Version: 2008
  • On MovieTome: The 10 worst movies of 2009 so far!
advertisementElectronics & Computers Deals here!
advertisement

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1
Reviewed by
Eamon Hickey
on 03/25/2005
camera on top side back

See all products in the Panasonic Lumix LC series
See all Panasonic products

This model is still available, but none of our merchant partners currently carry it.
  • Quick specs
  • Resolution: 5 megapixels
  • Optical zoom: 3.2 x
  • Display type: 2.5 in LCD display
  • See full specifications

Add to my list Product summary

The good: Beautiful mechanical focus, zoom, aperture, and shutter-speed controls; high-quality magnesium body; fast lens with sensible zoom range; ingenious tiltable flash; excellent manual focus system.

The bad: Relatively low resolution for an enthusiast model; big and heavy; long raw-format shot-to-shot time; electronic viewfinder isn't the best available; high-res continuous shooting limited to three frames.

The bottom line: This well-made advanced-shooter's camera features several unique and very efficient analog controls, but it may have trouble luring buyers away from cheaper digital SLR systems.

Read full review

Compare this digital camera to:

CNET editors' review

  • CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
    Detailed editors' rating
      Design : 8.0
      Features : 8.0
      Performance : 8.0
      Image quality : 7.0
      Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)
  • Reviewed by:
    Eamon Hickey
  • Edited by:
    Lori Grunin
  • Reviewed on: 03/25/2005
  • Released on: 04/15/2004
The 5-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1 is the somewhat cheaper (by roughly $250) sister to Leica's Digilux 2. The LC1's appearance and exterior finish are slightly different than the Leica's, but the two cameras share the same extensive feature set; decent performance, and unique, efficient, analog-inspired design. But despite its somewhat lower price, the Lumix LC1, as with the Digilux 2, will have a tough time competing with cheaper digital SLR alternatives for the enthusiast's dollar.The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1's black finish combined with its traditional shape give it a no-nonsense, functional look. At slightly more than 1.5 pounds with battery and SD card installed, the camera is heavier than most (and more so than we'd like), but that's partly a result of its extremely solid, well-made magnesium body.


The LC1 (top) is actually slightly easier to grip than its Leica sister (bottom), in part because Panasonic has added a ridge for your right hand to grab as well as a sticky rubberized cover to the camera's shell.

The LC-1 shares the Digilux 2's excellent analog-inspired control system--the best we've seen in a consumer digital camera. The Leica Vario-Summicron lens features three smooth, precise rings for adjusting zoom position, focus (both distance and mode), and aperture. There's also a real shutter-speed dial on the camera's top cover. It's plastic rather than metal as on the Digilux 2, and several other controls share the same change in construction material. Metering mode is also controlled by its own dedicated dial, but it's a bit too easy to accidentally adjust.

A simple spin of the lens aperture ring to its A position puts you in shutter-priority autoexposure mode; move the shutter-speed dial to A and you're in aperture-priority mode; set both for A simultaneously and you're in program mode. This is a quick, intuitive method for setting exposure mode.

Important digital settings such as white balance and ISO sensitivity are quickly accessible through the Function button on the camera's back. The menu system, which is operated by a four-way controller just below your right thumb, is also speedy to navigate and logically laid out.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1 proudly carries a Leica 3.2X Vario-Summicron Aspherical zoom lens that covers the range from 28mm to 90mm (35mm equivalent). We applaud the decent wide-angle capability of this sensible zoom range. The lens is also fast, opening to f/2.0 at its wide end and f/2.4 at its telephoto setting. It's threaded to accept 69mm accessories such as filters, and Panasonic offers an optional 0.82X wide-angle conversion lens (DMW-LW69) that gives the built-in optic the ability to go as wide as 23mm (35mm equivalent).

The LC1's comprehensive exposure controls include well-designed implementations of all four main exposure modes, three light meters (multiple, center-weighted, and spot), and exposure compensation to plus or minus 2EV. There's a small live image histogram; though a very useful advanced feature, it stupidly disappears when you're setting exposure compensation. White-balance options include auto, five presets, and custom. The CCD's sensitivity is adjustable from ISO 100 to ISO 400.

You can save JPEG photos in six resolutions at three compression levels, and you can record 5-second sound clips that are associated with particular photos. Adjustable image parameters include in-camera sharpening, contrast, and color saturation.

The camera will also record raw-format photos, which you can open using the included ArcSoft PhotoImpression 4.0 software--a significant departure from the Digilux 2, which supplies the excellent Silverfast. The ArcSoft software offers no raw conversion controls, so you'll need a third-party program to make the raw files useful.

In movie mode, the LC1 records 320x240-pixel QuickTime video with sound at 30fps. Clip length is limited only by your storage-card capacity.

The LC1's built-in flash uses a clever design trick to enable you to bounce the flash, a technique that can often improve flash pictures. (You can see the flash design here.) It also has its own exposure compensation function (plus or minus 2EV), and there is a second-curtain synchronization option; the flash fires at the end of the exposure, rather than the beginning. Finally, the camera has a hotshoe for mounting an external flash.


Using flash approximately 50 percent of the time, we got 1,170 pictures from a single charge of the LC1's lithium-ion battery, an excellent showing.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1's performance is essentially identical to that of the Digilux 2, meaning that it's good overall, but there are two areas where it disappoints. The first is start-up time, which is a subpar 4.6 seconds. Shot-to-shot times for JPEG images are decent--2.5 seconds with flash and 1.8 seconds without--but raw-capture shot-to-shot time is about 7 seconds with a 512MB SanDisk Extreme card. That's better than the Digilux's sluggish performance but still a significant obstacle to using the raw format. In continuous mode, the camera can shoot a burst of three high-resolution JPEGs at 2.7fps.

Continue reading

Most helpful user reviews

Submit your review

Log in or create an account to submit your review for:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1

 ORLog in with your Facebook account
1. Rate this product:
(Mouse over the stars to rate this product and click to set your rating.)
2. One-line summary:(Summarize your review in one line. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 55 characters
3. Pros:(Tell us what you like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
4. Cons:(Tell us what you don't like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
Bottom-line summary:(Explain to us in detail why you like or dislike the product, focusing your comments on the product's features and functionality, and your experience using the product. This field is optional.)
0 of 5000 characters

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks are prohibited.
Click here to review our site terms of use.

Submit

Compare prices for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1

This model is still available, but none of our merchant partners currently carry it.

advertisement

Recent user reviews

Submit your review

Log in or create an account to submit your review for:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1

 ORLog in with your Facebook account
1. Rate this product:
(Mouse over the stars to rate this product and click to set your rating.)
2. One-line summary:(Summarize your review in one line. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 55 characters
3. Pros:(Tell us what you like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
4. Cons:(Tell us what you don't like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
Bottom-line summary:(Explain to us in detail why you like or dislike the product, focusing your comments on the product's features and functionality, and your experience using the product. This field is optional.)
0 of 5000 characters

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks are prohibited.
Click here to review our site terms of use.

Submit

Special sponsor stores

advertisement

Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest

  • alaTest.com

    Editors' rating: 83

    Summary: alaTest has collected and analyzed 123 reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1 from international magazines and websites. Experts rate this product 79/100 and users 92/100. Comparing these reviews to 555170 other Digital Compact Cameras reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 83/100 = Very Good.

    Read full review

  • dcresource.com

    Summary: Downsides of a proprietary battery include the cost ($40 a pop), and the fact that you can't just pop in a set of AAs when you're low on juice. I recommend buying a spare battery -- you never know when you'll need it

    Read full review

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1

Reviews & advice
Site map
Editorial policies
Meet the editors
How we test
Forums
Internet speed test
Popular topics
Apple iPhone
Apple iPod
Cell phones
Dell
GPS
LCD TV
CNET sites
CNET Site map
CNET TV
Downloads
News
Reviews
Shopper.com
More information
Newsletters
CNET Mobile
Customer Help Center
RSS
CNET Widgets
About CNET
sponsored