First Impressions
by Richard Butler
The FZ1000 makes a very positive first impression - it's a very responsive and highly flexible camera with a large sensor that promises the kinds of image quality we've not before seen from a superzoom 'compact.' Autofocus is extremely quick, even at the full extent of its huge lens, to the point that we were able to get good numbers of in-focus images even when shooting fast-moving cyclists with an almost entirely unfamiliar camera.
Just like Sony's RX10, the FZ1000 is clearly as much a video camera as a stills shooter: something underlined as you flip out the fully-articulated LCD to reveal a '4K' logo. Zebra, Peaking and 'Cinelike Gamma' make it feel relatively easy to shoot video to the camera's full capabilities. Sadly, those capabilities aren't quite as comprehensive as you might think.
Despite being so closely related to the GH4, Panasonic has limited the FZ1000 to a relatively small number of video options: 24p shooting can only be done in AVCHD mode, while 4K has to be shot at 30p. This is no worse than the RX10, but the use of the GH4 processor seemed to promise more (we'll take a closer look at the quality of the footage, rather than just the specs, in the next few days).
Another drawback for video shooters is the lack of built-in ND filter - in sunshine I found the camera couldn't correctly expose the 1/60th and 1/50th shutter speeds I wanted for 24p and 30p shooting, having already hit its minimum ISO and stopped its aperture down. Thankfully the lens is threaded to accept 62mm filters, so it's an easy enough problem to solve. We're also hoping Panasonic will update the camera to allow settings such as exposure comp or aperture to be controlled with the lens dial, since the click wheel on the back of the camera is clearly audible when shooting video.
It's only when you put the FZ1000 next to the RX10 (itself far from pocketable), that you realize just how big a camera it is. Combining a sensor over four times larger than the FZ200's yet retaining the majority of that camera's zoom range was always going to mean an increase in bulk, but the FZ1000 carries it well: a nicely-proportioned handgrip means the big FZ can be comfortably handled.
With fast focus, a large sensor, long zoom and a host of stills and video goodies, the FZ1000 makes an interesting rival to the Sony RX10 - offering a slightly different twist on the do-everything stills and video camera. The difference is that the Panasonic costs considerably less. It'll be fascinating to work out whether anything important has been overlooked, to achieve that price point.
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/panasonic-lumix-dmc-fz1000
