2000 Unbiased Reviews Since 1999
or Browse:
Type
Brand
Price
Need
Browse By Type Find the digital camera that fits your needs
Browse By Brand Find a digital camera from your favorite brand
Browse by Price Choose a max price using the slider below
Max Price
Any

$150.00

Any Price
Buying Guides Find the perfect digital camera for... See more
Jump to a part
Advertisement

Panasonic DMC-L1

Digital Camera Review

Previous: Page 7

Image Parameters

Next: Page 9

Overall Impressions
November 14, 2006 By Patrick Singleton
0 Comments
(add your own)


Connectivity
Software (7.5)
The Panasonic L1 ships with Lumix Simple Viewer, Photo Fun Studio and Silkypix Developer Studio. Simple Viewer and Photo Fun Studio are typical viewing and dabbling software – they're limited, but straightforward.

Silkypix Developer Studio is the supplied RAW converter, and it has a complete feature set with exposure, white balance, sharpening, tone, color, and noise reduction. Beyond that, it has controls to compensate for lens aberrations including vignetting, distortion and color fringing. Users who expect to shoot RAW will want to explore Silkypix, even if they're used to working in Photoshop.

Jacks, Ports, Plugs (6.5)
The L1 has a USB port for data transfer and printing, a jack for a remote control, and a port for analog video output in PAL or NTSC formats. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1’s hot shoe accepts dedicated flashes, and the battery compartment accepts a power cord that can be plugged directly into the battery charger. It won't power the camera and charge the battery simultaneously.

Direct Print Options (8.0)
The L1 is DPOF and PictBridge compatible. The L1 allows the user to select paper size, whether or not to overprint the capture date, the number of copies to print, and page layouts of 1, 2 or 4 prints per page. Single prints can be set to have borders or not. In PictBridge mode, all of the options depend on printer compatibility.
 
Battery (6.75)
The Panasonic L1 uses a 7.2-volt, 1500 mAh lithium-ion cell that recharges in a bit more than 2 hours. Lithium-ion is the most efficient technology we see for camera batteries; this battery has an advertised 450 shots per charge. Still, the live view option on the L1 takes more power than other DSLRs need, so we found the battery running down faster than we would like. L1 users may want to pack a spare battery, particularly if they rely on the live view.

Memory (3.0)
The L1 accepts SD, MMC and SDHC memory cards. Panasonic lists capacities from the uselessly small 64 MB to the very large 4 GB in the manual's list of accessories. SD is a robust standard, and the L1 functions fine with other brands. Most DSLRs also accept CompactFlash cards, which generally have faster processing speeds, but Panasonic passed on this opportunity.

Other Features (6.5)
Legacy lens adapters - Both Leica and Olympus have or plan to have adapters to allow users to mount their SLR lenses on Four-Thirds cameras. That sort of adapter doesn't usually allow full automatic functions, but users will have access to some great lenses.
 
Pixel Refresh - The L1 includes a function to calibrate the image sensor and the LCD. Though we didn't see any effect when we ran the function, we expect that calibration would be useful over time. This is similar to a function that Olympus includes on all of its digital cameras.
 
Kelvin Temperature Scale - The L1's direct Kelvin color temperature input is convenient for users who are familiar with color temperature, but Panasonic added icons along the scale to show others where light source types fall on the scale, showing a candle, a light bulb, clouds, a fluorescent tube and so on.

Shop for the Panasonic DMC-L1

Loading Recently Viewed Products
Advertisement

Latest News
& Reviews

Top Rated Digital SLRs

  • Canon EOS 60D
    Canon EOS 60D
    $1,129.00
     1

    Canon EOS 60D

    The Canon EOS 60D is a top-notch camera in terms of performance, handling and flexibility. However, the performance of the kit lens leaves something to be desired. Read full 7-part review

    $1,129.00
    Read full 7-part review
    Types
    Prosumer
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,15
    10 to 15 Megapixels
    15,
    > 15 Megapixels
    19.00
  • Nikon D5100
    Nikon D5100
    $746.95
     2

    Nikon D5100

    The D5100 is the latest entry-level DSLR from Nikon, with full 1080/30p video, an articulated LCD, and the same image sensor as the D7000. It lacks an internal focus motor, but we found it produced some of the most accurate colors we've seen yet. Read full 7-part review

    $746.95
    Read full 7-part review
    Types
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,15
    10 to 15 Megapixels
    15,
    > 15 Megapixels
    16.2
  • Canon EOS 7D
    Canon EOS 7D
    $1,269.99
     3

    Canon EOS 7D

    The 18-megapixel Canon 7D delivers high resolution stills and full HD video in a well-built camera designed for serious photographers without the desire (or budget) for a full-frame model. Read full 7-part review

    $1,269.99
    Read full 7-part review
    Types
    Prosumer
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,15
    10 to 15 Megapixels
    15,
    > 15 Megapixels
    19.00
  • Nikon D7000
    Nikon D7000
    $1,199.00
     4

    Nikon D7000

    The Nikon D7000 is a powerhouse camera at an excellent price. It offers a huge range of features that will make shooting quicker and easier for the experienced shooter, with lots of customizable options and quick control access. Read full 7-part review

    $1,199.00
    Read full 7-part review
    Types
    Prosumer
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,15
    10 to 15 Megapixels
    15,
    > 15 Megapixels
    16.9
  • Sony Alpha SLT-A55V
    Sony Alpha SLT-A55V
    $569.99
     5

    Sony Alpha SLT-A55V

    The SLT-A55 is a well performing SLR, with a wide ISO range, good color and relatively low noise. . Read full 7-part review

    $569.99
    Read full 7-part review
    Types
    Consumer
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,15
    10 to 15 Megapixels
    15,
    > 15 Megapixels
    17

Features

Jump to a part

Shop for the Panasonic DMC-L1

Advertisement
Panasonic DMC-L1
Digital Camera Review
0 Comments
(add your own)

Previous: Page 7

Image Parameters

Previous: Page 9

Overall Impressions