Panasonic FZ1000 Review

Main Features

20MP - 1" CMOS Sensor

ISO 125 - 12800( expands to 80-25600)

25-400 mm F2.8-4.0 Zoom Lens

5-axis Optical Image Stabilization

3" Fully Articulated Screen

2359k dot Electronic viewfinder

12 fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video

120 fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

831g. 137 x 99 x 131 mm

Replaced by Panasonic FZ1000 II

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Panasonic FZ1000 Overview

Panasonic FZ1000 Review - Editor's Note

First introduced in June 2014 , Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 is a 20.0MP Large Sensor Superzoom camera with a 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor. Panasonic later replaced FZ1000 with FZ1000 II. Follow the link to read our in-depth comparison of these cameras:
Compare Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II

Panasonic FZ1000 Review - Click for Table of Contents

Overview
Pros and Cons
Sensor and Photography Features
Physical Specs
LCD and Viewfinder
Connectivity, Storage and Battery
Video
Other Features
Lens
Photography Type Scores
Alternatives
Popular Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Detailed Specifications

Panasonic FZ1000 has an Overall Score of 71/100 and ranked #4 out of 113 in DSLR-Like cameras (Top 10 Bridge), and ranked #141 out of 1212 in all Cameras (Top 10 Overall).

Panasonic FZ1000 Type Scores

Imaging

Features

Value for Money

Portability

Overall Score

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Panasonic FZ1000 Compared to other Bridge Cameras

Now let's get in to more details of our Panasonic FZ1000 review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

PROs

Built-in Wireless (Wi-fi)

NFC Connectivity

5-axis Image Stabilization

Articulating Screen

External Flash Shoe

4K (UHD) Video

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder

RAW Shooting

Face Detection Focusing

20.0MP - High Resolution Sensor

12.800 Max ISO

49 Focus Points

921k dots LCD Resolution

1/4000s High Shutter Speed

12.0fps Shooting w/ Mechanical Shutter

Long Battery Life (360 shots)

Manual Focusing

Manual Exposure

External Microphone Port

Timelapse Recording

25mm Wide Angle Lens

400mm Good Tele Lens

16.0X Optical Zoom

Fast 2.80 Lens at Wide

2359kdot Viewfinder Resolution

Good Low Light ISO - 517

120 fps High Speed Video

AE Bracketing

Selfie Friendly LCD Screen

4K Photo (8MP photos)

Dual-axis Electronic Level

Remote control with a smartphone

High Video bit rate of 100mbps

UHS-I Memory Card Support

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Buy Panasonic FZ1000 from AMAZON or B&H PHOTO

CONs

No Touch Screen

Heavy Body: 831

No Environmental Sealing

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Panasonic FZ1000 Sensor and Photography Features

Panasonic FZ1000 has a 20.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor. You can shoot at maximum resolution of 5472 x 3648 pixels with aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. FZ1000 has a native ISO range of 125 - 12800 which can be boosted to 80-25600 and it can save files in RAW format which gives you a wider room for post processing.

Panasonic FZ1000 is not the highest resolution 1 inch Sensor camera. Nikon 1 J5 with its 21.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Panasonic FZ1000 vs Nikon 1 J5 or take a look at Highest resolution Bridge cameras list.

Panasonic FZ1000 DxOMark Sensor Scores

DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. Panasonic FZ1000 sensor has been tested by DxO Mark and got an overall score of 64 for its image quality. You can find the details of their analysis of Panasonic FZ1000 here.

Let's look at how the size of the Panasonic FZ1000's 1" sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

Panasonic FZ1000 Physical Specs

Panasonic FZ1000 weighs 831 g (1.83 lb / 29.31 oz) and has external dimensions of 137 x 99 x 131 mm (5.39 x 3.9 x 5.16″). Considering that the average weight of DSLR-Like type cameras is 591g, Panasonic FZ1000 is a significantly heavy camera for its class. With a thickness of 131mm, it is not small either, 26mm thicker than the average of its class.

Weight Comparison

DSLR-Like Cameras

Panasonic FZ1000

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR-Like Cameras

Panasonic FZ1000

Min

Average

Max

Here is the front and top view image of Panasonic FZ1000 with the dimensions:

Now lets compare the weight and thickness of Panasonic FZ1000 with its main competitors:

Panasonic FZ1000 Size Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Weight	vs FZ1000	Thickness	vs FZ1000
Panasonic FZ1000 II Compare	808g	23g lighter	132mm	1mm thicker
Panasonic FZ300 Compare	691g	140g lighter	117mm	14mm thinner
Panasonic FZ2500 Compare	915g	84g heavier	135mm	4mm thicker
Panasonic FZ80 Compare	616g	215g lighter	119mm	12mm thinner
Canon SX70 HS Compare	608g	223g lighter	117mm	14mm thinner
Sony RX10 Compare	813g	18g lighter	102mm	29mm thinner
Canon G3 X Compare	733g	98g lighter	105mm	26mm thinner
Sony RX10 III Compare	1051g	220g heavier	127mm	4mm thinner

Weather Sealing

Panasonic FZ1000 doesn't have any environmental sealings on its body so you got to be extra careful to protect it against water and dust. If you shoot under these conditions very often, consider checking Top Bridge Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

Panasonic FZ1000 Lens

Panasonic FZ1000 features a 25-400 mm F2.8-4.0 16x zoom lens. Lens has a good wide angle capability starting at 25mm and remarkable super telephoto reach at 400mm.

Wide Coverage

DSLR-Like Cameras

FZ1000

Widest - Samsung WB2200F

Average

Telezoom

DSLR-Like Cameras

FZ1000

Longest - Nikon P1000

Average

With a max aperture of f2.80, this lens is fast on wide end. The long end is also quite fast at f4.00.

Max Aperture at Wide

DSLR-Like Cameras

FZ1000

Fastest - Sony RX10 III

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

DSLR-Like Cameras

FZ1000

Fastest - Olympus 1

Average

FZ1000 is also equipped with Optical image stabilization system which is very handy especially at lower shutter speeds. Panasonic FZ1000's lens also has a Manual Focus Mode.

Panasonic FZ1000 LCD and Viewfinder

Panasonic FZ1000 has a Fully Articulated 3" LCD screen with a resolution of 921k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.

For those of you who loves shooting selfies, self or group photos, Panasonic FZ1000 will make your life easier with its Selfie friendly screen. Another group of users who will take advantage of FZ1000's LCD screen is Vloggers.

FZ1000 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder. The viewfinder has a resolution of 2,359kdots and coverage of 100%. 100% coverage ensures that what you see in the viewfinder while shooting matches exactly what you will get later in your image, helping accurate framing your shots and minimizes the need for cropping images later. The magnification ratio of the viewfinder is 0.7x (35mm equivalent).

Panasonic FZ1000 Connectivity, Storage and Battery

Panasonic FZ1000 features built-in wireless (Wi-Fi) connectivity ( 802.11b/g/n with NFC) which lets you transfer your photos directly to compatible devices without any physical connection. With its NFC feature, FZ1000 can communicate with devices such as smartphones which are also equipped with this technology by simply touching each other.One other feature that we like is the ability to use our smartphone as a remote to control our FZ1000. You can change camera settings, release shutter, view LCD screen and tranfer files using remote control app.

You can connect FZ1000 to compatible devices via its HDMI port or USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port.

Battery

Panasonic FZ1000 is powered by battery which provides a shooting life of 360 according to CIPA standards. Considering that the average battery life of DSLR-Like type cameras is 353 shots, its battery life is about average in its class but it would still be wise to invest in some spare batteries for long photo trips.

Battery Life Comparison in Large Sensor Superzoom Cameras

Panasonic FZ1000

Min

Average

Max

Sony RX10 III with its 420shots is the model with longest battery life among Large Sensor Superzoom cameras. Check the comparison of Panasonic FZ1000 vs Sony RX10 III or take a look at Longest Battery Life Bridge cameras list.

Panasonic FZ1000 Features Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Max Video	Battery Life	Wi-fi	Bluetooth	NFC
Panasonic FZ1000 II Compare	3840 x 2160	350shots	Yes	Yes	No
Panasonic FZ300 Compare	3840 x 2160	380shots	Yes	No	No
Panasonic FZ2500 Compare	4096 x 2160	350shots	Yes	No	No
Panasonic FZ80 Compare	3840 x 2160	330shots	Yes	No	No
Canon SX70 HS Compare	3840 x 2160	325shots	Yes	Yes	No
Sony RX10 Compare	1920 x 1080	420shots	Yes	No	Yes
Canon G3 X Compare	1920 x 1080	300shots	Yes	No	Yes
Sony RX10 III Compare	3840 x 2160	420shots	Yes	No	Yes

Panasonic FZ1000 Video Features

With Panasonic FZ1000, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 3840 x 2160 at 30p fps with bit rates up to 100 mbps and save in MPEG-4 and AVCHD formats. This means that Panasonic FZ1000 provides 4K (Ultra-HD) video. Except some exotic 6K and 8K video recording cameras, 4K is the new standard in consumer video world.
It is also a big step up from its predecessor which has a max video resolution of only. If you are thinking of upgrading your and shoot a lot of video, this is a big factor to consider in favor of FZ1000.

FZ1000 also a high speed mode where it captures videos at 120 fps for ultra slow motion videos. FZ1000 has a built-in Stereo microphone and a Mono speaker. Panasonic FZ1000 also has a port for an external microphone so you can record high quality sound with the help of an external microphone.

4K Photo Mode

Utilizing its 4K Video recording abilities in a creative way, Panasonic FZ1000 sports a 4K Photo Mode where you can capture 8 MP photos from 4K videos. Using a software such as Adobe Lightroom on your PC or in-camera function, you can review the 4K video frame by frame and extract the image that you like the most.

Panasonic FZ1000 Other Features

Max Shutter speed

Panasonic FZ1000 can shoot continuously at max speed of 12 fps and has max shutter speed of 1/4000 sec.

Flash

FZ1000 has a built-in flash, and it also has a flash shoe to mount your external flashes too.

Focusing

Panasonic FZ1000 features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system. The AF system has 49 points to choose from.

Panasonic FZ1000 also features Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.

What type of Photography is Panasonic FZ1000 Good for?

In this section, we review and score Panasonic FZ1000 in 5 different photography areas.

Panasonic FZ1000 for Portrait Photography

Panasonic FZ1000 has a score of 58 for Portrait Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Portrait is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Bridge Cameras for Portrait Photography list.

Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Ergonomics&Handling

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic FZ1000 for Portrait Photography

Panasonic FZ1000 for Street Photography

Panasonic FZ1000 has a score of 82 for Street Photography which makes it an EXCELLENT candidate for this type of photography.

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Image Stabilization

Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
RAW shooting capability
Medium sized Body
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic FZ1000 for Street Photography

Panasonic FZ1000 for Sports Photography

Panasonic FZ1000 has a score of 62 for Sports Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Sports Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Bridge Cameras for Sports Photography list.

Fast Continuous Shooting: 12.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
49 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Manual Exposure Mode
Manual Focus Mode
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder

External Flash Shoe
Image Stabilization
400 mm Tele Lens
Fast Lens at Tele: f4.00
RAW shooting capability
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic FZ1000 for Sports Photography

Panasonic FZ1000 for Daily Photography

Panasonic FZ1000 has a score of 68 for Daily Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Daily Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Bridge Cameras for Daily Photography list.

16.0X Optical Zoom
RAW shooting capability
Medium size Body

Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
831g
Body Thickness 131mm

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic FZ1000 for Daily Photography

Panasonic FZ1000 for Landscape Photography

Panasonic FZ1000 has a score of 43 for Landscape Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Bridge Cameras for Landscape Photography list.

Manual Exposure Mode
Manual Focus Mode
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
RAW shooting capability

Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic FZ1000 for Landscape Photography

Panasonic FZ1000 Alternatives

In this section, we analyse how Panasonic FZ1000 compares with other DSLR-Like cameras within a similar price range. In the Bubble chart below, you can see Overall Score vs Price comparison of FZ1000 and the top 10 contenders in the same range. Hover your mouse on the bubbles to see the details of the cameras.

Read a more detailed analysis of Panasonic FZ1000 alternatives.

Popular Comparisons of Panasonic FZ1000

Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Panasonic FZ1000 amongst Camera Decision readers.

Panasonic FZ1000 II

Compare

Panasonic FZ300

Compare

Panasonic FZ2500

Compare

Panasonic FZ80

Compare

Canon SX70 HS

Compare

Sony RX10

Compare

Canon G3 X

Compare

Sony RX10 III

Compare

Panasonic FZ1000 Alternatives in Cameras

It would also be interesting to compare Panasonic FZ1000 with Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked cameras in Panasonic FZ1000's price range.

Frequently Asked Questions about Panasonic FZ1000

Does the Panasonic FZ1000 have Image Stabilization?
Does the Panasonic FZ1000 have RAW support?
Does the Panasonic FZ1000 have Weather Sealing?
Does the Panasonic FZ1000 have built-in GPS?
What is the Max ISO of Panasonic FZ1000?
What is the Sensor Size of Panasonic FZ1000?
is the Panasonic FZ1000 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
Does the Panasonic FZ1000 have Touch Screen?
Does the Panasonic FZ1000 have built-in Wireless?
What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Panasonic FZ1000?

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 Detailed Specifications

General
Brand	Panasonic
Model	Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
Announced	2014-06-12
Body Type	SLR-like (bridge)
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens
Number of Lenses
Lens Focal Range	25-400 mm (16x)
Max Aperture	F2.8-4.0
Macro Focus Range	3cm
Screen
Screen Type	Fully Articulated
Screen Size	3"
Screen Resolution	921k dots
Live View
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	2,359k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.7
Photography Features
Min Shutter Speed	60s
Max Mechanical Shutter Speed	1/4000s
Continuous Shooting	12.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation	Yes
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	13.50 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash Modes	Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External Flash
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	64
DxO Color Depth	22.1
DxO Dynamic Range	11.7
DxO Low Light ISO	517
	Report a correction

Sensor
Sensor Type	CMOS
Sensor Size	1"
Sensor Dimensions	13.2 x 8.8 mm
Sensor Area	116.16mm²
Sensor Resolution	20 megapixels
Max Image Resolution	5472 x 3648
Max Native ISO	12,800
Max Boosted ISO	25600
Min Native ISO	125
Min Boosted ISO	80
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	49
Number of Cross Focus Points	Unknown
Video Features
Video Resolutions	3840x2160 (30p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p) 1280x720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In
HDMI
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight	831g
Physical Dimensions	137 x 99 x 131mm
Battery Life	360 shots
Battery Type	Battery Pack
Battery Model	DMW-BLC12PP
Other Features
Self Timer	Yes
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None
Storage Slots	1