dmc-cm1
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Panasonic's behemoth camera phone hits the US for $1,000
Did you take one look at Panasonic's Lumix DMC-CM1 and vow to pay whatever it took to get this smartphone/mirrorless camera hybrid in the US? You now have a chance to put your money where your mouth is. Panasonic has started selling an unlocked version of the CM1 in the US, and it'll set you back an eye-watering $1,000 -- suddenly, that 128GB Galaxy S6 seems like a bargain. There's a good reason for the giant price tag, mind you. While the phone half is no great shakes between its 4.7-inch 1080p screen, Android 4.4 KitKat and a Snapdragon 801 chip, you're also getting a big 1-inch, 20-megapixel imaging sensor with a bright, high-quality f/2.8 lens. If you already treat your smartphone as a camera that just happens to make calls, this might be your handset of choice.
Panasonic's 'connected camera' pairs an Android smartphone with a one-inch sensor and f/2.8 lens
Compact, point-and-shoot cameras are dying, simply because people would rather use smartphones and tablets to snap their dinner and instantly share them to Instagram. Unfortunately, that's a segment of the market that Panasonic abandoned (at least in Europe) back in 2013. That left the company without a convincing rival to the Lumia 1020 and Samsung's various phone / camera hybrids. That's why the company has now launched the DMC-CM1, a "connected camera" (i.e. a smartphone with a proper lens) that's capable of taking 20-megapixel stills and record 4K video thanks to a one-inch MOS sensor.
