@driftwood,

was the lens at same fl and distance ??. The GH2's frame is much wider and I think the difference is more than expected due to GH2's multi-aspect sensor .. This difference makes difficult the comparison and

a bit unfair for GH3's encoder (less flat area)

a bit unfair for GH2's detail (zoomed out)

Hi All. I was amazed to find that my GH3 was waiting for me at home after work. I ordered it early on the 1st day of the announcement from Amazon. I have done almost zero with it, but, I will share a link to one Photo. This one photos already tells me that, at least for the Standard Photo setting with 0,0,0,0,0 I will always shoot RAW.

I took one photo of a lamp in my daughter's bedroom. I shot RAW+JPG Best. I then imported the RAW into LR4.3 (RC) using the default settings for the GH3. I did zero processing and exported the RAW as best quality JPG. That is the 1st shot here:

Manual Exposure, ISO 1600, f2.0. Note...this is a STILL not a video.

http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/26804554_xk9F5f#!i=2244743275&k=MX4CkDM

The SmugMug Gallery is Password Protected. that PW is: GH3_Tests

The 2nd shot is the untouched JPG out of the GH3.

The 3rd shot is simply the RAW after applying light NR in LR NR=18 (no other changes).

I actually like the untouched graininess of the RAW file. I hate the ugly JPG SOC. It looks like it has 'chromosomes' embedded in the grains. :-)

Note: if you are unfamiliar with SmugMug, to see the 100% Original size photo (which you really need to do to see the pixel level noise and rather UGLY NR=0 applied to the JPG) you first click on the image. Then, at the top of the pane, click on the "O" for original size. You can easily switch between the 3 photos (even at original size) by using the arrow keys on your keyboard.

I'm one of those guys you video experts are cursing. I want the GH3 to be a much better STILLS camera as well as a phenomenal video capture device. So...of course the first thing I wanted to see was a STILL. I like what I see, (but, I probably won't shoot JPGs once I evaluate them against RAWs).

I've had a GH1 for over 3 years, (with the lpowell 75Mhz Peak Performance Patch) and have loved it, but...I became pretty jealous of the photo quality of the Oly EM-5. My hope is that the GH3 really does have the same Sony sensor, so that the GH3 can measure up to the EM-5 for stills quality?

I never made the jump to the GH2 (saving up my $$$ for the GH3) so, I've also been jealous of all you guys with the Extended Tele Focus, etc etc. I have quite a bit to learn about this camera....but...it sure feels good in my hands.

And...finally, that Sigma 30 mm f1.4 that I found pretty cheap on EBay (after reading lpowells praise of it) actually will auto-focus. Yes...it is REALLY slow, but...until now, it's been manual focus only.

I'll try to update later, but, my daughter has activities Friday and Saturday, and, all I have a good camera for is to capture moments of her life. So...I probably won't have time to do anything like "tests". But...I'll have some boring mundane clips from her events that I'll try to get up to YouTube or SmugMug.

jjj_ri_usa (aka as GH1_NewGuy).

@jjj_ri_usa Image quality looks amazing. Thanks fo posting.

You've probably all seen this (from u43 Rumors site):

http://www.focus-numerique.com/test-1560/compact-panasonic-gh3-bruit-electronique-12.html

For whatever reason, if I ask Google to translate to English, I lose the links to the GH3 Raw files? But, they are there in the original French. I downloaded the (EM-5 and GH3) Raw ISO (1600 and 3200) files. Once you set the color temperatures to be equal, they almost appear identical as far as noise. So, I wonder if the GH3 does have the same Sony sensor?

I'm just happy to see RAW still noise performance in the GH3 that is on par with the EM-5. If future dynamic range tests also show the GH3 stills to be on par with the EM-5 then: I have zero buyers remorse (not that I had any to begin with). The GH3 body was only $300 more than the EM-5. If the GH3 stills performance is on par with EM-5, we all know that the video codecs in the GH3 far outshine the EM-5.

Well done Panasonic! This is just the camera I wanted.

Now, if Vitaly can hack the GH3 and add, oh, maybe 720p @ 120... :-) :-)

PS: I donated to the "Buy a GH3 to hack" thread about a month ago. When does VK get the GH3, and...when will the new thread about "GH3 Hack" begin? :-) :-)

Workflow on first was same as iceskating.

Nick, can you tell us how many levels is possible to set for the mic imput and headphone output? Thanks.

Dear Mr. @driftwood : The Position of the internal Microphone seems more backwards than in the GH2. How is the Sound Quality? And do you know about Time Lapse ? Goes the Cam to sleep, if i selected an interval of more than 10 minutes? (So i could let it take Photos the whole Night)

Hardware 'review' question.. Anyone with a new GH3 also own a Varavon Loup EX? Am assuming with larger body, these Loupes won't work on the GH3.. Can someone confirm?

@jules @driftwood

Move to proper topic about Loupe.

For you lucky dudes that now have the camera, how is the manual? I ask because I found the GH2 manual quite abysmal and often had to search out the answer in an online forum.

Got my GH3 this morning, it just feels a lot more solid than I was expecting, even the shutter sounds a bit more pro. I am giving the battery a full charge before I head out with it into the cold December sunshine

I have ordered the battery grip, but does anyone know if it comes with an extra battery ?

@driftwood, as a gentle and begging reminder, you know that a lot of people here is waiting for your test (the chicken photos comparing gh3 vs gh2) in 1080p !!

I do like the look of some of the GH3's features, but I am struggling to come to terms with the pricing for the UK consumer.. (a typical example)

Current price for GH3 body only on Amazon uk = £1610.41 or $2578.00 Current price for GH3 body only on Amazon us = $1299.00 or £811.23

Isn't anybody else concerned about price trends?

It would be nice to find out the best uk/eu prices or I may need to wait to see if it can be hacked to make the ntsc/pal switchable.