Panasonic announced on Tuesday that its Lumix branded DMC-CM1 point and shoot digital camera and that double as an Android smartphone, will sell at a recommend price of AUD$1,3999, being available in Australia from mid-July. It is still unknown to date what Australian retailers will carry Panasonic's Lumix CM1.
With Lumix CM1 photographers can say hello to their next phone. This gadget that is best thought of a high-quality compact digital camera comes with a top-end smartphone built into it. Its body of metal and leather-effect rubber houses an impressive 1-inch sensor for taking up to 20-megapixel photos. The digital camera offers full manual control of settings and it can shoot in raw and JPEG format.
This hybrid device form Panasonic is called by the manufacturer a "communication camera". From the wealth of photography features to its design, it's certainly far closer to a digital camera rather than a smartphone. When it comes to communication capabilities, the CM1 device supports 4G LTE for super-fast data speeds and operates just as any other Android phone.
Lumix CM1 features a 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB expandable memory, a full HD 4.7-inch display (1,920x1,080-pixel), and a 2,600 mAh battery. The built-in smartphone runs the pre-loaded Android version 5.0 OS (Lollipop).
The CM1 camera-smartphone hybrid features the same one-inch, 20 megapixel sensor used by Panasonic in its compact shooter Lumix FZ1000. The high performance sensor of the digital camera allows for greater low light performance achieved with minimum noise. For comparison, just a 1/3 inch sensor is utilized in iPhone 6's camera, and a 1/2.6 inch sensor in the LG G4. Lumix G7 from Panasonic uses a slightly larger 4/3-inch sensor.
In addition to the large sensor size, the Lumix CM1 features a control ring paired with protruding lens that can be used to adjust shutter speed, aperture, focus, white balance, ISO, and exposure. In order to house all these features Lumix CM1 comes with a somewhat larger-than-usual body, measuring 21.1 mm at its thickest point.
The huge image sensor of the Panasonic Lumix CM1 helps capturing stunning photos, The camera-smartphone hybrid is well-built, has impressive internal specs that rival with most top-end smartphones, and it looks great. The only problem is that it's far from being cheap.
While Lumix CM1 is undeniably pricey, the wealth of its photography kit transforms it in a smartphone that can achieve image quality unrivalled by its competitors in the mobile phone world. For those users who like the idea of always having a good smartphone and great camera to hand without being weighed down by carrying two different devices, the Lumix CM1 hybrid is the perfect choice.
