Panasonic Lumix L1 - A Love Affair 3 Years-Late

It all began in 2006

This camera was announced on the 26th of February 2006. Sporting a retro rangefinder look with analog controls and dials at the top panel, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 surely had attracted much attention among the world of digital photography. Also announced together with the L1 is the 'Panaleica' 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 (28-100mm f/5.6-7.0 full frame equivalent), which is bundled as a 'kit-lens' in a simple, yet solid package. For technical details about the L1, dpreview has tons of it. In brief, however, the L1 is a dSLR with the following important features:

• 7.5 megapixels 'LiveMOS' sensor (the same one used in the Olympus E-330)
• One of the first few dSLR with the live view feature (as of 2006)
• Supersonic Wave which is capable of shaking off dust in the sensor (again E-330 has this)
  
• ISO sensitivities 100-1600
• Shooting speed maximum of 3fps
• 2.5" TFT LCD monitor with 207,000 pixels
  
• 7 preset 'film' modes to choose from (similar to Canon's 'Picture Styles')
• Weight of 606g (with battery) and approximately 1100g with the 14-50mm kit lens
  
• Manual pop-up flash in 2 positions - Straight ahead or bounce
  

You may have wondered how I arranged the features from above. The top few features were showing what the L1 is proudly capable of - c'mon, give some credit to one of the pioneering dSLRs with anti-dust feature. As we get to the middle of the list, things get not-so-interesting - mediocre ISO sensitivities, 'smallish' LCD screen with low pixel-count by today's standards, and a dismal fps value of 3. However, what really sets this camera apart from the rest (Canikon) is L1's pop-up bounce flash and its relatively lightweight of 1100g with the kit lens. For your information, the venerable C***n 5D or 5DII with the equally venerable travel lens EF 24-105mm f/4L USM weighs 1470g - that's about 400g more, which is extremely crucial if you plan to travel and not wanting to spoil your day due to the weight.

It's not about professional specs, it's about practicality

So to set the perspective right, the main and only focus of this mini unprofessional review (3 years late) will be solely on the practically of a dSLR in serving the needs of a poorman-with-limited-Vitamin M-and-yet-wanting-to-achieve-better-shots-than-normal-digicam-to-attain-A4-sized-prints. As you also might have guessed, I often gave my English Language teachers headaches when it comes to written essays. Moving on.

Ok I admit I did over-deflate myself
just now when I said I was a poorman. A brief history lesson - my first dSLR was a Canon EOS 350D, which coming from a Fujifilm 31fd is not much of a jump in my perspective. Sure, the EOS is much cleaner and quicker, but my friends and relatives couldn't tell images taken by either cameras apart. The breakthrough came when I finally had the moolah to purchase the 'holy-grail' of Canon dSLRs - the EOS 5D. The output images were so d@mn sharp, detailed and noise free that I believed its successor 5DII would be even better. And I was right. Clean and 18x12 printable images even at ISO 3200, coupled with 'full-frame greatness', gave me products like the one below:

Picture taken courtesy of my 1-year-old nephew Ryan, with Canon 5DII, EF 85mm F1.2L II USM @ f/1.6

See what I meant when I mentioned 'full-frame greatness' earlier? The DOF is so scaringly thin - the eyes which were in focus were razor-sharp, and the immediate features of Ryan such as his ears and hair were all rendered OOF! Magic, isn't it? Of course, Guru-of-Greatness 5DII couldn't have done the job alone without the aid of top-of-range lenses, such as the equally-great 85mmL II. See below for more images taken with my 5DII (now sold) and other high quality L lenses:

Canon 5DII with EF 135mm F2L USM @ f/2

Canon 5DII with EF 100mm F2.8L USM Macro @ f/2.8

Hey! This blog looks more like a shrine dedicated to C***n!

Yes, I need to tell you badly how great Canon full-frame and its glasses are. But I also need to tell you that, as evidenced from the above pictures, I am only an average photographer who wants to print medium-size pictures and hang them up on my bare walls to fulfill my equally bare needs.

The price of greatness

Okay, you do the Math. It doesn't take you too long to realise how much $ (in Singapore dollars) a 5DII + 85L + 135L + other unnamed and that's-not-all Canon lenses cost. A BOMB. I realised I could neither eat nor sleep well every night, fearing that someday one of the equipment will die of depreciation/age/mishandling. Imagine so many gear in a digicabi that is put to waste by an average photographer. I then knew, that something has to change.

Step forth, the L1
Ironically, I chanced upon the Panasonic L1 at a shop in Sim Lim Square, when I was browsing for a battery for my 5DII to be used as spare. The L1's box was tucked in the corner of a glass shelf, which almost went unnoticed by my slit eyes. Curious, I requested to view the camera in pretense to purchase it.

IT WAS AWESOME. IT FELT LIKE SEEING A LONG LOST LOVE AGAIN.

I remembered I had this feeling back in 2006 when the camera was first announced. It was like love at first sight. Yet cruelty of life told me then that it was way too expensive beyond my reach, and that I could only dream on. That's why the L1 became my 'dream-love'; you love it, but it can only be with you in your dreams. Now, knowing that the price of the L1 has came down considerably since its initial release, I hunted down a well-kept second-hand one in a local forum. Despite its (L1) dim viewfinder and lack of speed, I decided to bite the bullet and eloped with it plus the 'kit lens'.

Life after addition of L1
My initial test shots with my newly-acquired L1 with the 'kit lens' was dismal - I couldn't focus right in indoor conditions, I complained that my nephew Ryan was moving too fast. Many shots were OOF, noisy, and not capturing the 'right moments' due to L1's slowish AF + shooting speed. My experience with the L1 can be akin to a grandfather trying to catch up with his young, random moving grandson. Was I disappointed? You bet. Honestly speaking, I was thinking: 'Why the h@ck did I even purchase this L1?' And thus, off it went into my digicabi, banished till further notice.

Then, I saw the light
Occasionally I would bring my L1 w/ 14-50mm 'kit lens' out for a walk during the sunny days in Singapore, trying to justify the cost of purchasing the camera. When the weather conditions are benign, you can achieve images like this:

Taken with 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 @ 14mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, handheld with OIS on

A pretty boring picture, isn't it? What is it that advanced PnS or other similarly-priced dSLRs (such as the newer and 'better' EOS 500D) couldn't achieve? That's when I saw the light, literally. I was testing on the bounce flash function of the L1, and found results with my nephew Ryan quite desirable:

Taken with 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 @ 50mm, f/3.5 with the built-in bounce flash @ ISO 200

I discovered how natural the effect was, and many of my friends couldn't tell that the picture above was taken with a flash! To further confirm my results, I took more pictures of Ryan using the same method of using the built-in bounce flash at the maximum aperture at 50mm, which is the longest focal length of the kit lens. The results showed that with the bounce flash and the appropriate ceiling colour, the effect is much better than what I used to obtain from my Canon. This is not to say Canon is inferior, however. Because of the fact that you no need to use flash using a 5DII, I had little opportunities to discover the benefits of using fill flashes for portraiture shots. The benefits are:

1. Not only will the unsightly shadows underneath the eyes be gone, the subject of the photograph also appears to have a natural glow, as evidenced from the above Ryan shot with the L1.
2. The flash in the L1 is so versatile, and it is absolutely free! For my 5DII, I need to bring the 270 EX or the 580 EX II, which adds on to the weight.

To illustrate my point, see the two images below for a comparison:

No prize for guessing which picture was taken by the 5DII without flash, and by the L1 with bounce flash (off ceiling). Okay, both are just very candid and non-pro shots, but as you can see, the top picture illustrates the unsightly shadows and colours I had been harping on, whereas the one at the bottom demonstrates the 'glow effect' I heaped praise on. Clearly, the bounce flash of the L1 is a valuable asset. The L1 soon started to be out of the digicabi more often. I too changed my style of shooting so that I could anticipate my nephew's actions. I slowly grew used to the 'L1 way' of shooting. I saw the light, literally.

The turning point - the sale of the 5DII
I shall not elaborate on why or how I sold my 5DII (and other Canon lenses). Believe me, I love (notice the lack of past tense in the word 'love') my 5DII as much as the L1, and I was equally sad to see it go. Owing to certain circumstances, I had no choice.

Life after 5DII - enter the 4/3 lenses
I learnt to treasure my L1 more, firstly as it was my only dSLR left (I still have my Fujifilm 31fd), and secondly I started to find more use for it. In the process, I added more ammunition to my L1 - the 'Panaleica' 14-150mm f/3.5-5.6 and the Olympus 25mm f/2.8 'Pancake' lens. The 14-150mm is almost exactly the same as the kit lens 14-50mm, - excellent optics with the Mega O.I.S., difference only being the slower aperture in exchange for a 3x increase in focal length at the longest end.

At the first glance, you may not tell the difference between the 14-50 and the 14-150 (save for the letterings on the lens body). However, when zoomed out to their maximum lengths, the answer becomes very obvious.

So what is the 14-150 great for? Simple: Travel photography and photojournalism. Sometimes I do take macro shots using this lens. This lens is meant to be used under bright conditions. Not so useful at indoors, though. Pity.

A macro attempt with the 14-150mm taken @ f/5.6, 150mm, handheld with flash

Enter the pancake
Did I mention the pancake just now? That's right, the pancake lens, aka the Olympus Zuiko 25mm f2/2.8, has the effective focal length of 50mm of the good o' film days (which I wasn't born into). C***n has three of them, N***n has two, and every other brand seems to have one as well. What is so special about 50mm? First of all, 50mm offers roughly the field of view of a human eye, which is good for taking tight landscapes, and also decent enough for a 3/4 portrait (depending on the distance between photographer and subject). Secondly, 50mm lenses are relatively easier and cheaper to design and manufacture than other primes and zooms.

But what's so special about Olympus' version of 50mm? Well, it differs from other brand's offerings in that it is designed like a pancake. As the noun 'pancake' would suggest, the size of the lens is _______ (fill in the blank with a suitable adjective). If you find it hard to guess the answer, the picture below might provide you with some clue:

My new love L1 coupled with the Olympus Zuiko 25mm F2.8. Note the size of the lens.

When I looked at the above combination, I fell in love with my L1 even more. 1) The combination made my L1 look even more like a rangefinder of the old. 2) There's a definite special look to the combination, words can't simply describe it.

Using the Pancake
Even though the Pancake has a modest maximum aperture of F2.8 (hey, a prime with a 2.8 only?), it is good enough for some low-light work. In the worst scenario, use a flash (duh). Below are two samples of my good friend, one without flash and the other with the bounce flash. Which one appeals more to you? I leave it to you to decide.

Top: L1 w/ pancake at F2.8, no flash. Bottom: L1 w/ pancake @ F/2.8, assisted by the built-in bounce flash.

The pancake is also clearly capable of rendering vivid colours and resolving a lot of details. Below are some sample shots taken by the L1-pancake combination:

With the aid of capable post processing software, such as SilkyPix, I was able to get the most out of the L1-pancake combination. The output, as shown above, has the very vivid but not over-saturated, film-like look in it.

Concluding thoughts, for now
I rarely blog, and when I do, it has to be because I am blogging on something which I really love to blog about. The Panasonic Lumix L1, which can be had for around SGD$1k in the aftermarket (with the 'kit lens') is clearly a bargain, a 'bang for buck'. I must admit that I am merely a casual shooter, and certainly not a 'pro' (for the definition of a pro, look up for it in wikipedia). Printing A4 pictures, and up to only 18x12 is all I do. Did I miss my 5DII? Certainly. There are at times when I wished I had the luxury of having more high-ISO and megapixel 'leg-rooms'. Using the L1 definitely requires me to think more carefully before I fully depress the shutter.

How so? As I knew the limitations of the L1, here's how I get over it:

1. Noisy images? Avoid ISO 800 and above for lowly-lit scenes, especially night shots.
2. You can get reasonably sharp landscapes @ F2.8. Yes, F2.8, you've heard it right. Shooters who come from the land of C***n and N***n, especially full-framers, might laugh at this. Laugh all you want; I am not kidding you. Due to the smallish 4/3 sensor of L1 and Olymous dSLRs, the effective focal length, as well as aperture, is multiplied by a factor of 2. For example, the 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 is effectively a 28-100mm F5.6-7.0 on full-frame. However, the catch is that the light-gathering sensitivity remains the same. If you are smart enough to know what I'm trying to get at, it is very simple: Not factoring the use of image stabilizer, an aperture value of 5.6 on a full-frame would require ISO 1600 to get a reasonably sharp and well-exposed shot, but on a 4/3 sensor, it would require only an aperture value of 2.8 (2-stops less due to the multiplication factor) and ISO 400 (2-stops less as a result) to get the same reasonably sharp and well-exposed shot. This actually means that in practice, 4/3 dSLRs do not actually need to push their ISO limits in their sensors too far. Of course, just as any other person on the street, I would definitely welcome a 4/3 dSLR having ISO limit of 102,400. In reality, however, given my explanation regarding the aperture multiplication, a 4/3 sensor which can reach ISO 3,200 and produces clean images at that sensitivity would suffice.
3. Use the bounce flash more often to your advantage. Unlike other full-frame dSLRs, this valuable bounce flash is free. I cannot emphasize this enough, but it is the difference between the L1 and other cameras. The older brother LC1 too has this flash, but it is not a dSLR and that's another matter altogether.
4. Frame your subject carefully, for you cannot afford to crop heavily due to L1's megapixel count of 7.5 'only'. Yah, I do miss the 21 megapixels of my 5DII, at times.
   

So, that's it. The Panasonic Lumix L1 is clearly a camera who can serve its master well, if the master knows what he/she is doing. If you can work around the flaws of the L1, and if you like challenges, taking pictures with the camera will certainly be a rewarding experience. I'll like to end off by sharing some more pictures taken with this camera.

Taken with 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 @ 14mm, f/2.8 @ ISO 100, handheld with OIS on. Note that even at F2.8, the background looks completely focussed. This could not have been achieved on a 1.6x and full-frame systems. As a result, a 4/3 user can get away with ISO 100, with the aid of IS, for such shooting conditions.

Taken with 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 @ 14mm, f/5.6, 1sec @ ISO 100, with improvised support

Both shots are taken with the 14-50mm @ F3.5, 50mm, ISO 100, pop-up flash bounced on a right-hand side wall. Personally these two are my favourite shots, thanks to 1) Ryan for being such a cooperative model, and 2) my decision lately to try bouncing flash light off the side to give a more professional feel.