Product Listing

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 - An Advanced Compact for the Casual Shooter

By Hafeez Sim - 30 Jul 2013
Launch SRP: S$599

Introduction, Design and Handling

Introduction

With smartphones eating away at the entry-level compact camera segment, camera manufacturers have shifted their focus to the advanced compact segment. And it appears that the recent onslaught of advanced compact cameras isn’t going to stop anytime soon, with Sony announcing the RX100 II and Olympus releasing two advanced compact models, the XZ-2 and its smaller sibling the XZ-10.

The LF1 is Panasonic’s newest advanced compact and is a somewhat similar to the Lumix LX7, albeit with a slightly different flavor. The sensor inside the LF1 is the same size and type as the one found inside the LX7, though the LF1’s sensor sports a higher resolution. Other differences include a longer but slightly slower lens and an electronic viewfinder (EVF) which is a rarity on smaller cameras. But are all these enough to make the LF1 stand out? While we managed to test out the Panasonic LF1 in Bali, the short time we had with the camera did leave a favorable first impression on us that we've decided to revisit it in this full review.

Panasonic Lumix LF1 vs. LX7 Compared
  Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
  Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
Launch SRP
  • From S$599
  • From S$799
Effective pixels
  • 12.1MP
  • 10.1MP
Sensor
  • 1/1.7-inch High Sensitivity MOS sensor
  • 1/1.7-inch High Sensitivity MOS sensor
Focal Length Multiplier
  • 6.0 - 42.8 mm (28 - 200 mm in 35 mm equiv.)
ISO rating
  • ISO80 - ISO6400
  • ISO80 - ISO6400
Zoom ratio
  • 7.1x
  • 3.8x
Image Stabilization
  • Yes
  • Yes
Aperture range
  • F2.0 - 5.9
  • F1.4 - 2.3
Shutter speed
  • Approx. 250 - 1/4,000 sec
  • Approx. 250 - 1/4,000 sec
Auto Focus
  • Face
  • AF Tracking
  • 23-area
  • 1-area
  • Face
  • AF Tracking
  • 23-area
  • 1-area (flexible/scalable)
Specialty Shooting Modes
  • Intelligent Auto, P (Program), A (Aperture Priority), S (Shutter Priority), M (Manual), C1 (Custom), C2 (Custom), Panorama Shot, Scene, Creative Control
  • Intelligent Auto, P (Program), A (Aperture Priority), S (Shutter Priority), M (Manual), C1 (Custom), C2 (Custom), Creative Video, Creative Control, Scene
Exposure Control
  • Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
  • Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Exposure Compensation
  • 1/3 EV step, ±2 EV
  • 1/3 EV step, +/-3 EV
Metering
  • Intelligent Multiple / Center Weighted / Spot
  • Intelligent Multiple / Center Weighted / Spot
Display
  • 3.0-inch 920k-dot TFT Screen LCD Display
  • 3.0-inch, 920,000 dots, TFT Screen LCD Display
Storage type
  • Built-in Memory, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
  • Built-in Memory, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Connectivity
  • micro HDMI, AV Output, USB (AV / USB Multi)
  • mini-HDMI, AV Output, USB Multi
Battery
  • Li-ion Battery Pack (3.7V, 950 mAh, 3.6 wh)
  • Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, Minimum: 1,250mAh)
Dimensions
  • 102.5 x 62.1 x 27.9 mm
  • 110.5 x 67.1 x 45.6mm
Weight
  • 192 g with Battery and SD Memory Card
  • 298g (including battery and memory card)
Lens
  • 4.7 - 17.7mm (24 - 90mm in 35mm equiv.)

 

Design and Handling

With the LF1 looking more like a streamlined version of the LX7, it’s only natural that comparisons are abound. Design differences include the omission of a hot shoe mount and the AF/AE lock button on the LF1. The slightly curved hand grip on the LX7 is also missing on the LF1; in this regard the LF1 has more in common with the appearances of the Sony RX100 than the Lumix LX7. This also means that you might have a harder time holding on to the LF1 if your hands are slick with sweat after an entire day of shooting. On the positive side of things, we’re glad that the LF1 features an automatic lens cover and not a lens cap, which was one of things we disliked about the LX7.

The LF1 doesn't have a handling grip, so it might be a challenge to hold on to it if you're out the entire day shooting or have sweaty hands.

Moving on, we focused on the differences/similarities seen on the rear of the camera. First off, there’s an Fn button on the rear of the LF1, which lets users assign certain functions or shortcuts to that button, like AF/AE lock or to set the focus area. This sort of compensates for the lack of a dedicated AF/AE lock present on the LX7 brother. For the casual shooter, the default function assigned to the Fn button is set to bring up a composition guide, where a grid overlay pops up on-screen to help with composing your shots.

We were disappointed though, to find that the 3-inch, 920k-dot display was not touch-sensitive. To be fair, the LX7’s display isn’t touch-sensitive either, but when a travel superzoom like the Panasonic TZ40 adopts this feature, we’re not sure why Panasonic’s advanced compact line-up skips on this. After all, it would make setting a focus area much simpler and faster instead of using the scroll wheel.

The LF1 also comes with a control ring, which by default handles the setting for the mode you’re shooting in. Turning the ring adjusts aperture if you’re shooting in aperture priority mode, you can set the shutter speed with the control ring if you’re shooting in shutter priority. The control ring around the base of the lens barrel can also be assigned other functions such as the ability to set exposure compensation or ISO, though only a single function can be assigned to the control ring at any one time. This feature made shooting a more intuitive experience, since your hand will be on (or near) the lens barrel when shooting, there's no need to move your grip in order to adjust the aperture or shutter speed. 

The LF1 comes with a Fn button, where you can assign various functions and shortcuts.

The LF1’s electronic viewfinder (EVF) is one of the LF1’s major draws and while the EVF is a sound concept, the actual implementation leaves more to be desired. In our actual trials, the 0.2-inch EVF is too small to be used exclusively; in fact, we found it tiring when trying to make an active effort to use it. So it turned out that we only resorted to using it in bright sunlight, when the rear display is difficult to discern. There’s no eye sensor on the LF1, so you will need to press the LVF (live viewfinder) button that sits beside the EVF in order to toggle between the EVF and the rear display. Despite these nitpicks, fortunately it offers a 100% field of view so what you see, is what you will frame.

The Panasonic LF1's electronic viewfinder is small, so while it's handy to use it once in awhile, your eye will be strained if you're looking to use it for an extended period of time.
 

The LF1’s menu system is easy to navigate, with all the settings split between the four sub-menus: record, setup, video and Wi-Fi. Of course you won’t be accessing the main menu that frequently as Panasonic’s Quick Menu button makes an appearance on the LF1 as well, which brings up a list of commonly-accessed shooting functions when pressed.

Functionality-wise, Panasonic has lately been releasing cameras with Wi-Fi and NFC capability and the LF1 is no different. In fact, users can directly access the Wi-Fi settings through the Wi-Fi button right beside the LVF button. Connecting to your smartphone or tablet is simple with the assistance of the Panasonic Lumix app, and from there you can set it to share images with other apps and services. While the number of services and apps that the Panasonic Lumix app interfaces with are aplenty, you are limited to the top, bottom, left and right sides of the screen to assign app shortcuts. Once you have assigned the apps, you can just drag and drop the image you wish to share onto the app shortcut. We found this to be a fresh and simple approach to sharing images, though initially it took us awhile to find the share settings menu.

As you can see, we have assigned WhatsApp and Facebook shortcuts to the sharing screen within the Panasonic Lumix app. All you need to do is browse to find your preferred image from the camera via the Lumix app in on your phone, keep your finger on the image and this screen with sharing services will pop up, after which you can drag the image to the respective shortcut to invoke the corresponding service.

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8.5
  • Performance 8
  • Design 8.5
  • Features 8.5
  • User-Friendliness 8.5
  • Value 8
The Good
Longer focal length compared to other advanced compacts
Compact size
Manual controls
The Bad
Electronic viewfinder is too small
Is only able to shoot at f/5.9 at longest end
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