There’s been a lot of rumour and speculation about whether Panasonic will introduce a high-end compact camera like the Panasonic LX7, but with a larger sensor. So when we saw the name of Panasonic’s latest top-end compact camera, the Lumix DMC-LF1 – to gives it its full title, we wondered if the LF stood for large format. Well it doesn’t, because inside the Lumix LF1 is a 1/1.7-inch sensor like the one in the LX7.
Brush aside any disappointment that that news may bring, however, because the comparatively small sensor inside the LF1 enables it to have a lens with a focal length range equivalent to 28-200mm in 35mm terms. This makes it enormously versatile and suited to for shooting a range of subjects.
The LF1’s versatility is further enhanced by its sensitivity range, which is ISO 80-12,800. This enables it to shoot with long shutter speeds to blur movement and freeze movement in low light.
There’s further good news with the LF1’s maximum aperture which is f/2.0 at the widest point of the lens and f/5.9 at the telephoto end. This should allow depth of field to be restricted as well as allowing faster than average shutter speeds in low light.
Unlike many small compact cameras, the LF1 has a viewfinder. And rather than being a tiny direct finder that suffers from parallax error, the LF1 has an electronic viewfinder (EVF).
The benefit of an electronic viewfinder is that it displays the image as it will be captured, taking into account the exposure, white balance and colour settings.
Build and handling
Panasonic has given the LF1 a high quality look and feel. It has a flat shape, with rounded sides and has more than a passing resemblance to the Sony RX100 – although the Panasonic camera has an EVF and is just a little slimmer.
To be fair to Sony, however, the RX100 has a larger (1-inch) sensor.
The LF1 is large enough to feel comfortable in your hand, but small enough to slip into a trouser pocket.
A dial on the top of the LF1 allows the shooting mode to be selected quickly and easily. The enthusiast favourite exposure modes (aperture priority, shutter priority and manual) are all present along with Program, Intelligent Auto (iA), Creative Control, Scene, Panorama and two custom setting modes.
A ring around the lens allows quick exposure adjustments to be made, with a display on the screen and in the viewfinder showing the settings being selected. In manual mode the dial on the back of the camera around the navigation controls allows full control over shutter speed as well as aperture. The two dials work well and are preferable to pressing buttons to make adjustments.
At first glance you might dismiss the LF1’s viewfinder as being too small, but actually it works rather well. We have only been able to use a pre-production sample of the camera, but we think the EVF is a significant bonus. We found it gives a clear view of the scene and it should be a big advantage in bright light when it can be hard to compose images on the screen on the back of the camera.
Performance
We have used a pre-production sample of the LF1, but we were unable to save or examine any shots that we took with it. Consequently we will have to leave any comments about the quality of the images that it produces until we have a full-production sample in for testing.
However, Panasonic has a good track record with its high-end and travel compact cameras such as the LX7 and TZ40. The fact that the LF1 has a Leica lens is also good news.
We were only able to use the LF1 indoors, but its autofocus system performed pretty well, finding the subject quickly and focusing without a fuss. We’re looking forward to putting it through its paces soon.
Early verdict
Panasonic has created a very attractive compact camera, however, with the rise of APS-C format compact cameras such as the Fuji X100S, Nikon Coolpix A and Ricoh GR the top-end compact market is changing significantly. The LF1 will have to compete with these as well as models like the Canon G15 and Nikon P7700 which have smaller sensors.
Not surprisingly, at £379/US$576/Au$563 the LF1 is significantly cheaper than either of the APS-C format cameras. Its launch price also compares favourably with the current street prices of the G15 and P7700.
The LF1 is small, but the Coolpix A and Ricoh GR aren’t a huge amount bigger. However, the LF1’s viewfinder is a significant addition that will be very attractive to many photographers looking for a camera that they can use in a range of lighting conditions. It is a significant step up from the viewfinder found on the Canon G15.
We think that enthusiasts will like the control layout and we’re just itching to get a full production sample in for testing to see how good its images are.
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