As I mentioned, next month I get my annual bonus (I work at John Lewis), which is expected to be somewhere in the region of 8-10% of my earnings from the entire financial year just gone. That's on top of my usual wages. This is probably going to be one of several shiny new toys I can potentially buy without actually touching my normal monthly income.

Speak normal boys.

If you have to wait for payday maybe a toy like this shouldn't be your highest priority?

No, I saw that - that's what makes it £200 rather than £350.

Hi Misterleoni - I just got my CM1 delivered today & had a quick go. I can't compare to a G4 coz I don't have one, but I will say that so far the results seem similar to the RX100 (which I did have). I can see the jpg processing is different to Sony's but that is to be expected. I've had a lot of different Panasonic cameras in the past & the CM1 experience is inline with that.
Device wise it does feel like a phone from a few generations ago - I certainly wouldn't call it leading edge, but I wasn't expecting that.
Anyways, will get a better feel for handling & output over the next few days/weeks. I'll also search for some G4 picture examples to see what all the fuss is about.

The difference is that even the auto output on a good compact or DSLR will be excellent; the output on the CM1 is worse than devices like the G4 unless you have time to fiddle, so all those spontaneous photos will be worse quality - what I was saying was that the compromise VS another smartphone simply isn't worth it. All the CM1 has it that one specification - a 1" sensor - it isn't well optimised and I would go as far as to say that even if you do have the time and inclination to absorb its capabilities in manual mode you'll still end up with photos that aren't as good as the G4 - which also has very capable manual options. A large sensor alone doesn't make good pictures if the low-level optimisations and ISP in the device aren't as good as another device.

I'm not meaning to hate on the device as I wanted to love it and I am a fairly keen amateur photographer myself, so its appeal (on paper) caused me to spend £550 on a second hand one last year. The problem was that no matter how hard I worked I struggled to get better photos than on my G4 - even in low light it performed poorly in comparison, and shots were noisier even when I compared the output from both as DNG files in almost every scenario. In that event I figured 'what is the point of this 1" sensor - what is it doing for me?" I can only go on what I saw, and that was disappointing.

The fact that the hardware is also very disappointing also troubled me. Try this device if you like - you might get different results to me.

All good photographers put work into taking pictures - regardless of what camera they use - be that a smartphone or top of the range Nikon, Canon, etc.
Making the best use of what you have gets the best pictures - and we can't always have a Nikon D810, Canon 6D etc with us.
If all you want to do is 'snap' away without thinking then the CM1 is not for you; but if you want to know that you can take the best quality pictures no matter where you are - then the CM1 is a good idea, because most people take their smartphone with them everywhere, so it makes sense to put the best camera possible into it.
Clearly this camera phone is not for everyone - it doesn't look like it's been particularly successful for Panasonic & apart from Samsung no-one else seems to be doing it. But it will suit some people & at this price it's a hot uk deal !

Thanks, I actually quit next week so it will be a nice leaving present :stuck_out_tongue:

A thought I'm open to - but in the end, reject. You may not like the way it was expressed but it remains very sound advice.

Ah right, good on you! :smiley:

Off topic but is it true that everyone gets the same bonus rate at John Lewis?

My point was that this isn't really any better than a G4 for most scenarios - in fact a as a 'snapper' the G4 is better if you ask me.

The RX100 line was just an aside; it wasn't intended as a recommendation. I was just saying that I use a phone for most snapshots but for anything important - like going away on holiday - I like carrying a nice slim camera with a large sensor around with me.

The CM1 is not a good compromise if you ask me, since its output is unimpressive unless you put work into it, and the rest of the hardware is distinctly underwhelming - poor in places.

Aside from many other aspects, one of the RX100's likely features exactly the same sensor as the CM1 and it makes the RX100 one of the best compacts there is for image quality. Therefore in theory the CM1 should be capable of outstanding image quality from the 1in sensor (far bigger than even current flagship phones) but for some reason it isn't, it's probably not helped by the comparatively dimmer lens and lack of OIS but even then it seems to be underperforming.

Hence the only real alternative at the moment if you want that decent 1in sensor output is a cheap phone (which is likely still better than the CM1's phone part) and an RX100 - although the mk3 and mk4 are pricey, the mk1 is still available and can be had for a couple of hundred pounds.

I did really want the CM1 when it was announced but was disappointed by the reviews and decided to leave it.

John

Another way of looking at it is that the number of people commenting about it suggests that common social convention indicates you are rude and patronising without realising it and may need to adapt your style. Just a thought!

None of the above (maybe a bit rude if you are terribly sensitive; opinionated, certainly). Odd how people feel compelled to leap to the defence of others who seem to have chosen not to comment.

Back to the original point: I am simply expressing a personal view (in general rather than personal terms) that if your finances are such that you have to wait for payday to buy an unnecessary item then maybe you should reconsider buying it. That said it's still far better than going into debt over a frivolous purchase. It's the sort of advice my parents passed on to me and I consider it to have been good guidance to live my financial life by. You, of course, have the right to follow a different path if you wish but don't get upset because others have different values. The irony in this is the people feeling they have the right to tell me I don't have the right to express my view, none of whom are the original poster of the comment.

OK?

PS back on subject: I'm a great fan of Panasonic, cameras in particular, but conceptually (and confirmed by feedback here) this is a seriously flawed product. No doubt that is why it is being sold at such a massive discount. Am I allowed to say that suggests it isn't a product which justifies stretching your finances? If you have excess cash then it may be fun to play with.

Are you a troll, or just rude and patronising without realising?

You haven't read (or understood) the thread, have you.

What the **** has it to do with you how someone chooses to spend their money

Maybe you didn't see the "second hand" qualifier to this price?

Much as it looks nice, if comparing it to a camera, it lacks any kind of zoom, very much depends what you use it for.

Why oh why oh why? The commenter's rx100 cost £200 and directly replaced the camera bit of this cameraphone for him, so yes, interesting perspective from an actual owner, I'd say.

I owned one of these when they were expensive. Camera is just 'OK' in auto mode but decent if you have the time and inclination to mess with manual settings. I honestly don't think the output was any better than the LG G4 or Galaxy S6 though, given the huge sensor - and I found that baffling. The only thing I could think was that the ISP in the Snapdragon CPU this uses is not as good as those phones - along with the low-level camera optimisations both manufacturers have done.

As a phone it was all a bit meh - angular, somewhat plasticy build that I found a bit boring, an annoying USB flap and weedy, somewhat precarious SIM tray, slightly wishy-washy display, and an absolutely appalling loudspeaker - one of the worst I've heard in years - certainly no for listening to podcasts on while you do the dishes.

I wouldn't personally recommend this phone even if the idea of the camera appeals, as I think you will get better shots in most spontaneous scenarios with an LG G4. Personally I just carry a Sony RX100M2 with me most of the time. Slips nicely in my pocket and cost me just £200 second-hand. It beats this device into touch.

Oh, the irony! :wink:

"Curates egg" - some good some bad. "Parts of it were excellent" what some bishop or other was supposed to have said when asked how his boiled egg was, or somesuch in late 1890's or so apparently and the saying stuck

"Curates egg" - some good some bad. "Parts of it were excellent" what some bishop or other was supposed to have said when asked how his boiled egg was, or somesuch in late 1890's or so apparently and the saying stuck

Isn't KitKat a bit old?

Not that you to or should have to justify yourself.

Very true! But for a photography nut who won't be able to bring his main camera during work hours, needs to keep the stuff he carries to a minimum and will have regular access to very nice views, this is a very appealing product :P

Nope, bog standard retail staff. Everyone who works for JL or Waitrose receives an annual bonus as a percentage of their earnings in the previous year.

​What is your role at john lewis. Are you the chief exec?

Maybe you should mind your own bloody business and stop telling people what they should or shouldn't do with their own **** money!!
Ignorant judgements are neither classy nor attractive.

Your use case sounds pretty niche :smiley:

Erm, ok?

​so there .... lol

It is a good idea, and I would really like a combo like this.

But I am still not convinced. The phone part is ancient and struggles to compare to a Moto G, which is worth maybe 30 pounds now. Android 5.0 is also not ideal - 5.1 fixes a lot of battery issues.

And the camera is necessarily limited, it may have a large sensor, but no zoom. The Sony RX100 for example is the same price, and a much better camera.

I think the Galaxy Zoom has a more useful camera, but it also suffers from a high price and poor execution.

Is there warranty?

To be honest it lacks OIS, despite the sensor size the camera isn't much more impressive than an old Lumia 1020 - which you can probably used for £70 quid - and keep as a second phone - makes more sense imo.

http://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/download/CM1/index.html

http://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/download/CM1/cm1.html
Latest update, but check which software you have first.

not bad

No credit card to speak of unfortunately!

They might run out of stock in that time - might be worth buying now on plastic...

Wow was £799!

£100 cheaper than Currys. Cracking camera reviews, heat added.

As I mentioned, next month I get my annual bonus (I work at John Lewis), which is expected to be somewhere in the region of 8-10% of my earnings from the entire financial year just gone. That's on top of my usual wages. This is probably going to be one of several shiny new toys I can potentially buy without actually touching my normal monthly income.

word fam

Speak normal boys.

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that this price lasts until I get my bonus in next month's payday!

Curate's Egg

True enough. But a small internal memory can STILL cause lack of space problems quickly despite moving them to SD micro (as I have found with my Sony Z2) it still leaves most of the app, etc behind when m,oving to card. Apparently Android 6 is supposed to address that. We'll see

Big sensor. It'll be a fine camera. But what about the phone ? 16gb is a bit pathetic these days