Panasonic G3/GF3/XZ-1 news, reviews and in Stock status!

[shoplink 22077 ebay][/shoplink] I have to catch up with some news I didn’t post because of the recent Olympus rumor and news mill! Here is the news list:

1) Lori Grunin from Cnet US (Click here) tested the G3: “If you’re looking for a camera that’s not quite as big as a dSLR but doesn’t skimp on hardware controls or features like an articulated LCD, EVF and stereo full HD video, the G3 is one of my top options. But performance is hit-and-miss for shooting action, so you may end up having to go with something just a bit bigger, anyway.

2) Hardwarezone (Click here) tested the G3 and GF3: “In the two days of manhandling the G3 and GF3 in Chiang Mai, both cameras performed up to speed with our expectations and were outstanding in their respective specialization…Of course, we have also littered our hands-on observations with little quirks that we didn’t quite like – say, G3’s rather disappointing battery life and the positioning of GF3’s video button, but these are naturally little quirks in an otherwise pleasant shooting experience with both Lumix G cameras.

3) Engadget (Click here) posted a GF3 hands-on: “Shooting 1080i video is as simple as hitting record, just to the right of the shutter button. Remembering not to accidentally cover the microphone, however, was more of a challenge. Internal mechanical noises dominated the first few minutes of our first video — our subject picked up volume significantly after we adjusted our grip, creating a free path to the mic.

4) There is a new [shoplink 19904]Olympus XZ-1[/shoplink] firmware you can download at Olympus (Click here). It has an improved algorithm for ESP spot metering. Get the camera at [shopcountry 19904].

And finally some in Stock status info about the very nice G3!
In Europe you can find it right now at Amazon.de (the brown model), Amazon.uk (they have all kits in Stock!) and [shoplink 22077 ebay]eBay[/shoplink].
In US at Amazon, B&H, and [shoplink 22077 ebay]eBay[/shoplink].

Adorama, BHphoto and Amazon (Japan and UK) taking worldwide first preorders (But where are the E-PM1 and E-PL3 cameras?)


Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.jp are the first stores to accept preorders. What’s completely missing now is the E-PM1 and E-PL3 price and availability. UPDATE: The E-PL3 should be available in late August and the E-PM1 in September/October :(

Those are the links for Amazon:
Olympus E-P3 Black http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Thirds-Interchangeable-Digital-14-42mm/dp/B0058PL9RK/?tag=
Olympus E-P3 Silver http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Thirds-Interchangeable-Digital-14-42mm/dp/B0058PL9RK/?tag=
Olympus 12mm f/2.0 lens http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Zuiko-Digital-12mm-Cameras/dp/B0058PL9R0/?tag=
Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Zuiko-Digital-45mm-Cameras/dp/B0058PL9QG/?tag=

Those are the links for Adorama:
E-P3 BLACK W/14-42MM   http://www.adorama.com/IOMEP3B14.html?KBID=64498 $899.99 (Available in August)
E-P3 SILVER W/14-42MM   http://www.adorama.com/IOMEP3S14.html?KBID=64498 $899.99 (Available in August)
E-P3 SILVER W/17MM F2.8   http://www.adorama.com/IOMEP3S17.html?KBID=64498 $899.99 (Available in August)
E-P3 WHITE W/14-42MM    http://www.adorama.com/IOMEP3W14.html?KBID=64498 $899.99 (Available in August)
E-P3 WHITE W/17MM F2.8   http://www.adorama.com/IOMEP3W17.html?KBID=64498 $899.99 (Available in August)
OLYMPUS FL-300R WIRELESS FLASH http://www.adorama.com/IOMFL300R.html?KBID=64498 $169.99
OLYMPUS 12MM F/2 F/EP SERIES http://www.adorama.com/IOM12M.html?KBID=64498 $799.99 (Available soon!)
OLYMPUS 45MM F/1.8 F/EP SERIES http://www.adorama.com/IOM4518M.html?KBID=64498 $399.99 (Available in September)

Those are the links for BHphoto:
All E-P3 kits at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Olympus

Those are the links for Amazon UK:
There are many different kit options anc colors here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Olympus+E-P3&x=0&y=0&tag=43rum-21

 

Other US deals:
One single RED G3 is in Stock for the normal price at Amazon (Click here).
Adorama is now accepting Voigtländer 25mm preorder again (Click here).
You can now get the AG-AF100 Micro Four Thirds camcorder with a free (!) 14-140mm zoom lens at BHphoto (Click here).
The Balck and White Olympus XZ-1 are in Stock for $420 only at Amazon (Click here).
The Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 lens is in Stock for $379 via third party resellers on Amazon (Click here).
BHphoto sent me an email to say that the very last GH1 cameras are now in Stock (Click here). Once sold out there will be no more GH1 cameras for sale anymore! And if you purchase the GH1 body (for $399) you will get $100 on any Panasonic m43 lens you buy. You have to click on “Save $100 on Select Panasonic Lenses” to see the deal.
The same deal is ongoing at Amazon (Click here) and Adorama (Click here).

Last stock of GH1 cameras at BHphoto (with $100 off on al lenses)

UPDATE: Adorama is now accepting Voigtländer 25mm preorder again (Click here).

BHphoto just sent me an email to say that the very last GH1 cameras are now in Stock (Click here). Once sold out there will be no more GH1 cameras for sale anymore! And if you purchase the GH1 body (for $399) you will get $100 on any Panasonic m43 lens you buy. You have to click on “Save $100 on Select Panasonic Lenses” to see the deal.
The same deal is ongoing at Amazon (Click here) and Adorama (Click here).

Other deals:
You can now get the AG-AF100 Micro Four Thirds camcorder with a free (!) 14-140mm zoom lens at BHphoto (Click here).
The Balck and White Olympus XZ-1 are in Stock for $420 only at Amazon (Click here).
The Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 lens is in Stock for $379 via third party resellers on Amazon (Click here).

UPDATE: AG-AF100 now comes with free 14-140mm lens!


You can now get the AG-AF100 Micro Four Thirds camcorder with a free (!) 14-140mm zoom lens at BHphoto (Click here). The lens alone would normally cost $849.95! That’s a great deal!

There is a new price drop on the Panasonic 100-300mm lens. It is now in Stock for $508 at Amazon (Click here). And also the Panasonic 20mm is discounted at Amazon (Click here). The new RED G3 is in Stock on [shoplink 22077 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

P.S:: The new Panasonic-Leica 25mm will be available in early August and you can preorder at Adorama (Click here), J&R (Click here) and Digitalrev (Click here).

Black, and brown Panasonic G3 in Stock.

The Black G3 with 14-42mm lens is in Stock at Amazon (Click here). And so is the Brown G3 with 14-42mm lens at Amazon (Click here).

And today I noticed another small price drop on the Olympus XZ-1 at Amazon (Click here). Look like every day the price is dropping by $3-$4! My guess is that the upcoming E-PM1 will be priced at around $499 and the XZ-1 needs to be cheaper than that camera.

Reminder: The Panasonic 100-300mm lens is available for $513 only at Amazon (Click here).