PANASONIC LUMIX FZ1000 4K Point and Shoot Camera, 16X LEICA DC Vario-ELMARIT F2.8-4.0 Lens, 21.1 Megapixels, 1 Inch High Sensitivity Sensor, DMC-FZ1000 (USA BLACK)

Comment

I love this camera. For an idea of where Im coming from, Im a very amateur photographer. I almost always shoot in Auto, and I almost never do any processing, apart from some cropping. Ive owned a few cameras prior to this one; I had the Canon G 15, which was excellent, but I wanted more zoom. I then got the SX50 HS, which was fantastic. I loved the zoom. But I decided I wanted to do better than the small sensor of the SX50, so I bought the D3300 bundle from Best Buy over Christmas. Its a nice camera, but I hate having to switch lenses, and carry all that stuff around. Also (this might not be a big deal for a lot of people), theres no electronic level/digital horizon on the D3300, which is really frustrating for me personally. I like to go hiking, and when I had the SX50, it was very reassuring seeing that level and knowing my shots wouldnt be crooked. So I did some more research, and settled on the FZ1000. I went to the zoo, and got a lot of great, tack sharp pictures. Im very impressed with it, to the extent that Im thinking about selling the D3300. Its got pretty much everything I could want in a camera. Good sensor size, plenty of zoom, lots of controls and options, HDR, a panorama mode, a great electronic level, fast autofocus, a fully rotating LCD screen, and a nice viewfinder. The manual focus is a touch clunky, but I do appreciate the focus peaking. As an aside, I also tested the Canon G3 X briefly, and the greater zoom range was basically the only thing I liked about it. It felt crappy in the hand, didnt have a fully rotating LCD screen, etc. I didnt like it at all, especially for the money. I think the only thing I would want the FZ1000 to have is a touch more reach, for wildlife and moon shots. If they could extend it to 600 or 700mm, itd be perfect for me. But Im giving it five stars anyway because its an awesome camera for the money, and an awesome camera in general. Update, 5/16/2016: I mentioned in my original review that if the FZ1000 had a bit more reach, itd be perfect for me. Enter the Sony RX10 Mark III, which has a 24-600mm equivalent range lens. I bought it on upon its release and I took it to the Jacksonville Zoo to try it out, taking more than 500 pictures. At the end, I concluded that while it has fantastic range, the FZ1000 is superior to it in some ways. I think the autofocus of the Panasonic is faster, and I think its low light performance is superior; I had some issues in the darker reptile house, something which never was an issue with the FZ1000. I also prefer the fully articulating screen of the Panasonic, and of course its less than half the price. The range is great, but if its not absolutely critical, I still strongly recommend the FZ1000. Its a heck of a deal and I have no problems retaining the five-star rating I gave it originally.

Show more

Comment

This camera is off the chain AWESOME!!! If this model had the larger touch screen of the FZ300, its constant f/2.8 aperture, and the weather sealing, Id have given it 6 stars, not 5. For a difference of only $100, I cant for the life of me understand why they dont combine these extra features of the 300 with the larger image sensor of the 1000 for the PERFECT bridge. I thought I would love the constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the entire focal range (25-600mm) of the 300, assuming it would render nicer bokeh and would be better in low lighting. Turns out the bokeh rendered by the 1000 at f/4 was as nice…in some instances NICER, than what the 300’s f/2.8 rendered. Even in instances where bokeh was similar, shading in the blurred areas was blown out on the 300’s shots, but not the 1000’s. And that constant f/2.8 low light advantage? No. Not compared to the much more light sensitive sensor of the 1000. Even with the larger constant aperture, the 300 struggled in low light, forcing a much higher ISO, and the noise that accompanied these ISO speeds was horrendous. The 1000 handled the same lighting conditions with much lower ISOs and NO noise! I thought I’d prefer the 300’s 25-600mm focal length over the 1000’s 25-400. In comparison shots, turns out the difference between 400mm and 600mm is not really all that much. BUT, the 1000 has an extra setting (iZoom) that can be used when shooting in jpg format that extends the 400mm zoom to an 800mm, and the 800mm rendering is virtually equal in quality to the 300’s 600mm rendering. I did not experiment with the digital zooms on either camera…I have a dreadful aversion to digital zooms…they are normally quite hideous. How much difference does the much larger sensor on the 1000 really make with regard to overall image quality and detail? HUGE. MUCH greater than I actually expected. Hands down NO COMPARISON straight out of camera. When shooting RAW, it was possible to pull out similar details in the 300’s files by adjusting exposure, white balance and highlights (details that seemed to be altogether missing when viewed straight out of camera) during processing, but who really needs more steps from downloading shots to final product? If you’re in the market for a bridge camera that can offer the convenience of a huge focal length without the cumbersome inconvenience of multiple bodies and heavy lenses, plus image quality comparable to many DSLRs, this FZ1000 LUMIX has no competitors in this price range. Both the 300 and the 1000 are HIGHLY customizable. I set both up to many of the same custom settings as my full frame DSLR systems. If you’ve read this far through this review, you’re no doubt serious...just go ahead and buy this thing…you won’t be sorry!

Show more

Comment

If you make your buying decision on image quality, you wont be disappointed in the FZ1000. I bought this to replace my existing travel camera and wanted something that was clearly an IQ upgrade. I shoot a couple of other cameras including a full frame Canon 5DM3, but for travel I wanted something more compact, without interchangeable lenses, with a reasonable amount of focal length range and a wide set of features that would appeal to a manual shooter. It also had to work with my non-TTL speedlights and radio triggers for my studio flashes. All of those things I knew I would get with the FZ1000 before I pushed the "buy" button on Amazon, and although I was impressed with the sample RAW files from other shooters, I was really only interested in how my files would hold up as I processed them. The image quality is excellent and working with the files is a pleasure. Im not going to play Mr. DXO, but Im thrilled at the sharpness from the lens. For a superzoom, it is really good. Like every other superzoom, IQ is weakest at its extremes, 25 and 400mm, but even there the images are very good. The faults that pop out are the barrel distortion at the wide end and the minor softness and chromatic aberration way out at 400mm. In between, well, it is impressive. I also like that the images display beautiful tonal gradations. I do a lot of portraiture when I travel and this is really important to me in skin tones. I photographed a political candidate in my home studio this week and grabbed a couple of shots with the FZ1000. The image white balance was more natural than the images from my 5DM3. The dynamic range is another plus and not only do the files have shadow detail, but they dont carry a lot of noise in the shadows either...a common complaint of mine with my earlier travel camera. During editing, I always do some edits at 100%. It is there that any differences between my full frame camera and the FZ1000 in IQ show. What I find fascinating is how well the FZ1000 images hold up in comparison. No, they arent quite as good, but they are still excellent and theyll easily give me 16X20 prints if not larger. The FZ1000 is a really full featured camera. But, as a manual shooter with a camera on one neck strap and a light meter hanging from another, Ill never use scene modes, digital zoom, or the other features that appeal to the social networking shooters. Heres what I use and this camera does it all: 1. Back button focusing with focus removed from shutter button (this is a deal breaker for me). 2. Manual focus for precision focusing of cityscapes, landscapes, etc. 3. Easy remote control from my tablet using the Panasonic Image App. 4. Pin point focusing (single point) so that the camera focuses on exactly what I want it to. I dont do video, so if youve read this far hoping to learn about that, Im sorry for your disappointment. The only thing about this camera that is odd for me is how light it is. It does not have that solid, heavy feel that Ive grown accustomed to over many years. It isnt flimsy...I think it will be durable, but its just different. Since its going traveling, that light weight could be a really good thing. My impression at this point is very favorable. The camera does what I want and does it the way I want it to. The images are stunning and show how much development has been done on small sensors. Highly recommended by me.... Edit: Ive been running the FZ1000 through its paces and have come across a feature called "peaking". Its a manual focusing assist for old guys like me who are on their umteenth pair of eye glasses. When you bring a subject into focus manually while using this (easy setup) the item subject becomes illuminated with a corona of light. I can now zoom out to 400mm, manually focus and then shoot with 100% certainty that my subject far away is in perfect focus. I dont know how many other manufacturers offer this in their products, but this feature is invaluable to me.

Show more

Comment

We bought this camera 2.5 years ago and used it on several trips. We were therefore quite shocked when we picked it up to use on our most recent trip to see that a ring in the lens had become unglued and made the camera unusable (see attached pic). We brought it to the camera store and they said that they had seen a number of these cameras with this problem and to send it back to Panasonic, When we tried to call them, they wouldnt even talk to you unless you pay a fee since the camera was out of warranty. When we tried to google it to see the cost of repair, we found out that many people have had this problem on various Lumix cameras for quite a number of years so Panasonic presumably knows about this problem and has not fixed it. So at this time I cannot recommend this camera (or other Panasonic cameras). PS. If someone from Panasonic would be willing to talk to us about fixing this problem, we would love to hear from them (and wont charge them a fee to talk to us).

Show more

Comment

After having this camera for seven months the internal workings of the camera lens was flopping around, this is not acceptable. I wish I could add a picture showing the internal Lens failure

Show more

Comment

The FZ1000 worked great until it didn’t. This because a clearly visible ring inside the camera’s lens came loose in the telephoto position and bent backward upon retraction preventing the lens from reaching the fully collapsed position. This condition, after thirteen months of ownership, rendered the FZ1000 completely inoperable. I called the Panasonic repair facility in Texas for guidance asking how much a replacement lens would cost, and the representative I spoke with refused to tell me arguing the camera would need to be inspected before any repair estimate could be made. Typically lens prices are well known and simply removing and replacing a lens takes seconds, regardless - I sent the FZ1000 to the Panasonic McAllen Texas Service Center as instructed and shortly thereafter received an email informing me that an “out of warranty fee” of 287.00 was due, with no further explanation. After calling Panasonic for a clarification, I learned the company was willing to offer me two options: Pay the fee or request to have the FZ1000 returned. Beyond this, the representative I spoke with was unwilling to answer a single question. For instance, would the 287.00 dollars be applied to the repair cost? How long would it take to change out the lens? What would a new or repaired lens cost? I got nowhere. Panasonic refused to speak with me until I paid the 287.00 dollar fee. This, even though the company was in possession of the FZ1000 I had sent them. Panasonic wanted both the money and the camera before providing me with any information beyond what I already knew - I had purchased a camera with a defective lens. End of story. I rate the FZ1000 as the worst single photographic equipment purchase I have ever made; and the Panasonic customer service experience as indifferent, apathetic and utterly dismissive of my concerns as a customer. * I forwarded my complaint to Amazon and received a satisfactory refund.

Show more

Comment

The Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 is a do-it-all fixed-lens bridge camera with an amazing set of capabilities, both still and video. Its aimed at the intermediate-level photographer---particularly one who travels---who wants much more than a point-and-shoot, but that too. I would call it a P&S that has a decent lens bolted onto a decent computer. As such, it has more menus than McDonalds. It will shoot anywhere from full manual to full auto, with all manner of effects if desired. I found image quality to be...good but not quite crisp. My experience of battery life is far shorter than advertised: as the battery runs lower the camera may behave erratically. Never travel without a spare (battery and camera). I bought my FZ1000 as a replacement for my nice new DMC-FZ2500, the 1000s bigger brother. I was quite pleased with the 2500 for the 6 weeks it worked. When it failed, neither online tech support nor the Panasonic repair depot in Texas could or would repair it, three-year warranty notwithstanding. I sold it for parts. I can only hope that my FZ1000 doesnt fail, too: I cant afford to scrap two cameras. Buyer be informed.

Show more

Comment

We did a lot of research before deciding to buy this camera. We have two very nice DSLR and a cybershot, a few little purse point and shoots, but I wanted a camera without the fuss of the dslr, but better than the purse cameras. The cybershot is an early one, its okay but tends to wash out on really bright days. If youre looking for a review that sounds like a technician from Cnet wrote it, dont read this. Honestly, Raw, change this, fix that, no.. I wanted something I can point, zoom, get up close, that takes a good picture or video. Our needs- after analyzing our needs we realized about 75-80% of our shots are nature, beach, outside settings. Mostly daylight. We therefore werent terribly worried about low light, we did want something that would do well inside, but outside was more important. It had to be fast. I want to shoot a dolphin jumping from the water, a bird flying over head, a butterfly spreading its wings, Izzy doing cute stuff. Not complicated, jim can play with the fancy settings, special effects etc, I want to be able to turn it on, point, and shoot. Maybe that isnt using this camera to its potential, but again, this is what I desired. On the camera C1 and C2 are programmable, so I can always have what I want, when I want it. We needed a picture with both good zoom, and good up close.. I love the way it turns on and off, silly maybe, but with other cameras Id turn them off when trying to take a shot because the buttons were in close proximity. This is a little switch that goes back and forth. the camera is a bit bulky, but Im not taking anything off for that, its lighter than my dslr cameras and I like the heft in my hands. Another must for us was a viewfinder. More and more cameras seem to be going to LED screens only, I want the option. The screen is excellent, it pulls out, and it also twists for selfies or getting a picture of something behind me. the video quality is amazing.. seriously, like being there in person. some cons other people mention are the lack of head jack and the video shutting off after 30 min, neither of which are of any difference to me. I dont play back on the camera in a situation I would need headphones or ear buds, and I am not using this as a camcorder for long periods of time. I am not a professional photographer, but the picture quality I can get with the fz1000 is everything I wanted.

Show more

Comment

Without question the best bridge camera Ive ever owned or used. The 1-inch sensor definitely makes the difference. The lens is really high quality, and the zoom range is good. Of course you shouldnt expect DSLR-quality images from this camera, but you can get images from this camera thatll look close to images you get from a DSLR. The camera feels good in your hands and feels really sturdy. The burst rate is pretty good, and the image stabilization is superb. The camera shoots 4K video, and youre able to pull high-quality stills from video footage. The articulating LCD screen is really nice and allows you to use the camera in different positions without having to get low or high yourself. If youre looking for a great bridge camera or a great camera in general, you should seriously consider the FZ1000.

Show more

Comment

How may ways can I sing its praise!!? A magnitude better image than the best 1 / 2.3 and I own the best of them. And I dumped my interchangeable lens cameras on Ebay. Why bother when you can get the same or better quality in one package? I did my grand daughters outdoor wedding 3 days ago, 4 hours of video and stills. While I was getting the shots, the official wedding photographer was changing lenses! And lugging around what looked like a shopping cart for equipment. I had it all in one hand! Some of the events, like the “first dance” came after dark, yet I got truly good video and stills with the 4.0 aperture and 6400 ISO. And the images in daylight were great, with plenty of resolution and lack of noise to permit important crops when necessary. This is the best camera for an enthusiast who wants excellent results without a mule to carry the gear. I didnt miss a shot in 4 hours. The camera is fast and highly flexible. I have used the camera for about two months, and am still discovering new possibilities! What isnt it? Well it isnt small or light. And the auto white balance is a little cool for my taste. And I dont think a rank amateur will be able to take advantage of all its features, even though they will get great photos on the automatic settings and preset scene settings. And they can grow with the camera as they add skills. I am wracking my brain to think of criticism. I wish they provided a wrist strap instead of a neck strap, Id like a audio output plug to monitor video audio.....all trivial when compared to this great cameras strengths. The only big problem is I dont see how they will top this camera in the future!! :)

Show more