Panasonic DMC-L1

Reviewed September 2006

Interface & Software

Interface

The user interface of the DMC-L1 is unique: for the most part, shooting parameters can be set directly using rings, buttons and dials on the exterior of the camera, changes appearing either in the viewfinder's display or on the monitor's information display. Worth noting, the viewfinder's information display is somewhat difficult to see while wearing glasses, and it is easier to use the dioptre correction to adapt the viewfinder to one's eyesight to see the display. Similarly, it should be noted that the viewfinder display does not show the selected ISO value, unlike the monitor's information display.

Switching to the Live View mode, the 2.5-inch monitor has a sufficiently high resolution to show a crisp and clear image. The information presented on the periphery of the image is readily understandable, and if desired, the either one of two composition grids can be superimposed on the monitor. The monitor makes it possible to see 100% of the shot, and can be used to ascertain depth of field.

The menu system is likewise clear, using text on backgrounds of uniform colours, which allows for a good contrast and improves legibility under most lighting conditions. One small complaint however, the menu always starts at the first option of the first section, and with a camera such as this it would have been preferable if the menu returned to the last selected option. Moreover, the menu flows from one section to the next, and in our opinion it would have been preferable for it simply loop through each section.

The Setup options for the DMC-L1 are located in the second section of the menu, and contain the following settings:

• Clock Set: serves to set the time and date on the camera. The date format can be set as well.
• World Time: allows specifying a time zone for a destination and a time zone for home.
• Monitor: to adjust the monitor's brightness over ± 3 increments.
• Auto Review controls the way images are presented immediately post-capture:
  • Review Time: sets the on-screen time (Off, 1, 2 or 3 seconds).
  • Zoom Time: sets the time during which the image is shown magnified 4X on the screen so as to ascertain its sharpness (Off, 1, 2 or 3 seconds).
• Power Save: sets the time delay after which the camera automatically powers down when it is inactive (Off, 1, 2, 5 or 10 minutes).

• MF Assist: (Live View only) decides whether or not the camera displays a magnified centre part of the image during manual focusing (Off, 4X, 10X).
• Beep: sets the volume of the sounds produced by the camera during operation (Off, Soft, Loud).
• No. Reset: selects whether files are numbered sequentially starting at 1 when a new or formatted memory card is used, or whether the file numbers are continuously incremented.

• Reset: returns all settings to their original factory settings with the exception of the date, time and folder number.
• USB Mode offers three options:
  • Select On Connection allows selecting the type of connection every time the camera is connected via USB.
  • PC (Mass Storage) serves to connect the camera to a computer.
  • PictBridge to connect the camera to a PictBridge compatible printer.
• Highlights: On or Off. When On potentially overexposed areas of an image are shown as blinking.
• Video Out: selects the type of video signal the camera outputs, NTSC or PAL.
• TV Aspect: serves to choose the aspect ratio of the TV on which images are shown (4:3 or 16:9).
• Language decides the interface language: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (Traditional), Japanese.

The DMC-L1 is accompanied by a printed manual that is clearly written and quite detailed. All the camera's parts and their functions are covered and explanations are complete.

Software

The DMC-L1 we tested came with a single CD containing SilkyPix Developer Studio 2.0 SE (version 2.0.14.13). This software, conceived by Ichikawa Soft Laboratory for Panasonic, is nothing short of excellent.

The software is designed to process RAW images captured with the DMC-L1, which is to date the only RAW format the software can process. The interface is clear and devoid of any unnecessary features.

The program provides a very complete set of tools to process the L1's RAW images. The tools can be arranged around the work window and moved around as necessary. These tools include controls over exposure, white balance (including a tool to manually select the white or grey point), sharpness, tone, colour, noise reduction, and even correct optical flaws such as vignetting, distortion and chromatic aberration.

Any change or modification made to the image is immediately visible, and a particular set of corrections can be saved so it can be re-applied later. Processed images can then be saved as JPEG with a variable compression level, or as 8 or 16-bit TIFF files.

While it is difficult to offer a definitive opinion of the program since it is so new, it is nevertheless one of the best designed and most intuitive programs of this type we have encountered to date.