The Panasonic L1 SLR is coming to the U.S.

Panasonic's first DSLR, a close relative of the Olympus E-330, will soon be available in the United States this September.

From Pop Photo - Jun 28, 2006

The Panasonic DMC-L1 will retail for around $1,999, and is Panasonic's big grasp at the lucrative and well-respected DSLR market. They will be entering into competition with Canon's established EOS line and Nikon's popular 'D' series, as well as fellow upstarts like Sony's Alpha DSLR line. The DSLR market is getting quite crowded, and with all this competition, perhaps prices will begin to come down, allowing legions of prospective buyers an opportunity to get into professional-level photography at a reasonable cost.

The Panasonic L1 is a tightly constructed camera, with a rangefinder-like body. The throwback style isn't indicative of the cutting-edge technology contained within, as the L1 features the Live MOS sensor. The Live MOS displayes a real-time image of what is being shot by the sensor on the camera's LCD screen, a feature that right now is only available on Olympus' E-330 DSLR.