Panasonic DMC-L1

Excellent control layout; proper shutter speed and aperture dials Very fast access to aperture and shutter priority modes Very good build quality; magnesium alloy frame Supersonic Wave Filter ensures no dust on sensor Metering available in viewfinder...

Small and dark viewfinder view (difficult to see fine detail, difficult to check focus) Auto-focus in live view requires display freeze and mirror flip down / up Image processing algorithm not 'crisp' in appearance (although artifact free) Live view...

The DMC-L1 is Panasonic's first foray into the highly competitive digital SLR market. As such I think they should be pretty happy with the result. From an image quality point of view they've taken a surprisingly mature and conservative approach...

High-quality CCD sensor ; SDHC-compatible ; Seperate shutter speed dials

No tilting screen ; It's expensive ; Slightly awkward to hold

As long as you can get over the high price tag and cope with the slightly awkward body shape, you'll be rewarded with superb images, great anti-shake performance and a lens that's simply out of this world. The L1 probably won't sell by the ton but this...

Lens, OIS, build, white balance, live view, responsive, nice menus, image quality, handling

Heavy, gloomy viewfinder, noisy images at high ISO, LCD does not flip out and so fails to get the most from Live View capability

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 is an attractive package but that Leica kit lens makes it an expensive looking one, so the value for money becomes a bit of an issue when you look at competing D-SLRs in that price bracket. The slightly retro handling and the...

Fast, image stabilized kit lens ; Built-in bounce flash ; Can preview shots on LCD

Expensive kit is your only option ; Very noisy at higher ISOs ; Somewhat clunky design

If Panasonic is really serious about building digital SLRs, it's going to have to invest heavily in effective noise reduction and start paying attention to the ergonomics of its body designs. Plus, it'd be nice of the company to realise that, while a...

Panasonic show they are realistic. They know they will not instantly become a market leader. After all, the market will need to get used to them, and Panasonic will in turn have to learn a thing or two about this "new market". This strategy of building...

The Panasonic L1 isn't a mass-market device, and deliberately so, therefore it feels a slightly odd choice of first DSLR for a major electronics manufacturer. In fact, it is...

Sturdy build, Unique pop-up flash with bounce option, Nice LCD display, Good resolution, Many buttons for easy access to frequently used controls, Live View mode good for composing images from odd angles, Good quality lens with optical image...

LCD does not swing out from the body, Optical viewfinder is dim even in bright daylight, Autofocus in Live View mode is extremely slow, introducing dramatic shutter lag, Preflash is very early, increasing shutter lag beyond 1/2 second, Flash does not...

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 brings to fruition the company's pledge in April 2005 that it would create a digital SLR under its own branding, compatible with Olympus' Four Thirds lens mount standard. The L1 looks to be quite an interesting SLR at that,...

Excellent image quality.Precise exposure metering.Analog controls.Excellent lens.Mega OIS stabilizer.Very good noise reduction.Built-in bounce flash capability.Good accessories included with the kit.Excellent RAW processing software.

Optical viewfinder a touch too narrow.Relatively heavy camera with the kit lens.Comparatively expensive, probably because of the Leica lens.