Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM1

Panasonic DMC-CM1 smartphone/camera hybrid is heading to the UK

The world's first smartphone with a 1in camera sensor just got revealed on stage at Photokina

Panasonic Lumix CM1 - hands on: Don't call this Android camera a smartphone

A 1in sensor and Lumix styling makes the CM1 more a camera running Android than a smartphone

Panasonic Lumix CM1 review

Panasonic has made a strange product here. By smartphone standards, it’s an excellent camera squeezed into a chunky, acceptably powerful body. By camera standards, it’s a device that offers better sharing and a better screen than most compacts but an average LED flash, no image stabilisation and a sky high price tag. £800 is simply too much money for the CM1. It’s fine in both its roles, and its flexible nature makes it capable of space-saving in your bag or pocket – but you could buy both a better phone and a better camera for the same amount of money. I have a feeling that, should Panasonic make a second-generation model, it will be a lot better. And to compete with the superb current crop of premium compacts and premium smartphones, it’ll need to be.

Panasonic Lumix CM1 review review

Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM1 camera review

With its physical shutter button, adjustment dial and excellent camera user interface the Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM1 offers the best photographic control of all current smartphones. Image quality, especially in low light and when shooting Raw, is closer to enthusiast compact cameras than to other smartphones. The CM1 is pretty bulky, the screen is difficult to view in bright light and flash and video performance are pretty mediocre. However, if you want the best possible image quality and control it's hard to find a better smartphone for photography right now.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM1 (Unlocked) Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM1 is a peerless smartphone when it comes to imaging, but photographers willing to carry two devices can find a better pocket camera for less money. There have been a number of attempts at making a smartphone that takes better pictures than a dedicated digital camera, but most have failed on one level or another. Nokia tried to push its PureView technology with the Lumia 808 and the Lumia 1020 ($199.99 at Amazon) , but the former was saddled with the doomed Symbian operating system and the latter was slow to focus. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM1 ($999.99, unlocked) has a huge 1-inch image sensor that bests competing models in terms of detail and low light performance, and is quite quick to focus. It's the best camera you'll find in a smartphone, by a wide margin, but its high price and some drawbacks as a handset prevent it from earning Editors' Choice honors. Our favorite unlocked Android device is still the Google Nexus 6 ($199.99 at Amazon) , and our favorite premium point-and-shoot camera is the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III ($199.99 at Amazon) . Both are pricey devices in their own right, however, and the CM1 certainly appea...