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

[hoodlum]

IR confirmed FZ1000 can do clean 4k or 1080p 4:2:2 out through HDMI.  The only limitation is that you cannot write to the internal card at the same time.

 

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2014/07/31/the-panasonic-fz1000-can-output-clean-hdmi-video

[voyagervideo]

Hi guys, just thought I would throw this out there because a lot of press releases claimed the FZ1000 does 240fps in 720p and 360fps in 480p.  It does not.  Some pre-release cameras even had this function, but Panasonic seems to have scrapped it at the last minute.

 

Anyone know about this and why it was removed?

[varicam]

Hi guys, just thought I would throw this out there because a lot of press releases claimed the FZ1000 does 240fps in 720p and 360fps in 480p.  It does not.  Some pre-release cameras even had this function, but Panasonic seems to have scrapped it at the last minute.

 

Anyone know about this and why it was removed?

 

Maybe the features are withheld for the next version? Planned obsolescence could be a reason.

[Cinegain]

Just got it in. In size the FZ1000 is comparable with the GH4 with Oly 12-40mm f/2.8.

 

 

[Cinegain]

Cinegain, how does the stabilization of the FZ1000 compare to the EM5? Also, how high do you think you can go with the FZ1000 in terms of ISO and still have useable footage?

 

I'll just move your quote to here, Flynn, more on-topic.

 

The stabilization is fine on the FZ1000, although the effectiveness is highly dependent on your general handheld shooting skills (and still can't quite touch Olympuses implementation). It's easy to still get some jittery effects going on, especially when autofocus is enabled too. This camera works best when you pull all the strings and tell it what to do. But I managed to get it really nice and stable fully zoomed in (in 4K the cropped range is equivalent to that of 37-592mm). Be aware though, the FZ1000's handling noise is very loud. The zoom motor and stabilization (is always required to support the lens, so even switched off noise is audible) are really noisy (in a quiet environment) and picked up by the built-in stereo mic. You really want to go and use a dedicated video mic accessory, like the ones from RØDE (I have the budget Takstar SGC-598 and iShoot PL-MIC02 video mics on the way to try out), which for starters is always a good thing to do if you're somewhat serious about videoshooting (and videozoom is more or less a no-go anyways, unless you're going for comedic effect or something).

 

In terms of noise. It's definitly not on par with the GH4. But you can get great results up to ISO400. ISO800 is still fine enough. ISO1600 gets a bit tricky, but if you need it, you'll still find it workable. And anything above will be highly questionable to pass off as usable footage (although the deteriation from ISO3200 to ISO6400 is really immense and compared make ISO3200 still look pretty okay). Still, they grain is one of a nicer kind, it's rather organic and random. Doesn't really seem to effect highs and lows (dark areas are surprisingly clean), but mids suffer quite a bit. Shooting 4K helps to hide the noise a bit. If you do not touch the noise reduction (keep it at zero, not minus five) and apply some neat video in post, noise won't be much of an issue for regular shooting.

 

I haven't gotten around to shoot a lot lately though (lots of work and got and am still ill), but I'll see if I can come up with some shareable footage.

[Flynn]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply Cinegain. Very useful. Please don't feel obliged to shoot any footage on my account. I didn't realize you were sick. Get better!

[Cinegain]

Thanks for that, it's only a light case of pharyngitis, so the antibiotics and nose drops should take care of it quickly I hope.

 

On to the FZ1000. It has won the EISA Award for best advanced compact camera 2014-2015 (Panasonic also got one for the GH4 and Olympus for their 12-40mm f/2.8 zoom lens, so coïncidentally what's in my pictures above).

 

 

Kind of a shame what they did with the FZ1000 that's been bugging me a bit (besides the handling noise), the SD slot is located in the battery compartment on the bottom (which will be blocked when adding a QR plate/mounting it on something) instead of on the side, like on the GH-series. Also, the tripod hole is placed offset of sensor's center.

 

If you're looking for more info, Graham Houghton, whom I already knew from videos on the FZ200, has gone and got himself a FZ1000 too. Pretty cool guy with nice and informative videos, you can check him out at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ghough12/videos .

 

And here's a nice comparison clip for 4K footage (the editing skills of this guy are a little 90's though xD):

[Jake Fantom]

​I recently purchased an FZ1000 and was truly surprised by the noise when zooming or focusing. (I own two other Lumix cameras which make little or no noise.) I returned the camera, thinking it was defective, but posted a question regarding the noise to Amazon's forum for owners of the camera. What really surprised me was that more than half the responses from owners said there was little or no noise from their FZ1000s. There were also a number of replies from owners who said that they had noticed the noise but for whatever reason, chose to live with it. Bottom line, I am wondering if there are a number of defective or at least sub-standard FZ1000s out there that make more noise than others. I really liked the camera in most other respects, but the operational noise was a deal-breaker, even with an external mic.

[iamoui]

Here's an edit I put together from a trip I took in January to Cambodia. I'm not a colorist, it was done in a hurry. Anyway, it was super fun shooting with the FZ1000. Everything was shot handheld with OIS on and some stabilization in post. I was really trying to push the OIS with fake dolly and slider moves. Everything was 4k 24p except for slow motion (120fps 1080p). Edited in FCPX on a 1080p timeline. I did punch in and reframe some of the 4k shots, which was nice to have. Let me know what you think! All criticisms welcome.

 

 

[Cinegain]

Good stuff.

Gotta love the way the FZ1000 resolves detail in some of these shots without looking like some sort of digital sharpening is going on. Leaves (freeze frame at 1:35, look at all those leaves, it's not all mushy mushy like a Canon would do), stone/rocks (3:26)... Slowmo is pretty great too (like the shot starting around 0:16).

Some of the dolly like shots you were trying to pull of worked quite well (1:29 looked like something from Jurassic Park! 3:15: Nailed it!). Also integrated some nice depth layering, making sure most of the time there's object throughout the depth of the frame; creates a more immersive experience. Even over distance, with added motion, like 1:23. The monkey on 4:16 turning his head and then cover the monkey turning his head in the next shot is greatly done (although there's a bit of inconsistency in color, first a contrasty magenta, then a somewhat flat green). Overall there's hardly any moments for me to go 'ai, there's that 1 inch sensor'. FZ1000 really is an awesome travel companion. Lots of flexibility and nice results without weighing down/too much fuss.

There's not much to critique, pretty good job, I'd say. Keep it up. Maybe just try to nail levelling that horizon from time to time a bit more. Perhaps could've cut it a bit shorter and leave some footage out. You know people these days, it's hard to keep people's attention for five minutes. But as a personal travel vid, pretty awesome to have and look back on.

[iamoui]

Good stuff.

Gotta love the way the FZ1000 resolves detail in some of these shots without looking like some sort of digital sharpening is going on. Leaves (freeze frame at 1:35, look at all those leaves, it's not all mushy mushy like a Canon would do), stone/rocks (3:26)... Slowmo is pretty great too (like the shot starting around 0:16).

Some of the dolly like shots you were trying to pull of worked quite well (1:29 looked like something from Jurassic Park! 3:15: Nailed it!). Also integrated some nice depth layering, making sure most of the time there's object throughout the depth of the frame; creates a more immersive experience. Even over distance, with added motion, like 1:23. The monkey on 4:16 turning his head and then cover the monkey turning his head in the next shot is greatly done (although there's a bit of inconsistency in color, first a contrasty magenta, then a somewhat flat green). Overall there's hardly any moments for me to go 'ai, there's that 1 inch sensor'. FZ1000 really is an awesome travel companion. Lots of flexibility and nice results without weighing down/too much fuss.

There's not much to critique, pretty good job, I'd say. Keep it up. Maybe just try to nail levelling that horizon from time to time a bit more. Perhaps could've cut it a bit shorter and leave some footage out. You know people these days, it's hard to keep people's attention for five minutes. But as a personal travel vid, pretty awesome to have and look back on.

​Hey, thanks! I'm loving the way the FZ1000 resolves detail. I actually traded in my Canon 60D and some EF glass for the FZ1000 and I have absolutely no regrets. It's so much easier to just pull out the camera and start shooting! I used the Natural profile with contrast and saturation down a little and sharpening all the way down! Only a touch of sharpening added in post. 

I know the color in some places could have been more consistent. I'll take more time with coloring in the future. Also re: the horizon. I've always seemed to have a problem with keeping a level horizon, even with the built in level! I guess I just need to be more aware of it while I'm filming. 

I thought I would miss the big APS-C sized sensor in the 60D but for the most part I don't! I do plan on buying a second camera within the year if I can save up enough $$. I was thinking something along the lines of an a6000 or nx500. Something small but with an APS-C sized sensor (for better low-light and thin depth of field when I really want it.)

Thank you for the honest feedback. It means a lot!

[Julian]

The FZ1000 must have been a perfect camera for a trip like that! Imagine lugging your 60D around with a set of lenses (and ending up with mushy footage ;))

I probably wouldn't have guessed it was shot on a relatively small sensor bridgecamera without knowing it either. Well done