Unveiled at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games headquarters in London, the Panasonic Lumix G3 is claimed to be the world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens system camera with a build-in electronic viewfinder - it weighs 336g.

It features a 16.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor, which has been specifically designed for the G3. Coupled with the new Venus Engine VI FHD, the camera offers burst rates of up to 4fps at full resolution or 20fps at a resolution of 4.0 megapixels.

The G3 offers a sensitivity range of ISO160 to ISO6400, while offering improved low-noise performances over the Lumix G2, claims Panasonic. "With newly developed processing capabilities, the low-noise pixel area and the low-noise circuit are combined, resulting in a noise level of less than one third of a conventional sensor."

Autofocus options have also been improved with multiple-area AF mode with 23 focus areas available, as well as Face Detection and AF Tracking, which can also be used while recording movies.

In terms of HD video recording capabilities, Panasonic has moved away from 720p resolution and now offers full-HD at a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The G3 can also records stereo sound, however, it doesn't support external microphones - downgrading the camera from its predecessor, the G2.

The Panasonic Lumix G3 will be available in June at a retail price of £550 (body only) and £629 with a 14-42mm lens.

Visit www.panasonic.co.uk.