehensive, stretching to 7 tabs. Among the choices here are the ability to define function buttons, enable onscreen guides and configure use of the touchscreen, including the option to disable touchscreen autofocus completely (for the first time on a G-series camera).


Option	Values / Actions	Notes
Cust. Set Mem.	• C1 • C2-1 • C2-2 • C2-3	Assigns current settings to one of four custom memories
Disp./Fn1	• Disp. • Fn1	Defines operation of Disp./Fn1 button
Q.Menu/Fn2 *	• Q. Menu • Fn2	Defines operation of Q. Menu/Fn2 button
Fn Button Set	• Fn1 / Fn2 AF / AE Lock Preview Photo Style Focus Area Set Focus Mode Aspect Ratio Quality Metering Mode Flash Flash Adjust. ISO Limit Set Ex. Tele Conv. Burst Rate. Auto Bracket Shutter AF Guide Line Movie/Stills Rec Area	List of settings that can be assigned to the Fn1 and Fn2 buttons. Each button can be configured from the same set of options.
Histogram	• Off • On

Guide lines	• Off • Thirds • Center • Movable
Highlight	• Off • On
Expo Meter	• Off • On
AF/AE Lock	• AE • AF • AF/AE	Determines which parameters are locked when using the AF/AE lock function
AF/AE Lock Hold	• Off • On

Direct Focus Area	• Off • On	Allows AF point to be moved using the 4-way controller in single-point AF mode
Focus Priority	• Off • On	Determines if the camera waits for focus before allowing shutter release
Shutter AF	• Off • On
AF Assist Lamp	• Off • On
AF + MF	• Off • On	Allows manual fine-tuning of focus once AF lock has been achieved

MF Assist	• Off • On	Zooms in the view to allow high-precision manual focus
MF Guide	• Off • On	Displays a rough focus scale when focusing manually
LVF Disp. Style	• Display Border On • Display Border Off	Screen information in the viewfinder can be displayed on a border or superimposed over the image area
LCD Disp. Style	• Display Border On • Display Border Off	Screen information on the LCD can be displayed on a border or superimposed over the image area
iA Button Switch	• Single Press • Press and Hold	Defines behaviour for switching to iAuto mode

Movie button	• Off • On	Enables/disables the movie button
Rec Area	• Stills • Movies	Changes the previewed aspect ratio between motion picture and still picture recording
Remaining Disp.	• Stills (frames) • Movies (time)	Switches between number of recordable pictures and available recording time
Play on LCD	• Off • On	Sets destination for playback mode when using the LVF
Touch Settings *	• Touch Q.Menu Off On • Defocus Ctrl Off On • Touch Shutter Off On • Touch Disp Off On • Touch AF Off On

Touch Guide	• Off • On
Touch Scroll	• H • L
Dial Guide	• Off • On	Gives cues to the dial's function in the viewfinder after a change
Menu Resume	• Off • On	Menus return to last-used position
Pixel Refresh	Start processing Yes No	Checks the sensor for malfunctioning pixels

Sensor cleaning	Start processing Yes No
Shoot W/O Lens	• Off • On	This must be set to 'On' when using lens adapters