Lumix GF3 offers slight advantage on AF point selection using touch screen, plus some fanciful touch-shutter functions that are generally more fun to use. But I would still prefer NX menu layout. GF3 has the fastest AF and highest fps, but the screen does not look sharp. It can shoot full HD but in MTS (Blue-Ray) format and not the PC-friendly MP4 format. You can shoot MP4, but only 720p, and audio quality is poorer. Being micro four-thirds system, GF3 offers lots of lens choices, and has the fastest shooting response among the cameras reviewed here.
When Lumix releases the GX1, Lumix has a speed winner. It offers the same convenient interface of a touchscreen and more dedicated hardware button operations, plus even-improved AF speed. These, in a larger ergonomic body and many of the features that demanding camera enthusiasts need, like standard hotshoe, snappy RAW shot-to-shot images, Full-HD, stereo audio recording, built-in flash (that can manually tilt 90-degrees to the ceiling!), supports external EVF. If you don't want to miss a moment, the Lumix GX1 gets you the shot.
Olympus PEN E-P3, E-PL3 & E-PM1, they all are identical in spirit, differing only in appearance and number of hardware buttons. PEN series have the most customisable controls among all the ILC: you can set the direction of the focus ring, or set the brightness range of the histogram, or define which eye to focus when selecting "Face Priority" focus type. AF becomes slow and less accurate under low light. Among the three, you have to get the E-P3 in order to fully appreciate the functionality of an Olympus PEN. The E-P3 also enjoys very fast AF and low shutter lag, although it can only capture 3fps.
Sony NEX-C3 offers the best screen visual experience. I feel a big sense of gratification after I take the shot and seeing the images on the screens. I also like how the icons are high-res and neat. ISO quality is the best among these cameras reviewed here. With NEX, I can shoot at high ISO and I get more clear shots than the rest, because Sony is confident in its high ISO and aggressively sets high ISO for its auto shots. Sadly, its shutter sound is the loudest and most annoying. AF speed is also the slowest. It also lacks the dedicated controls that professional users favour, and its unconventional design - small body large lens - may not appeal to some.
Samsung NX200 offers the best handling and ease of making shooting adjustments. It captures 20.3mp at 7fps, both specs ranked highest among the cameras in this review. You can even shoot at 30fps at 5mp using burst mode, rivaled only to Nikon 1 series. But continuous-burst shots take longer time to process and save, and the camera is almost locked out until the shots are cleared from the buffer. Apart from this disappointing characteristic, everything about this camera feels quite right. It offers the best balance in terms of image quality and manual controls, and has added dozens of smart filters and magic frames and video recording modes to keep consumers entertained.
ILC or DSLR? I still don’t get the same experience from the ILCs as I do with DSLR. While I find myself struggling to try to get ILC to match the quality of DSLR, I feel so effortless shooting on a DSLR to get what I want. DSLR offers me the organic experience that no other ILC can provide.
Yet we must not forget that the ILC offers a solution of comparable DSLR image quality and handling in a very compact size. I do not foresee myself investing heavily or permanently in an ILC system, so I am happy to buy any system with a set of basic lenses to cover a wide shooting range. My purchase decision would not have to depend on the system expandability and compatibility. I would focus on shooting speed, ISO quality, ease of shooting controls.
My perfect ILC camera would consist of the user interface and shooting controls of NX, image quality of NEX, and shooting speed of GX1. In the absence of perfection, my choice of camera among those I reviewed would be Samsung NX200. And that's just me.
There is no "best" product decision. It's just understanding your needs and meeting it.
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