The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 is the first bridge camera to deliver the new ultra HD 4K video format thanks to the inclusion of an impressive 1in, 20.1MP CMOS sensor.
The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ1000 Digital Camera is a bridge-style point-and-shoot camera featuring a large 20.1MP 1" High Sensitivity MOS sensor and Venus Engine image processor to enable high-resolution 4K QFHD video recording and rich still shooting up to 50 fps. The image sensor affords notable sensitivity, to an expandable ISO 25600, with a high signal-to-noise ratio for a cleaner image quality with reduced image noise. Designed for effective hybrid photo and video recording performance, the 4K output can also be used to permit in-camera 8MP screen grabs from video files for simplified multimedia output.
Complementing the imaging performance is a long-reaching 16x Leica DC Vario-Elmarit zoom lens, which provides a 35mm-equivalent focal length range of 25-400mm. Covering wide-angle to telephoto perspectives, this f/2.8-4 lens incorporates aspherical and extra-low dispersion elements within its construction to realize a sharp, clear image quality with minimal chromatic aberration and distortion. HYBRID O.I.S. image stabilization further benefits working in difficult lighting conditions by minimizing the appearance of camera shake across five distinct axes. The lens also utilizes a linear AF motor, that is benefitted by LUMIX Depth From Defocus technology to achieve fast focusing performance throughout the zoom range.
The bridge-style design of this camera features both an electronic viewfinder and rear LCD monitor for easier viewing in an array of working situations. The 0.39" 2,359k-dot OLED Live View Finder provides 100% frame coverage with 35mm-equivalent 0.7x magnification while the 3.0" 921k-dot LCD monitor features a free-angle, articulating design to facilitate working from high and low angles. Additionally, the camera also features built-in Wi-Fi connectivity to support direct image transfer to, as well as remote control and monitoring capabilities from, linked smartphones and tablets.
Read our Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 review
This camera Rocks in many ways! What an improvement to the Panasonic line! I have shot at close quarters and far away, and am totally impressed with this camera. I could care less about all the extra features and glitter. What means a lot to me is the picture quality and the noise, or lack of it. This camera smashes it out of the park in those two respects and I am very happy with it. The Sony RX10 is also a great camera and some may go in that direction, but I went with the Panasonic as it has longer reach and I have Panasonic accessories from other Panasonic cameras so it is a no brainier for me.
Here are the facts on this camera:
- It has a tiny sensor of only 8.8mm when compared to 24.0mm (Canon EOS-1D C); 23.9mm (Nikon D4s); 13.0mm (GH4).
- It's F4.0 at 96 percent of the time while the ATG/Sony DSC-RX10 has a ATG/Carl T* 24-200/2.0. It has a constant F2.0,which is Two Stops faster.
- Shooting 4K, the IS doesn't work at all. So good luck holding it still beyond 250mm.
- Good luck trying to get software to work with 4K. Even your best Apple laptop will have a hard time seeing 4K.
- This is great for children to use & you do not have to worry when they break the camera.This is nice for struggling photographers that are competing with beginners taking over their clients.This is nice to use if you have back /or knee problems.This is nice for doing short video clips on Vimeo and Youtube.This is nice when are lazy or scare to approach close to your subjects.This is nice to showoff the still images & videos from your laptop to friends.But you will surely be surprised when you need a flash for this camera.It's the world's most expensive speedlite flash that can not do wireless radio TTL like the failed Canon 600EX-RT.This is nice if you still don't know how to clean the bandpass filter. Too many are calling, "Cleaning my dirty sensor".
- The battery life is just as bad as all Sony SLT series & A7 series.
- Using the 4K much will kill the camera.Why did you think that they shut it down at 29'?Companies & pros DO NOT want you to play with the big boys & girls using beginner cameras. And all beginner cameras are branded as "Prosumer cameras".
- Can not shoot tethered to a computer.
- Has no tethered shooting software for Mac & Windows.
- No supports from Adobe Lightroom & no tethered shooting & no live-view tethered.
- Has no PC Sync or 3.5mm Sync Socket which the ATG/Sony DSC-RX10 has both.
- No touch screen when so many cell phones have them.
- NFC is a total joke beyond 4 feet
When you set the camera timer for 2 or 10 seconds, it stays on as long as the selector is in the timer mode on the dial on the left side of the camera. Compared to all the other Panys, this is awesome! I so hated to set the timer with each and every shot with all the past cameras.
The Panasonic FZ1000 works great with a teleconverter like the Olympus TCON-17/B300. All you need is a 62mm to 55mm step down adapter. Is the camera strong enough to support that weight on the end of the lens. Well, the lens is pretty robust, so supporting the tele by hand or with a bracket will work if you want to support it. Why Panasonic did not make the adapter for the teleconverter lenses I don't know. The bracket I use.
Photos taken at high ISOs look fantastic with very little noise. ISO 3200 photos are very good and ISO 6400 photos look acceptable as well. The big thing about this is the camera is now very good in low light situations. Very good and better than the FZ200 is, in my opinion.
The camera has two types of Macro Zoom, found by pushing the bottom button on the 4 way controller. Both are good and I was able to take some very detailed photos of some of my wife's flowers with this feature. I found it best to put the camera in the first setting (Auto Focus Macro), zoom in, and back up till the photo is in focus. The target will fill the frame and the distance will be about 3 to 4 feet. This works incredibly well without having to be too close to the target, so the insect or target is not spooked.
The camera has a 62mm front thread, so filters can be added. I personally recommend a UV filter. Some don't like them, but it reminds me of the time that I did not have a UV filter on my camera and checked the lens and there was what appeared to be a scratch on the lens. I used a lens rag and some cleaner and fortunately the scratch or whatever it was rubbed out, but I still remember the feeling of thinking my lens was scratched and the panic mode that put me into. Now, I use the UV filter and if there are fingerprints on it, I clean the lens. If there are scratches on it, I throw it away and get another one.
The camera is quite a bit bigger than the FZ200 camera is, but the grip is fantastic and it feels good in the hands. Someone asked me if I could hold the camera with one hand and take a picture with that hand. I tried it and it is a piece of cake. No problem doing that at all. The grip is very big and comfortable.
It is very obvious that Panasonic went to extreme means to make this a great camera.
Manual Focus Peaking works very well. What it does is provide a color (3 to choose from) on the edges of a photo and the more color there is the better the shot is focused. I learned how to use this feature on a Sony Nex 6 and it works very well.
The high resolution, articulated, BIG LCD display is a huge improvement over the antique-looking FZ50's LCD, and very good even outdoors in bright daylight (though still tough to see when washed direct sunlight). No touchscreen here, but I've never felt the need for that other than swiping and pinching while reviewing photos. But the electronic viewfinder is a treat, with nearly indistinguishable pixels and no noteworthy lag -- I can even see the shimmer of rising heat waves off distant hot asphalt using this display, it's just one step away from looking like an optical viewfinder. Really, the best of both worlds.
The menu is full of options, including a host of choices that might be considered gimmicks. One I had high hopes for are the dynamic shooting exposure modes. Alas, these are turning out to be merely in-camera HDR in disguise (I'm generally not a fan), and the results appear subtly overprocessed. But the 50+ FPS shooting mode is one to keep in the back pocket for the right subjects.
Always a fan of remote controls, the WiFi options surpass any IR remote I've owned with any previous camera. Linked to my Android (Motorola Droid Maxx), I'm able to compose and shoot with a "live" (actually slightly delayed) viewfinder, and retrieve my shots for quick uploading to Facebook or email -- or G+, Flikr, Instagram, etc. Geotagging is accomplished via the Panasonic app and the phone's location services; alas, there is no GPS built in to the camera.
I'm very happy with the battery life. Panasonic is listing 360 shots -- I'm not counting, but just keeping an eye the battery gauge -- like with my LX cameras, it's looking like I won't need to carry around a spare (unlike with my FZ50). First charge was at just shy of 500 shots, with one bar left on the battery display, and that's with quite a bit of "new toy" futzing.
You'll want to pick up a U3 (aka UHS-II) SD card, which the camera absolutely takes advantage of (required for 4K video, and cuts memory write times by 75% vs. a standard Class 10 card). I've long had good luck with memory from Transcend, and am successfully using their Transcend 128 GB High Speed 10 UHS-3 in this camera.
Camera Raw is fantastic. It is supported in Lightroom and Photoshop, but if you can't afford those programs, it is also supported in FastStone, which is free. Just Google it. The only downside in Raw is the camera will not zoom past 400mm.
The FZ1000 zoom in JPG. The camera will zoom to 400mm (Optical Zoom). With I-Zoom turned on the camera will zoom to 800mm (35mm equivalent). Set to a smaller picture size, the camera will zoom more. With I-Zoom turned OFF and the camera set to the 10mp picture size, it will zoom to 560mm. If you turn Digital Zoom On, the camera will zoom to 2240mm. If the picture size is set to 5mp the camera will zoom to 800mm and with Digital Zoom On will zoom to 3200mm. What is the big deal? Normally I never use any form of Digital Zoom as it destroys the picture quality. Not on this camera! I took some shots with the camera set to the 10mp picture size and Digital Zoom On, which gave me 2240mm. On top of that I used an Olympus B300 1.7X teleconverter with total zoom at 3808mm, and the photos look fantastic! Look in comment number 1 for those links to those pictures and look for yourself.
There are 5 FN presets and you can set those presets for just about anything you want. There are tons of selections in that mode, and they FN Presets can be found in the camera Menu at the Wrench C (Custom) menu, which is the third one down. It is located on page 7 of 8 and it is the second one down, called Fn Button Set. You can make any of the Fn buttons whatever you like. For me it works that Fn 1 is Focus Area Set. With the camera not in IA, it allows you to set the focus area and the dial on the back of the camera sets the size of the focus area box. I set it to the smallest size box and what is amazing is if the camera is turned off and back on, the camera remembers the focus setting and retains the small box. That really rocks!
There is a digital readout of the zoom at all times in the EVF (Electronic View Finder) or the LCD. Even when the camera is in Digital or I-Zoom, the reading is accurate.
The auto focus on this camera is very very fast. It is almost instant! The camera itself is very fast too. Start up time is less than a second and once the shutter button is pushed it reacts almost instantly. In JPG, the camera will take stills as fast as you can press the shutter button. In High Speed Burst at 12 frames per second in JPG, the camera will just keep taking photos at that rate for at least 40 shots before slowing down. At the 7 fps auto focus rate the camera focuses on the target between each shot. In that mode the EVF or LCD is in Live View and what you are seeing is what is happening. Very impressive!
It says the camera needs a U3 card for 4k video, but I have some SanDisk Extreme 45mb/sec cards that work fine in that mode and those cards are cheaper.
The FZ1000 comes with a lens hood, and the hood can be installed on the camera backwards like it is on several other Panasonic cameras. I like storing the hood this way as it is not in the way of anything and you have instant access to it.
Camera Bracketing. This is one awesome feature. The camera can be set to take 3, 5, or 7 bracketed frames for making a HDR shot in photo software. I set mine to 5 frames at 1EV, and the camera takes 5 photos at 0,-1,-2, +1, and +2. The camera bracketing mode must be activated by turning the dial on the left side of the camera top to Bracketing. It will take 5 photos in very fast succession if the shutter is held down.
The FZ1000 has a shutter speed of 60 seconds to 1/16,000 second. It also has a Bulb mode in which the shutter is held down for up to 120 seconds. Once the shutter is released the camera will process the shot. In this mode I would encourage the use of a remote shutter cord.
The camera has a jack for a microphone and a remote shutter. It can also be controlled with a Smart Phone or a tablet. I have not used this as yet, but have been told that the tablet can control just about any aspect of the shot, such as shutter speed or aperture or whatever. It will also upload the photos shot to the tablet. A very cool feature!
The zoom on the shutter button is very fast. The zoom on the camera lens is not as fast and the shutter button zoom lever is much better.
I have found that the picture quality of Digital Zoom and Extra Optical Zoom to be very close, and can't pick a winner there. Digital Zoom on this camera is also very good.
In the Movie Mode, in Shutter Priority, the shutter can be changed while video recording and that is cool. If the video speed is not fast enough, you can speed it up without stopping while recording the video. On playback, a 8mp still photo can be pulled from the video. Just play the video back in the camera and stop it at the point you want the still and press the button in the center of the 4 way controller and it asks if you want to Save and click Yes and it will save that shot. You can move forward or backward in video to get the exact shot you want by pressing and holding the Forward button or the Reverse button on the 4 way controller for many frame movement or push the forward or reverse button one time for one frame. Once you get to the sweet spot, just press the middle button on the 4 way controller and say Yes to Save. Done.
The still photos in the video are good quality but not as good as the camera normally takes, but they are good for snapshots. I would not look at those kinds of photos at high magnification like you do other stills. They are good but not great.
If the camera is in IA, and the switch on the lens is set to Focus, and the focus selector above the LCD is set to Manual, the camera can be manually focused while in the Automatic (iA) mode. Someone told me about that and I just checked and it does work! Fantastic!
The camera's stabilization system works great! I accidentally left the camera stability Power OIS switch in ON when on a tripod and the photos came out fine. I meant to turn it off, but forgot.
The Panoramic Mode works great and you can go from Left to Right, or Right to Left, or Up to Down, or Down to Up. The key to getting good panoramic shots is to turn steady and at the right speed. There is a speed indicator in the camera and it works well, but most of the time when it did not work for me, I found that I was turning too slow. It takes a few tries to get the speed right.
The Rear Dial has clicks for feedback and I really like that.
This camera is really great when it comes to Time Lapse Photography. In that mode the camera will take a shot, shut down for a time set by you, and then come back on, take another shot, and shut down again. To use Time Lapse Mode, set the Dial on the left side of the camera to Time Lapse, which is the far left setting. At that time you can select the Start Time, which can be as long as 23 hours and 59 minutes away, then the Shooting Interval and Image Count can be set. The Shooting Interval can be as little as 1 second to 99 minutes and 59 seconds, and the count can be from 1 to 9999 pictures. That my friend is awesome! Now you are thinking, darn I need software to process all of those images into a time lapse video. NOT! Once the pictures have been taken, the camera will turn them into a video! How about that! So Cool!
When the camera is on Auto Focus and the lever is turned to Manual Focus, The focus stays at the Auto Focus setting. I have been told the FZ200 would not do that and would move the focus when that setting was changed.
In video, the ISO is automatic and not adjustable. That sucks, but that is how the camera works. Added.. I have been told that the ISO is completely controllable in the Creative Video Mode.
One thing you will notice is Bokeh (the out of focus soft background) on this camera is very very good. The flower or whatever you are shooting will be in focus and the background will be out of focus with a soft pleasing effect. This happens when in one of the priority modes and low aperture is used as well as lots of zoom.
I have read that the X-Sync speed in Remote Control mode is up to 1/3200 second. That is great!
The camera will convert a Raw image to a JPG with processing in the camera, and your controls of that processing are many, such as saturation or exposure and the like.
The EVF (Electronic View Finder) has 2.4 million pixels and is very good quality. The details in the EVF are outstanding, and the camera senses when you are looking through the EVF and will turn it on automatically.
In Shutter Priority, if you look at the Red Band on the camera LCD or EVF, it shows what speeds the camera can be set to in order to get a properly exposed shot. If the camera setting is in the Red Band, the photo will be too bright or too dark, depending on which side the Red Band is. Also, the shutter speed and the aperture will start flashing red when this is the case.
The camera has a silent mode and when turned on, the camera is totally silent when taking photos. That can come in really handy when taking a shot and someone is near. They have no idea a shot was taken.
Summing up:
If you are looking for very good image quality, maximum control and real convenience, choose the FZ1000. If you want the nth degree of quality and particularly if you want to take a lot of close-ups then you might want to spend another grand plus the price of a macro lens on a luggable, interchangeable lens camera. For a little less quality my wife's Canon consumer camera, that is about the size of a deck of cards does great close ups.
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