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Panasonic's CM1 Android-camera hybrid (pictures)

What do you get when you cross an Android smartphone with a compact camera? At least in France and Germany, Panasonic's CM1. Here's a look.

Stephen Shankland
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Stephen Shankland
The Panasonic CM1, unveiled at Photokina 2014, marries a 20-megapixel camera to a 28mm-equivalent lens and an Android phone.
1 of 11 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Panasonic CM1 Android camera phone

The Panasonic CM1, unveiled at Photokina 2014, marries a 20-megapixel camera to a 28mm-equivalent lens and an Android phone.

The Panasonic CM1 is slim for a phone. Here's how it looks with its lens withdrawn when the camera isn't in use.
2 of 11 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Panasonic CM1 top side

The Panasonic CM1 is slim for a phone. Here's how it looks with its lens withdrawn when the camera isn't in use. Handling image-processing duties is a Panasonic Venus Engine chip.

​The giant camera lens on the CM1 draws attention. It's a Leica-designed optic with a maximum aperture of f2.8 and minimum of f11.
3 of 11 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Panasonic CM1 Android camera phone

The giant camera lens on the CM1 draws attention. It's a Leica-designed optic with a maximum aperture of f2.8 and minimum of f11.

​When the lens is retracted, the Panasonic CM1 gets much slimmer.
4 of 11 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Panasonic CM1, lens retracted

When the lens is retracted, the Panasonic CM1 gets much slimmer.

​The CM1 camera-phone body grows thicker away from the lens. The interior houses a quad-core 2.3GHz Qualcomm processor.
5 of 11 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Panasonic CM1 Android camera phone

The CM1 camera-phone body grows thicker away from the lens. The interior houses a quad-core 2.3GHz Qualcomm processor.

​A dedicated camera switch on the top of the phone -- top as held in landscape orientation -- turns the CM1's camera on. The oval button is a shutter release.
6 of 11 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Panasonic CM1 dedicated camera buttons

A dedicated camera switch on the top of the phone -- top as held in landscape orientation -- turns the CM1's camera on. The oval button is a shutter release.

​The lens protrudes somewhat more when the camera is on. It's surrounded by a nicely machined adjustment ring. Below are the phone's power and volume buttons.
7 of 11 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Panasonic CM1 camera extended

The lens protrudes somewhat more when the camera is on. It's surrounded by a nicely machined adjustment ring. Below are the phone's power and volume buttons.

The phone can shoot a variety of video modes, including 4K. The touch screen is used for picking among such options. The 4.7-inch screen resolution is 1,920x1,080.
8 of 11 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Panasonic CM1 4K video

The phone can shoot a variety of video modes, including 4K. The touch screen is used for picking among such options. The 4.7-inch screen resolution is 1,920x1,080.

​The bottom of the Panasonic CM1 reveals a port cover and a tether attachment point.
9 of 11 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Panasonic CM1 underside

The bottom of the Panasonic CM1 reveals a port cover and a tether attachment point.

​The Panasonic CM1 has a 4.7-inch screen for composing photos, along with an accelerometer-powered electronic level indicator.
10 of 11 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Panasonic CM1 Android camera phone

The Panasonic CM1 has a 4.7-inch screen for composing photos, along with an accelerometer-powered electronic level indicator.

​The Panasonic CM1 is about the width and height of a premium smartphone, 135.4x68mm, but it's thicker at 15.2mm.
11 of 11 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Panasonic CM1 dimensions

The Panasonic CM1 is about the width and height of a premium smartphone, 135.4x68mm, but it's thicker at 15.2mm. At its thickest part, with the lens pulled in, it measures 21.1mm.

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