Lumix LF1 High End Compact Camera

[Alan G]

My Olympus bridge camera was on the blink beyond economical repair so whilst I was on Guernsey recently I popped into Guernsey Photographic to see what was on offer. We have a Canon EOS 300D and one 4x zoom lens but have increasingly found this to be a pain to lug around and keep swapping lenses on our holidays which are usually wildlife and landscape centric. Recentl we drove ourselves around Namibia. A decent zoom lens was essential there as it was often difficult and dangerous to get near the animals. I also now go cycle touring often so a small and light camera is essential. Our aged eyes increasingly cannot do without a viewfinder in bright conditions.
Not knowing anything about current cameras I explained all this to the young lady who immediately flourished a Panasonic Lumix LF1. I was impressed, it had the viewfinder, 7.5 x zoom, and wide aperture lens for landscapes, 12 million pixels, a Leica lens and even automatic panoramas and decent resolution videos not to mention WiFi remote control and download onto a phone or tablet!
I insisted at looking at other similar cameras, but given my specification there wasnt much choice. The alternatives were bulkier, heavier, had expensive add on viewfinders, were eyewateringly expensive, or had pathetic zooms. So I bought the LF1 and after two days using it my wife bought one too.
Today I looked at a Digital Photographer magazine and there was a review of the LF1 versus an Olympus, Sony and a Samsung (none of which have viewfinders, and which were all considerably more expensive). The LF1 won the comparison although it couldnt quite match the Olympus and Sony for picture quality. For my modest purposes I find the resolution, colours and host of inbuilt automatic features mind boggling but very practical and useful. For us, the DSLR will mostly reside in the cupboard from now on. I am amazed at how far compact cameras have come since I last looked at them. This experience has made me wonder that if manufacturers keep adding features and qualities to compact cameras, what the future will hold for low end DSLRs?
Many reviewers are not that impressed with the Lumix LF1, criticizing its smaller than expected sensor, but a bigger sensor means a much bulkier camera I think?

I would like to hear if anyone here has an LF1 and how they are finding it?

Alan

ps.... in the magazine I noticed that the new Leica C is absolutely identical but considerably more expensive. :-)

[jcuknz]

I do not have an LF1 but have been using FZ models for nearly a decade now until adding a GH with 14-140....I am probably older than you and not as active so reasonable weight and size doesn't bother me .... reasonable means about what I was used to with my film SLR but with many more features.
Nostalgic madness had me buy an early Pentax recently and examining it brought home to me how cameras have developed in the last fifty years or so

edit ... I think there was a red badged FZ too if you like that sort of thing

edit #2 ...I believe the red badged versions have a different processor which results in a 'Leica Look" to the results.