Buy-n-Shoot.com Contributor
Ben Halcomb | Website

Picture this scenario, a husband while departing for a holiday to Hawaii mentions to his wife after being seated on a plane “oh, by the way I have three new cameras packed and plan to test them while on holiday” …Hmmm, mental note after a cold look, don't bring it up again for a while.

Before we dive into the test, allow me to express my thoughts on what makes the hybrid camera category a very good alternative over the traditional DSLR. For starters, a large number of people ask me, as a successful photographer and photographic trainer “which camera do you use?” The answer usually “I have about 9 or 10 cameras ranging from compacts all the way through to full frame DSLRs”.

If you’re considering the purchase of a new camera, have a good think about what the main use for it will be. Before shooting, I choose the best camera for the project. So, go to a reputable photographic specialist and ask for some good advice based on what you will mainly use the camera for.

With a DSLR, you’ll have the benefit of an optical view finder which in some situations is great. However in recent times the rear LCD screen’s quality of almost all cameras have vastly improved, especially over the last few years. These new hybrid cameras are designed to be used just like a compact camera, holding the camera out in front of you at arm’s length, looking at the LCD screen even in bright sunlight.

The big benefit is that you get to preview a shot before you take it. If it looks too dark or too light that’s what you should see on the back of the camera as a live preview, which should also reflect what the final shot would be. These days it’s simple to lighten and darken a shot as all cameras now make this step (if required) easy. The other big benefit is that as the photographer, you don’t have your face blocked when looking through the optical viewfinder. If the photographer holds the camera out, away from their face they can easily see what’s going on around them. I’ve heard countless times people say that years ago they missed a lot of their holidays as they only saw what was happening through the lens. On the same note, when shooting children (this is also a positive), you can see exactly what they are doing outside the picture frame and chat with them until you have the right pose!

Each of the cameras being compared come as a twin lens kit option. Below I’ve shot 3 images, one on the widest focal length setting, the second in the middle and third at the longest zoom, so you can see what is to be expected. I recommend the twin lens kit option as you open yourself to a much larger variety of focal length options.

Day 1 – Waiting for the right moment… the new wife has a cocktail in hand, looking very relaxed. Timing is perfect! Like a kid in a candy store I grab the new cameras and lenses! Amazing scenery cannot wait. Wife glances over and shrugs her shoulders, yep… away I go.

The 3 cameras I’ve packed are:
Panasonic GF-3
Olympus E-P3
Samsung NX11

As each of the 3 cameras come as twin lens kit options, the manufacturers each offer to expand of the kits in the same way as a DSLR. These cameras are very capable image capture devices, however one thing I did notice is that each seems like it fits a slightly different consumer.

And so… the fun begins. Each day a different camera was used, allowing time to get to know the camera, testing and shooting.

Panasonic GF-3

First impressions:

•    The Panasonic had loads of control options
•    Easy to program custom controls
•    Looks like a mini SLR
•    Flip around LCD

My gut feeling after day 1 was that it is a good quality camera, but with no outstanding features apart from the flip-around screen and a built in electronic view finder. The image quality was very good in most situations, it focused quickly and did what it should do, but I just felt like I wanted more from it.

Day 2, out came the Olympus E-P3

Olympus E-P3

First impressions of the Olympus:
•    Loved the art filters
•    Loved the touch screen
•    Loved the full HD video

After using this camera for just a few hours I felt right at home as it’s so user-friendly.

The Olympus E-P3 is a good mix of mini DSLR styled camera coupled with a simple, yet clever creative tool. It was a camera that for me from a photographer’s perspective could be used to control elements of a scene, yet easy enough for my wife to get in touch with her creative side, without the need of a computer.

Day 3, it was Samsung’s turn.

The Samsung NX11 camera was fine, but it did not have any features that were much of an advance on the previous model, apart from the sweep panorama. However, it did have ‘iFunction’, which is a feature that allows the photographer to control most of the camera settings by using just your thumb on the lens.

Samsung NX11
Below are a couple of samples for Samsung NX11

After using this Samsung NX11, my first impressions were “What a great quality screen this camera has”. The colour on the screen looked absolutely real! The screen was the most viewable in bright sunlight out all three Panasonic GF-3,  Olympus E-P3 and Samsung NX11 cameras.

One surprising thing I found was that I did not use the iFunction feature – maybe I am too used to adjusting all the semi automatic and manual option settings on the back of the camera!

Summar: The Likes and Dislikes…

Panasonic GF-3
Took a while to befriend this camera, but in the end loved the flexible movement of the LCD screen for shooting in a variety of positions, including the easy self capture pose! This may well be quite a good consumer draw card, especially for younger generations.

The Panasonic GF-3 camera was the perfect companion to take a photo of myself and my wife complete with view from our balcony in the background putting to work the flip screen. The sample below is the very first self portrait photo test taken – a great start!

Likes – movable screen, HD movie quality.
Dislikes – The basic functions were not easy to locate. The screen was a bit dull in colour and smaller than the other two. The construction felt a bit light and no option to insert cable release.

Olympus E-P3
Loved it from the get go. Wandered the streets with this camera not that it was big item to show off, but was light weight enough that it could be worn for an entire day. The second zoom lens was compact enough to fit in handbag pocket.

Likes – art filters, compact lenses, ease of use, touch screen and accurate screen view vs capture, colour reproduction.
Dislikes – took me a while to find how to change ISO, no cable release option

From a non-photographer female perspective, my wife loved the art filters, plus the small and compact easy to change lenses, colour range available and the retro look. For reference,  people  on the street asked if I was shooting film and were time and again very surprised when I said it was digital – very retro looking!

Samsung NX11
For those unaware, I worked with Samsung for a while and know the NX11 camera very well, so for me it was simple to use. It looks very much like a mini DSLR which is appealing to a certain segment of people.

Likes – the panoramic images, colour on screen, HD movie quality
Dislikes – nothing really new from last models

Day 9 - We climbed to the top of Diamond Head crater with all three cameras to get some comparison shots. Believe me this was a big walk to lug a camera bag on my back. We did some comparison shots, all on the normal auto mode that most people would use, to see how the cameras handled them, all shot from the same spot on a tripod. As expected all cameras gave a nice shot, one thing you can see is the different aspect ratio of each camera, all cameras can also be set to the 3-2 aspect ratio so you print normal size photos without cropping half the shot out.

Sample images from each of the cameras:

Panasonic GF-3 (left) | Samsung NX11 (right)

Olympus E-P3 (left) | Olmypus E-P3 ‘Dramatic Tone’ mode  (right)

Day 10 - Gave all three cameras to the wife to take some sunset shots in scenery modes for her opinion

Olympus EP-3 in Sunset mode (left) | Panasonic GF3 in Sunset mode (right)

Samsung NX11 (right)

Day 13 – Waiting for my wife to hand back the Olympus. She insists that she should keep it in her handbag just in case she can grab another shot on the trip to the airport... I think there’s a favourite…

In conclusion, the Olympus E-P3 was the camera which I found myself going back to each time for further testing. Although all three cameras took great images and had something unique to offer, at the end of the day I enjoyed experimenting with the art filters, their ease of use and instant satisfaction with each new image created.

About the writer:

Ben Halcomb is the owner / manager of 7 Chairs and works in the world of commercial photography. With over 25 years industry experience with both film and digital, he is a multi award winning photographer with the Australian Institute of Professional Photography. Ben has photographed well over 400 weddings and has shot just about everything else in between. Visit the 7 Chairs Website