Again, no one is going to be able to tell from your Instagram, Facebook or Twitter photos whether you shot an image with a smartphone or a compact camera. And if you really want to have those nicer files for the future, buy a proper camera with Wi-Fi.
Your current smartphone camera is good enough
If you have an iPhone or a nice Android device, chances are your existing smartphone camera is more than good enough. Just poke around Flickr or 500px and see all the incredible photos people are taking with their smartphones. There are art galleries and exhibitions all over the world featuring only smartphone photos.
Camera software in our phones are also improving, and you can control your focus and exposure in most camera apps, which is perhaps 90% of all you need to take good photos with your phone.
I'm not here to lecture you and say, "Your eye is the most important piece of photography equipment you have," but it really is. Take some time to learn to take better photos, and soon you won't be stressing over megapixels and glass quality.
Your vision and eye for light and composition trumps the equipment you're shooting on, whether it's an iPhone camera, a mirrorless camera or a big DSLR.
Lumix DMC-CM1: do not buy
First, the phone is only going to be available in France and Germany to start. Who knows if it will ever head anywhere else. But the CM1 is not the first, and probably won't be the last, of its kind.
Here's a quick wrap up of reasons not to buy this camera phone:
- Battery life will be awful
- Photo quality won't make a difference for most uses (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
- It will be more expensive than your average smartphone
- There are cameras with better sensors and lenses that have Wi-Fi connectivity for smartphone control, editing and sharing
- If you drop this and break it, as we tend to do with our smartphones, you will have broken your nice smartphone and your nice camera all in one; phones are easy to replace, cameras are usually easy to fix, this CM1 probably won't be
So, if you've been looking for a smartphone with a nice camera, consider the LG G3, or perhaps the iPhone 6 Plus, which offers OIS or optical image stabilization. But if you really want a better sensor, better glass and built-in Wi-Fi control, get a camera like the Olympus OM-D E-M10 or the upcoming Fuji X100T.
Don't waste your time and money on a phone like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM1.
