Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 Pro Reviews

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 ultimately straddles the divide between the photographer-centric LX7 and the company's extensive range of compacts, providing both a cheaper and in some ways more capable alternative to the former, and a good upgrade path from the latter, depending on your point of view. We've been very pleasantly surprised by the LF1, so much so that we can highly recommend what is an excellent compact camera.

When you first look at the LF1, it's hard not to compare it to the LX7 and quickly discover the older model actually out-features it in a number of respects which many enthusiasts will care about. I've detailed them above, but the more you use the LF1, the more you appreciate the things that make it different, and for many photographers, preferable. The LF1's lens may slow down optically at the long end, but it zooms more than twice as close as the LX7, which for me gave it greater flexibility, and I also prefer automatic built-in lens covers to lens caps. I found its wireless connectivity genuinely useful for remote control and image transfer, and the viewfinder, while small and low resolution, is invaluable when the screen becomes hard to view in bright light or you need the greater stability of a camera held to your face. Sure it's only meant for occasional rather than regular use, but to have it and the longish zoom in a genuinely pocket body makes for a compelling camera.

A capable all-rounder with lots of useful features

Although Panasonic has undoubtedly created a very likeable and capable camera in the Panasonic LF1, we can't help but be a little underwhelmed by it overall. Aside from the electronic viewfinder, it doesn't offer anything too different from those that are already on the market. That said, if you're looking for a compact camera to use as an everyday backup to your main, heavier, camera, then it is a very good option with very good image quality and some fun features, such as digital filters and panoramic mode. We'd have liked to have seen a touchscreen, though.

The Panasonic Lumix LF1 sounds like a dream on paper, but its wide-ranging feature set overreaches and, therefore, the camera fails to meet its maximum potential. It's got its heart in the right place, but cramming all this tech into the small body sees it slip away from being the truly high-end compact it could have been. The main stumbling block is the built-in viewfinder which promises much but doesn't deliver in the fashion that we'd like, while the lens' aperture limitations won't suit all. And yet there's still plenty to like. The truly pocketable design and the very fact a viewfinder is included - irrelevant of the quality - may well be enough of a sell for many, while the lens control ring is a great touch. Image quality is also robust enough to match up to the likes of the Nikon Coolpix P330, includes raw file capture and delivers sharp shots at wide-to-medium focal lengths. Small touches, such as a detailed manual focus control with an approximate digital focus-distance display, also add Brownie points. But these more advanced features feel a little lost in the mixed feature set. In the end, it's lots of good ideas which combine to remain an overall good idea, it's just not as great as we'd initially thought. There's potential in the concept though, and this looks very fair when considered in comparison with the Sony RX100. Even so, the LF1 still doesn't quite make our hearts thump with excitement.

The Panasonic Lumix LF1 delivers good images, with bright saturated colours, along with a whole host of features, including excellent Wi-Fi control and sharing. The compact body fits neatly into your pocket, and despite the small size feels well built with quick access to controls. The Panasonic Lumix LF1 gives a good zoom range in a very compact camera, with full manual controls and raw shooting. In addition to this the camera manages to squeeze in an electronic viewfinder, in a camera not much bigger than other models without any kind of viewfinder. The screen is very good, working well outdoors, even in bright sunlight when brightness is increased, leaving us wondering if the electronic viewfinder (EVF) is absolutely necessary. The extremely small size of the EVF makes it difficult to use. The nearest competitor with the same amount of optical zoom is noticeably larger than this camera, and for those that are looking for a small compact with a lot of control, the Panasonic Lumix LF1 is recommended.