4K for $899 with the Panasonic FZ1000 - but beware the quirks!

[Rockect Sky Sword]

On the cage of my fears “I†write this letter.

 

Would some gallant somebody please tell Panasonic there is a entire continent on the other side of the ocean.

 

Because “I†can’t exist outside the reign of digital boundaries.

Sincerely, NTSC

[JackHorror]

HYBRID O.I.S. 5-Axis Image Stabilization? Does gh4 have that?

[Damphousse]

HYBRID O.I.S. 5-Axis Image Stabilization? Does gh4 have that?

 

Watch this...

 

[ntblowz]

I think in 4K it just uses normal Power OIS, just 1080P and less it uses Hybrid+ OIS and level recording (probably too much data for CPU to handle atm, have to wait for 64bit ARM for that!)

[wobba]

Good bye sony RX100Mk3 RX10

 

This is a monster camera especially the incoming LX8 with better lens ;)

 

Are you a Panasonic spruiker? The RX100m3 and FZ1000 are totally different cameras.

 

One fits in your pocket, the other is a monster (as you say) that's 6x larger and 4x heavier.  

[wobba]

This could have been near perfect except for two, maybe three, showstoppers.  

 

1. Lousy 28mbps bit rate for 1080P

2. No in-built ND filter (tiny cameras like the Ricoh GR and RX100m3 can accommodate one).

3. Panasonic need to stop living in the 70's and do away with this NTSC/PAL mentality. Why are they still doing one lot of bodies with NTSC frame rates and a different lot with PAL rates.  This is BS!

[leeys]

you say in 4k there is a crop factor of 4.0 (37mm/9.1mm) so must we also multiply the aperture by the crop factor to get the full frame equivalent as i read in many articles ? so is the lens a f11.2-f16 equivalent ? (how bad is it going to be in low light ?, i don't understand if this "full frame aperture equivalency" is just good for the depth of field equivalency or is it also applying for the quantity of light going onto the sensor ? if so f11.2 is going to be really dark for indoor shooting )

 

if it makes it really bad choice  for indoor shooting and this camera is only good for outdoor bright sunlight shooting, then why no wait for the gopro4 that will also do 4k (>15fps) it will be cheaper, smaller and water proof (but lack the zoom). it is supposed to  be out within 2 weeks.

 

I knew the stupid FF equivalence advocates were going to cause this kind of confusion sooner or later. It only refers to DoF equivalance. For exposures f/2.8 is f/2.8. The actual transmission value is another thing altogether.

[leeys]

I'm astounded. How can you absolutely know for sure? I've been using cameras for 20 years, and reviewing them for the past few, and I'd *never* make assumptions like these until I actually have spent some time with either the camera, or a substantial number of sample files.

 

Also, don't be surprised if the sensors are the same.

 

I think, much like the A7s and GH4, that there is a place for both the RX10 and the FZ1000 in the marketplace. The Zeiss lens on the Sony will be better, that's a near 100% guarantee, at all focal lengths where they match. The 60p1080 on the RX10, being full pixel readout, should hold its own well enough... despite AVCHD. The RX10 is better built, by a considerable measure, being as well built as a 5DMkIII or A99v level camera. The RX10 also has the headphone jack so proper sound monitoring is available, and the ability to work with an XLR mic, natively, is a huge bonus for the people who care. The customizability of the Sony cameras is also beginning to get the attention it deserves: someone can take this camera and make it their own. Add in the ND filtration and proper stabilization in video and we can say it still does well, if a tad overpriced. The innate capability of the RX10 is very high, however, and the still images are stunning. I haven't seen anything in the Rebel class of DSLR that really competes. You have to go to an A6000ish level camera before that happens. I doubt the Panasonic will be able to get that still performance out of the FZ1000. Physics of lens vs no BSI say so.

 

The BSI sensor in the RX10 will  win the high ISO, high dynamic range battle quickly where still photos come into play and Sony's Object Tracking has always beaten Panasonic where continuous CDAF has come in. 

 

I think that once Sony drops the price of the RX10 to, say, $1k, it'll still be the better overall photographer's tool. The 25-400mm lens with a non-bsi sensor behind it will have too many compromises to compete at the top end of the imaging range. Still, the versatility of such a lens is not to be denied.

 

The 4k crop will be interesting to see on the FZ1000. I think that, much like most compact devices currently shooting 4k,  it's more of a gimmick, still, than a viable feature BUT it is the first to start moving more towards the viable feature end of the spectrum. Those memory card requirements are going to be a bummer in the wallet for some, however :)

 

Anyway. RX10 vs FZ1000: another Sony vs Panny argument that is sure to last the summer.

[theSUBVERSIVE]

I think nobody mentioned it but this camera can also do 720p @240fps - and 640x480 @360fps.

 

So this turns the camera even more interesting, 240fps in 720p is not bad at all.

[pablogrollan]

"I’d speculate the sensor is likely made by Panasonic."

 

According to Sonyalpharumors it has the same Sony made sensor from the RX100M3 and the RX10, which was already 4K capable (though not enabled). I suppose this means we may see the "RX20" or "RX10 M2" in the coming months offering pretty much the same but in XAVC-S and with built-in ND filters for 300-400$ more.

[JamesBooba]

bout the ND filter: not sure where ive read it, but you can mount 52mm ND filters on this lens ... 

[Cinegain]

Yeah, what I've said earlier. Kind of a pity it puts the camera out of the constant f/2.8-group. :unsure:

 

Oh wow! About two months ago I e-mailed 'em they should come up with a successor to the FZ200 and here it is now! :P

 

Very nice to see! All supercool features.

Although the FZ200 really had something going for it, being the first constant f/2.8 bridgecamera/superzoom. Olympus and Sony really paid attention and brought out their own constant f/2.8 aperture camera's with a bit of zoom to 'em: the Stylus 1 and RX10. So it's kind of a shame the Panasonic now runs from f/2.8 to f/4. Not that I encourage people to zoom whilst shooting video. But it's might be a bit of an inconvenience overall. But in return you get a pretty wide zoomrange. 25-400mm is nice. Although I would've liked to see it start a little wider, rather than being able to zoom in all the way to 400mm. But I kinda get it, in the end it's still is marketed as a bridgecamera/superzoom, as a follow up to the FZ200. The 1" sensor is of course a brilliant move and being able to record 4K will really up the ante here.

 

I will definitly checkout these camera's. I really loved my Canon PowerShot SX1 IS superzoom/bridge, back in the day. Some 1080p video's I shot on that were so awesome it totally was the reason I'm excited about shooting video today. I loved the all-in-one flexible solution, also for photography. There really is an appeal to it.

 

But I would really be excited to have a bridgecamera/superzoom again though. My normal dayjob gives me plenty of sweet oppertunities to take pictures and video, but I can't and won't go and carry around a interchangeable lens camera with lenses and all. I don't know what I'll come across each day or if I'll even get to use it, so the flexibility of having a bit off everything for me in a single somewhat compact package is superb for the purpose of always having it with me in my bag. I'd then love to get the LX-8 as a carry on, hopefully being able to fit it in some pocket (bermuda's with wide pockets/jackets), would be perfect for in and around the house and on the street. Then take the GH2/GH4/E-M1 with me when it's really about purposed/planned shooting with less of a on-the-go character to it. Usually for on-the-go snaps you'd take out your smartphone, but for me having a FZ1000 in the bag on the job and a LX-8 somewhere on my person, would be way nicer. :lol: I think it compliments ones existing gear nicely.

[nib187]

This could have been near perfect except for two, maybe three, showstoppers.  

 

1. Lousy 28mbps bit rate for 1080P

2. No in-built ND filter (tiny cameras like the Ricoh GR and RX100m3 can accommodate one).

3. Panasonic need to stop living in the 70's and do away with this NTSC/PAL mentality. Why are they still doing one lot of bodies with NTSC frame rates and a different lot with PAL rates.  This is BS!

I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with the EU taxes.

[jonpais]

This could have been near perfect except for two, maybe three, showstoppers.  

 

1. Lousy 28mbps bit rate for 1080P

2. No in-built ND filter (tiny cameras like the Ricoh GR and RX100m3 can accommodate one).

3. Panasonic need to stop living in the 70's and do away with this NTSC/PAL mentality. Why are they still doing one lot of bodies with NTSC frame rates and a different lot with PAL rates.  This is BS!

There sure seems to be a lot of pent-up hostility here - or just plain ignorance. If handled properly, 28mbps can yield beautiful 1080p images. Nobody's forcing anybody to buy the camera. If you want higher bit rates, there are plenty of other options. And Panasonic are hardly caught up in the 70s - in fact, I'd say they are on top of their game at the moment. According to most reviewers who've had a chance to look at the camera or the specs, Panasonic has outdone Sony - and the RX10 was no mean achievement. 4K video? check. 4K HDMI output for viewing stills? check. 12 fps burst rate? check. tilt/swivel LCD? check. 2,359K dots OLED EVF? check. 16X zoom range? check. Oh, and did I mention, it's $400 less expensive than the overpriced RX10?

 

Incidentally, I lived through the 70s (when, believe it or not, we had to screw filters on our lenses), and I'm not so sure that the days before the Internet weren't a little more civilized.

[Andrew Reid]

The smaller the camera the easier it is to put an ND filter in the narrowest part of the optical path. X100, RX100, Ricoh GR have tiny lenses. FZ1000 doesn't.

 

Also don't forget the RX10 is $500 more than the FZ1000 for that built in ND filter, and you lose 4K, gain moire.

 

I think it's fantastic value for what you DO get! No need to be angry at a few minor omissions...

[Viet Bach Bui]

The smaller the camera the easier it is to put an ND filter in the narrowest part of the optical path. X100, RX100, Ricoh GR have tiny lenses. FZ1000 doesn't.

 

Also don't forget the RX10 is $500 more than the FZ1000 for that built in ND filter, and you lose 4K, gain moire.

 

I think it's fantastic value for what you DO get! No need to be angry at a few minor omissions...

The constant f2.8 and weather sealing must account for a large part of that $500 too.

[eoslover]

not a big fan of RX100M3 and RX10

how can we all stay 1080p while almost every smartphones coming up can shoot 4k now?

 

this is a huge meltdown of RX series and a big thumb up to Panny

[jonpais]

not a big fan of RX100M3 and RX10

how can we all stay 1080p while almost every smartphones coming up can shoot 4k now?

 

this is a huge meltdown of RX series and a big thumb up to Panny

Why not a fan of these two cameras? In what way does 4K suddenly make everything before it obsolete, including 2.5K? Are you saying there isn't any difference between a smartphone that shoots 4K and a camera that does the same? And just how is the RX series 'melting down'? 

[jonpais]

The constant f2.8 and weather sealing must account for a large part of that $500 too.

Are we absolutely certain now that Panasonic's camera doesn't have any weather sealing? I thought that wasn't determined yet. But I do admit a preference for constant aperture lenses. Whether that's worth paying $400 more for, I'm not sure...

[Viet Bach Bui]

Are we absolutely certain now that Panasonic's camera doesn't have any weather sealing? I thought that wasn't determined yet. But I do admit a preference for constant aperture lenses. Whether that's worth paying $400 more for, I'm not sure...

It's not 100% certain but if it was weather-sealed Panasonic would have advertised it, don't you think? Panasonic also does not advertise the FZ1000 as having a magnesium alloy body, while the RX10 does. On top of that the FZ1000 has only 1 command dial while the RX10 has 2 on top of having an aperture ring on the lens. Even if the lens on the RX10 doesn't cost more to make the build is still premium compared to the FZ1000.

 

And yeah, it's a $400 difference.