Panasonic DMC-L1....$799 at amazon

May I ask what attracted you to it? I've been thinking of trying the L1 but...not sure yet.
 
The reviews of solid construction, an extremely high quality leica lens and awesome ergonomics, I'm a rangefinder fan by heart, I have always had my eye on this camera...unfortunately, when it initially came out it was way beyond my reach in regards to $$...but LO!, amazon has again low ball'd the price to a mere $800 ... just crazy cheap for such a nice street performer! Now I'll finally get to run some tests through it and make it my user camera :D

...I even think it's sexier than it's Leica conterpart ;)
 
Oh, durnit!, now I want one ... I've just looked at the pics it takes (flicr.com) and read the reviews of the kit lens and the 25mm D Summilux and am duly impressed., Indeed it seems the lens is worth the $800 price tag.

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Well, I just bought it. Where to get info on adapters?
 
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Yeh dont knock yourself about it though. I bought one 3 months ago and have no regrets at all. I also own a Nikon D70s and initially thought the new camera would be superfluous (But I just could not help myself it was so purdy!)

But as it turns out I use it a lot and enjoy doing so. The best thing is this. The 4/3 system has a small register distance so using adapters you can attach just about any SLR system lens and use it successfully , the main exception being Canon lenses due to their register distance. The thing that strikes me about this camera is that I can use ANY Nikon slr lens (save maybe the 21mm early non retro-focus that requires mirror lock up) including pre AI ones and have full metering - something which my D70s does not do with non AF lenses.

I found however that I did not have focus confirmation till I upgraded to Firmware version 2. So its useful to just remember that as focusing in stop down mode using just the viewfinder can be tough.

While on the subject, the viewfinder has a reputation of being a little dark and small but this is often way over stated. It can make it a bit tough if you are manually focusing a lens you have stopped down to f8-f11. But if you have ever functioned with an original rangefinder camera (save the Leica M series) you will know what small and dark is and this is NOTHING like it. For general use the finder is fine and you will not notice any limitations after the first couple of uses.

And the Leica kit lens that comes with it is a beauty.

So on the whole I would say whatever the photographic equivalent of "Buon Appetito" is - and enjoy!
 
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It's a beautiful, one-of-a-kind camera that'll be a sleeper hit once new supplies dry up.

Grab it for $800 while you still can.

If I had an extra few hundred laying around I'd definitely pick it up as a backup to my Digilux 3.
 
I look forward to playing with the L1 and especially the kit lens. Speaking of adapters, I had to look no further than Mr. Gandy's site: http://www.cameraquest.com/adapt_olyE1.htm

It will be interesting to see how my Pentax K-mount lenses perform on the L1.

And, I just found this site listing compatible lenses, diopters etc, for the L1: http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/connect/l1k.html

From dpreview.com:

"Olympus announce the ME-1 Eyecup Magnifier

Hot on the heels of the launch of the E-500 Digital SLR, Olympus are announcing a new Magnifier Eyecup which increases the performance of the E-500's view finder by 1.2 times. Just attach the ME-1 eyecup magnifier to enjoy an even better view of your subject, significantly enhancing easy focussing and framing.The eyecup incorporates two lenses and measures 40 mm x 30 mm x 12mm."
 
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I keep reading the available info on this camera and I still don't get it. It's an SLR, right? An SLR with a small, dim viewfinder and no prime lens availability to speak of. What's the appeal over any other DSLR on the market?
 
kevin m said:
I keep reading the available info on this camera and I still don't get it. It's an SLR, right? An SLR with a small, dim viewfinder and no prime lens availability to speak of. What's the appeal over any other DSLR on the market?
Click to expand...

Yes. An SLR. It has all the manual controls on the body and lens - aperture, shutter, etc. Minimal menus. Feels more like a traditional camera, not like a computer anchoring a lens like MOST other SLRs.

There are a handful of primes available. The fastest are the Leica 25mm 1.4 (35mm equivalent of 50mm), there's also a slower Olympus prime and a few Sigma primes.
I've got the 30mm 1.4 and it's a good solid lens.
 
kevin m said:
I keep reading the available info on this camera and I still don't get it. It's an SLR, right? An SLR with a small, dim viewfinder and no prime lens availability to speak of. What's the appeal over any other DSLR on the market?
Click to expand...

It looks pretty.

It also has a dedicated shutter speed dial, and the kit lens has a dedicated aperture ring, so it's more familar to a lot of people here, I'd bet.
 
Yes. An SLR. It has all the manual controls on the body and lens - aperture, shutter, etc. Minimal menus. Feels more like a traditional camera, not like a computer anchoring a lens like MOST other SLRs.
Click to expand...

OK, that makes sense. Especially the aperture ring on the lens.

There are a handful of primes available. The fastest are the Leica 25mm 1.4 (35mm equivalent of 50mm)...
Click to expand...

I thought the 4/3 system was a 2x crop, so the 25mm would in effect be a 50mm? :confused: That 25mm is still a pretty big lens, especially compared to the Pentax offerings.
 
kevin m said:
I keep reading the available info on this camera and I still don't get it. It's an SLR, right? An SLR with a small, dim viewfinder and no prime lens availability to speak of. What's the appeal over any other DSLR on the market?
Click to expand...
It's the kit lens. It seems it's a huge bargain at $800 and it comes with a body :) Looking at the images taken with that lens convinced me to get the kit. Plus, both this lens and the 25mm/1.4 (50mm equiv.) Summilux for this format is affordable new, relative to other mount luxes. Just seems like a lot of value for relatively little money. I will know more once it arrives:)

More info on the lens: http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Leica1450mm/video_review.shtml
 
kevin m said:
...I thought the 4/3 system was a 2x crop, so the 25mm would in effect be a 50mm? :confused: That 25mm is still a pretty big lens, especially compared to the Pentax offerings.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, it is a 2x crop. And most of the 4/3 lenses are larger than others.
But they're not TOO large.

Someone mentioned their Pentax K-mount lenses. I use a 50mm 1.4, 2.0 and a 200-400mm on my Digilux body with a fotodiox adapter and they work really well.

You end up with an extremely fast, short telephoto that works great in low light.

There are adapters to use R glass, Nikon, Olympus, even thread mount lenses - all with focus confirmation.

It's a really versatile system.
 
i purchased an L1 about 1.5 years ago for the then-great price of $1,299. i returned the camera, though, because of various problems, including the super-dim viewfinder and problem focusing in low-light.

the new price ($799) may make up for such shortcomings, but keep the super-dim viewfinder in mind. it really took away from my enjoyment of using the camera.
 
Just got the PentaxK-mountto 4/3 mount adapter from fotodiox.com, it was only about $30. Can't wait to take the L1 for a spin now, with the kit lenas and my Pentax lenses.
 
They were selling these cameras for the same price a few months ago. They then went up to $1000+ around Christmas time.

I guess they are trying to sell the last few in stock.
 
RIVI1969 said:
vibration reduction...
Click to expand...
Its actually called Mega O.I.S.
A mouthful for sure.
I have own an L1 (see below) and it is really quite nice, but I only use it when I have to have digital, like shooting an event as a favor. My ZI is with me 365. Handling is everything to me.
 
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