Panasonic G3 Announcement and Preview

The new Panasonic G3 is supposed to be announced today (May 12) at 8:00 am London time. And here is the first video preview of it!

The Panasonic G3 combines the compact camera styling of the GF-line with the more advanced handling and control of the mini-DSLR-like G-series. Even better news is that the Panasonic G3 has the G2's articulated, touch-sensitive LCD screen AND an electronic viewfinder, so there's no need to buy the option finder like with the GF2. It features a new 15.8 Megapixel sensor but unlike the GH2 sensor it is not a multiaspect sensor. It records in FullHD, has the same ultra fast autofocus of the GH2 and goes up to 6400 ISO. It takes pictures at 4 fps (frame per second) and has a 3 inch articulating LCD. The G3 is a much more touch oriented camera than the G2. The left dial is gone, the Q-button moved on the trash button (just an example on how Panasonic tried to remove as much button as possible). The G3 will be priced at $649 with kit lens.

The G3 boasts a 3.0-inch (7.5 cm) free-angle Intelligent LCD with 100% field of view and a 1,440,000-dot equivalent Live View Finder. The body is made of aluminum, incorporates an ergonomic grip and is available in black, red, white and brown.

UPDATE: DpReview now have a preview of the G3 up here.