Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 test: the camera can be easily held at arm’s length with a 400mm / F4 lens.0 without long end..

The new “ultra zoom” class camera from Panasonic is the most serious bid for the title of a universal photographer’s tool. In addition, it has unique features – is able to record video in 4K. This article gives real-life impressions based on what we learned when testing this new product.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000: general view with zoom lens retracted.

Technical Specifications

Sensor – MOS sensor 13,2 × 8,8 mm, form factor 1″ resolution up to 20.1 million. pix.

Lens with built-in zoom, 16x, 25-400mm, F2.8-4.0

Image stabilization – built-in HYBRID O 5 axis optical system.I.S

Viewfinder built-in electronic OLED, 2.36 million dots

Display – 3-inch diagonal, rotating, 920,000 dots

Focus – automatic by contrast and manual, 49 focus zones, group of zones 4/6/9 , 1 zone in the center or anywhere, 1 point, face detection AF frame/serial/tracking/eye min. dist. Focus 30/3 cm normal ./macro

The shutter speed ranges are 1/4000 to 60s mechanical shutter , 1/16000 to 1s electronic shutter , Bulb up to 120s

Shooting modes – P, A, S, M, custom 2 , intelligent iAuto, Creative, scene mode, video shooting

Exposure metering is matrix-weighted, center-weighted, spot metering

The flash is built-in, up to 13.5 m W , up to 9.5 m T

Sensitivity – 80 to 25600 ISO with autotuning 125-12800

RAW RW2 , RAW+JPG, JPG 2 levels of compression

Memory cards – SD, SDHC, SDXC UHS-1

Continuous shooting – mechanical shutter: up to 12 fps, up to 7 fps post . AF electronic shutter: 50 fps

Video shooting – MP4: up to 4K 3840 x 2160@25p , AVCHD: up to Full HD 1920×1080@50p with automatic focus, manual and automatic shutter and aperture settings

Interfaces – miniUSB/AV, microHDMI, Wi-Fi, NFC

Power – battery 7.2 V, 1200 mAh

Dimensions – 136.8 × 98.5 × 130.7 mm

Weight 831g with battery and memory card

Approximate retail price – 42 990 Dollars.

Introduction

The attempts to create a universal camera that would suit all photographers by ergonomics, technical data and shooting quality, perhaps, never stopped. But in the film era, even the “narrow” 35mm film format limited engineers’ ability to create high magnification zoom lenses that would be profitable to produce commercially, and which would have acceptable mass and size characteristics.

In the digital age, the use of small area light receiving sensors finally made it possible to create cameras with high magnification zoom lenses – “ultrazooms”. By now, cameras equipped with 1/2.3″ form factor sensors have already taken the height of 65x. However, such sensors are not able to provide sufficient shooting quality when using high ISO values and to cope with the dynamic range of high-contrast scenes.

A major attempt to use larger sensors 2/3″ form factor in “ultrazooms” was made by photographers ten years ago, but the lenses of the then 8-megapixel models failed to break the 8x barrier. The wave passed and amateur photographers were left alone for years with dreams of a universal camera capable of high quality images.

Last year Sony made a successful attempt to revive high-end “ultrazooms” with the introduction of the DSC-RX10. It was equipped with a well-proven 1-inch proprietary sensor and a wide-angle and aperture F2.8 a Zeiss-branded zoom lens. Unfortunately, it has a magnification of only 8x, which is clearly not enough for versatility. The camera made a lot of noise, but it was not alone for a long time: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 with 1 inch sensor and 16x zoom that appeared soon claimed the throne of a leader in the premium ultrasonic class.

In this article, first of all, we will talk about the features that make this camera especially attractive.

Ergonomics and controls

The DMC-FZ1000, like the aforementioned Sony competitor, is designed in a large, typical “cropped DSLR” body: a large grip with the shutter button, control dials on the top panel, a ledge with a “hot shoe” over the lens. The black plastic body is decorated with a hammered enamel texture, and the non-slip pads on the front, sides and back panels traditionally imitate leather.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 camera: general view with the hood up.

When you first pick up the FZ1000 you get a strange feeling of incongruity: this model only looks like a DSLR but weighs half as much as a typical kit. When you take pictures with a DSLR camera you usually enjoy its weightiness because its inertia reduces camera shake and helps keep the picture sharp, which is especially important if you take pictures with a kit, where neither the lens nor the body have a built-in stabilization system.

In the case of the FZ1000, you can ignore the weight – we always have the optical stabilization system. The large, wrap-around grip fits comfortably in a man’s hand, including a well-developed groove for the middle finger.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000: right side view.

Combine this with the camera’s low weight and you have a significant advantage. It was repeatedly proved in practice when it was possible to get sharp shots at maximum focal length ff holding the device with one hand.

Example: how to take a picture at maximum f/28 with one hand. F4.0, 400mm, 125 ISO, -0.66 EV, 1/125s

The bigger body is also good, because it has many controls, which the FZ1000 developers took advantage of. To the right of the hot shoe there is chubby even with gloves shooting mode dial with the trigger. On the left is a disk of the same thickness but smaller in diameter. One switches the “broach” modes: single-shot, continuous, bracketing, self-timer, interval shooting. Having set up each mode in the main menu beforehand, you move quickly to the desired mode by simply turning the dial.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000: top view.

The engineers also utilized the surface of the lens barrel by placing two levers on its left side. One toggles the wide ring function on the lens: manual focus or zoom. The second one switches on/off optical stabilization system.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000: left side view.

Perhaps you won’t find as much flexibility in feature access settings as the FZ1000 offers. Each of the five function buttons on the body in different places can be assigned to one of the 45 ! functions in record mode and one of the six functions in playback mode. The defaults when taking pictures are as follows: Fn1: Photostyle, Fn2: Wi-Fi activation, Fn3: Quick Menu Q.Menu, Fn4: preview, Fn5: image switching between EVF and LCD screen.

Another time-saving control is the focus type lever/switch single AF, constant AF, MF combined with the exposure/focus lock button AF/AE Lock .

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 camera: rear view.

The only control wheel, which is located on the back ledge under your thumb, not only serves to adjust the main parameter shutter speed, aperture, etc. . According to a long Panasonic tradition, it is also a button, after pressing which you can adjust e.g. the exposure compensation.

The shutter button is flanked by the zoom lever, as is customary with ultrazooms. In this case, this is the second way to change the focal length, and the first, with the ring on the lens, has already been mentioned. Different creative needs call for different zoom in/out speeds. Designers took this into account, too, equipping the zoom lens with “5-speed gear”.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000: top view with lens extended.

In many modern cameras, the video record button is located on the back panel in the thumb range. Here it is also located next to the shutter button and can be pressed with the index finger.

A quick menu on the Q-button allows you to see all the important settings at a glance and change them if necessary.Menu. Novelty has LCD tilt-up screen. For a long time it was the most convenient, but then the technology improved and the trend changed. This variant is universal, but still the “around the corner” sighting is needed much less often than the “around the belly” sighting which in covert shooting in the street is more convenient to hold on the flip-up screen located behind the camera, not on the side. There was something to grumble about, but it would be too much of a drawback to consider the way the LCD screen was designed.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000: Display with LCD tilted back.

The FZ1000’s built-in electronic viewfinder EVF has a resolution of 2.0.36 million points and, from the author’s point of view, is no less comfortable and convenient sighting tool than its optical counterpart in a semi-professional SLR camera. EVI is equipped with IR sensor for automatic switching between picture display and LCD screen.

Optics

The Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 16x zoom lens in the FZ1000 is clearly a versatile zoom range 25-400 mm , covering all common scenes.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 zoom lens in extended position. The top is labeled with equivalent 35mm focal lengths.

Image samples taken at the focal lengths of 25, 47 and 78 mm.

Sample shots taken at 144mm, 200mm and 300mm focal lengths.

In wide angle it is ideal for landscapes and architecture, in medium angle it is for portraits, and in long angle it is good for reportage and hunting.

Even at its widest setting, the lens captures without geometric distortion. Also holds the oncoming light quite well. F4.5, 25 mm, 125 ISO, 1/100sec

An example of a daylight picture taken with a moderately wide angle lens. F4.0, 30 mm, 125 ISO, 1/1000 s

An example of daytime shooting at medium zoom position. F4.0, 196 mm, 400 ISO, -1.66 EV, 1/100 s

Evening shots at 10x zoom ratio. F4.5, 260 mm, 800 ISO, 1/100 sec

Portrait of a musician on the Arbat in diffused evening light. F4.0, 300 mm, 1600 ISO, -0.66 EV, 1/80 s

Portrait taken in backside sunlight. F4.0, 346 mm, 125 ISO, 1/250 s

The FZ1000’s high luminosity zoom lens allows the camera to focus steadily even in low-light conditions. And although the aperture is variable F2.8-F4.0 , at higher fps the lens delights with shallow depth of field and beautiful bokeh.

Example of a beautiful bokeh obtained at open aperture and maximum f-stop. F4.0, 400 mm, 125 ISO, -0.66 EV, 1/500 s

An airy background was also achieved at open aperture and maximum ff. F4.0, 400 mm, 125 ISO, 1/160 s

Looking at the test images, we can say that the lens is sharp all over the frame at all fronts and aperture settings, starting from open.

The wide-angle shot, with the “Old Times” creative filter applied, shows that the lens gives a sharp image across the frame, even at an open aperture. F2.8, 25 mm, 125 ISO, 1/1300 s

At the extreme telephoto zoom position, if the photographer’s priority is not to have the background blurred as much as possible but to have as much clarity as possible, it is worth shutting down the aperture to F5.6. This is confirmed by the shots taken at aperture number 4.0, 5.6 i 8.0.

The FZ1000’s optics are pretty handy when it comes to shooting with side-to-side light. But you should not let the sun rays directly into the lens: the front lens is big and collects too much light, and that inevitably reduces contrast and leads to parasitic flare.

Shooting in backlight, evening sun partially obscured by a lamppost. F5.6, 51 mm, 125 ISO, 1/100 s

The FFR range from 200mm to 400mm is exactly what was missing from the aforementioned Sony competitor. It gives a real possibility to take pictures of shy animals and birds, to capture in details interesting architectural details or close-up but unnoticeable interesting character, to pick out from city bustle or tropical nature boisterousness the most interesting action or phenomenon, reducing it to a small cosy world. And in few moments you are ready to shoot the majestic building or the Grand Canyon by turning the lens to super wide angle position.

Powerful telezoom made it possible to shoot a portrait with unusual lighting, without attracting the attention of the musician. Sunset sunlight captured perfectly. F4.0, 356 mm, 250 ISO, 1/125 s

I was able to cut a small expressive study of the Arbat evening landscape at maximum F. F4.0, 400 mm, 125 ISO, -0.66 EV, 1/500 s

Let us mention that such creative opportunities as covert photography and photo hunting are available for photographers and quite affordable camera-ultrazooms, but because of the small sensor, they can do it only in good light conditions. Now, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 camera, which combines first-class optics and 1-inch sensor 3-4 times larger than budget zooms allows enthusiasts to get photos with the quality almost on par with semi-professional DSLR cameras at any time of day without changing optics . This is a traveler’s true dream, and a real one at that.

The functionality of the camera

The performance of the mechanical shutter is not record breaking, if you look at its shortest shutter speed – 1/4000 sec. However, the electronic shutter provides values up to 1/16000 s if necessary. It also extends the camera’s continuous shooting capabilities. The problem of slow shutter speeds on a bright sunny day can also be solved with the built-in ND filter. I should add that in such conditions the electronic viewfinder also helps a lot.

Even with the mechanical shutter the camera is able to provide a decent continuous shooting speed in full resolution – up to 12 fps, although if the continuous autofocus is enabled it drops to 7 fps. If you only use electronic shutter the camera gives you a continuous shooting speed of up to 50 fps

Speed Panasonic Z1000 Series

12 fps, F4.0, 310 mm, 125 ISO, 1/400 s

12 fps, F4.0, 310 mm, 125 ISO, 1/400 s

12 fps, F4.0, 310mm, 125 ISO, 1/400s

12 fps, F4.0, 310 mm, 125 ISO, 1/400 s

12 fps, F4.0, 310 mm, 125 ISO, 1/400 s

12 fps, F4.0, 310mm, 125 ISO, 1/400s

12 fps, F4.0, 310 mm, 125 ISO, 1/400 s

12 fps, F4.0, 310mm, 125 ISO, 1/400s

Continuous shooting at 12 fps captures all the phases of a drake’s movement. F4.0, 310 mm, 125 ISO, 1/400 s

Among the FZ1000’s smart features are iAuto+ mode recognizing not only the scene, but also the movement of the main subject and the need to defocus the background , automatic scene brightness correction, Intelligent Resolution Enhancement.

The wireless module Wi-Fi provides connection to mobile devices with a QR code displayed on the screen. One of the function buttons is used by default to activate wireless functions. Built-in NFC sensor makes it easy to link the camera to compatible external devices.

Daytime Photo

Daytime shots are moderately saturated, with strong colors that do not need to be corrected. The FZ1000’s automatic, like many others, tends to overexpose, especially when there’s a lot of sky in the frame. A small negative exposure compensation 1/3-2/3 EV helped in such situations. Auto white balance function during daytime without problems. At the same time, the camera is able to recognize and correctly render the warm shades of morning and evening light.

Shades of warm evening light are faithfully rendered. F4.5, 100 mm, 125 ISO, 1/500 s

Intelligent Dynamic Range Correction function showed good results in shooting scenes with high and very high brightness differences. It has three intensity levels, which can be selected manually, as well as an auto mode. It is worth using it regularly, because it does its job well and can replace the HDR function in most situations, especially when there is movement in the frame.

For architectural photography on an autumn sunny day the automatic dynamic range correction is quite sufficient. F4.0, 40 mm, 125 ISO, -0.66 EV, 1/800 s

If fine contrasts are taken as a quality criterion, daylight sensitivity ISO can include numbers up to 6400. If you focus on flat areas with moderate contrast, you should not exceed 1600.

Panasonic Z1000 daytime series

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12800

Samples of daytime tripod shots taken at different ISO settings: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800.

Shooting indoors

The auto white balance function was also observed to work reliably when shooting indoors in different lighting conditions. The camera reacted more specifically to halogen lights, energy-saving lamps, and mixed lighting. I couldn’t confuse the automation with brightly colored stage lighting either.

This image taken under mixed lighting conditions shows how Auto White Balance works. F4.0, 52 mm, 1600 ISO, 1/60 sec

Bright “colored” stage lighting does not interfere with automatic white balance. F4.0, 250 mm, 1250 ISO, 1/100sec

The same restrictions for using high ISO settings for indoor shooting can be recommended as for night shooting mentioned below .

Taken in a museum under artificial light. F4.0, 94 mm, 400 ISO, 1/80 s

Shot under mixed lighting daylight and artificial with the diaphragm open. F4.0, 250 mm, 800 ISO, 1/100th of a second

Shot under mixed lighting daylight and artificial light at one shutter aperture. Deterioration of the image due to increasing ISO sensitivity is only noticeable on evenly colored areas. F5.6, 250 mm, 1600 ISO, 1/100sec

Image stabilization system

When a photographer is moving around a lot and shooting handheld with a high-speed lens in a variety of lighting conditions, only the image stabilization system can guarantee stable results. The FZ1000 uses the Hybrid I 5-Axis System.O.S. Its effectiveness has been tested, both in practice and in separate testing, and at two focal lengths: 100mm and 400mm. The first is typical for portraits, the second for hunting.

In both cases, a shutter speed 3-stop from safety was 100% effective without question. Depending on how well prepared you are, you can get 95% to 100% clear shots with a 4-stop shutter speed just in case: 1/8 second for 100 mm, and 1/25 second for 400 mm . Shifting it one step further brings us into the “lottery zone”: you can get about 40% of the shots sharp.

Image taken by hand at a medium lens focal length 130mm with a shutter speed of 1/15th of a second 3-stop safety margin . F4.0, 1600 ISO, -0.66 EV.

Handheld shooting sample at a long focal length lens 279 mm with a shutter speed of 1/25 s 3.5 stops away from safe . F4.0, 1600 ISO, -0.66 EV.

Sample handheld shooting at the maximum lens focal length 400mm with a shutter speed of 1/25s 4 steps back from safe . F4.0, 1600 ISO, -0.66 EV.

Sample handheld shooting at the maximum focal length of the lens 400 mm with a shutter speed of 1/8 s 5.5 steps back from safe . F4.0, 2500 ISO.

Night Scene

Results of night photography were predominantly positive. White Balance is a joy to use and the colors of night landscapes are saturated, especially when negative exposure compensation is used. They are almost indistinguishable in high ISO settings, which are only necessary for shooting a fast-moving scene or when zooming in strongly. In static night scenes, the effective optical stabilization system lets you shoot without a tripod at low ISO settings, reducing the effects of digital noise.

An example of a night scene taken at wide-angle with the diaphragm open. F2.8, 25 mm, 320 ISO, -0.66 EV, 1/60 s.

A cityscape shot in deep twilight. All colors, including the light from the sodium lights, rendered convincingly. F3.8, 68 mm, 1600 ISO, -1.33 EV, 1/60 s

The strong negative exposure compensation gave the picture expression at the expense of richer colors. Even with the diaphragm almost open the lens turned the lights into beautiful stars. F3.8, 33 mm, 1600 ISO, -1.33 EV, 1/50 s

Based on the results of shooting in dark rooms and at night on the street, the upper limit of the working ISO range is 800 if you are worried about uniformity of the night sky and low-contrast areas, 3200 if it is enough to keep small contrast details, and 6400 if you focus only on bright contrast details.

Panasonic Z1000 night series

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12800

Samples of night shooting with a tripod, taken at different values of ISO: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800.

Video shooting

In terms of video recording the FZ1000 is on the cutting edge of technology The maximum quality it can record is 4K, which is four times the area of Full HD 1920 x 1080 . These capabilities in terms of video are ahead of demand, because the market is not yet at all saturated with televisions capable of playing video at such a high resolution.

But any successful still frame of 4K video can be used as photo, because its resolution is 8 Mpx. This is what you get when you record in MP4 format. If you choose another available format, AVCHD, the quality ceiling is the usual one – Full HD 1920×1080 pixels with progressive scan at 50 fps.

The camera adjusts focus very quickly when shooting video, including after performing intensive zooming. The stabilization system works very well: it smoothes out camera shake very well and if you forget to turn it on you will feel it at once.

Zooming and stabilizing the picture during daytime shooting. 1920×1080@50p

Indoor video shooting. 1920×1080@50p

Night video on a tripod. 1920×1080@50p

Zoom and image stabilization during night shooting. 1920×1080@50p

Conclusions

I won’t be lazy to repeat myself: Panasonic company has given to photo-enthusiasts powerful and flexible tool in the hands of camera Lumix DMC-FZ1000, which, for sure, many people dreamed of for a long time. This is especially noticeable when shooting with this camera in the teleposition of the zoom.

Imagine: you can hold a camera with a 400 mm F4.0 lens, because they weigh just 831 grams. And you know that you’ll get high quality, smooth images in the end.

Finally, a bit of musing for the skeptics. Zooms for “cropped” DSLR cameras, which have 400 mm F5 on the “long end”.6 have weight about 1.4-1.5 kg, “full-frame” fixed lenses from 400 mm F4.0 lens is at least 2 kg for example, in Canon DO version , and zoom lenses from 400 mm F4.0 on the “long end” weighs more than 3.5 kg. And if we touch on the price question, we get the range for quadruple lens “SLR” telezooms from 40 to 230 thousand. Dollars. Only for lens. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 camera with Leica “four-hundred” now costs about 43k. RUR. Not long ago, amateur photographers couldn’t even dream of it.