Panasonic L1 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was revealed to the public in February 2006 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 7.4 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic L1 a good camera? The L1 has a Camera Elo of 918. This rating puts the L1 below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the L1 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Panasonic L1 is more than 17 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2006.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Panasonic L1 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic L1 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Panasonic L1	146 mm	87 mm	64 mm	606 g	750	n	Feb 2006	999	ebay.com
2.		Canon XT	127 mm	94 mm	64 mm	540 g	400	n	Feb 2005	899	ebay.com
3.		Canon Rebel	142 mm	99 mm	72 mm	649 g	400	n	Aug 2003	899	ebay.com
4.		Leica Digilux 3	146 mm	87 mm	77 mm	606 g	750	n	Sep 2006	1,499	ebay.com
5.		Leica V-LUX 1	141 mm	86 mm	142 mm	734 g	360	n	Sep 2006	849	ebay.com
6.		Nikon D80	132 mm	103 mm	77 mm	668 g	600	n	Aug 2006	999	ebay.com
7.		Nikon D70s	140 mm	111 mm	78 mm	679 g	500	n	Apr 2005	899	ebay.com
8.		Olympus E-330	140 mm	87 mm	72 mm	637 g	750	n	Jan 2006	999	ebay.com
9.		Olympus E-500	130 mm	95 mm	66 mm	479 g	750	n	Sep 2005	599	ebay.com
10.		Olympus E-300	147 mm	85 mm	64 mm	624 g	750	n	Sep 2004	799	ebay.com
11.		Panasonic L10	135 mm	96 mm	78 mm	556 g	450	n	Aug 2007	599	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic L1 was launched in the US market at a price of $999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check L1 offers at
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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Panasonic L1 features a Four Thirds sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic L1 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Panasonic L1	Four Thirds	7.4	3136	2352	none	20.8	10.4	80	52
2.		Canon XT	APS-C	8.0	3456	2304	none	21.8	10.8	637	60
3.		Canon Rebel	APS-C	6.3	3072	2048	none	21.0	10.8	544	55
4.		Leica Digilux 3	Four Thirds	7.4	3136	2352	none	21.0	10.6	127	53
5.		Leica V-LUX 1	1/1.8	10.0	3648	2736	480/30p	18.4	9.5	-727	29
6.		Nikon D80	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.1	11.2	524	61
7.		Nikon D70s	APS-C	6.0	3008	2000	none	20.4	10.3	529	50
8.		Olympus E-330	Four Thirds	7.4	3136	2352	none	20.8	10.4	73	52
9.		Olympus E-500	Four Thirds	8.0	3264	2448	none	20.7	10.3	45	51
10.		Olympus E-300	Four Thirds	8.0	3264	2448	none	20.4	10.1	-40	48
11.		Panasonic L10	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.3	10.8	429	55
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

It should be noted that unlike many modern cameras, the L1 does not provide the possibility to capture videos.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the L1 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 95% and a magnification of 0.47x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Panasonic L1 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Panasonic L1	optical	n	2.5 / 207	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
2.		Canon XT	optical	n	1.8 / 115	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
3.		Canon Rebel	optical	n	1.8 / 118	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.5/s	Y	n
4.		Leica Digilux 3	optical	n	2.5 / 207	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
5.		Leica V-LUX 1	235	n	2.0 / 207	tilting	n	1/2000s	2.0/s	Y	Y
6.		Nikon D80	optical	n	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
7.		Nikon D70s	optical	n	2.0 / 130	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.0/s	Y	n
8.		Olympus E-330	optical	n	2.5 / 215	tilting	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
9.		Olympus E-500	optical	n	2.5 / 215	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.5/s	Y	n
10.		Olympus E-300	optical	n	1.8 / 134	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.5/s	Y	n
11.		Panasonic L10	optical	n	2.5 / 207	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
Notes: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One convenient feature of the L1 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Panasonic L1	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon XT	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon Rebel	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
4.		Leica Digilux 3	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Leica V-LUX 1	Y	mono / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Nikon D80	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Nikon D70s	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Olympus E-330	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Olympus E-500	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Olympus E-300	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Panasonic L10	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

Further information on the features and operation of the L1 can be found in the free online Panasonic L1 Manual or on the Panasonic support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the L1 in practical situations. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Panasonic L1	..	85/100	..	+	..	3.5/5	Feb 2006	999	ebay.com
2.		Canon XT	..	80/100	..	+ +	o	..	Feb 2005	899	ebay.com
3.		Canon Rebel	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Aug 2003	899	ebay.com
4.		Leica Digilux 3	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2006	1,499	ebay.com
5.		Leica V-LUX 1	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2006	849	ebay.com
6.		Nikon D80	..	+	..	+ +	o	4.5/5	Aug 2006	999	ebay.com
7.		Nikon D70s	..	..	..	..	..	5/5	Apr 2005	899	ebay.com
8.		Olympus E-330	..	..	..	+	o	..	Jan 2006	999	ebay.com
9.		Olympus E-500	..	76/100	..	+ +	..	..	Sep 2005	599	ebay.com
10.		Olympus E-300	..	..	..	+	o	4.5/5	Sep 2004	799	ebay.com
11.		Panasonic L10	..	85/100	..	+	3.5/5	4/5	Aug 2007	599	ebay.com
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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