Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 Communication Camera Now Available – See Features, Specs, Price and Reviews

Early this year Panasonic introduced a camera with a smartphone (and not the other way around), called the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 Communication Camera. We have seen several products like this in the past; from Samsung, Nokia and others. But Panasonic begs to differ by being a “Communication Camera” instead of a typical smartphone camera. The Lumix DMC-CM1 features a larger 1-inch 20 megapixel high-sensitivity MOS sensor with Leica DC Elmarit lens. Expect that image and video quality is better compared to a smartphone camera. We’ll talk more about the cameras feature below. Aside from the DMC-CM1’s camera, it is also GSM / 4G LTE capable. You can make calls and send messages and it runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system. You can check out more of its features, specifications, price and availability below. There are also embedded video reviews for your reference.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 Review-01

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 Features

The video above pretty much summarizes the camera features and capabilities of the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1. It features a 20.1 megapixel high-sensitivity MOS sensor with a sensor size of 1-inch. The sensor is paired with a Leica DC Elmarit 28mm equivalent f/2.8 wide-angle lens that can capture sharp and bright images. Panasonic is using the Venus Engine to process the data from the sensor to produce images with low noise and high detail. It has a 23-point AF (AutoFocus) system, and features Focus Peaking and MF assist. However I don’t see any Image Stabilization or a similar feature with this communication camera.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 Review-02

The Lumix DMC-CM1 uses mechanical shutter and is capable of speeds from 60 to 1/2000 sec. ISO sensitivity can be adjusted from 100 up to 25600. But don’t expect to get great image quality at higher ISO settings. It also has a built-in flash for low-light conditions and can do 4K video recording. The DMC-CM1 features 4K Pre-Burst and 4K PhotoCapture that lets you review a 4K video frame by frame and extract a specific image to your liking. It records videos in MP4 format in various resolutions; a Full HD 1080p video at 30fps, meanwhile Ultra HD 4K video only records at 15fps. Well it’s not exactly a perfect solution for 4K video recording. Other than that, it also takes not only JPEG but also RAW format as well. It also comes with several camera effects and other cool features like Time Lapse Shooting Assist.

Check out the full specification table below for more details about its camera.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 Review-04

On the smartphone side, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM1 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat (yeah it’s somewhat old), and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad Core processor. It supports GSM / LTE connections and comes with the usual wireless connectivity options like WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC. It also features a 4.7″ TFT LCD touch display and is powered by a 2600mAh (9.9Wh) Li-Ion battery.

The Panasonic DMC-CM1 is approximately 13.54cm x 6.81cm x 2.11cm and weighs around 204 grams. Check out the video reviews below for more details.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 Review-05 Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 Review-06

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 vs Competitors

Lumix DMC-CM! vs Competitiros

Price and Where to Buy

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 sounds like a fantastic “communication camera”. The DMC-CM1 isn’t cheap as well. It will cost you $999.99 USD. If you are looking for a smartphone camera, well it may be hard to justify the price. But if you are looking for a camera that has smartphone features then this may be the device for you.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 Reviews

The Panasonic DMC-CM1 review below is courtesy of CastleCameras:

The LUMIX DMC-CM1 review below is courtesy of Recombu:

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1 Full Specifications

DIMENSIONS / WEIGHT Dimensions (W x H x D) Approx. 135.4 x 68.0 x 21.1 (Body 15.2) mm (5.33 x 2.68 x 0.83 (0.60) inch)
Weight Approx. 203 g without SIM Card and microSD Memory Card (0.45 lb) Approx. 204 g with SIM Card and microSD Memory Card (0.45 lb)
OUT CAMERA IMAGE SENSOR Camera Effective Pixels 20.1 Megapixels
Sensor Size / Total Pixels / Filter 1-inch High Sensitivity MOS Sensor / Total Pixel Number 20.9 Megapixels / Primary Color Filter
LENS Aperture F2.8 – 11 / Multistage Iris Diaphragm
Optical Zoom 1x (Fixed focal length)
Focal Length f = 10.2mm (31mm in 35mm equiv. in 4:3) (28mm in 35mm equiv. in 3:2) (30mm in 35mm equiv. in 16:9) (36mm in 35mm equiv. in 1:1) (43mm in 35mm equiv. in 4K video recording)
Extra Optical Zoom (EZ) Picture Quality M: Max. 1.32x (4:3 / 3:2 / 1:1), Max. 1.41x (16:9) Picture Quality S: Max. 2.0x Picture Quality XS: Max. 2.83x (3:2 / 16:9), Max. 4x (4:3 / 1:1)
Intelligent Zoom 2x
Lens LEICA DC ELMARIT 6 elements in 5 groups (3 Aspherical Lenses / 6 Aspherical Surfaces)
Optical Image Stabilizer
Digital Zoom Max. 2x (When Digital Zoom is used simultaneously with Extra Optical Zoom or Intelligent Zoom, the total zoom ratio is max. 4x.)
FOCUS Focusing Area 10 cm – infinity
AF Assist Lamp Yes (On / Off)
Focus AF / MF
AF Metering Face Detection / Tracking / 23-area / 1-area
SHUTTER Shutter Type Mechanical Shutter / Auto (Mechanical Shutter + Eerectronic Shutter)
Shutter Speed Still Image: Mechanical Shutter : Approx. 60 – 1/2,000 sec Auto : Approx. 60 – 1/16,000 sec Motion Picture: Approx. 1/30 – 1/16,000 sec
Self Timer 2 sec / 10 sec
RECORDING SYSTEM File Format Still Image: JPEG (DCF/Exif2.3) (*1) / RAW (*2) Motion Picture: MP4
Image Quality RAW / RAW+Fine / Fine / Standard
Recording Media microSD Memory Card, microSDHC Memory Card, microSDXC Memory Card
Color Space sRGB, AdobeRGB
Still Picture Recording 4:3 4864×3648 (18M) (L) / 3456×2592 (9M) (M) / 2432×1824 (4.5M) (S) / 640×480 (0.3M) (XS) 3:2 5472×3648 (20M) (L) / 3888×2592 (10M) (M) / 2736×1824 (5M) (S) / 1920×1280 (2.5M) (XS) 16:9 5472×3080 (17M) (L) / 3840×2160 (8M) (M) / 2560×1440 (3.5M) (S) / 1920×1080 (2M) (XS) 1:1 3648×3648 (13M) (L) / 2592×2592 (7M) (M) / 1824×1824 (3.5M) (S) / 640×640 (0.4M) (XS)
Recording Mode Intelligent Auto, Intelligent Auto Plus, P, A, S, M, C1 (Custom), C2 (Custom), Scene Guide, Creative Control, Panorama Shot
Photo Style Standard, Vivid, Natural, Monochrome, Scenery, Portrait
Picture Adjustment Contrast, Sharpness, Noise Reduction, Saturation*, Color Tone**, * Except for Monochrome mode. ** For Monochrome mode only
Filter (Creative Control) (Still Image) Expressive, Retro, Old Days, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Monochrome, Dynamic Monochrome,Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Toy Pop, Bleach Bypass, Miniature Effect, Fantasy, Star Filter, One Point Color (18 filters)
Scene Guide (Still Image) Clear Portrait / Silky Skin / Backlit Softness / Relaxing Tone / Sweet Child’s Face / Distinct Scenery / Bright Blue Sky / Romantic Sunset Glow / Vivid Sunset Glow / Glistening Water / Clear Nightscape / Cool Night Sky / Warm Glowing Nightscape / Artistic Nightscape / Glittering Illuminations / Handheld Night Shot / Clear Night Portrait / Appetizing Food / Cute Dessert / Freeze Animal Motion / Clear Sports Shot / Monochrome (22 modes)
Continuous Shooting Mode (Approx.) SH 50 frames/sec (max. 5M, max. 23 images in JPEG) (*3) H 10 frames/sec (max. 5 images in JPEG, max. 3 images in RAW+JPEG) M 5 frames/sec (with Live View, max. 6 images in JPEG, max. 3 images in RAW+JPEG) L 2 frames/sec (with Live View, max. 9 images in JPEG, max. 3 images in RAW+JPEG) (depending on memory card size, battery power, picture size, and compression)
Motion Picture Recording (*4) 4K Video 3840 x 2160 pixels, 15p (4K: 50Mbps / MP4) (Sensor output is 30fps) (AAC) HD Video 1920 x 1080 pixels, 30p (FHD: 20Mbps / MP4) (Sensor output is 30fps) (AAC) 1280 x 720 pixels, 30p (HD: 10Mbps / MP4) (Sensor output is 30fps) (AAC) STD Video 640 x 480, 30p (VGA: 4Mbps / MP4) (Sensor output is 30fps) (AAC) 640 x 640, 30p (1:1: 4Mbps / MP4) (Sensor output is 30fps) (AAC)
EXPOSURE CONTROL Exposure Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Exposure Compensation 1/3 EV step, +/-3 EV
Auto (AE) Bracketing 3 frames in 1/3, 2/3 or 1 EV step, Max. +/-1 EV
Light Metering Intelligent Multiple / Center Weighted / Spot
ISO Sensitivity Auto / i.ISO / 100 (Extended ISO) /125 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400 / 12800 / 25600 (Extended ISO) (Changeable to 1/3 EV step) (Motion picture recording: Auto)
WHITE BALANCE White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Incandescent / White Set / Color Temperature (White Balance Adjustment)
FLASH Flash (Included) Auto, Forced On, Always On, Forced Off 0.6 – 5.3m (ISO Auto)
OTHERS Digital Red Eye Correction (Red-Eye Removal) Yes (On / Off)
Level Gauge Yes
IN CAMERA IMAGE SENSOR Camera Effective Pixels 1.07 Megapixels
Picture Size 0.92 Megapixels
File Format Still Image: JPEG (Exif2.2) Motion Picture: MP4
FEATURES OS Android™ 4.4(KitKat)
CPU Qualcomm® SnapdragonTM 801 (MSM8974AB)
Storage & Memory Storage 16GB (*5), Memory 2GB (Up to 128GB additional with optional microSDXC Card (*6))
SIM Size microSIM Class B / Class C
Sensors Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass, Pressure, Luminance
WIRELESS Baseband Supported Band 4G: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20 3G: I, IV, V, VIII 2G: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
NFC Yes
Wi-Fi Yes IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz (1-13ch) 5.2/5.3GHz (W52: 36, 40, 44, 48ch, W53: 52, 56, 60, 64ch) 5.6GHz (100, 104, 108, 112, 116, 120, 124, 128, 132, 136, 140ch)
Bluetooth Yes (Bluetooth® v4.0)
GPS Yes (GPS, GLONASS)
DISPLAY Type TFT LCD Monitor with Static Touch Control, 16.8M Colors
Size 4.7″, 16:9 aspect 1920 (W) x 1080 (H) RGB, 6,220k dots
Multi touch Yes
INTERFACE Microphone / Speaker Stereo / Mono
microUSB USB 2.0 ( High Speed )
Headphone Output φ3.5mm (3-pin / 4-pin)
LANGUAGE OSD Language Japanese, English (US/UK), German, French, Spanish, Swedish ,Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Indonesian
POWER Battery Li-ion Battery Pack (3.8V, 2600mAh, 9.9Wh) (Built-in) AC Adaptor (Input: 110 – 240V AC)
Battery Life (Approx.) Still Image: 300 pictures (CIPA Standard) (*7) Motion Picture (*4): Continuous Recordable Time: 100 min (4K), 130 min (FHD) Actual Recordable Time: 70 min (4K), 90 min (FHD) Standby: 630 hours (3G), 560 hours (GSM) Talk: 12 hours (3G), 11 hours (GSM)
Battery Charging Time (Approx.) 150 minutes (100% charge)
ACCESSORIES Standard Accessories AC Adaptor (Quick Charge 2.0), Stereo Headset (EF model only)
NOTE *1 Based on “Exif 2.2” standard when taking pictures in Panorama Shot Mode or when recording motion picture. *2 The software to process RAW file on PC is not bundled with DMC-CM1. To do this, SILKYPIX Developer Studio is available for download at Ichikawa Soft Laboratory’s website using PC connected to the Internet. *3 SH use Electronic shutter automatically. *4 – These are standard times taken at a temperature of 23 oC (73.4 oF) and a humidity of 50%RH. – The time available for recording varies depending on the environment, the interval between recordings, and the manner of use. – The actual recordable time is the time of recording possible with repeated start/stop of the camera function, and start/stop of recording – Use a card with SD Speed Class with “Class 4” or higher when recording motion pictures. – Use a card with SD Speed Class with “Class 10” when recording motion pictures with [MP4] in [4K]. (SD speed class is the speed standard regarding continuous writing.) (The SD speed class represents the level of performace of microSD cards. The SD speed class does not serve as a guarantee of performace for all operations.) – The maximum continuous recordable time of a motion picture is 29 minutes and 59 seconds, which is equivalent to a file size of approximately 4 GB. – Maximum time to record motion pictures continuously with [MP4] in [4K] is 10 minutes 50 seconds. – Maximum time to record motion pictures continuously with [MP4] in [FHD] is 26 minutes 58 seconds. *5 Operation has been tested and confirmed using Panasonic SD Memory Card with a capacity of up to 2GB, Panasonic SDHC Memory Card with a capacity of up to 32GB, and Panasonic SDXC Memory Card with a capacity of up to 64GB. Operation on other SD equipment is not guaranteed. *6 Total usable memory will be less depending upon actual system configuration. *7 Recording conditions by CIPA standard – Temperature: 23 oC (73.4 oF) / Humidity: 50%RH when LCD monitor is ON. – Using a Panasonic microSDHC Memory Card – Starting recording 30 seconds after the camera application is turned on. – Recording once every 30 seconds with full flash every second recording. – The number of recordable pictures varies depending on the recording interval time. – If the recording interval time becomes longer, the number of recordable pictures decreases. – CIPA is an abbreviation of [Camera & Imaging Products Association].

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