Panasonic Panasonic LF1: worth swapping from TZ60?

theoldsmithy

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Cheshire, England
Name
Martin Connolly
Of late I have been rather disappointed with the output from my TZ60, especially on dull days. In good light it's really quite good but when the skies are grey colours get muddy and contrast suffers too. I don't really use the long end of the zoom very often so I'm wondering whether the LF1 would be enough of a jump in IQ. The prices are about the same on eBay so it wouldn't cost me anything. Any thoughts anyone?
 
Of late I have been rather disappointed with the output from my TZ60, especially on dull days. In good light it's really quite good but when the skies are grey colours get muddy and contrast suffers too. I don't really use the long end of the zoom very often so I'm wondering whether the LF1 would be enough of a jump in IQ. The prices are about the same on eBay so it wouldn't cost me anything. Any thoughts anyone?

I would ABSOLUTELY expect the LF1 to deliver better IQ than the TZ60 because 1) it has an optically superior lens and 2) it has a Larger sensor with Fewer pixels.

I see you're in the UK - watch the Panasonic Store within Ebay and LF1s frequently come up refurbished for £129.

the TZ50 has a more versatile zoom and greater resolution - but those factors don't necessarily produce improved image quality. That's why, when Panasonic upgraded the LX5 to the LX7 they Reduced the pixel count, increased the sensor size and brightened the lens. (LX cameras will give even better results than the LF1, but they are bigger).

Here's a good web tool for comparing cameras
Compare the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 vs the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ70
 
I would ABSOLUTELY expect the LF1 to deliver better IQ than the TZ60 because 1) it has an optically superior lens and 2) it has a Larger sensor with Fewer pixels.

I see you're in the UK - watch the Panasonic Store within Ebay and LF1s frequently come up refurbished for £129.

the TZ50 has a more versatile zoom and greater resolution - but those factors don't necessarily produce improved image quality. That's why, when Panasonic upgraded the LX5 to the LX7 they Reduced the pixel count, increased the sensor size and brightened the lens. (LX cameras will give even better results than the LF1, but they are bigger).

Here's a good web tool for comparing cameras
Compare the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 vs the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ70

Yes, in theory it's better but the question is how much better is it in real life. I tend not to like snapsort; it has weird criteria for deciding what's important.
 
Honestly, if the :mu43: cameras are you benchmark, I somehow doubt you will be satisfied by the LF1.

I checked the dpreview.com comparison tool, and the LF1's JPEGs do look better defined at ISO 800 then those from the TZ60 - but I also checked the RAWs, and I'd really try to avoid ISO 800 on the LF1 ... colour noise is pretty ugly by then. The TZ100 is clearly better - it even beats the (first generation) RX100, and that's quite a feat if you consider the additional advantage in terms of range (the RX100 IV is better still, though).

As soon as you compare against the LX100, though, even the TZ100 gets into trouble, although I'd say the real advantage of the LX100's sensor only starts to show over ISO 800, so the 1" sensors offer really solid low light performance (just for the record, I actually avoid shooting even the LX100 over ISO 800).

At ISO 400, the TZ100 holds its own against the LX100, but the LF1, well ... it's already pretty muddy (though a bit more usable than those from the TZ60). And let's face it, with that kind of slow lens, ISO 400 will occur pretty frequently. Just my take, of course - but I really think the 1/1.7" sensor cameras are past their sell-by date ...

M.
 
The LF1 lens is awful. I also bought the Leica 'C' equivalent, no better. I have images from both on my website.
 
Er, yes it would unfortunately, which is why I was looking at the LF1. The TZ100 would be ideal but it's about £300 more expensive.

My ZS100/TZ100 is at Panasonic for a new lens, because according to Panasonic "the lens is full of dust". I didn't get even a speck of dust in there, and they're not even questioning it. My impression of the lens the first few days, before the dust started showing up, is that the lens quality is poor. There's something weird going on with Panasonic and their 'Leica' lenses.
 
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