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Nikon D3400 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Comparison

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Nikon D3400

24 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D3400
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Panasonic FZ1000

20 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Panasonic FZ1000
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Nikon D3400 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon D3400, which was introduced in August 2016 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 24.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Panasonic FZ1000, which was introduced in June 2014 is a Large Sensor Superzoom camera with a 20.0MP 1″ sensor. As you can see, FZ1000 is 2 years older than D3400. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of the Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D3400 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-08-17
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 5.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 395g. 124 x 98 x 76 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D3300 Compare

Panasonic FZ1000 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-06-12
  • 20MP - 1″ CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 125 - 12800 ( expands to 80 - 25600)
  • 25-400 mm F2.8-4.0 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 12.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840x2160 video resolution
  • 120fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 831g. 137 x 99 x 131 mm

Nikon D3400 was replaced by Nikon D3500. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3400
Nikon D3500 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000

Panasonic FZ1000 was replaced by Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II vs Nikon D3400

Let's read on in the following sections in order to better understand in detail how the Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Nikon D3400 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
Sensor Resolution
24 MP vs 20 MP 19% more pixels
Max ISO
25.600 vs 12.800 100% higher Max ISO
Battery Life
1200 shots vs 360 shots 840 more frames with a single charge
Weight
395 g vs 831 g 436 g lighter
Color Depth
24.8 vs 22.1 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
13.9 vs 11.7 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
1192 vs 517 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
15.28µm2 vs 5.82µm2 162% larger pixel area
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
CHECK D3400 PRICE


Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 over Nikon D3400
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Optional Better connectivity
In-built Image Stabilization
Optical vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder Magnif.
0.7x vs 0.56x Larger Viewfinder
Number of Focus Points
49 vs 11 38 more focus points
Viewfinder Coverage
100% vs 95% More accurate viewfinder
Continuous Shooting
12.0fps vs 5.0fps 7 fps faster
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Flash Coverage
13.5m vs 7.0m 6.5m longer range
Max Video Resolution
3840x2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie & Vlogger LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
4K Photo Mode
Yes vs No Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
CHECK FZ1000 PRICE

Common Strengths of Nikon D3400 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
24 MP vs 20 MP Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 921k dots High resolution screens
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-I vs UHS-I Read/Write in High Speeds
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D3400 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Nikon D3400 vs Panasonic FZ1000: Physical Specs and Body Features Comparison

Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, we are going to illustrate the Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon D3400 has external dimensions of 124 x 98 x 76 mm (4.88 x 3.86 x 2.99″) and weighs 395 g (0.87 lb / 13.93 oz) (including batteries). Panasonic FZ1000 has external dimensions of 137 x 99 x 131 mm (5.39 x 3.9 x 5.16″) and weighs 831 g (1.83 lb / 29.31 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Nikon D3400 and the Panasonic FZ1000. Nikon D3400 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 13mm narrower, 1mm shorter and 55mm thinner than Panasonic FZ1000. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic FZ1000 has a built-in lens but Nikon D3400 doesn't. Once you put a lens on D3400, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon D3400 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of the Nikon D3400 and the Panasonic FZ1000 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of the Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000.

Nikon D3400 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of the Nikon D3400 and the Panasonic FZ1000 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000.
Nikon D3400 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of the Nikon D3400 and the the Panasonic FZ1000 Size

Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D3400 is significantly lighter (436g ) than the Panasonic FZ1000 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on D3400, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither the Nikon D3400 nor Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 provides any type of weather sealing in their bodies, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Bridge Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000's LCD screens have the same diagonal size of 3.00 inches.

On the other hand, Panasonic FZ1000 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over-the-head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Nikon D3400's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to FZ1000.


Nikon D3400 vs Panasonic FZ1000: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D3400 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Panasonic FZ1000 has a 20.0MP 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Nikon D3400's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the D3400 and FZ1000 sensor size comparison.

Nikon D3400 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon D3400 has a 3.2x Larger sensor area than Panasonic FZ1000. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, D3400 has scored 86, 22 points higher than FZ1000.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Nikon D3400 86 24.8 bits 13.9 Evs 1192 ISO
Panasonic FZ1000 64 22.1 bits 11.7 Evs 517 ISO
What types of Photography are Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon D3400 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic FZ1000 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic FZ1000 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Panasonic FZ1000 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
1 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1200 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Continuous Shooting: 12.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
49 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
400 mm Tele Lens
Fast Lens at Tele: f4.00
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Panasonic FZ1000 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
395g
Body Thickness 76mm
Read the details
16.0X Optical Zoom
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
831g
Body Thickness 131mm
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic FZ1000 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon D3400 vs Panasonic FZ1000: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far, but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon D3400 and Panasonic FZ1000 scores compare:

Nikon D3400
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #31 out of 80 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #267 out of 1259 in all Cameras
Panasonic FZ1000
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #7 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #190 out of 1259 in all Cameras

Panasonic FZ1000 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D3400 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon D3400
Nikon D3400
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Panasonic FZ1000
Panasonic FZ1000
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Panasonic FZ1000 vs Nikon D3400 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D3400 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
Brand Nikon Panasonic
Announced 2016-08-17 2014-06-12
Body Type Compact SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size APS-C 1″
Dimensions 23.5 x 15.6 mm 13.2 x 8.8 mm
Area 366.60mm2 116.16mm2
Megapixels 24 megapixels 20 megapixels
Max Resolution 6000 x 4000 5472 x 3648
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 125 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity - 80 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 11 49
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F fixed lens
Lens Focal Range no lens 25-400 mm (16x)
Max Aperture no lens F2.8-4.0
Macro Focus Range no lens 3cm
Screen
Type Fixed type Fully Articulated
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 921k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 2,359k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.56x 0.7x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization No Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 7.00 m (at ISO 100) 13.50 m (at Auto ISO)
Max Flash Sync 1/200s n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 12.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 3840x2160
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Optional Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 395g 831g
Dimensions 124 x 98 x 76mm 137 x 99 x 131mm
Battery Life 1200 shots 360 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Optional None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 86 64
DxO Color Depth 24.8 22.1
DxO Dynamic Range 13.9 11.7
DxO Low Light ISO 1192 517
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