Android Panasonic DMC-CM1

Luke

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Milwaukee, WI USA
Name
Luke
Cel phone cameras have been getting incrementally better for some time.....and in good light, they're better than the typical $99 disposable digital cameras that the general public uses. But THIS thing should be nearly as good as many "serious compacts". Seriously, a 1" sensor and 4K video? And better yet, it actually looks like a camera, instead of a phone. This is definitely close enough to my dream of having a camera that can make phone calls instead of a phone that can take photographs that I will definitely be interested in it.

Panasonic announces Lumix DMC-CM1 smartphone with 1-inch sensor
 
I saw that and was really intrigued - a 28mm f2.8 Leica lens is right up my alley. A pretty decent camera available all the time. BUT, I'm too addicted to the various functions my iphone serves these days to switch to a dedicated phone/cam without all of the other apps I rely on. I remember having a little digital mp3 player, a cell phone, and a Palm organizer that I'd carry in various combinations. I don't remember if the Palm could do email or not. Each one was upgraded many times, but I pretty much never bought the upgrades, telling my wife "when they put all of these functions in one device, I'm on board". Which they did first sort of decently with a blackberry and then eventually with an iphone. And now I have a computer/phone/organizer/reader/video player/music player/etc in my pocket that blows the doors off the computers I used to use several times over. And it has a serviceable camera for when nothing else is at hand. I couldn't give that up for a somewhat better camera...

-Ray
 
OK, if I ever get sick of my iphone, I'll give it a harder look... :cool:

I'm a pretty died in the wool Apple guy these days, but I've done my times in the wild wild west of the Windows world too, and I supposed Android isn't completely out of the question someday....

-Ray
 
OK, if I ever get sick of my iphone, I'll give it a harder look... :cool:

I'm a pretty died in the wool Apple guy these days, but I've done my times in the wild wild west of the Windows world too, and I supposed Android isn't completely out of the question someday....

Just think Ray, you could have a collection of every camera/ camera phone with a 28 mm equiv. focal length. That would also give you motivation to buy the Leica Q. It's a win/win.
 
I wonder if Sony has plans for a phone with a 1" sensor and a fast Zeiss lens to compete.

This "camera" really has me torn. I love new cameras, but I think smart phones are stupid. Maybe I'd think differently differently about my phone if it took awesome photos.
 
Just think Ray, you could have a collection of every camera/ camera phone with a 28 mm equiv. focal length. That would also give you motivation to buy the Leica Q. It's a win/win.
I appreciate the suggestion and I know you're joking. But I'll take this opportunity to note that my reputation as a 28mm guy has perhaps gotten a little ahead of the reality. At the moment, the only 28mm shooting I do is with the Coolpix A and I don't use it all that much lately. I have a 28mm Voigtlander for the DF that I very very rarely use and should probably sell. I guess I also have it available on the 24-120 zoom and in the Canon G7X but shoot those at 24 when I'm at the wide end. My most used focal lengths at the wide end have gravitated even wider. I spend a LOT more time with the Zeiss 25 (which is actually closer to 26 and thus keeps me from ever having to decide between 24 and 28) and either the Voigtlander 20 or Zeiss 21 than I do with anything around 28...

I suspect my lust for the Leica Q will be really short lived anyway. I'm really impressed with it because it has all of the best features of the RX1 plus a few things that really matter to me that the RX1 doesn't have. But the DF does all that and then some and really leaves nothing to be desired for me. I like the DF sensor better than the 24mp alternatives for how I shoot. With a smallish prime the size difference between it and the Q isn't enough to bother me, so really the only advantage of the Q over the DF is the much quieter shutter, which rarely matters to me, and I've still got that with the Coolpix and G7X when I do want it. My best street stuff lately, which I'm doing a lot less of these days anyway, has been with the tiny Voigtlander 20. Once the initial buzz about the Leica dies down, I'm not gonna spend much time thinking about it. If it was $1000 or maybe even $1500, I'd no doubt sell some stuff and get one anyway. But even at the price of a new RX1, it'd be out of my range. When I bought a new RX1 over two years ago I'd had a brief infusion of photography related cash and it seemed fine to put it back into more gear. But in ordinary times, THAT camera was too expensive for what it was and the Q is another $1000 beyond that. It's just not happening...

And frankly, I don't even have any short term lust for the phone. It's sort of cool they're making it, but it's not for me...

-Ray
 
My interest in photography has diminished recently, but when I do want to take a photo I still want to do it with a camera. There is something completely unsatisfying to me with the shape, size and control interface of a phone, no matter how good the sensor or lens they squeeze into it. More power to you if do like phone cameras, because their convenience factor is immense.
 
I have no idea how I ended up at the B & H website looking at a used CM1 for $349. But I thought about my sad little Windows phone that really has no apps for it, and the fact that I will never pay $600 for a state of the art smart phone and thought that I should give this camera with a phone jammed into it a try.

I'll share my experience with it after I've had a chance to try it out.

For a guy who doesn't take many photos, I sure accumulate a lot of cameras. Maybe if I like this one, I can get rid of one or two. :daz:
 
I've just had to replace my handset - a Sony Xperia Z Ultra - with a new phone due to ongoing power issues. I ended up going for another Sony Xperia. I looked long and hard at this beastie but it has a - for me anyway - tiny screen. Interested to see how you get on, Luke.
 
I've just had to replace my handset - a Sony Xperia Z Ultra - with a new phone due to ongoing power issues. I ended up going for another Sony Xperia. I looked long and hard at this beastie but it has a - for me anyway - tiny screen. Interested to see how you get on, Luke.

viva la difference (I think)..... I almost didn't get it because I thought it was a little too big. I'll know more in a week or so.
 
I got a Panasonic ZS-100, $700 for a pocket camera with a Leica-brand lens that's not even a good lens. The rest of the camera is nearly identical to Panasonic's other $300-$400 cameras. And to top it off, something started breaking down inside the lens and bits of crud are showing up. If they fix it, I'll donate it to my club.

I mention this as the Panasonic 'Leica' lenses have been mostly bad in my experience.
 
one can only imagine my disappointment when I went to put my SIM card in after opening the package..... only to find that the tiny little plastic SIM card tray was missing. I've put in a call to Panasonic to see if I can just buy this cheap little plastic piece, but I'm not holding my breath.
 
Unlikely indeed, since the model was never really marketed in the US. I called Panasonic to look for parts and when asked what kind of device it was, I said "a cel phone". She paused and said they don't make cel phones.

I replied that I was holding on in my hand and asked if she would like the model number. She confirmed that it did in fact exist, but she could find no parts for it in her system. She was forwarding it to the "research team" and they would get back to me in 24 to 48 hours.

It will really be a shame if a $ .02 piece of plastic dooms this thing to the recycling center. I've Googled every which way to try to find a DMC-CM1 SIM card tray to very little avail. I'm sure there's a pile of them somewhere over in Far East somewhere. Maybe I need to try eBay Japan or some foreign Amazon marketplace searches.
 
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