Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ1000EB Premium Digital Bridge 4k
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ1000EB Premium Digital Bridge 4k Camera – Black
| Weight: | 780 Grams |
| Dimensions: | 10.4 x 2 x 5.8 centimetres |
| Brand: | Panasonic |
| Model: | DMC-FZ1000B9 |
| Part: | DMC-FZ1000B9 |
| Colour: | Black |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included) |
| Dimensions: | 10.4 x 2 x 5.8 centimetres |
Unfortunately, the camera’s mounting screw does not line up with the optics, so I can’t find a suitable camera RIG for it. Apart from that, the camera is brilliant.
Any Laica lens does not fail. My old Televid 77 speaks for it. Now, i am discovering this on a wonderfully versatile camera. Lightweight, robust, reliable, packed with a kaleidoscope of programmes – some wonderfully creative… Photography turned fun with very impressive results! It may only have a digital zoom pushable to an equivalent 400mm, but image resolution is fantastic. Panasonic have come up with a gem capable of rivalring with Sony for a fraction of a price.
The “Nikon girl” now plays with Lumix too.
Bought this camera for our holidays. It has everything we wanted and lots more. It’s going to take quite a while to get used to all the features though using it on auto was so easy and it does take brilliant photos. Even at max zoom the quality is excellent. It is bigger and therefore heavier than we expected but otherwise we are extremely pleased with it.
Have had one for several years,excllent for taking on trips.Great long range lens and easy to use.
Cripes alordy, despite the box omitting 2 items [CD and cable, likely due to me ordering a pre-opened ‘new’ item], I have to say this is an exceedingly decent camera. I noticed immediately how astounding it was in low light, rendering zoom photos taken in my lowlit living room in greater-than-I-could-have-imagined brightness. Flash was broadly not necessary, I assume due to the sensor size and the relatively low pixel-count of the sensor. Taking it outside, at 2am, in preposterously low light, lit only by the weak light emanating from the house, it managed (on auto) more more detail than I could ever have expected. (By comparison, the last camera I tried was a Sony HX300, whose inferior sensor was wholly embarrassed by this model.) Price-wise, this is not a camera that anyone is likely to regret. I also found it easy to understand the menu options, which allow you to position yourself wherever you wish on the spectrum between total amateur and (almost) professional. A quality piece of kit with no faults of note. Value for money personified. Yes, I am impressed.
Ideal for travelling . No need to haul other lenses with you. Very comfortable to work with.
Great camera replaced one killed in action recently! I would recommend this unit to anyone as its suitable for just taking auto pictures but also has a huge amount of additional features if you want to expand you work.
1600mm digital zoom is stunningly good in good light conditions.
Way better than my Nikon DSLR. This is the way to go.
Decided to go with a larger sensor instead of a massive zoom , so glad I did . The camera takes amazing photos and is packed full of creative aids… I’m only just starting out , can’t even call myself an amature yet but the camera is great!!!
Several years ago when I was looking to replace TZ40 with TZ100 I looked at this before decided on the TZ100. Big mistake. In the store I rejected FZ1000 because it was almost as big as existing Nikon D750+28-300 lens attached so I would not be saving any space inthe carr on in-cabin luggage.
But in real life, the TZ100 was awkward to use. It proved to be unsuitable for use on a working vessel where I may need to climb stairs and ladders to get vantage point. But the TZ100 is too slippery to use one handed. Also I did not like the blue sky colour – too purple.
When this FZ1000 was spotted on Amazon at a good price, I didn’t think twice to buy it. Yes, it is still bulky but it is light weight as compared to the Nikon. Normally I would bring the Nikon to work if the assignment involves stays ashore in the office before mobilizing offshore or if client specifically asks for photos of the project.
Make no mistake, this FZ1000 will not produce same sharp results as the Nikon (nor the Sony RX10 Mk III), but it is really nice to handle. Controls are not very different to the Nikon or ( previous full-frame brand I used for 35 years, Canon). The equivalent 400mm reach of this lens on FZ1000 comes in handy when clients want photos of other vessels on a multi-vessel project. Vessels are massive when in dry dock but out at sea, they are a mere spec in the distance (but spending 1000-1200 for a Sony to get 600mm won’t be worth it for the few times 600mm is required).
Apart from better blue colour of the sky, the FZ1000 screen comes in useful when you want to swivel it away from the sun, or should you prefer, use the view finder.
my older fz100 seems to have developed a imaging fault so i decided to get another camera. i already own a pentax aps-c so i was hoping to buy something similar with a larger sensor. apparently a 1ins sensor aint so big as it sounds. however .. testing the fz100 v fz1000 v pentax .. and was quite happy with the results of the sensor. i cropped all images taken and almost disgusted that the new fz1000 was keeping up with my old pentax!!
low light [indoors and night] was awful using the fz100. i really like the fz100 as its very compact .. but it was never very good in low light from day one. i put up with it because its so versatile. same thing with this new fz1000. it has more custom settings which suits me. as someone else pointed out .. picture FX are gimmicky! yep. but having control over colors .. and the highlight control is very handy.
one last thing .. i also i do use the video on this camera .. as my “dedicated” camcorder has zero WB adjustments to speak of. whereas the panasonic u can tweak away and get it just as you want it. and i also found u can make adjustments to the film speed and exp comp while filming. ive only had the camera a week so im still learning it. its a big old heavy beast .. actually 50gms heavier than my pentax!!! blimey. and that weighs a ton. anyhow. decent results from this camera considering.
ps. the macro is also amazing. a very sharp lens and fitting a 2x close up lens was a waste ot time!! works great as it is. a couple of crummy pics as ive not been anywhere spectacular yet. NO. not tried 4k either.
Camera is Great. My review of Camera is true. But my concern is Misleading selling of product the Year of Model is definitely not true, what you thought you was buying a 2017 model it is 2014 model. So what you thought was only 3 years old it is actually 6 years old!! Have spoken to Panasonic when I was concerned about model year when setting up Camera when it started 2014 and not 2017, and I was definitely told the actually Model year which was 2014. Thanks Panasonic.
Due to hw
Health problems bought this camera, I really can’t fault in. Light but comfortable to hold. Great images.
Arrived in Poland from UK in couple days – a week earlier than I expected – super service . Getting used to all the functions from this great piece of kit
Supplier super recommended
I’m delving into the creative options.
The auto mode is very good with some options to change some settings.
Moon shot is hand held at full zoom.
I purchased this at the last minute to replace my Nikon D300 following the reviews I had read.
I took it on Safari – the quality of the photographs/zoom/adaptability is brilliant.
Very easy to use – we shared the camera along with my old one. No one had any problems.
Speed shots, zoom, sunsets, sunrise etc all brilliant. Apart from user error .. it’s light with a good grip.
hope this helps
A truly amazing bit of kit. Awesome images and extremely versatile suits my needs to a tee saves me lugging all my Nikon DSLR gear around with me Remarkable quality produced by a good sensor and top drawer optics
Love it !!!!!!!!!!! I would recommend it to anyone
At short notice and looked around at plenty of cameras and this one fitted the bill.
Having used Lumix before i found it easy to navigate there are plenty of functions and this is a step up for me
So it was a learning curve. I have had for about two months and love the feel, quality and the pictures are great- I carry it around everywhere
So after trying lots of different cameras, the FZ1000 is my camera of choice. It’s not too big and bulky. It has a decent zoom (16x or 25-400), it has a decent 1 inch sensor and the lens lets in lots of light.
It has a much better lens and better low light handling than a compact camera like the TZ70 or TZ1000. It has a much better zoom range than a DSLR with a kit lens. It handles 4k video well enough and I use the articulated screen for framing shots when the camera is at an angle where the viewfinder can’t be used. And finally, it’s not too expensive for what you get. Video is actually really good. You can plug an external mic in so that if you want to film outdoors or do a video for youtube, you can get almost professional quality results albeit limited to 30mins in 4k (unlimited in 1080p).
You know the camera must be good when:
1. They used the same sensor on the FZ2000
2. They just bought out a FZ1000 mk2 !!
That is a vote of confidence in a great camera.
You won’t be dissapointed if you want one decent camera to do everything.
Obviously this camera will not be better than a modern hi spec SLR camera using the very best of lenses. However, it is only a fraction of the price and the picture quality is really excellent. For me the ability to shoot in RAW (as well as jpeg) was very important. The construction is reasonably robust but don’t be too rough with it (my SLR had a magnesium body which was very sturdy).
I’ve used the video a few times and undoubtedly the quality is great, but video isn’t really my reason for owning the camera. The video/jpeg frame capture facility is brilliant but be aware that you’ll need a computer with significant CPU and RAM to do much with videos.
There are plenty of gizmos and effect settings on the camera if that’s what you want – but personally I’d rather add those later to the original image. It’s comfortable to use (and carry). One minor criticism would be that the battery could and should be better. At a rating of 2 watt hours it does lag behind many of it’s competitors, again this isn’t an issue for me as I always have a fully charged spare at hand.
The reason I’m writing this review now (2019) after 3.5 years of ownership is that I had noticed there is now a LUMIX FZ2000 available so I wanted to see whether it was worth ‘upgrading’ from this model. Personally I can’t see any significant reason for me to splash out. Yes the 2000 does have a max zoom equivalent of 480mm as against the 1000’s 400mm. However the minimum wide angle is only 35mm on the 2000 (25mm on the 1000). So it’s down to personal preferences if you’re debating between the 1000 and 2000.
To conclude, this camera certainly won’t be the best bridge you can buy, however for the price I would certainly say it is a brilliant model for the serious enthusiast.
A somewhat larger than expected bridge camera but has a larger sensor so great, full of detail pictures. A very comprehensive menu system let s you set it up just how you want. Have taken only a couple or dozen pictures up to now but i am very impressed by the quality and detail in the photo so far.
Super camera, all in one for taking with you on a walk. Have not yet come to grips with all the features, so that is a good thing, still more to explore. The only thing that I might criticise is the transfer rate when taking action shots, but I have my Canons for more specialised stuff.
It had developed a focusing fault and I was dismayed the rear screen was also showing a sparkly effect on vertical lines of buildings and so on.
being an amateur I was unable to sort this out so I contacted Amazon. Having bought the camera in May it was disappointing to find the return window was tiny- one month exactly. The fault developed September. I was given two options Either chat with an Amazon Technician about the fault or phone Panasonic and chat with them. I chose Panasonic.
The call took about fifteen minutes and resolved the problem. The man who spoke to me had me do a factory reset on the camera- this didn’t work so then he asked if I was set to ” Manual Focus” I honestly didn’t know. He pointed out a small button to the right of the rear viewfinder and asked what it was set to. -MF! we reset this to AF -automatic focus- and it did the trick! I guess I must have switched this on accidentally when removing or replacing the camera in its case. I really felt stupid! Yet also relieved that I didn’t have to send the camera away for repair. Top marks to Panasonic for sorting this out for me in a considerate way. Nothing was too much trouble for the on line technician- He never talked down to me and was sympathetic. So I’m back to the beginning with a factory reset and a focus sort out. very happy.
The cat was partially zoomed.
The toadstools and lily were on full zoom.
The spider web with water droplets and shield bug were using macro.
The magpie was one of a series of photos using shutter burst.
Now that I have had my camera for 4 months I thought I would add a few more photos. The starling is on full zoom. The other photo is a sheen of rain on the wall reflecting the tree above using macro. This camera is truly versatile.
Nice camera. Just I don’t like the not touch-screen. Sent back.
I’ve still got a camera rucksack with filters, flash and assorted goodies, but my entire kit weights a hell of a lot less than my old dSLR kit did and I can now take (what I consider to be) better pictures. I wouldn’t expect to use it for press photography and Maybe rock photography may be a stretch (unless you time your shots for the lighting), but pretty much everything else I’ve shot recently has resulted in some quality images.
I love that I can expand the zoom to 800mm without losing quality. It’s awesome that I can customise all the function buttons, although I have to say that putting them all together would have been nicer. The tracking AF is brilliant for aircraft and birds, facial recognition, HDR (use a monopod), panoramic … everything you need is there and there’s a lot of stuff I don’t use (and probably won’t – I’m a bit of a purist when it comes down to it) like styles and other filters.
Video work is easy although you may want an external mic as the IS/AF in the lens can be heard rumbling quietly in the background if you use the in built microphone. Full 1920 x 1080 HD quality is superb, even at 800mm but at that range you do need a mono/tripod.
Dislikes? Well, maybe a headphone jack and some dedicated function buttons in a cluster somewhere for easy access when your eye is to the viewfinder and possibly f2.8 throughout the range … but really, apart from those little things, I can’t fault this mighty camera. Will there be an FZ-2000? I don’t really see how it can improve on this one!
I’ve been using a Nikon D3200 for almost 4 years now, and while I am pleased with the images and video the lack of a flip-out screen does bother me and the zoom only goes to 55mm, which is really poor. I wasn’t keen on forking over the dough just for a better zoom lens so I just decided to just buy a whole new camera. And what better camera to get than 4k?
First of all, the video this thing shoots is simply beautiful. I was amazed at the depth and texture I was able to capture. Where has 4k video been all of my life? The stills function comes with a wide variety of filters that you’ll have a hay day with. If you want your colors to just explode then this is the camera for you, no doubt. It’s also very user friendly, more so than any other camera I have owned. The spirit level on the screen (and in the viewfinder) will help you compose perfectly balanced shots, the menus are simple, and the buttons easy to memorize. You WILL have to mess about with it quite a bit to get used to them all, but it shouldn’t take long.
If I had to make any complaint it would that the lack of a lens thread is a bit annoying, but there are ways around this if you are crafty. The battery hatch on the underneath is also a little bit too flimsy for my liking to be careful with it. The battery life is quite good though, and it hold a decent charge. The placing of the tripod screw is, natually, right in the middle, so you cannot open it up with the tripod shoe attached, which is also a bit annoying. There’s no GPS tracking either (why???) so it won’t geo-tag the exact position of your pics. If you upload them to Flickr you will have to do it manually. Other than these points I am more than happy to give this a 5/5 and call it my best ever digital camera.
just as good and much much lighter to carry – all things being equal.
Only weird quirk is: I like to turn off the camera sound (click!!) but the sound must be turned on to use the panorama feature. All other things about this camera far outweigh that fiddly detail.
Beautiful wide lens depth of color and many features, and auto as well as manual settings.
Only one down side, the menu system is vast, and not the easiest to navigate .
One major plus is the on-line manual that is well written and importantly fully ‘searchable’. I real boon when you are finding your way round the technical bits. If you are considering this as a possibility, read the magazine reviews and then go for it!
The viewfinder is large and excellent, and the whole camera is easy to use. I have Flashes that I use on my Micro43 cameras and they work fine on this fz1000 too (compatibility of the panasonics with M43…) I’m happy with iso up to 1600 (which I used on a recent trip to Brooklands motor museum). iso 3200 is also just about useable. If you’re expecting DSLR quality at high iso you will be disappointed, but then you shouldn’t expect this! – the sensor is only about 1/2 the size of Micro 43 and less than a 1/3 the size of an APSC DSLR.
I said it fulfills “most” of my needs – the only reason I keep my micro43 kit is for the ultra sharp 20mm and 45mm lenses which I can use in very low light at f1.8, and get great bokeh. This camera beats my Olympus Micro43 with superzoom attached and I suspect it will give sharper results than most DSLRS with superzoom.
For a walkabout camera it is superb.
Bottom line – if I could keep only 1 camera, it would be the fz1000
It is bigger than the photos make it look, put the two cameras together and it looks like a Mini and a Transit side-by-side. Once you get used to the bigger size, it feels natural to hold. I am not a professional photographer, by any means, so will not go into all of the settings and performance figures that others have do in their reviews (for which many thanks, by the way) – suffice to say I will be learning to play with the many features that are available, but will also, I am sure, be relying on the “point-and-shoot” setting during the early days.
I went for a “Christmas Walk” around the village and took advantage of taking a lot of photos in “auto” mode as well as manual to see what came out – I was not disappointed. I have more to learn . . .
I was disappointed that the manuals are only in e-copy format – fair enough for the “extended” version on the web which runs to nearly 400 pages, but the smaller one would have been nice as a small booklet to more easily refer to. Spoiled a new user experience for the sake of a 1 or so.
Bought this as there were two offers – an AMAZON credit of 38 and the Panasonic cash-back. You have to wait 30 days to claim the cash-back, but can create a diary reminder on the Panasonic website (well done Panasonic!) – however, the promised credit from Amazon has NOT appeared within 3 days (as it is supposed to) and can find nowhere to contact Amazon to chase it (not well done, Amazon).
Overall, for a Bridge Camara, it looks like it will serve me well, no lens swapping and (fairly) idiot-proof, could have been designed with me in mind.
This is a fantastic camera and I must of had a bad one in the batch, its images and sharp and its features are amazing.
The zoom lens is very smooth where as before it was hard to turn, so if you have this problem, send back and have it replaced.
I still agree with my statement about ISO performance but its alot sharper now at higher ISO rather then last thing when it wasn’t. I must of had a bad lens. The battery life is pretty good I was playing with it for most of the day and it died after about 8 hours of messing around with it. Couldn’t tell you how many pictures that was but I’m sure the manual says.
If you need a camera that’s all in one with no need to swap lenses and want to grab that shot quickly then this camera is for you, would be great for travelling with and I would even say it would be good for wild life with its powerful zoom.
Brilliant camera that produces really nice pictures. Remote control through Wifi to an app on your phone/tablet is great for “selfies” and group shots, and for triggering long exposures where you don’t want shake from the shutter release. The dedicated dial for selecting “burst mode” (and other features) isn’t something I thought would be particularly useful, but I’ve found myself using it a lot to quickly grab a set of snaps of a fast moving subject of scene without having to plough through loads on menus.
The built in flash is not brilliant (no pun intended) but useful for indoor shots when you have forgotten your main flash unit. There are a selection of buttons on the camera, some of which are programmable to your preferences. I did find that I sometimes accidentally pressed the ones on the rear of the camera, particularly when I was putting away/taking out the camera from my camera bag.
The special effects are interesting although probably frowned upon by a purist. I found experimenting with them was fun anyway.
The main dials operate the functions (intelligent auto, program, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, 2 setting for entering your own options, artistic mode, scene choice, movies, you get the idea). Another dial does the normal photo, burst (variable rate up to 50fps), EV bracket (adjustable), time delay (adjustable).
Add on a stabilizer, time lapse, face recognition, red eye removal and a few hundred other options and you have a camera that will keep you busy for years if you want to play.
Look up the details on Panasonic’s web page or, better still, download a copy of the basic operating instructions (basic???, it’s 95 pages long!) if you want to know everything about this camera.
I order this item from UK to Dubai, since we dont get this model in here.
Item arrived fast, Very resourceful camera with dozens of functionality.
Great for Video, especial 4K, Timelapse and slow motion features are fun and future proof.
I’ve wanted to upgrade for a while from a very good super zoom compact but couldn’t decide whether to go for DSLR or not then this camera came along. It’s amazing and so easy to use, I would highly recommend it. I take a lot of photos of my Pointers and they are fast, my photos are lovely and sharp and that’s without using burst.
Have just been playing with 4K PHOTO, if you haven’t come across this brilliant effect, look it up, it is well worth the price just for this effect.
I’m thrilled that auto-bracketing is available but astonished that you cannot combine it with the self-timer to avoid tripod movement. This means operating the FZ1000 using a remote control for those of us who want to use the camera to take HDR exposures that will be processed outside the camera.
The camera body is comfortable in the hand and the lens is large. The zoom is electronic whether you use the lens ring or the control near the shutter release. This zoom is also on the slow side in use so wildlife photographers should not expect to zoom to the max quickly. This can be frustrating but there is compensation in an excellent focussing system. The EVF is gratifyingly quick to respond and the information available to you is legion. Of course, the level of details on your display is up to you.
I’m not a hug video taker but the clips I’ve made so far are pretty impressive.
There is a significant degree of control that comes with this camera and I suspect it will take still more time to master and get full use of its capabilities. For now though, this is my camera of choice for walks when the weather is not likely to interrupt and it is being used on tripod and handheld.
I have attached a five image HDR (Ladybower Reservoir) and a single shot (Grouse in the snow).
The only possible drawback with the FZ1000, depending on what you want, is that this is quite a large camera. It is the same size as an entry level SLR with kit lens, but it is not as heavy. Try getting a 25mm to 400mm lens for an SLR though!
I can thoroughly recommend this camera.
It’s perhaps not a perfect camera, but it might just be the perfect compromise within the limitations of today’s technology and at this price point.
I have been eyeing superzoom cameras since the Panasonic FZ30, though I felt that the image quality with prevalent noise even at base ISO (80) wasn’t what I wanted, and so I went down the route of a DSLR (The Canon 350D) instead, later upgrading to Canon 5D before moving to Micro Four Thirds and via various compact cameras along the way too.
Lately, I have enjoyed the very compact size of the Panasonic GM1, so why would I go back to something big like the FZ1000? Well, if I were to get the same kind of reach – and lens brightness – out of that compact system, I would easily have had a kit weighing the same or even more than the FZ1000 – and I’d have had to change lenses. A small system camera is also not very well suited for long lenses, being very unbalanced and therefore harder to hold steady at long focal lengths.
The FZ1000 ticks a lot of boxes for me. I enjoy taking pictures of the occasional bird or squirrel, or going to the zoo when the 400mm (equivalent) will get me as close as I can usually wish, and I love picking out detail in buildings and monuments that are too far away to reach with “leg focusing”; I also like wider shots, taking in landscapes, trees, urban environments. In short, the 25-400mm range is perfect. For me.
I was also surprised how sharp the lens is. In the past I’ve been known occasionally to pooh-pooh the 1 inch sensor twinned with 20 megapixels as the theoretical limit of how much detail you can get out of it is so much less than 20 megapixels – or so I thought when I saw the results from the Sony RX100 a few years ago. I was also frustrated with the dynamic range of that camera. I still think a 1 inch; sensor would be better at 16 megapixels.
The FZ1000, however, holds its own rather well, pictures looking good even when viewed 100% on the screen with good detail, much due as well to the excellent lens, a lens that, with its range and brightness would have been impossible only a few years ago. Recent advances in lens production technology have made such lenses as the Panasonic LX100’s 24-75mm F1.7-2.8 lens possible, and now also the FZ1000’s lens. Multiple extra dispersion aspherical elements, multiple moving groups – it is a quiet revolution that has been going on behind the scenes that we now can reap the benefits of as photographers.
Also, its 3cm macro focusing ability (at 25mm) would have been unheard of for a lens made for such a large sensor a few years ago. One can also get a decent magnification ratio at 400mm and at the 1m minimum focusing distance, which I find a lot more comfortable to use than the 3cm macro and also offers some control of background softening.
I was not expecting the 400mm end to be as sharp as it is. Not after seeing the disappointingly soft long-end performances of Panasonic’s 45-200mm and 100-300mm lenses for micro four thirds, but I was pleasantly surprised. At 25mm, the corners are a bit soft – as one would expect – but not worryingly so, and quite a decent performance for a lens with such a long range. I have not quantified it yet, but from the photos I’ve taken so far, I’d guess the 70-300mm range should offer optimum sharpness when needed.
Ergonomics are excellent. When you hold the camera for the first time, part of the body actually feels hollow. They simply don’t need all the space in there for electronics and mechanics, but it is perfectly sized to balance with the lens, the hand grip is comfortable, and it’s easy to hold the camera steady, all the other buttons and dials seem well placed and easy to reach. Coming from smaller cameras over the last five years or so, it’s refreshing to see a bigger control layout again.
Despite its size, it is hands down the most comfortable camera I have worn. Because it is perfectly balanced with the lens, the camera doesn’t tilt forward when hanging from your neck, meaning that you get the nice, wide surface of the camera back dangling against your body, and in area relative to weight that means less of an impact than you might get from a smaller camera. Smaller cameras are also more likely to bounce around and strike you with their edge – not the most comfortable. Also, it annoys me when a camera jumps and twists when I walk briskly, meaning I have to hold it to avoid its moving too much. With the FZ1000 I have no such problem. With a wide strap, which is what I’ve always used for bigger cameras, it surprisingly feels lighter and more comfortable even than my diminutive Panasonic GM1 to wear. I was not expecting that.
I have heard some people lament the absence of a mechanically coupled zoom. Starting out using the very wide and comfortable focus/zoom ring on the lens, I quickly realised that it is faster and easier zooming with the compact-style zoom ring around the shutter button, leaving the lens ring for manual focus when needed. Given the complex design of the lens, presumably also using multiple moving elements like the LX100, I presume that a zoom-by-wire is probably the easiest design, and it probably saves a lot of weight and size too as a mechanically coupled version of the lens would have had to be considerably bigger and heavier.
I have almost got used to it already, but when manual focusing, it only moves focus when you turn the ring a certain speed. I presume they did this to avoid losing focus easily just by bumping into the ring, but the response should have been user adjustable as it is a bit on the careful side, making fine focusing just a tad more difficult. This would be firmware upgradeable, though, so one could hope that Panasonic lets the user decide how they want it at some point in the future.
A word about the eye-level finder. Stunning. Sharp, very high resolution, and I noticed no lag as I moved it around. Of the cameras I have used so far with digital finders, it came the closest to the feel of an SLR. I tend only to use it on bright days when it is hard to see the screen. I’ll therefore be using it more in summer than these days.
The Panasonic menu system, while still being the Panasonic menu system, felt more intuitive than I have seen it in previous implementations. I found the features I needed quickly and easily, as well as discovering some I didn’t expect to see:
For monochrome shooting, it’s possible to turn the screen image black and white. I think that’s a brilliant idea. I also noted that there is a function for zooming back to where the zoom was when you switch the camera back on – perfect for birding or wildlife shooting when you’d be at the long end all the time, but you’d not want to walk around with the camera on and the lens extended all the time.
The stabiliser needs mentioning. It’s 5-axis and my experience so far is that most of my 1/60 shots at 400mm equivalent come out sharp, which I’d call excellent performance. I even did a shot braced against a door frame at 1/4 and 400mm that came out sharp. As a photographer who likes taking pictures indoors without flash, this is good news.
ISO performance is good. I’d not hesitate using it up to 1600. It has a tad of nice-looking film-like grainy noise at 1600, but I actually like that. 3200 is fine too, but 6400 starts getting a bit too noisy for my taste. This is all with raw photography, of course. I’d rather be in control of detail and noise myself than leave it up to the in-camera jpeg engine, which albeit seems to do a decent job up to ISO 1600 when I accidentally left the camera in the default jpeg mode as I started using it. Better than I have seen from previous iterations of Panasonic jpegs.
My old M43 system is at least 1 stop better in the noise department, but FZ1000’s stabiliser and ergonomics make up for that shortcoming many times over.
Dynamic range, though I have not done any extensive testing, seems good, and pretty much on par with what I’ve come to expect from Panasonic M43 cameras since the GH2, which is quite good considering the smaller sensor of the FZ1000.
Yes, it’s a sizable camera. But I think for many users, such as myself, it is – at the moment – the perfect compromise between size, range, lens quality and brightness, features, and price: many people seem to forget that to get a combination of lenses of similar quality to cover the same range, or even just this one lens sold separately for a different camera system, you might easily have had to pay the same of not more than what this camera costs. As such, it is a brilliant deal and excellent value for money.
Edit/Update 7 years later.
I’ve had this for 7 years now, and it has worked flawlessly and tirelessly, the last few years more and more as a YouTube video camera, for which it is absolutely amazing. The movie sharpness, even at the lowest resolution, is better than most so-called HD webcams, and — for ultimate quality — I film in 4K now and downsize to 1080P as the picture gets sharper and more detailed than if it is filmed natively in Full HD, and it also leaves more room for cropping or zooming in editing.
I’ve also occasionally used the 100/120fps mode, which has allowed me to create some very nice slow motion shots for my videos.
The location of the battery compartment and memory card was an issue for me for a while when I started using it regularly for videos as it was fixed on a tripod. Transferring images and video over wi-fi is too slow, but I found a tele lens tripod mount for a Nikon lens that sort of fits, but I had to pad it out a bit as the IS and lens ring setting switch got a little in the way. Now I can just leave the card door open most of the time, saving me a lot of work when making videos.
I also recently really got into using the remote app, and it is absolutely amazing, especially for filming video as the recording limit is easy to keep track of, it is easy to refocus, and it simply made my YouTube life so much easier. The only small quibble I have with it is the camera connection sometimes is lost, but using the iPad as a camera screen, it allows me to place it in a way that I can immediately see if that happens and restart my camera. It’s still far better than having to start and stop video from the camera itself or using a normal remote.
For video shooting, it is worth noting that the camera’s IS system is always making a whirring noise, which will be picked up by the internal microphones, and also by sensitive external ones. That said, I find it easy to filter out using the likes of RX7, and I’ve even used the camera’s audio a few times when my sound recorder failed to start (most likely due to operator error).
The noise is still a lot less than the cooling fans on cameras like BlackMagic Pocket Cinema or using external recorders like the Atomos range — both options I have considered, but I’ve decided to stick to my trusty old FZ1000.
As much as I loved this camera for stills, I love it even more now that I use it for video. I would go so far as to say it’s the best camera I’ve ever owned overall, and that is saying a lot. Not the same depth of field as a full frame Canon 5D with good glass, sure, or the amazing chromes you get from a Mamiya 7, but the convenience of the FZ1000 is unparallelled, the lens is very good, video features are just a notch short of true pro level, and all at less than the price of a lens of equal quality would be for a system camera.
I’ve even thought of buying a second one for 2 camera video setups.
Very Highly recommended, even after 7 years.
This camera is bulkier and heavily. You might need a quadropod, tripod, monopod or even a string pod
to handle. Seriously it can be held without too much trouble ‘though like any very long zoom.
it may well need a little support at the far end of the zoom.
What it can do makes it very versatile. There must be quite a bit of
computer chip power inside. The good instruction book helps in setting it up.
There are few, if any, situations/scenes it does not cover well..
Haven’t even started playing with the 4k video yet !!! Will let you know later. :-))